The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam GrantWhy Grit Isn’t Always Enough with Angela Duckworth | The Curiosity Shop
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- September 24, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 6m
- Channel
- The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
What if grit isn’t the whole story behind success? Psychologist and author Angela Duckworth joins Brené Brown and Adam Grant to talk about her new book, Situated, and how the situations around us influence our behavior, motivation, creativity, and success. They unpack situational awareness, the paradox of self-control, and why willpower can be an unreliable tool for change. Angela also shares practical ways to shape your environment, reduce friction around your goals, and decide whether to keep going versus change course. Together, they explore how becoming more intentional about our surroundings, relationships, and support systems is often more powerful than simply trying harder. #adamgrant #brenebrown #thecuriosityshop Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop About The Curiosity Shop: Research professor Brené Brown and organizational psychologist Adam Grant are partnering on a new weekly podcast grounded in an unflinching commitment to learning and unlearning. At a time when public discourse rewards certainty over inquiry, The Curiosity Shop features two of the world's most sought-after experts on connection, change, and leadership making the case for slowing down, asking better questions, and embracing informed complexity over easy answers. Bringing together their left and right brain sensibilities — she’s a qualitative researcher; he’s a quantitative researcher — they explore some of the defining questions of our time, unpack the research reshaping how we live, lead, and love, and dive deep into the ideas, evidence, and cultural moments intriguing them the most. New episodes drop every Thursday. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Connect with The Curiosity Shop: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecuriosityshop/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1730985049 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6?si=e2483abb4eed4b03 Connect with Brené Brown: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenebrown/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenebrown/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenebrown/ Connect with Adam Grant: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamgrant/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammgrant/ X: https://x.com/adammgrant/ ============================= Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Curiosity Shop 04:14 Six Words for the Book "Insightful, Painful, Hopeful" 06:23 "Grit Is One Thing, a Great Situation Is Another" 09:02 Making the Best of Your Situation vs. Changing It 11:18 Defining "The Situation" 13:56 Situational Awareness, Agency, and Responsibility 19:29 The Kids' Art on the Wall "A Situational Variable" 21:12 Bob Cialdini's Office Switch 23:34 Habits, Autopilot, and Wendy Wood's Research 26:35 The Workout Clothes Hack and "Micro Friction" 30:23 "Put Up Your Own Billboards" 34:51 Tattoos, Identity, and Situational Cues 39:56 The Paradoxes of Self-Control and Self-Sufficiency 43:05 "Perseverance May Require Leaving" When to Quit, When to Grit 47:13 Hope, Pathways, and the Situational Side of Optimism 50:16 Reflections: Grit vs. Willpower and Real-Life Situational Wins Show Notes: http://thecuriosityshop.com/podcast/why-grit-isnt-always-enough-with-angela-duckworth Why Grit Isn’t Always Enough with Angela Duckworth | The Curiosity Shop https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop
SPEAKERS
Brené Brown
hostResearch professor and author known for work on vulnerability, courage, and leadership.
Adam Grant
hostOrganizational psychologist and professor known for research on work, motivation, and generosity.
Angela Duckworth
guestPsychologist and professor known for research on grit, self-control, and achievement.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, featuring Brené Brown and Adam Grant, Why Grit Isn’t Always Enough with Angela Duckworth | The Curiosity Shop explores grit needs the right situation: design cues, peers, and paths Angela Duckworth reframes achievement as the interaction of grit and situation, arguing that fully realizing potential requires both internal perseverance and external conditions that support it.
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