Choose to be Curious: Recent Episodes
Lynn Borton
Conversations about curiosity in work and life. Broadcasting weekly on WERA-LP 96.7 FM, streaming at wera.fm
Choose to be Curious is a show all about curiosity. We explore how curiosity contributes to everything from education and innovation to leadership and conflict resolution.
S. Leonard Rubenstein, a writer and teacher, once described curiosity as “a willing, a proud, an eager confession of ignorance” – and that’s what I’m going for.
We have a choice. Like eating well or exercise, we get to decide how we will show up in work and life. My goal is to help people flex their curiosity muscles and get stronger at being curious. Whatever you do, choose to be curious!
I: Let Curiosity Guide You is a novel about research and theory -- but mostly it's a conversation about how curiosity shows up in work and life between O’Nell's protagonist and a shape-shifting, golden-eyed cat named “Curiosity”.O'Nell Agossa: https://medium.com/@o.agossa/about Theme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by Cloud Harbor and “Skyway” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
How does curiosity inform architecture? How do architects' designs elicit curiosity? And what stories do they leave behind for the future to unpack? Toronto-based architect Alexander Josephson sees curiosity at the center of anything done well.Alexander Josephson is founder of Toronto-based architecture firm Partisans: https://partisans.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “We Build with Rubber Bands” by Lemuel, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In her book I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood and Magic, Jen Dary chronicles her experience with a brain tumor. It's a story of wonder, unknowing, uncertainty, belief -- and curiosity.Jen Dary: https://www.jendarywriter.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “The Big Ten” by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Larry Robertson makes the case: we aren’t just a “questioning species”, questions are the source of our flourishing. When we learn to use them well, we all benefit.Larry Robertson: https://lrspeaks.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Great Great Lengths” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Happy Semiquincentennial! Washington DC-based social sculptor, speaker, and writer Philippa Pham Hughes and I luxuriate in curiosity, this crazy big milestone, and letting ourselves dream about the next 250 years.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Cradle Rocks” by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.
When the world feels like it’s breaking apart in a million places and even more pieces, I find myself wanting to learn from folks who are leaning into curiosity about the other, people who believe we can promote peace through what Sister Cities founder Dwight D. Eisenhower called “people-to-people diplomacy.”Fred Blanton is one of those people. He serves as the Virginia/West Virginia Coordinator for Sister Cities International and on the SCI Board. He has a lifetime of involvement in citizen diplomacy and is as champion and clearly-cherished shepherd for Sister Cities, an organization that seeks to promote peace one community at a time.Sister Cities: https://sistercities.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Town Market” by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Do you have a sense of purpose? What does that mean to you? And what place does curiosity have in finding and living one's purpose? There's a lot of research going on around purpose. Purpose Commons is moving that research into practice -- and focusing it on youth.Purpose Commons: https://www.purposecommons.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “FasterFasterBrighter” by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.
As the world's largest online information resource, Wikipedia knows a thing or two about how our curiosity shows up. I wondered: as our information landscape changes, how does Wikipedia adjust? And our curiosity? Lisa Seitz Gruwell, Chief Advancement Officer at Wikimedia Foundation, joined me to reflect on what's worked and the importance of making time for curiosity.Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Theme music by Sean Balick; “The Envelope” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
-- I act like like I'm curious. I behave in curious ways, in hopes the feelings will follow.Wouldn't it be nice if there were an app for that?Enter The Humane Space. Lauren Henkin created the lifestyle company and first-of-its-kind app to help people find greater meaning in life through curiosity, wonder, and awe.The Humane Space: https://www.thehumane.space Photo of Lauren Henkin by Leslie Swan Photography LLC.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Glass Beads” by The Balloonist , via Blue Dot Sessions.
Chronolog is a way to generate time-lapse images of Earth, powered by your camera -- and your curiosity.Used by organizations worldwide to monitor the environment and inspire our stewardship of our natural resources, this nifty citizen science effort capitalizes on our casual interest. Pretty clever.Chronolog: https://www.chronolog.io Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Catalog of Seasons” from Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Yvonne Marchese is the lovely and effervescent host of Late Bloomer Living a weekly podcast devoted to redefining what's possible in midlife and beyond. She's a self-described age agitator, play instigator and believer in do-overs on a journey of discovery around that aforementioned play -- which brought her, as it can, to curiosity.Late Bloomer Living: https://www.latebloomerliving.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Are We Loose Yet” by BodyTonic via Blue Dot Sessions.
Check out Dr. Chris Ford's podcast, Pulse Check Wisconsin: https://pulsecheckwi.comTheme music by Sean Balick. ”Cases to Rest” by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Sommelier and wine consultant Alicia Towns Franken embodies a tantalizing combination: wine --as another in my periodic series on curiosity and our senses--and an actual boots-on-the-ground effort to encourage and enable curiosity where barriers have long existed. Wine Unify: https://www.wineunify.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Down by the Bank” by Barstool, via Blue Dot Sessions.Photo Credit: Cary Wilton
Curiosity gets a lot of credit for success.For me, that raises an interesting inverse question: what about curiosity and failure?Who better to invite into that conversation than Samuel West, creator of Museum of Failure, a collection of failed products and services from around the world.Museum of Failure: https://museumoffailure.comTheme music by Sean Balick. “The Rampart” by Castle Danger, via Blue Dot Sessions.
~ John Muir LawsThis is an episode about nature journaling, but Jack would be the first to say: it isn't about the journal, it's about the journey.He's developed interdisciplinary programs that combine art with science and train us to observe the world with rigor and joy -- strengthening our capacity to be intentionally curious.John Muir Laws: https://johnmuirlaws.comTheme music by Sean Balick; other music by Sketchbook, via Blue Dot Sessions.Visit the episode webpage here: https://lynnborton.com/2025/11/27/curiosity-nature-journaling-with-john-muir-laws/
I couldn't fit everything in this week, so here is what Jack Laws and I drew from the Big Jar of Wannabe Analogies. #analogyEpisode webpage: https://lynnborton.com/2025/11/27/curiosity-nature-journaling-with-john-muir-laws/
Enough with the polite, front parlor pablum of the past -- and onward toward rich discussion, mindful discourse, self-disclosure, and – dare I say it? – curiosity! Wanting to do something about the epidemic of loneliness among her peers, Ashley Kirsner set out to find a way to help people build their conversational and self-revelatory muscles. Enter Skip the Small Talk.Skip the Small Talk: https://www.skipthesmalltalk.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Are We Loose Yet” by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
More about Stan Lai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lai Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Certain Lightness” by Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What if there were a mechanism – a format – that kept novelty high, provided some assurance that the information being imparted was important (at least to someone), and that might tap into things we know perhaps a bit about? Wouldn’t that seem like a pretty great curiosity vehicle? I give you PechaKucha!PechaKucha Night Knoxville: https://www.pechakucha.com/communities/knoxville Theme music by Sean Balick. “Turning on the Lights” by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I've been thinking about being more curious about what accessibility around curiosity really means and entails. I was delighted to sit down with accessibility advocate and Birdablity executive director, Cat Fribley to explore the curiosity lessons to be learned from the organization -- and from Birdability Week, a week full of events dedicated to making birding accessible and inclusive for everyone --- especially those with disabilities and other health concerns. Birdability: https://www.birdability.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Wingspan” by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.
“Kiku” is a Japanese word for listen. It is comprised of smaller characters that together, as my guest Haru Yamada puts it, “generate the secret alchemy of listening: an ear 耳 on the left and fourteen 十四 hearts 心 on the right …conjuring a person listening with the energy of fourteen hearts.” Think for a moment what it means to listen with the energy of fourteen hearts…Haru Yamada is a self-described global nomad and sociolinguist who loves thinking and writing about how people talk and listen across cultures. Her book, 聴くKIKU The Japanese Art of Good Listening was released in the UK in March 2025, and in the US in October 2025. You can find her Sounds Good writing on Substack at @haruyamada.Theme music by Sean Balick. ”Wahre” by Cloud Harbor via Blue Dot Sessions.
Sam Furness says nothing gives him greater joy than being an architect of spaces and moments where people really feel they can express themselves creatively. In that spirit, he founded Creative Quests, a worldwide community and creative playground for people fueled by curiosity.Sam Furness/Creative Quests: https://www.creativequests.world Theme music by Sean Balick; “Valantis” by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.
We all have a curiosity origin story. What’s yours? CEO, author and marketing exec Tyler Chisholm’s happens to involve a pool cue.Enriched by his experience in strategic growth-oriented marketing and as host of not one but two podcasts, Tyler polishes that first little nugget into robust guidance for leaders everywhere in his new book Curious as Hell,We focused on the wonderfulness of rapport, self-curious leadership, mirroring and matching in podcasting as in life, the feeling of active listening and expansive questions, framing challenges as collaborative adventures, the power of story & metaphor — and why we should all be keeping curiosity journals on our bedside tables.Tyler Chisholm: https://tylerchisholm.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “The Summit” by K2, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Mónica Quesada Cordero and her colleagues at el Colectivo 506 have learned a lot in their five years of bringing solutions journalism to Costa Rica. These are curiosity lessons for journalism, and for life itself.el Colectivo 506: https://elcolectivo506.com/?lang=enTheme music by Sean Balick; “A Burst of Light" by Delray, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"We think there's a little more of a selective process going on with curiosity." ~ Mary WhatleyNo surprise: curiosity changes over the lifespan.Yes surprise: not in the way you might imagine. There are some advantages to aging...Mary Whatley, PhD, studies motivated memory, aging and curiosity. She joins me to explore trait versus state curiosity; her recent research on increasing state curiosity as we age; the role of motivation and value of reflection; our own curiosity cost/benefit analyses; and why a good reviewer is a great thing.Mary Whatley: https://memorylabwcu.weebly.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “A Certain Lightness” by Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Creativity strategist Natalie Nixon has a fresh take on productivity and our ideas about time.She makes the case for leaning into joyful movement, deep thinking and the pause of a "strategic speed bump" to tap into -- and cultivate -- our creativity and curiosity.Natalie Nixon: https://www.figure8thinking.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Mind Body Mind” by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Dating coach Tim Molnar blends social science and statistical scholarship with both personal experience and practical suggestions in hopes of transforming how people approach modern dating. How can curiosity help in our dating lives? Tim has thoughts!We explore research's origins in "me-search"; getting curious about what is -- or isn't -- actually working; second dates and old-school advantages of the exposure effect; running small experiments with our lives; rejection leading to success; curiosity practices to keep dating your partner; and why caring about green smoothies is so very, very attractive.Tim Molnar: https://timothymolnar.com Theme music by Sean Balick; ”Le Marais” by The Sweet Hots, via Blue Dot Sessions.
