For two decades, renowned Houston-based thought leader Brené Brown has delved into the human condition, studying and exploring themes such as courage, vulnerability, empathy, and shame. Her work has made her a national figure as a five-time New York Times bestselling author and as a host of one of the most popular TED Talks of all time.

Now, Brown is leaping forward with her self-help work with an exclusive new multi-year deal with Spotify. The native Texan will host a new podcast, Dare to Lead, which will premiere exclusively on Spotify on October 19, according to a press release. Fans can also look for her beloved Unlocking Us podcast to move to Spotify in January 2021.

Brown said in a statement that it was “very important to me to build a podcast home where people could continue to listen for free.”

As for the podcast, Dare to Lead will feature conversations with “change-catalysts, culture-shifters, and more than a few troublemakers who are innovating, creating, and daring to lead,” according to a statement. It mirrors Brown’s bestselling book of the same name.

“I've partnered with Spotify because I wanted a home for both podcasts,” Brown added, “and I wanted it to be a place that felt collaborative, creative, adventurous, and full of music — like my actual house, where you’d find guitar stands in every room and framed pictures of everyone from Willie Nelson and Aretha Franklin to Freddy Fender, Mick Jagger, and Angus Young hanging on my walls.”

In an added treat for those who love Yacht Rock (and who doesn’t, frankly?), Brown is taking over Spotify’s Yacht Rock Playlist and has added her favorite tunes (look for smart picks such as Christopher Cross, Doobie Brothers, TOTO, and more).

When she’s not overseeing her multimedia brand, podcasting, writing, hosting, and programming Spotify playlists, Brown is a visiting professor in management at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, and serves as a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.

She is also the author of four other No. 1 New York Times bestselling books, including The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness. Her 2010 “The Power of Vulnerability” TED Talk has consistently been rated one of the top five most-watched of all time, with more than 50 million views. She is also the first researcher to have a filmed talk on Netflix; her “The Call to Courage” debuted on the streaming service in 2019.