Drawing upon extensive research, the author presents an alternative to the pressure to conform, and explores being strong by embracing vulnerability and being who one really is.

What it means to dare greatly -- Introduction: my adventures in the arena -- Scarcity : looking inside our culture of "never enough" -- Debunking the vulnerability myths -- Understanding and combating shame -- The vulnerability armory -- Mind the gap : cultivating change and closing the disengagement divide -- Disruptive engagement : daring to re-humanize education and work -- Wholehearted parenting : daring to be the adults we want our children to be -- Final thoughts -- Appendix-trust in emergence : grounded theory and my research process -- Acknowledgments -- Notes and references.