This was a wide-ranging and exciting conversation about neuroscientist Matthias Gruber's ongoing efforts to understand curiosity's role in learning and memory. There's a lot here. You may have to listen more than once -- I know I did!Matthias Gruber: https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/gruberm Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Little Powder” by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Lisa Kristine is a humanitarian photographer and fine artist. She uses her photography to expose deeply human stories and make pictures that tap our curiosity about the people and lives she has documented."Curiosity calls us to be present." ~ Lisa KristineLisa Kristine: https://lisakristine.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Sand Reverie” by Desert Orchard, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Lean into the language of smell with me: we sniff things out, we follow a scent. We’re nosey! Is this not curiosity, enacted? Embodied!? So what do we know about our sense of smell, and might studying it offer insights into the way our brains explore, learn and remember?Venkatesh Murthy: https://vnmurthylab.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “A Palace of Cedars” by Pine Barrens, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Much as I champion curiosity, sometimes it can take us down bad paths. Thank goodness there are excellent resources that help us lean into our curiosity, recognize misinformation -- and stop it in its tracks.RumorGuard is an initiative of the News Literacy Project to do just that. It fact-checks viral rumors and offers concrete tips to help us build our news literacy chops.News Literacy Project: https://newslit.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Heartland Flyer” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
How does a ghost writer get to the juiciest heart of their subject? Laura Zigman is the author of six novels and has ghostwritten and/or collaborated on multiple memoirs and non-fiction books. We have fun talking about writing with someone -- not about them -- and getting their voice right; the line between curiosity and nosiness; compassion, empathy, trust and asking questions with kindness; respecting boundaries; and the honor of hearing another's stories.Laura Zigman: https://www.laurazigman.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Step In, Step Out” by Crab Shack, via Blue Dot Sessions.Photograph of Laura Zigman by Adrianne Mathiowetz, used with permission.
Mikel Herrington is a veteran of both AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. We explore curiosity as the underpinning that brings people into civil service, reciprocal curiosity across cultural and experiential divides, humility, humor, how service allows room for listening, and why someone might carry a pecan for years...Theme music by Sean Balick; "Home, Home at Last" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.
For 15 years, Professor Shawkat Toorawa has offered "three things worth knowing" from literature, music and general knowledge, no strings attached.Each week during the academic year, "Dr. T" delivers a curiosity booster shot for anyone who wants to partake. It's his gesture toward true liberal arts and an ever-expanding appreciation of the rich and diverse world around us.A delightful discussion creating and connecting dots. Join us for a conversation all about why "should know" and "worth knowing" are so very different; cultural literacy and the fabricated division of "high" and "low" culture; the many gifts of sharing interests; and what's to be gained from a little constraint.Shawkat Toorawa: https://shawkutis.weebly.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Rabbit Hole" by Love & Weasel, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What happens to intellectual freedom when libraries come under attack? What happens to curiosity?Librarian and director of the Department of Libraries in Arlington, VA, Diane Kresh joins me to explore the long and storied history of bad-ass librarians, book bans and book sanctuaries, the "curiosity paradox" of such bans, what makes libraries a center for community, and how curiosity is like an insatiable puppy."The library can be a great refuge, if you will, for people who are questioning." ~ Diane KreshTheme music by Sean Balick; "4 Point Path" by The Bulwark, via Blue Dot Sessions.
This week’s conversation is about curiosity in translation and interpretation. Not just the literal, “how do you say this thing in that language?”– but how do we use our curiosity to communicate our ideas effectively, to investigate what’s really being said when we're quite literally not speaking one another's language.Luckily, there are people like Silvia Villacampa who have a few things to teach the rest of us...Theme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by Cloud Harbor,, via Blue Dot Sessions.
With science under attack, researcher Anthony Zador joins me to make the case for its value, especially of curiosity-driven basic science.We explore the charms of curiosity as a research motivator, what distinguishes curiosity-driven research from all the rest, federal investment in science -- and recent disruptions thereto and the gutting of American research, the "curse of knowledge", showcasing practical applications, debate in the lab, and what's to love about Gila monster venom and Yellowstone's thermal pools.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Waterbourne” by Algea Fields, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In the first of what I hope is a periodic series, Rabbi Nancy Flam joined me to explore curiosity in the Jewish tradition. It's a lovely discussion of everything from Moses' response to the burning bush and the Jewish value sakranut, to creative betrayal and the importance of not getting kicked out for our questions.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Patched In" by Studio J, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Here it is: the story of how this whole curiosity enterprise came to be and some of the many insights I’ve picked up along the way -- with a little timely bias for all things peace and conflict-transformation related.For those of you who are new, this is how it all began! For those who have been around a while, here's the origin story, plus some of the challenges and glory of which you've been such an important part. I'm hoping there's something here for everyone.Theme music by Sean Balick; other music by One Such Village, via via Blue Dot Sessions.
How might choosing to be curious help us keep the conversation open, hold onto history that's being erased, and find moments for celebration, even still?Monique "Moe" Bryant was my teacher and guide when I took a course called Challenging Racism back in 2015-2016. I had her on the show twice then, once before and once after I'd taken the eye-opening, humble-making, nonetheless-empowering program.Given where conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion are now, I thought it was time to have her back.Challenging Racism: https://www.challengingracism.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning to You” by Landsman Duets, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I think of choosing to be curious as acting on the idea that there is opportunity in the unknown -- a very optimistic enterprise.Kevin Kelly, a man of many passions and pursuits, is a self-described radical optimist.So, what's to be found at the intersection of curiosity and choosing to be optimistic?We explore how radical (and not utopian) this approach is; our moral obligation to create opportunity; embracing an abundance mindset; "lighthouse" parenting; being curious about the things we're not interested in; just how persuasive curiosity can be; and why we're all so very dependent on one another -- in a good way!Kevin Kelly: https://kk.org Theme music by Sean Balick; ”One Little Triumph" by Piano Mover, via Blue Dot Sessions.Kevin Kelly photo by Chris Michel, used with permission.
Today we dive into a tantalizing “kinesthetic framework for curiosity” a way of understanding how we move between ideas and bits of information.Researcher Dale Zhou thinks of our curiosity as our search process in specific conditions. His research shows we’ve each got our own style — and that architecture can be mapped using knowledge networks.Dale Zhou: https://www.dalezhou.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Step In Step Out” by Crab Shack, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Educator Patty Gómez used a question formulation technique to cultivate a collaborative culture of curiosity at work. Theme music by Sean Balick; “Entrance Shaft 11” by The Depot, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The World Peace Game is the brainchild of educator John Hunter. He describes it as “learning to live and work comfortably in the unknown.”It's hard to imagine a more curiosity-centric undertaking. A three-dimensional, hands-on political simulation, the World Peace Game explores the interconnectedness of the global community through economic, social, and environmental crises and the imminent threat of war. The goal is to extricate all the countries from those dangerous circumstances and achieve global prosperity, with the least amount of military intervention.And it’s played by 4th graders.World Peace Game: https://worldpeacegame.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “UpUpUp and Over" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Menka Sanghvi and I feel our ways around noticing as the first step to caring, taking responsibility for where and how we direct our attention, attention activism and artistry, not accepting default settings, the essence of parenting, and why looking at the sky first thing in the morning is such a good idea.Menka is a mindfulness and digital habits expert based in London. Her writing, speaking and many projects explore the relationship between attention, technology and society. She is the founder of Just Looking --- a community project that champions more curiosity and wonder in the everyday --- and co-author of the newly released book Your Best Digital Life: Use Your Mind to Tame Your Tech.Menka Sanghvi: https://menkasanghvi.com Theme music by Sean Balick; ”Mind Body Mind”, by Bodytonic , via Blue Dot Sessions.
XuanJun Gong is interested in media selection, computational modeling, communication networks, and information diffusion. He’s looked at how we choose media to manage our moods, how the sequence of our choices matters, and what draws us to that next book.All of this is one version or another of the old curiosity conundrum: explore or exploit?Do we seek novelty or leverage what we already know? Why? Does it get us what we want? How do we even know….?XuanJun Gong: https://www.xuanjungong.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Zig Zag Heart" by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I have the good fortune of living in a place that values public art -- art that anyone can see at any time of night or day-- and that, with its very presence, invites just a little curiosity in a way that you might imagine would appeal to me.So I was delighted when Tomora Wright Swann, Public Art Projects Manager of Arlington County (Va.) reached out -- and propelled me to connect with contributing artist Aurora Robson.When I visit other cities, one of the things I look for is iconic walking tours – the cisterns of Istanbul, the passages couverts of Paris, the murals of Philadelphia, New Orleans’ Garden District. What a pleasure to talk with two people behind Arlington County's own art walking tours!Aurora Robson: https://www.aurorarobson.comCheck out Arlington public art: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Public-Art/About/Self-Guided-Public-Art-Tours Theme music by Sean Balick. Hickory Interlude, Lemon and Melon, Sunday Lights, Town Market and Tuck and Point by Onesuch Village via Blue Dot Sessions.
I believe journalist, photographer and all-around producer Andy Isaacson has found ways to lean into his own curiosity, creating vehicles for the rest us to come along for the ride – in one case, literally.For him a good day sparks his curiosity -- a thought that came to him for the first time in this conversation. (Hurrah for asking about what makes for a good days!)We talk about why it's so important to meet people where they are; the intersections of respect, fairness, empathy and rigorous investigation; resourcefulness; and why stories are a form of currency.Andy Isaacson: https://www.andyisaacson.netTheme music by Sean Balick;“Union Hall Melody" by Union Hall via Blue Dot Sessions.
