Brené on Strong Ground Ask Me Anything, Part 2 of 2

Brené Brown introduces the "Above Below the Line" practice, a tool for building grounded competence by recognizing and managing fear. The core concept revolves around a line representing fear; above the line, individuals acknowledge fear and maintain awareness, while below the line, fear drives behavior unconsciously, often resulting in hero, villain, or victim stances. Brown credits her coach, Courtney, for introducing the concept and highlights its origins with Robert Kiyosaki and further development by Carolyn Taylor and the Conscious Leadership Group. Sharing personal and organizational examples, Brown emphasizes that recognizing when one is below the line is a significant achievement, enabling individuals and teams to pause, reassess, and choose more productive responses, ultimately fostering trust and healthier communication. She also notes how anger often masks underlying fear, urging listeners to recognize hero-villain-victim language as a cue to potential fear.