Brené Brown

Brené Brown, the self-help guru who’s cornered the market on discussing discomfort, is about as Jewish as a ham sandwich. There's no indication of any Jewish ancestry or inclination to identify with the tribe, choosing instead to find her community in the world of academic research and best-selling books.

Her work, however, has a certain universal appeal that crosses cultural boundaries. She’s made a fortune encouraging people to lean into vulnerability, which, if you think about it, is a very Jewish thing to do – we’ve been kvetching publicly for millennia.

While her topics might resonate with some Jewish sensibilities, Brown herself doesn't appear to be drawing from any particular religious wellspring for her insights, beyond a general, perhaps even spiritual, humanistic approach. She's more likely to cite a qualitative research study than a Talmudic teaching.

So, while we can appreciate her contributions to the global conversation on emotional intelligence (and maybe even secretly wish she was one of ours), the fact remains: Brené Brown is not a Jew. But she is very, very good at getting people to talk about their feelings, which is almost as good.