I see clear curiosity overtones in the ways we think about wisdom -- the meta-cognition processes of wisdom -- including intellectual humility, openness to others’ ideas and insights, even the search for constructive conflict resolution.So I wondered: is anyone thinking about wisdom through a curiosity lens?Igor Grossmann, Ph.D. leads the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. He’s passionate about how people make sense of the world -- and how cultural forces shape behavior and societal change. We talk about those meta-cognitive characteristics of wisdom, how our idea of "curiosity" influences how it might contribute to wisdom, situational adaptations, how wisdom is expressed across cultures -- and embracing intellectual humility when our assumptions about those presumed cultural differences prove to be all wrong.Igor Grossmann: https://igorgrossmann.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Envelope" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Deep canvassing is built on listening, building rapport, staying in conversation -- sharing stories. I don't know when I first became aware of deep canvassing as an organizing tool, but I was immediately taken with it as a curiosity enterprise.Sulma Arias, executive director of People's Action and People's Action Institute, joins me to explore just what it is about this model that proves so transformative for everyone involved.Learn about People's Action Deep Canvass Institute: https://deepcanvass.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.
A family trip to the Pacific Northwest and the Salish Sea inspired my own curiosity about orca whales -- and that led, inevitably, to my curiosity about the orcas' own curiosity.Lucky for me, I found my way to Sara Shimazu & Jeff Friedman, orca fans, whale watch captains, and co-hosts of After the Breach Podcast.Theme music by Sean Balick; "Discovery Harbor" by Cloud Harbor, via Blue Dot Sessions.
According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and its sister sites, people spent an estimated 2.9 billion hours reading English Wikipedia in 2024.I wondered: What does it take to be a trustworthy repository for all that curiosity?Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight has been a Wikipedia editor since 2007, and an administrator since 2009. With 100,000+ edits to her credit, she has created more than 4,000 new articles, with concentrations in geography, architecture, and women’s biographies. In 2015, she co-founded a volunteer project intended to address the current gender bias in Wikipedia content and in 2021 she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation.Who better to talk with?Wikimedia Foundation: https://wikimediafoundation.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; "Great Is the Contessa" by Contessa, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Deanne Fitzpatrick is a virtuous rug hooker. Her art looks like the love child of wool and Vincent Van Gogh.She looks for--and sees--fresh and beautiful things in the world around her, and she supports others in doing the same. Deanne encourages the rest of us to lean into creating--beauty, community, and time for ourselves. And she has thoughts about how curiosity can help.Find Deanne Fitzpatrick at: http://www.hookingrugs.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by CloudHarbor via Blue Dot Sessions.
Psychologist Kimberley Wilson says we habitually consume a diet that is depriving our brains of nutrients -- and that has all sorts of consequences for our health and well-being.She focuses on "psychology, mental health, food, and everything in between" and I wanted to know how curiosity might fit into that mix.Find Kimberley Wilson: https://www.kimberleywilson.coTheme music by Sean Balick; “Mind Body Mind" by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
An experienced multi-lingual education specialist and organization leader, Loretta Goodwin is passionate about creating innovative, “anywhere/anytime” learning environments for young people, especially underserved youth. She's also very curious about what AI offers her field -- and what it implies for all of us. So she undertook a 100-day learning journey.Lucky for us, she's got wonderful insights to share. It's a fascinating conversation about curiosity, productive struggle, creativity, bias, agency, inequity, and the joy of being a newbie.Find Loretta Goodwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loretta-goodwin/ Theme music by Sean Balick; “Setting Up” by Studio J, via Blue Dot Sessions.
If you came across something that promises to offer students "evidence-driven, rigorously tested ideas that consider alternative perspectives" wouldn't you be interested?Research shows that high school policy debate teaches students how to analyze, explore and understand the world around them, while it hones additional skills like research, critical thinking, and communication.Sounds like a curiosity enterprise to me! Delighted to have David Trigaux of Washington Urban Debate League join me to discuss.Washington Urban Debate League: http://wudl.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Six years ago I sat down with Jacqueline Gottlieb, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Principal Investigator at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute, the very first neuroscientist I’d ever interviewed. It was a delightful and far-ranging conversation.At some point she made a bold and quite tantalizing statement. “Curiosity," she said, "is going to take neuroscience to the next frontier.” Today we check in on that assertion. We talked about visual systems, value systems, motivation, cognition, personality psychology, stress tolerance, introversion, extroversion and why it's a good idea for scientists to talk to one another.Jacqueline Gottlieb: https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/jacqueline-gottlieb-phd Theme music by Sean Balick; “Cicle Veroni” by Cicle Kadde, via Blue Dot Sessions.
How do you like to learn?We all do it differently.Argha Manna uses comics. Argha is a cancer researcher turned comics artist. He specializes in documenting the history of science and explores how knowledge is generated. Find Argha Manna here: https://drawinghistoryofscience.wordpress.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Purple Light", Marble Run via Blue Dot Sessions.
How does choosing to be curious about the people and places around us help us discover, elevate and amplify history that's perhaps less well-known?In this third episode of the "Mile in Their Shoes" series, we use the Mount Vernon Trail as a vehicle for tracing our shared history, with the help of a local museum, a local government, and an independent journalist.Photo: "On the Point – ‘Buddies,’ May 30, 1897” Alexandria Black History Museum, used with permission.Visit Black Heritage Museum of Arlington: https://arlingtonblackheritage.org Visit Alexandria African American Heritage Trails: https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic-sites/african-american-heritage-trails Check out Kim O'Connell's work: https://www.kimaoconnell.comTheme music by Sean Balick; music by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Jason Logan is an artist and ink maker. But he doesn’t just make ink. He concocts magical potions from found ingredients. He forages, often in urban environments, everything from the berries you might expect, to scrap metal, cigarette butts and dry wall. It’s as if he looks at the world with one big “What if…?”Check out Jason Logan at: http://www.jasonslogan.com and https://torontoinkcompany.comPhoto of Jason Logan credit to Sian Richards, used with permission.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Come As you Are” by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.
New Year, Timeless Wisdom! John L. Jackson, Jr., Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Valoria Walker and Jack Zhang drop some serious wisdom. I’ve pulled segments from four conversations to carry us into the new year.Forget new resolutions, try returning to things you know have worked for you already!Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
BONUS: Innovation advisor Larry Robertson and I talked much longer and more widely than I could accommodate in one episode. I can't bear for you to miss out on his insights, so here's a little bonus pack, with lessons gleaned from Naomi Osaka and others, in honor of rebel leadership everywhere.My original interview with Larry was 3 years ago (July 2021). One unexpected benefit of some digital housekeeping I'm doing right now is that I discovered this BONUS never made it to Soundcloud and the RSS feed. So, here you go!Find Episode #147 here: https://soundcloud.com/choosetobecurious/ep-147-rebel-leadership-with-larry-robertson Find Larry Robertson here: https://lrspeaks.com
I'm taking a little break in December. I'm calling it Curiosity R&R -- Curiosity Respite & ReAirs, so this is a quickie...It's been a packed 8 1/2 years of production and I need a rest. Radio audiences will have uninterrupted programming -- and you can get a peek here. Links on my website. I also provide a sneak preview of what's coming in 2025. :) But mostly I just want to say thank you for listening!Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Green Room" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Birds seem like a delightful lens through which to view curiosity: Here’s a species that lives among us, is literally part of the scenery, but to which many of us are almost entirely blind. But when we choose to be curious about birds, suddenly it's like a whole new universe emerges in our own backyards. We see things we didn’t see before. We hear things we didn’t hear before. We learn things we didn’t know before.You can imagine my delight when I stumbled on María-Elena Montero, president of the DC Bird Alliance. She leapt at the chance to talk about birds--as well as some of the curiosity practices and life lessons to be learned from observing our avian friends.Check out DC Bird Alliance: https://dcbirdalliance.orgTheme music by Sean Balick, "Wingspan" by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that some people are curious eaters while others just aren't.I think we may have a baseline of food curiosity, but I also think that baseline can shift.And I imagine that’s what caught my attention when I spotted The 2024 Consumer Curiosity Report – findings from a survey of 850+ early food adopters, conducted by Curious Plot, a marketing, communications and consulting agency.It seemed like the curiosity intersection of our appetites, opportunities and influences, and I wanted to know more.Curious Plot: https://curiousplot.agencyTheme music by Sean Balick; “Fig Tree” by Desert Orchard, via Blue Dot Sessions.
On the 20th anniversary of his thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, Adam Segel-Moss left home, family, and work for a little over two months to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.He’s home now, reflecting — as one would — on what it meant to walk and wonder through all that time and space.Adam Segel-Moss on the Pacific Crest Trail: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=86930750 Theme music by Sean Balick; Trail sounds used with permission from Adam Segel-Moss; “Temporal Slip” by Cloud Breaker, via Blue Dot Sessions.
It may be hard to think about "uncertainty" as a good things right now, but hear me out.Certain words keep coming up in this curiosity context: exploration, innovation, creativity, trust-building, learning -- and uncertainty. Not the "uncertainty" of the world today--which feels very heavy right now--but the "uncertainty" of allowing room for new thoughts...And along comes Maggie Jackson, award-winning author and journalist, with a best-selling, thought-provoking and profoundly timely book on the power and potential of our own uncertainty.Maggie wrote in a New York Times guest essay earlier this year, “We should rethink our outdated notions of not-knowing as weakness, and instead discover this mindset as a strength.”So, of course, my mind goes to choosing to be curious.Discover more about Maggie Jackson: https://www.maggie-jackson.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Uncertain Ground” by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Leland Ko came on my radar when he was one of four gifted young cellists selected by Yo-Yo Ma to participate in a program called Music-Art-Life in 2023. It was, for me, a chance to luxuriate in curiosity. I wondered: Did their knowledge, skill, and feel for the music mean their curiosity about it was qualitatively different than my own? If so, how?Find Leland Ko online: https://www.lelandko.com Recording of Leland Ko performing Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 — III. Allegro molto vivace used with permission.Photo of Leland Ko by Tam Lan Truong used with permission.
