Carla Brandão
Journalist, specialist in Emotional Intelligence and Human Development, author, and TEDx Speaker.
Carla Brandão is a journalist and communicator with over 35 years of experience in team leadership and people development. A specialist in Emotional Intelligence, Psychoanalysis, and Neuroscience applied to Education, she has dedicated the past 17 years to strengthening socio-emotional skills. She is the author of the books #DoeCoragem and Amiga Coragem, host of the podcast Na Trilha da Coragem, and a mental health columnist for the iG portal and the Morning Show program on Jovem Pan. A TEDx Speaker since 2025, she has developed her own methodology that combines science and communication to demonstrate that courage is a trainable skill. Her work inspires people to overcome fears, express their potential, and build more authentic and meaningful lives.
About Carla Brandão
Carla Brandão is a journalist, communicator, and human development specialist with a consolidated professional career spanning more than 35 years in team leadership and people development. Her experience in journalism and corporate communication broadened her understanding of human behavior, leading her to deepen her studies in management, leadership, and socio-emotional skills development.
For the past 17 years, she has dedicated herself to the study of Emotional Intelligence, an area in which she holds a degree from PUC-RS, as well as specializations in Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience applied to Education from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Santa Casa de São Paulo. Her work integrates scientific evidence and communication strategies to promote emotional strengthening, self-awareness, and the development of human potential.
Author of the books #DoeCoragem and Amiga Coragem, Carla is the creator and host of the podcast Na Trilha da Coragem, a space dedicated to reflections on vulnerability, overcoming challenges, and personal growth. She is also a mental health columnist for the iG portal and for the Morning Show program on Jovem Pan, bringing content focused on emotional balance and the quality of human relationships to a broad audience.
Recognized for her ability to translate complex concepts into practical and transformative experiences, she was invited in 2025 to serve as a TEDx Speaker, presenting the talk The Awakening of Courage, in which she defends courage as an essential competence for facing challenges, making conscious decisions, and building more authentic and meaningful life paths.
Through online courses, workshops, and lectures, Carla has developed her own methodology based on the principles of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and communication. Her work demonstrates that courage can be learned and strengthened, becoming a key skill that enables individuals to express their voice authentically, position themselves with confidence, and unlock talents often limited by fear and insecurity.
In this work, Carla Brandão invites the reader to reflect on courage as one of the pillars of happiness and longevity, showing that living fully requires not the absence of fear, but the willingness to move forward despite it.
Chapter Theme
THE COURAGE TO LIVE WITH PURPOSE
In this chapter, Carla Brandão invites readers to redefine the concept of courage, showing that it is neither the absence of fear nor an attribute reserved for heroes, but a deeply human capacity that can be cultivated throughout life. Drawing on studies in Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology, and Psychoanalysis, she demonstrates that true courage lies in the willingness to act despite uncertainty, embrace vulnerability, and remain faithful to one's authentic self.
By engaging with the work of researchers and thinkers such as Brené Brown, Tony Robbins, Amy Cuddy, Joe Vitale, Napoleon Hill, Freud, and Jung, Carla highlights that purpose, authenticity, meaningful relationships, and responsibility for one's choices are essential pillars of happiness and longevity. She reinforces the idea that living well requires presence, self-awareness, and the courage to honor who we truly are.
The chapter also takes on a deeply human dimension as Carla shares pivotal moments from her own journey: moving to São Paulo as a teenager, transitioning from a well-established career in journalism to the field of human development, and overcoming the challenges of recovering from a serious shoulder injury. Through each of these experiences, she reveals that courage is expressed not only in major life reinventions but also in the daily decision to keep moving forward.
More than a virtue, Carla presents courage as a pathway to a meaningful life: the choice not to abandon oneself, to transform vulnerability into strength, and to make one's own story an authentic expression of the