After more than a year away from the mic, Dr. Brené Brown is bringing back her two podcasts — “Unlocking Us” and “Dare to Lead” — under a new partnership with Vox Media.
Brown, a renowned researcher, author and speaker whose work explores emotional facets of the human experience, on Wednesday announced a deal to bring her shows to the Vox Media Podcast Network. In January 2023, Brown —whose exclusive podcast deal with Spotifyfor the two shows expired at the end of 2022 — said she was halting the podcasts indefinitely. She didn’t provide a reason for the decision. “I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice,” Brown said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) at the time. “To our #UnlockingUs and #DaretoLead communities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes.”
Starting Feb. 14, 2024, all past episodes of Brown’s “Unlocking Us” and “Dare to Lead” became widely available on all major podcast platforms. Under the partnership, Vox Media will lead sales, marketing and distribution for Brown’s two podcasts.
Both shows will also return with new seasons: “Unlocking Us” (which explores “both the magic and the messiness of being human”) will be out with new episodes starting Feb. 28. In a new trailer, Brown said “Unlocking Us” will run three- or four-part series each quarter. “Dare to Lead” (which features conversations with “change-catalysts, culture-shifters and as many troublemakers as possible”) will return on March 20. Brown will also join Vox Media at South by Southwest this year for a live taping of “Dare to Lead.”
“This is going to be so much fun! Vox Media is the perfect creative podcast partner for the relaunch of Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead,” Brown said in a statement. “I’ve missed the learning, the unlearning, and the laughter – I think we need more of all three right now!”
Brown’s new deal with Vox Media comes as Spotify has pivoted away from securing exclusive platform rights and instead has adopted a strategy of widely distributing shows to maximize audience reach. Spotify recently renewed podcast deals with Joe Rogan for his popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” and with Alex Cooper for “Call Her Daddy”; under those pacts, the shows will no longer stream exclusively on Spotify, which is handling distribution and ad sales.
“We have doubled down on the [podcast] deals that worked, and have gotten out of many of the deals that didn’t work,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said on the company’s Q4 earnings call last week.
Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She’s the author of six No. 1 New York Times bestselling books, which have been translated into more than 30 languages. Her TED talk on “The Power of Vulnerability” is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with more than 60 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix, and in 2022 she launched a new show on Max based on her latest book “Atlas of the Heart.”
“Brené has a transcendent voice. She has helped so many of us live wholehearted lives through courage, connection, vulnerability, and authenticity,” said Ray Chao, Vox Media’s SVP and general manager for audio and digital video. “We’re so proud to bring Brené to the Vox Media Podcast Network and be the new audio home for her research, insights, and powerful storytelling.”
Vox Media’s podcast series and talent lineup includes “Pivot” with journalist Kara Swisher and NYU Stern marketing professor Scott Galloway; “Stay Tuned with Preet” hosted by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara; tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (“Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast”); psychotherapist Esther Perel (“Where Should We Begin?”) and former NBA stars Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner.
Penske Media Corp., owned of PvNew, became Vox Media’s largest single shareholder last year afterPMC acquired a minority stake in the company. PMC invested $100 million in Vox Media for a 20% stake, the New York Times reported.