Periodically I set myself a curiosity scavenger hunt theme with a fixed duration – 77 days of feet, a long hot summer of art, a month of biophilia, a week in the kitchen – and then I just keep my eyes open and my camera handy.It's a joy. The thrill of the hunt; the challenge and delight in finding something new in the very familiar; the excuse to get outdoors, whatever the weather; the visual puns; the surprisingly sentimental moments -- all culled from the everyday world around me.It is very much in the spirit of what journalist and author Rob Walker would call “The Art of Noticing.”Find Rob Walker on Substack: https://robwalker.substack.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Inessential” by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I found myself thinking about the exquisite agony of a Hitchcock suspense when I came upon an article in Scientific American, "Why Curiosity Makes Us Patient."Abby Hsuing & Alison Adcock assert curiosity makes us hungry for knowledge, but not necessarily in a hurry to get it. It's a finding that runs in the face of a whole lot of curiosity theory that supposes curiosity is an urgent desire to know, now.But here is research saying: slow down -- it’s more interesting than that.Read the Scientific American essay here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/no-spoilers-please-why-curiosity-makes-us-patient/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The Ig Nobel Prizes recognize research efforts that make you laugh...and then think. They celebrate the unusual and honor the imaginative.They are, in my mind, a delightful and very deliberate celebration of curiosity.Ig Nobel Prize founder and editor of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research Marc Abrahams joins me to talk about the origins and contributions of this quirky prize. The awards gala is a mix of circus, opera and real Nobel Laureates, orchestrated to cheer on people who have devoted their time and talent to studying things the rest of us...have not...Check out Improbable Research: https://improbable.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Rabbit Hole" by Love and Weasel, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What if museums were sticky, stinky, noisy places?What if they were sensational?Psychologist Alison Eardley is on a mission to make museums more accessible and inclusive -- physically and conceptually -- for all audiences. Her work draws on all of our senses, engaging us far more deeply with what's before us.What if museums helped us tap our collective curiosity to co-create our visits?More about The Sensational Museum here: https://sensationalmuseum.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “Micolai” by Wax Museum, via Blue Dot Sessions.
For the 250th episode of this brave little enterprise, I invited psychologist and curiosity researcher Todd Kashdan to join me to rethink some of the old curiosity standards.The research has evolved and we're going with it.What better way to keep the curiosity alive than by questioning what we think we know?More about Todd Kashdan: https://toddkashdan.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
...In today's conversation, Todd Kashdan and I touched on evolving understandings about curiosity across the life span, the challenges inherent in certain kinds of curiosity, and a more nuanced way to think about "the curiosity zone".But I couldn't fit the whole conversation in 28 short minutes, so here's a little bonus -- a peek behind the production curtain, and some of the rich conversation that I didn't want you to miss.
From the moment I set foot on campus, it was clear that Olin College of Engineering has a special and very intentional relationship with curiosity. Olin embodies a willingness to try something new, make mistakes, and learn from those experiences.Gilda A. Barabino, Ph.D., is president of Olin and sets that curiosity tone.More about Olin College of Engineering at https://www.olin.eduTheme music by Sean Balick;“Come As You Are” by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The big questions of astrophysicist Mario Livio's new book Is Earth Exceptional? The Quest for Cosmic Life are as close as we get to an ultimate curiosity -- questions about the origin of life, the universe, and where and how those two intersect.Dr. Livio worked with the Hubble Space Telescope and is a bestselling author of seven books. Together with Jack Szostak, a biochemist and Nobel laureate, he's written a kind of cosmic “what-dunnit” that shifts between the many and various disciplines that may someday provide the answers they seek about life's origins.Learn more about Mario Livio: https://www.mario-livio.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Great Great Lengths" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In 2007-2008, Chris Kolenda led an 800-paratrooper task force in eastern Afghanistan. While there, he motivated a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war.We can learn a lot from his stories.Find Chris Kolenda here: https://chriskolenda.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Turning to You" by Landsmen Duet, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Once you know it, you see it everywhere. Ever since Gregg Potter put collaboration on my curiosity radar, I'm seeing it in everything.Gregg is a collaboration coach and founder and executive director of the International Institute on Collaboration. He knows a thing or two about how people work together toward shared objectives -- whether they think of it that way or not.Five skills work together as building blocks of collaboration --and curiosity just keeps coming up.Check out the International Institute on Collaboration: https://internationalinstituteoncollaboration.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Spins and Never Falls” by Tiny Tiny Trio, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Curiosity, biodiversity, rewilding -- these are the exciting places Carolin Sommer-Trembo Ph.D. takes us today.Carolin is an evolutionary biologist. Her big goal is to focus attention on animal behavior as it effects evolution and biodiversity. To get there, she has studied curiosity in cichlid fish in Africa's Lake Tanganyika, combining some good old-fashioned field work with exciting new investigative tools, including AI and genetic scissors.I came to the conversation interested in the curiosity angle, but Carolin's impassioned case for the importance of this basic research to eventually rebuilding vanishing biodiversity -- and the aforementioned "rewilding" -- puts the discussion on another level entirely.Curiosity doesn't only promote biodiversity, it might just save us all.Find Carolin Sommer-Trembo here: http://www.salzburgerlab.org/team/carolin_sommer-trembo/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Lakeside Path” by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.Photo Credit: Eleni Kougionis and the University of Basel.
I could listen to peace-builder and story-teller Kiran Singh Sirah all day.Not because he's a gifted and generous story-teller -- he most certainly is -- but because his world view is so encompassing, so uplifting, so empowering. So beautiful.Our conversation about curiosity, stories and belonging gets to the heart of who we are as humans, and what we can be as a society.Pull up a comfy chair, pour a cozy cuppa, and sit with me.Better still: bring a friend.Kiran Singh Sirah is an award-winning storytelling industry leader, folklorist, arts & culture strategist, creative thought leader, and past president of the International Storytelling Center. Learn more here: https://www.kiransinghsirah.net/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Home, Home at Last" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.
We all want to understand the world around us, but sometimes our curiosity can lead us down some strange paths.Dr. Joe Stubbersfield is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Winchester in the UK. He's curious about how our various stories and narratives might shape -- and are shaped by -- our curiosity.Joe has researched how morbid curiosity can lead people to conspiracy theories – an intersection that feels, frankly, important to understand in this day and age.More about Joe Stubbersfield's work: https://www.winchester.ac.uk/about-us/leadership-and-governance/staff-directory/staff-profiles/stubbersfield.php Theme music by Sean Balick; “Rough Hewn" by Castle Danger, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I'm intrigued by the concept of social enterprises -- businesses with a sense of purpose larger than themselves.Timothy D. Craggette is founder and Chief Education Officer of NAASBI, The National Association for the Advancement of Small Business Innovation. He trains business owners and supports small business innovation through the association and his radio show/podcast The Swift Kick Show. Timothy is a man with a purpose.I wanted to know how curiosity shows up in his line of work. Turns out, for this businessman, it's all about the people.Learn more about Timothy and NASSBI at https://www.naasbi.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Partly Sage” by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff is a Choose to Be Curious trifecta: researcher, theoretician -- and practitioner. A neuroscientist and deep thinker about the personal and social implications of our curiosity, she conducts tiny experiments to focus closely on how we use our time and energy to best effect.Anne-Laure is the founder of Ness Labs, a collective platform for curious people, where “ambitious knowledge workers come together to achieve their goals without sacrificing their mental health.”Ness Labs offers content, coaching, courses and--perhaps most importantly--a community for learning in public together.I am excited to see how her vibrant and collective study-and-practice culture shapes how we think about curiosity in the years ahead.More about Anne-Laure Le Cunff: https://anne-laure.netTheme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by Cloud Harbor, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What do people who know and appreciate a place deeply see that I might not? The Mount Vernon Trail winds its way along the river, a combination national park and major commuter artery. It's a place I find myself frequently and I wondered: what am I not seeing in this place that is so familiar?The Trail is there because the Potomac River is there, an always-scenic but often-silent companion. What might I be missing? This is the second in a periodic series of shows in which we "walk a mile" in someone else's shoes, seeing the world through others' eyes.Guests: Dean Naujoks, Potomac Riverkeeper: https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/our-history/Amy Zang, Washington Sailing Marina: https://boatingindc.com/washington-sailing-marina/Ryan Miller, meteorologist & science educator: https://www.instagram.com/miller_weather/ Music by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Annabelle Tometich -- writer, editor, former food critic and now author -- joins me to explore the tricky, high-traffic intersection of identity and curiosity.Who gets to decide identity? How do we determine our own, let alone someone else's, identity? How might we allow ourselves and others a little grace to figure these things out?Find Annabelle Tometich at https://annabelletometich.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Lemon & Melon” by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"Curiosity is fundamental to writing and to everything that I treasure," said writer Rachel Kadish as we opened our conversation. Hard to imagine, but it just kept getting better from there...Inspired by her New York Times opinion essay on teaching writers to seek "unflinching empathy", I invited her to join me for a conversation about putting our trust in the curiosity.Discover the delight that is Rachel Kadish: https://rachelkadish.comTheme music by Sean Balick; "Feathered" by The Cabinetmaker, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Peder Söderlind describes himself as a Swedish author, researcher and entrepreneur, but I believes he's an important emerging curiosity theorist. His writing and thinking on the topic are rich in all the best ways -- evocative, provocative, constructive.Our conversation moved from "local, difficult, and meaningful" problems for keeping our minds curious and framing problems as opportunities, to the paradox of fatigue and the importance of seeing.Find Peder Söderlind online at: https://curiousorganization.se Theme music by Sean Balick; "Rush of Clear Water" by Glacier Quartet Araby, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Can we capture what makes us curious? Where does our curiosity cross into confusion, or frustration? Can we place it? Might we experience it in one domain, but not another?These are the kinds of questions that animate the work of Emily Grossnickle Peterson, Ph.D., director of the Educational Neuroscience Lab at American University.Years after first meeting, we finally sat down to talk…Check out Dr. Emily Peterson’s Educational Neuroscience Lab:https://edspace.american.edu/edneurolab/Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Burst of Light” by Delray, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Can curiosity be meaingfully infused into design processes? Cassini Nazir thinks so.From curiosity journals to bookmarks and Valentine's Day celebrations, he's full of ideas about how to invite curiosity in, by design.Cassini Nazir teaches interaction design and user experience courses in the College of Visual Arts and Design at University of North Texas. He's interested in designing ways to invite curiosity in -- and to help curiosity and care step up when empathy falters.Check out Cassini Nazir's Designing Curiosity website: https://unknowing.designTheme music by Sean Balick; “Purple Light" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Summer's coming. Time to take that curiosity out for a little spin!Whether you're traveling far from home or enjoying a little "staycation," author, tour manager and explorer extraordinaire Andréa Seiger has tips for getting the most of your adventures.Why visit cemeteries, science associations and bus stops? Can you smell green? What do your knees see? Andréa is a delightful coach for our wandering curiosity muscles.Find Andréa Seiger on Instagram @UrbanSafariDC111Theme music by Sean Balick; “Curio" by Vacant Distillery,, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"We live in an experimenting society" Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter reassures us, "The fact that we can use partial information and do better is actually one of our superpowers."Third Millennium Thinking: Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense by Saul Perlmutter, John Campbell and Robert MacCoun takes the optimism and tools of science and helps us apply them to the everyday. They help us think about how we think, taking our values and fears into account, but not being overwhelmed by them. Third Millennium Thinking: https://thirdmillenniumthinking.comPhoto by Jon Schainker. Used with permission.Theme music by Sean Balick; “Celestial Navigation" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
It’s been ten years since self-described “questionologist" Warren Berger first published his best-selling book A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas.Now, more than ever, we need the power and importance of thoughtful — and, as he would say: beautiful — questions.And what of the intersection of curiosity and questions?What’s their relationship? And how might we leverage both, in service of the things we value?“The more curiosity there is, the better your questions will be…If your questions don’t have curiosity in them, then they’re almost like not even questions. They’re inauthentic.” ~ Warren BergerFind Warren Berger at: https://amorebeautifulquestion.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “The Envelope” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I came across the heading "DISCOVERY MATTERS" as I dug around the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's website and I knew I was on to something.Janet Coffey, Ph.D., directs the Moore Foundation's Curiosity-Driven Science Initiative. She aims to enhance opportunities for active public engagement with science as a means to help cultivate a curious and an open-minded public that appreciates, values and uses science.I was all ears.Check out the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Curiosity-Driven Science Initiative: https://www.moore.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “An Open is Ab" by Blue Nocturnal, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In his new and surprisingly uplifting book ASK:Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life, Jeff Wetzler distills the many lessons he’s learned into a curiosity-centric approach – “The Ask Approach” – that offers a way for all of us to tap into our desire for connection and into the wisdom hiding in plain sight around us.It begins with choosing curiosity.Find the Ask Approach here: https://www.askapproach.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Reflectors" by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.
A few months ago, I got a text message from a friend: “I’m at a writing conference,” she typed, “listening to a panel of agents answer the question 'What are you looking for?' Kayla’s answer began: 'I’m looking for fearless curiosity.'”Kayla Lightner is a writer and a literary agent with Ayesha Panda Literary. Together we explored how she knows "fearless curiosity" when she sees it; how agents partner with and champion writers; what about the job makes her come alive -- and her scariest power; being an open and adventurous reader; the indulgence of centering our curiosity; and coming into her own professional power with fearless curiosity.Check out Kayla Lightner at Ayesha Pande Literary: https://www.pandeliterary.comTheme music by Sean Balick; "Filing Away" by Crab Shack, via Blue Dot Sessions.
We talk a lot about questions here on Choose to Be Curious. But talking about questions is one thing, really wresting with them is another.Ken Woodward not only curates questions, he leans into them. Big time. And that has changed his life in ways large and small that are an inspiration to me. I think they will be for you, as well.“Wrestling with the questions has allowed me space for me to work through the emotions, the thoughts, the processing. All of that comes through questioning, doing some journaling, and kind of making my way through that challenge.” ~ Ken WoodwardCheck out Ken's Curated Questions: https://www.curatedquestions.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Four Point Path“ by The Bulwark, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The first in a series: looking at a place from multiple perspectives. I call it "A Mile in Their Shoes". We begin with people who have chosen to care for a bit of the Earth, the big-hearted, hard-working, fun-loving Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. They have found community, purpose and lots to be curious about...Check out Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail: https://mountvernontrail.org Music by Warmbody, via Blue Dot SessionsPhoto used with permission of Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail
I’ve been thinking that foraging – going from place to place looking for things one can eat – is a lot like the sampling and prioritizing of information gathering that neuroscientists are studying, just applied to things many of us readily dismiss as "weeds".Tama Matsuoka Wong is a finance lawyer turned professional forager. She got curious about the “weeds” around her when she moved to a fixer-upper house in northern New Jersey. She started to see them and their ecosystem differently. Now she forages for high-end chefs in Manhattan and is an advocate for thoughtful stewardship of what's naturally all around us.That struck me as a curiosity conversation worth having.Learn more about Tama Matsuoka Wong here: https://www.meadowsandmore.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Lakeside Path" by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Today’s conversation with Ben Rein, PhD is a Choose to be Curious trifecta: a neuroscientist, who studies empathy, has devoted himself to science communication, and willingly stands in the chaotic swirl where curiosity can go weirdly very awry.Ben is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Robert Malenka's lab at Stanford University and a science communicator on social media. You might know him as @Dr.Brein on TikTok or @Doctor.Brein on Instagram. He’s the one summarizing research papers, teaching neuroscience basics, and debunking viral videos that promote scientific misinformation. Somehow, Ben has managed to combine curiosity, empathy and social media and have genuine good come of it. At some point in our conversation I declared his work a "special kind of alchemy." I stand by that.Find Ben Rein, PhD on line at: www.benrein.com and follow him on social media: Instagram: @doctor.brein TikTok: @dr.breinTheme music by Sean Balick; “Perspiration” by The Ballonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Author, journalist, sailor and community radio host Katya Gordon says radio pulls together everything she believes in: a shared purpose, old fashioned connection to one another, a vast array of differing ideas and priorities, and plain old hard work and commitment. We had a lovely and candid conversation about curiosity, spirituality, our many media biases, and the power in choosing to trust.Get to know Katya Gordon through Amicus Adventure Sailing, which she owns and operates with her husband: https://amicusadventuresailing.com/credentialsCheck out KTWH 99.5 FM, Two Harbors Community Radio: https://ktwh.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; “Temporal Slip" by CloudBreaker, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Business and popular magazines are riddled with assurances that the best leaders are curious. That where curiosity goes, success will follow. I blithely encourage people to “choose to be curious.”But the truth is: it isn’t that simple.There is some skill involved. And, not surprisingly, more than a few social constructs.So, today we’re digging into the social side of curiosity at work with Phil Thompson, PhD. Phil is a professor in the Department of Management at the Pamplin School of Business at Virginia Tech. He’s trying to understand how micro-organizational behaviors such as organizational citizenship behavior, impression management, organizational politics, perceived organizational support, and curiosity influence employees’ job performance.And, he wants to know, what happens when those dynamics intersect with gender differences?Check out Phil Thompson's work: https://www.philthompsonphd.comMusic by Sean Balick.
Do you have things you do, with any regularity, that feed your curious soul? Things that you just know will energize and enliven your day, your week, your whole month?You should. They make a difference.Allow me to introduce you to CreativeMorning, a global network of monthly breakfast gatherings "for the creative community" -- meaning: for you, me, and anyone else who is interested.Check out CreativeMorning/Fayetteville: https://creativemornings.com/cities/FAYTheme music by Sean Balick; "Bauxite" by Little Rock, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What might the rest of us learn from someone whose job it is to observe places really closely?I met movie location scout Aaron Hurvitz at a wedding last summer and immediately thought (1) cool suit, and (2) interesting job – seems like a curiosity enterprise to me! Aaron’s location scouting credits include Joker, West Side Story, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Maestro. He says he likes “bringing to reality what’s on the page….” Indeed!Check out Aaron Hurvitz's work, including his location scouting and terrific street photography (alert viewers will enjoy Lafanda): https://aaron-hurvitz.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Clay Pawn Shop", by Castro , via Blue Dot Sessions.
Addie Bracy is a professional ultra trail runner, coach, and sport psychology consultant. She helps athletes of all ages and abilities to prepare for the mental demands of competing. She says curiosity is key.Check out Addie Bracy here: https://www.strivementalperformance.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Glass Runner" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Matt Rogers is a political strategist by profession and nature. I wondered what insights he might have about how curiosity shows up in politics. More than anything else, this ended up being a conversation about the risks of incuriosity. Matt sees the dangers for his beloved Eagles, in his experience as a political candidate, and in personal relationships.Matt Rogers is a busy guy. Find him on LinkedIn @mcrogers and check out his podcast, Honorable Mention: A (Philly) Sports Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honorable-mention-poTheme music by Sean Balick; “Town Market" by Onesuch Village via Blue Dot Sessions.
The folks at The Center of Brain Health at the University of Texas, Dallas, want to empower people to be the architects of their own brains.At the heart of the the Center's work is the science of neuroplasticity – that our brains are works in progress, capable of remarkable continuous growth and strengthening.How might curiosity contribute? Dr. Julie Fratantoni is a cognitive neuroscientist, with a specialty in making neuroscience approachable. She is head of research integration and partnerships at the Center and leads the user experience and content creation for the Center's 10-year long Brain Health Project.Check out the Center for BrainHealth and the Great Brain Gain movement: https://centerforbrainhealth.orgFind Julie Fratantoni on Instagram at @drjuliefratantoniTheme music by Sean Balick; “Mind Body Mind" by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Rob Lawless has set himself the goal of having one-on-one, hour-long conversations with ten thousand people. He has four conversations a day, which he carefully documents on Instagram. I was #6041.If ever there were a curiosity enterprise, this is it.You, too, can be one of Rob's Ten Thousand Friends. Reach him at @robs10kfriends on Instagram. Tell him Lynn sent you!Theme music by Sean Balick; "Heartland Flyer" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Soren Meibom, scientist turned visual artist, situates himself at the intersection of curiosity, creativity, art and science. His work blends the techniques of visual arts with the tools of science: data, formulae, charts, and graphs. His unique combination – what he calls “SciArt” – seeks to trigger our curiosity and ignite our joy of discovery.Check out Soren Meibom: sorenmeibom.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Celestial Navigation" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders; passage used with permission of the author
Journalist and genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn helps rediscover and tell stories that might otherwise be lost. She specializes in helping Eastern European Jewish families shattered by the Holocaust reclaim their history. In 2022, she co-founded the DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History, which seeks to promote DNA testing as a tool for helping Holocaust survivors find family.Her curiosity practices have deep journalistic roots and she'd be the first to tell you: it's not magic.Find Jennifer Mendelsohn at The Association of Professional Genealogists: https://www.apgen.org/profiles/jennifer-mendelsohn
If you think poetry isn't your thing, spend some time with David Keplinger.David is the author of eight books of poetry and a professor at American University. We got to know one another through a humanities workgroup that was looking at how curiosity might be more effectively woven into the fabric of life at AU. He was a warm and profoundly thoughtful participant in the group, one of my favorites.His new book, Ice, starts with the melting permafrost in Siberia, which has begun to reveal the bodies of 40,000 year old animals, from the last Ice Age.The poems about frozen animals then segue into poems about our own bodies under the “ice of forgetting”—and how the light of poetry, for him, melted that ice away and helped him remember.Find David Keplinger's work here: http://www.davidkeplingerpoetry.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Snow Melt" by Glacier Quarter, Araby, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Happy New Year, friends! I hope the new year is landing gently for you.I thought it would be nice to start 2024 not in overdrive, but in a conversation about taking our curiosity out for a leisurely ride, and I figured Justine Ickes was just the person for it.Justine is an instructional designer, facilitator, trainer, and ICF-certified coach. She has a special place in my heart because she’s been the source of inspiration for more than a few of my guests and topics. As I hoped and imagined, the lines between her gig as a coach and her joy as a creative are blurry, at best. It was, perhaps more than anything else, a conversation about reframing.Justine Ickes: https://justineickes.comVisit my website for the (very) full list of resources from today's show: https://lynnborton.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Slow Toe" by k4 via Blue Dot Sessions.
Ask Andres Marquez-Lara what it takes to lead in the 21st century, and his answer will come swift and sure: facilitation.And facilitation? That’s nothing more — and nothing less— than putting curiosity to work in powerful ways personally, professionally, individually and collectively.Andres is founder and CEO of UFacilitate, a global platform for matching facilitators with folks who need them, industry sector agnostic. As they put it, UFacilitate helps leaders deal with the “messy, human stuff” that gets in the way of teams achieving their greatest potential. "Facilitating is like playing 3-D chess. You have to be aware of what you’re feeling – your own things – you have to be aware of what’s happening with people, what’s happening in the room, the agenda. So you’re mindful of time, of the energy of all these things that are happening, and then you have to make a choice. Facilitation is all about choices." ~ Andres Marquez-LaraAndres Marquez-Lara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andresmarquezlara/ Theme and other music by Sean Balick
Yasmine Arrington Brooks was a teenager when she became the potential answer to a challenge. The child of incarcerated parents with a passion for making things happen, she founded ScholarCHIPS and hasn't looked back since.ScholarCHIPS provides college scholarships, mentoring, mental health supports, and a peer support network to college-bound young adults who have incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education.I've been a Yazzie fan for a long time and I wondered: what would she say about how curiosity contributes to the work of social entrepreneurship?ScholarCHIPS: https://www.scholarchipsfund.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Front Runner” by Union Hall, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Ilya Monosov invites us to rethink our understanding of the brain -- and to wrestle with the implications of how we define "curiosity".Ilya studies neuronal circuits of motivation, emotion, and learning at the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. But this conversation about how one neuroscientist explores the world -- and why -- is much more nuanced and thoughtful than his position description suggests. I didn't anticipate our conversation would take us to the importance of neuroscience and information seeking for the fate of humanity, or to how achieving an "engineer's understanding" of the brain could be helpful for those living with mental health challenges like OCD.Learn more about Ilya Monosov's work here: https://neuroscience.wustl.edu/people/ilya-monosov-phd/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Lacquer Groove" by Tiny Tiny Trio, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Part two of a wonderful conversation with curiosity activist Scott Shigeoka. Scott has just released his new book SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World.In this second episode, we focus on a few of his favorite practices, including "Quicksanding" -- how to survive those scary, suffocating moments by slowing down. We explore how we can honor the limits of our curiosity and appreciate curiosity's cardinal directions: inward, outward, and beyond. Finally, I revisit a conversation with Jenn Seiff, whose training in yoga echoes so many of Scott's insights. It's a lovely pairing.Visit: https://scottshigeoka.comTheme music by Sean Balick; "Home Home At Last" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.Photo Credit: Matt Stomper
I think it's fair to describe first-time author and long-time educator Scott Shigeoka as a curiosity activist. His debut book SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World focuses on what Scott calls “deep curiosity” -- the search for understanding that leads to connection and transformation and, in so doing, makes people feel seen and heard...reminding them that they matter.That's no small thing in a time of profound incuriosity.In the first episode, we dig into some of my favorites among his many curiosity practices, like: "Be an admitter" -- seeing the joy in saying "I don't know" and centering on the relationship, rather than being right. I've found "Visualize yourself being curious" really helpful in those moments when I just don't feel the least bit curious. And, I've got some bonus content from his book and other recent writing as well!Visit: https://scottshigeoka.comTheme music by Sean Balick; "Arizona Moon" by Cholate, via Blue Dot Sessions.Photo Credit: Matt Stomper
You wouldn’t know it, given her passion for research and accumulation of impressive academic credentials, but one thing artist and educator Rebecca Kamen doesn't do very well is read.Only as an adult did she come to understand that she lives with dyslexia – a challenge in making the connection between the letters on a page and their meaning and sound – a challenge in reading.As we come to understand the human brain better, we’re also coming to see that dyslexia, once uniformly regarded as a learning disability, is also a lens for seeing things differently.Think “neurodivergent” not “disabled."I was delighted when Rebecca, the deeply curious & creative person who happens to have dyslexia, reached out to me with an offer to explore all three.Learn more about Rebecca Kamen's work on her website: rebeccakamen.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Summit", by K2, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Instagram and TikTok sensation chef Jack Zhang, aka @CookingForLevi, has some things to teach the rest of us about the adventure that is food and toddlers. His delightful videos are proof that bringing a little curiosity into the kitchen can make mealtime magic happen. Young Levi is a curious eater, eagerly joining his parents on the culinary journey they're offering. Jack and his wife Emmy have just come out with Cultivating a Curious Palate, a cookbook of the delicious and exotic dishes Jack has been making for Levi. How could I not ask for a chat?Cooking for Levi: https://www.instagram.com/cookingforlevi/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Plum King” by Molerider, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Maybe it was the pandemic. Maybe curiosity is having a moment globally. I’m not sure what it is, but the thirst for learning and the attendant explosion of science communication efforts in India are noteworthy.I sat down with Ruchi Manglunia and Shweata N. Hegde, aka Jigyasa and Utsuka, the charming — and unapologetically curious — co-founders and hosts of India Asks Why, a “science podcast for young minds.” We talked about their inspiration, operation, and hopes for a more curious future.India Asks Why podcast: https://www.indiaaskswhy.orgTheme music by Sean Balick; "Glass Beads" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What if the best answer to a curious, generative question like, "What are all the ways we could...?" is "Do less"? UVA Engineering professor Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less makes the case to consider subtraction as a viable, reliable, and all-too-often overlooked strategy in a world that is biased to always add more. And in a twist I definitely didn't see coming, Leidy takes analogous thinking to a whole new level of subtraction. "Analogies," he says, "are one of the only ways to remove wrong ideas."Leidy Klotz: https://www.leidyklotz.comTheme music by Sean Balick. “Hash Out” by Sunday at Slims, via Blue Dot Sessions.
As the new school year gets started, I’ve been thinking a lot about the important teachers in my life, the ones who left an indelible impression. Those special educators helped me see and, as importantly, they made me feel seen. They gave me tools with which to engage the world around me, exciting me about it — and me in it.No surprise: Slovakian educator and author Veronika Darwell caught my eye when she popped up with When You Are Curious, a children’s picture book with delightful illustrations by Johnny Plasil.What I didn’t expect was that our conversation would take us to how teaching finds us, the magic of learning multiple languages, and the importance of representation and inclusive design.Veronika maintains a robust and joyful social media presence on Instagram at @BooksWithMeaning.Theme music by Sean Balick. “UpUpUp and Over” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"Open-earedness" describes our willingness to explore new music. I’ve come to think of it as the auditory equivalent of open-mindedness.
Good news: there's delightfully compelling evidence that choosing to be curious about music is good for our health and well-being!
Tim McKenry, professor of music at Australian Catholic University, is a spirited advocate for reclaiming our tolerance of the unfamiliar and making music an intentional and expanding part of our lives.
Go ahead, open those ears!
Tim McKenry at theconversation.com: https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-stop-exploring-new-music-as-we-get-older-200080
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Pxl Htra” by The Fence, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times" is as encouraging a book as I can imagine. It is a curiosity guidebook par excellence, chock full of tips and tricks and a lovely reminder that, as author Monicá Guzmán puts it, “understanding the people who confound us is always, always worth it.”
Monicá Guzmán, founder of Reclaim Curiosity, is senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels. She dedicates her days -- and, as best I can tell, most of her nights and weekends as well -- to helping the rest of us build our curiosity muscle so we can, together, build trust and save our democracy.
You're going to want to get to know Monicá Guzmán: https://www.moniguzman.com
Check out Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I can think of no better way to mark the rather miraculous milestone of my 200th episode than with a conversation about walking and wonder. David Pearl is an innovator in business and the arts. He's also inventor and founder of Street Wisdom, an exercise in meticulous whimsy that helps us find inspiration from strolling the streets around us.
"If you’re not curious, you tend to stay in the highways, not the byways, and you tend to stay within boundaries that your brain says, 'You're safe, you're knowledgable.' ... And you can go far, but you don’t go wide." ~ David Pearl
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Derailed" by Depot, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Check out David Pearl here: https://www.davidpearl.net And Street Wisdom here: https://www.streetwisdom.org
I first got interested in curiosity as a management tool in my role as chief operating officer at NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), a national grassroots nonprofit organization. NAMI had about 80 employees and nearly 1,000 mostly volunteer-led affiliates when I was there -- and it was basically my job to know everything.
But I became convinced I was better at my role if I didn’t know everything, and came at the work with curiosity instead.
So I made myself a student of the subject. I've been studying it ever since.
Do others in comparable roles feel the same way, I wondered? What lessons have they learned?
Helen Chamberlin is executive director of the Rehoboth Beach FIlm Society, in Rehoboth Beach, DE. She joins me to consider curiosity at work...
More about the Rehoboth Beach Film Society here: https://www.rehobothfilm.com
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Jog to the Water” by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Respect matters says Julie Pham, PhD. But it's also relative, subjective, and contradictory. It's complicated. Her book 7 Forms of Respect: A Guide to Transforming Your Communication and Relationships at Work makes the case that respect is all about honing our curiosity practices. Inward curiosity to unearth our own feelings about respect, and outward curiosity to help us discover and deliver what others need and want.
A tool kit for navigating relationships and staying focused on what matters most.
Learn more about Julie Pham's work at CuriosityBased: https://curiositybased.com
Check out 7 Forms of Respect: https://formsofrespect.com
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Zig Zag" by The Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In 28 very fast minutes we cover curiosity and creativity, the transformative power of asking questions, pivotal differences between general interest curiosity and deprivation curiosity, turning mind wandering into mind wondering, the loveliness of open mindfulness and implementation intentions ... and the possibility of an app for all of that!
I reached out to Jonathan Schooler, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California Santa Barbara, about his research on curiosity -- I had no idea what a wellspring I was tapping into.
Fasten your seatbelt and keep your notebook handy. The curiosity practices come fast and furious in this one...
Jonathan Schooler's Meta Lab: https://labs.psych.ucsb.edu/schooler/jonathan/
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Killer whales, honey bees, walking dunes and hugging trees? Those are just a few of the delights awaiting those who get beyond their front doors, both literal and figurative.Dina Pavlis has lived and played on the Oregon Coast for over 20 years. She is an avid hiker, outdoor enthusiast, nature photographer and volunteer interpretive ranger with the US forest Service. She also produces and hosts Beyond Your Front Door Northwest, a coastal adventure radio show that airs weekly in the Pacific Northwest.I live on the other side of the continent but she has piqued my curiosity big time for a part of the country I had known little about. A lovely celebration of curiosity not just in work and life, but out and about!Check outBeyond Your Front Door Northwest: https://beyondyourfrontdoornorthwest.comTheme music by Sean Balick. "Celestial Navigation" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Where does research begin?Tom Mullaney and Christoper Rae say it starts way before we think it does.Their book, Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You (and the World) is a remarkable book -- a workbook, really.They provide a curiosity-informed, generative process for finding and really understanding the questions underlying anything you might want to learn more about.A read both rigorous and delightful - I recommend it! Tom Mullaney is a Professor of Chinese History at Stanford University, a Guggenheim Fellow, and co-author of Where Research Begins. We had a great time digging into their curiosity practices...More about Tom Mullaney here: https://history.stanford.edu/people/thomas-mullaneyFind Where Research Begins here: https://whereresearchbegins.comTheme music by Sean Balick. “Distill” by Darby, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The Curiosity Lab at IIT Gandhinagar (India) studies factors that generate, sustain and foster curiosity. The Lab is designed as an interdisciplinary space that promotes research and outreach initiatives specifically around curiosity. The Curiosity Lab takes on systemic inequalities, popular notions of what does or doesn't support curiosity, and generally makes it their business to encourage curiosity at every turn. Jaison Manjaly is The Lab's principal investigator and chief cheerleader. Check out The Curiosity Lab at IIT Gandhinagar: https://www.curiositylab.iitgn.ac.inTheme music by Sean Balick. "Glass Beads" by the Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"A citizen scientist is anyone who is curious about the world and eager to help explore and understand it,” explains National Science Foundation director, Sethuraman Panchanathan. Caroline Nickerson advises SciStarter, one of the allied network of organizations promoting citizen science and April as Citizen Science Month. Her citizen science enthusiasm is infectious!Learn more about SciStarter and Citizen Science Month: https://scistarter.orgWe mentioned these studies in our conversation. Check them out!Crowd the Tap: https://scistarter.org/crowd-the-tap Land Loss Lookout: https://cartosco.pe/kioskProject.html#/hubPage/landloss2016 Stream Selfie: https://scistarter.org/stream-selfie All of Us: https://allofus.nih.gov Yale Music Lab: https://www.themusiclab.org Theme music by Sean Balick. "Waterborne" by Algae Fields, via Blue Dot Sessions.
In 2017 Eva Marie Carney read a news story that changed her life. I invited her to share how being open to new information -- and allowing that information to influence not only her thinking but also her actions -- has enabled her to change other lives as well.This is an exploration of curiosity, very much as applied. Curiosity, in this case, in service of ending period poverty.Eva Marie Carney founded The Kwek Society which provides pads, tampons, liners, and underwear, along with educational materials and moon time bags filled with supplies to Indigenous students and communities needing these expensive menstrual supplies. Learn more here: https://kweksociety.orgMusic this week: "Easement" and "Thirteens" by Bulwark, and "Great is the Contessa" by Contessa, all, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Claire Bown teaches techniques to help people connect more with art. Her guide How to Look at Art (Slowly) is as rich a compendium of curiosity practices as I've ever found. Claire's professional focus is museums, but she'd be the first to tell you: the skills she shares are useful anywhere...Check out Claire's work at Thinking Museum: https://thinkingmuseum.comTheme music by Sean Balick; "Purple Light" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The well-deserved accolades pour in -- Newberry Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Cyblis Award, and more -- but what caught my eye about Amina Luqman-Dawson's wonderful book Freewater was her deft deployment of curiosity. Whether as a springboard for her own writing and research, as an invitation to her readers, or the force that enables her characters' growth and literal freedom, curiosity in everywhere in this rich, evocative story of children escaping enslavement and finding their power. "Curiosity," she says, "is a wonderful place to begin."More about Freewater and Amina Luqman-Dawson: https://www.aminaluqman-dawson.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Home, Home at Last” by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.Amina Luqman-Dawson Photo Credit: Zachariah Dawson
I had no experience with audio, radio, production, editing -- anything -- when I first undertook this show nearly 7 years ago. But I was an eager learner, improbably on the cusp of being on-air. I had big ambitions and, like many newbies, I had no earthly idea just how big they were. I wanted to open my first show with reveille from the Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall. That shouldn’t be so hard, right?Lucky for me, I teamed up with filmmaker, musician, composer, sound engineer and teacher Antonio Villaronga -- and a friendship/mentorship was born. When Antonio released his new narrative short film, You, Too, I wanted to be his first stop on the media tour. And so here we are!Check out the You, Too trailer and Antonio's other work at Cineronga: https://cineronga.comTheme music by Sean Balick; “Curio” by Vacant Distillery, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Just in time for Valentine's Day we consider curiosity and how we experience and express love. Hailey Magee is a certified coach, educator, and writer who helps folks worldwide set empowered boundaries and break people-pleasing patterns. She says curiosity is her love language. That seemed like a conversation we would all want to have!Check out Hailey Magee: https://www.haileymagee.com Read Hailey's original blog post "Why Curiosity Is My Love Language" Gary Chapman developed the idea of love language: https://5lovelanguages.com Take a moment to enjoy the poetry of Robert Frost, kindness of the Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-frost Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
How might choosing to be curious about language influence our familiarity with, understanding of, or comfort around the very words we use to express curiosity --- or anything else? That's where this fascinating conversation with University of Arizona linguistics professor Sonja Lanehart started. But it wasn't long before we were talking about new words for curiosity, the forthcoming Oxford Dictionary of African American English, and curiosity as a privilege reserved for those who have already managed to establish legitimacy for their fields of study.Get to know Sonja Lanehart: https://coe.arizona.edu/person/sonja-lanehartLearn more about the Oxford Dictionary of African American English, and help crowdsource words: https://public.oed.com/oxford-dictionary-of-african-american-english/Curious about Michael Harriot, Whypipologist? He explains all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spC2QSrM7f4One of the breadcrumbs in my “inspiration trail” for this episode was Pip William’s lovely book The Dictionary of Lost Words: https://pipwilliams.com.au/the-dictionary-of-lost-words/Theme music by Sean Balick; “Tuck and Point” by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Natural Curiosity is both an entity and an idea. The entity, a nonprofit organization based in Toronto with a lab school and eponymous teaching guide, embodies the idea that environmental education must center our relations with all things, seen and unseen. Propelled by unequivocal recommendations from Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Natural Curiosity brings indigenous perspectives into environmental education. It is, as they put it, "the starting point of an important conversation about learning in relationship with Mother Earth."Alysse Kennedy and Aleksa Nitsis join me to unfurl what "indigenous perspectives of inquiry" entail, especially in the hands of non-indigenous teachers and learners. And we learn a few things from some 6th graders who model these lessons in a powerful way.Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Palace of Cedar" by The Pine Barrens, via Blue Dot Sessions. More on Natural Curiosity: https://www.naturalcuriosity.ca
What if there was a way to help people meet and talk with others whose lives are very different (or not!) from their own?The Human Library does just that, by creating a safe space for dialogue, an opportunity for challenging stigma and stereotypes, and the chance to "unjudge" someone. Co-founder and CEO Ronni Abergel joins me to talk about "publishing" people as "open books." Others come to the library as "readers." And then the magic happens.Check out The Human Library: https://humanlibrary.org Read more about Joe Keohane and The Power of Strangers: https://joekeohane.net Theme music by Sean Balick; “Come As You Are” by Cauldron via Blue Dot Sessions.
Sofia Forss, Ph.D. is an evolutionary biologist at the University of Zurich, specializing in comparative cognition and animal behavior. She's curious about how curiosity shows up in apes.A fascinating discussion about curiosity and the influence of others, upbringing, and perceptions of risk. What might these findings suggest for apes' close cousins, we humans? I was surprised and intrigued over and over in this conversation. I think you will be as well.Learn more about Sofia Forss' work and her lab at sofiaforss.comCheck outage Social Curiosity workshop: https://www.psych.uni-goettingen.de/en/workshop/social-curiosity Want more animals? Here's episode #70 at the National Zoo: https://lynnborton.com/2018/12/26/animal-curiosity-at-the-national-zoo/
Do you like a good scavenger hunt? Love the thrill of discovering new places? That’s your curiosity calling!
Wait ’til you hear about geocaching, a GPS-driven treasure hunt game for the 21st century.
Sonny Portacio hosts The Podcacher Podcast, a hit variety show all about "geocaching goodness" that he and his wife Sandy have been sharing since 2005. Who better to talk about curiosity and geocaching?
Catch Sonny and Sandy and The Podcacher Podcast: https://www.podcacher.com
Want to know more about geocaching? Geocaching HQ has you covered: https://www.geocaching.com/play
There are lots of local groups as well; a special shout-out to the good folks at NoVaGO (Northern Virginia Geocaching Organization), who helped get me started in the game: https://www.facebook.com/groups/18688537318
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Slate Tracker” By Glacier Quarter via Blue Dot Sessions.
What makes someone "askable"?
Arlington, Virginia has launched an "Askable Adult" program to build the capacity of adults to be nonjudgmental and approachable resources and supports for youth in the county. Program proponents believe that everyone has a role to play in supporting the health and well-being of children and youth in the community.
And on their short list of key skills that make adults more askable? Be a curious co-pilot.
To help us learn what it means to be an Askable Adult, I was joined by three dynamic and devoted Arlington community builders: Ashley Blowe, Training and Prevention Specialist, Department of Human Services; Siobhan Grayson, Youth Outreach Coordinator for the Prevention Unit under the Department of Human Services; and Scotney Young, Prevention and Outreach Manager at Doorways, a domestic and sexual violence response organization.
The Right Question Institute (RQI), works to build a more just and equitable democracy by strengthening people’s ability to ask questions and participate in decisions that affect them. As RQI puts it, “When people of all ages learn to ask the right questions, it leads to feeling a new sense of agency, confidence & power.”
Naomi Campbell directs RQI's Legal Empowerment program, leading RQI’s efforts to promote the adoption of the Right Question Strategy in legal practice settings serving low-income communities.
The work is aimed at offering a simple way to integrate capacity-building into practice at the micro-level, as part of a systemic change strategy at the macro-level. That sounded to me like a serious curiosity practice in service of community transformation and I wanted to know more.
Learn more about about The Right Question Institute: https://rightquestion.org
Read Jamie Jirout's research on children's questions and problem solving: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15248372.2020.1832492
Take a look at this excellent coverage from The Guardian of work by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir on scarcity. Their work is not focused on curiosity specifically, but it certainly resonates! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/23/scarcity-sendhil-mullainathan-eldar-shafir
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Faster Faster Brighter" by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Local housing advocate Luca Gattoni-Celli joins me for a conversation about urbanism – the study of the built environment and how people interact with it – and learning to view the world with fresh eyes.
How differently might we see things if we throw a little curiosity into the mix?
Luca Gattoni-Celli was deeply moved by the passion and tragic death of Jim Pagels. I hope this show contributes to that legacy: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2021/04/13/d-c-cyclist-jim-pagels-killed-by-driver-hours-after-tweeting-about-unsafe-roads/
Read more about YIMBYs of Northern Virginia: https://www.yimbysofnova.org
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “City Limits” by Albany NY, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Danny Smith and Rich Maxham share a passion for violins. In a lovely and powerful apprenticeship partnership, Rich learns Danny's luthier craft, but Danny will tell you he's learning from Rich as well.
It's apprenticeship as a joyful joint curiosity enterprise.
Special thanks to Katy Clune, director of Virginia Humanities' Virginia Folklife Program, for facilitating this and so much else, and to Rich for his impromptu basement violin concert.
Learn more about the Virginia Humanities' Virginia Folklife Program. https://www.virginiafolklife.org
If you agree with Danny that Rich is going on to still greater things, keep an eye on him here: https://www.maxhamviolins.com/about
The Virginia Humanities apprenticeship program caught my eye because my friends at Architecting Curiosity had primed me to think about the power of apprenticing in curiosity. Listen to my conversation with Anthony Rocco, Monica Canfield-Lenfest and Pim Schachtschabel: https://lynnborton.com/2021/12/22/architecting-curiosity-with-pim-schachtschabel-monica-canfield-lenfest-anthony-rocco/
Kasha Patel is a triple threat: scientist, journalist and stand-up comedian, the perfect person to join me for a conversation about the rich alchemy of leaning into all three.
Kasha Patel is the deputy weather editor for the Capital Weather Gang at The Washington Post, covering weather, climate change and the environment. Before joining The Post, she produced news stories, videos and features about the Earth sciences, climate change and satellite research for NASA. And, she's a stand up comedian. Funny, smart, with a vision for how curiosity, science and humor can help us all, wherever we are.
Kasha Patel: https://www.kashapatel.com
Antidote for partisanship? In science, curiosity seems to work: https://news.yale.edu/2017/01/26/antidote-partisanship-science-curiosity-seems-work
Center for Media & Social Impact, Yes...And Laughter Lab & GoodLaughs: https://cmsimpact.org
Our theme and other music are by Sean Balick.
Some of what is kicking around in my head as I travel in Belgium and the Netherlands. Second in my periodic new series of "curiosity to go".
[Editor's Note - perils of extemporaneous recording: the major bombardment (1300 bombs in 13 minutes) occurred in May 1940, not '43.]
Curiosity, say Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett, is a practice of connection: it connects ideas into networks of knowledge, and it connects knowers themselves, both to the knowledge they seek and -- perhaps even more importantly -- to each other.
Twins, professors, and true curiosity connoisseurs, Perry & Dani return to Choose to be Curious for this delightful multidisciplinary distillation of this thing we call curiosity, celebrating the release of their new and groundbreaking book, Curious Minds: The Power of Connection.
Perry Zurn is a professor of philosophy at American University. He is the author of Curiosity and Power: The Politics of Inquiry and co-editor of Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. https://www.perryzurn.com
Dani S. Bassett is J. Peter Skirkanich Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. They are the author of more than 300 scientific articles in neuroscience, physics, network science, and complete systems science. https://complexsystemsupenn.com
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Charcoal Lines" by Sketchbook, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Inspired by a suggestion from dear friend, loyal sponsor and regular curiosity muse, Kate McCauley, I’ve been playing with the idea of an informal, supplemental dip into the stories behind and between my shows.
I make no promises yet about how often or enduring this enterprise will be, but I thought I ought to give it a try. Never know until you do! Relying on that old 0.8 Prototyping once again…
So, here’s a little curiosity to go – what’s kicking around in my head right now, and maybe a preview of things to come….
This is how it happens, with serendipity, and a bit of breadcrumbs....
References:
The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams (2020) http://pipwilliams.com.au
Kate McCauley, The Center for Parents and Teens https://centerforparentsandteens.com
0.8 Prototyping, Presenting Institute https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/theory-u-prototyping-integrating-past-present-and-emerging-future-370bd1383aef
Curiosity is hot in the business world, but what does it look like on the ground, and for small businesses, away from the glitz of Forbes and Inc.?
Tara Palacios knows. Tara is founder and director of BizLaunch, Arlington’s small business and entrepreneurial assistance network. She joins me to explore curiosity as a business tool -- especially as she and others discovered the power of a good and curious pivot in the face of the pandemic!
Learn more about Arlington Economic Development's BizLaunch offerings: https://www.arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com/Small-Business/Small-Business-Programs
The business case for curiosity is strong. Check out the the research by Francesca Gino in Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2018/09/the-business-case-for-curiosity
Tara loved the analogy of "seeing the mighty oak in the acorn" that I learned from my conversation with George Mason professor Tojo Thatchenkery about curiosity and appreciative intelligence: https://lynnborton.com/2020/05/27/appreciative-intelligence-with-tojo-thatchenkery/
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “The Shoes They Wear” by Delray, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"Urban Sketching" is an international movement of people who draw on location -- indoors or out-- capturing what they see from direct observation. The drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel. Todd Cumpston is both a practitioner and a teacher.I couldn't wait to talk with him about this delightful curiosity practice.
Such power in sitting still, paying close, appreciative attention to the world around us...
Theme music is by Sean Balick. “Town Market” by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
All you need to know about Read Early And Daily (R.E.A.D.) and "Pajama Mama" Jennifer Sauter-Price is summarized in the organization's vision: "Empower families to foster empathy, curiosity, and self-confidence in their young children through the joy of reading together every day."
This week it's all about the power of books to open eyes, minds and whole worlds, starting very, very early...
Check out Read Early And Daily (R.E.A.D.): https://www.readearlyanddaily.org/
More on Rudine Sims Bishop the importance of windows and mirrors as kids see themselves and others in books: https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/rudine-sims-bishop-diverse-childrens-books
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Silk & Silver” by Azalai, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What does it take to imagine worlds otherwise? Where do memory and curiosity fit into the creative process for a playwright, or in science fiction? Author Liz Coley indulges my curiosity in this warm conversation between old friends breaking new ground.
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Entrance Shaft 11” by The Depot, via Blue Dot Sessions.
An entrepreneurial enterprise that has people looking for clues, thinking outside the box and seeing sights through new eyes? Yes, please! Creator Erik Neighbour joins me to talk about his new app/game "Capital Clues." You may never look at Abe Lincoln's hands the same way again!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Textile artist Andi Cullins considers herself the "Grandma Moses of quilts." Her lush and distinctive "2nd Life" quilts certainly support the premise. We explore the common threads connecting curiosity, her art, and Juneteenth. A joyful celebration of our collective and very human creative instincts.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Patched In” by Studio J, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Choose to be Curious intern Reed Weiler takes the helm, inspired by his own pandemic-era journey of reflection and spiritual insight. What might be possible if those efforts were made at scale? How is social justice advanced by our being spiritually curious? Reed turned to American University chaplain Rev. Bryant Oskvig to explore those questions and so many more...
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Entrepreneur and former ad exec Michael Tennant founded Curiosity Lab to "spread curiosity, inclusivity, and empathy through storytelling experiences." One way to do that is with his "Actually Curious" playing cards, his attempt to gamify empathy and community. I think he's on to something...
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Up, Up, Up and Over" by the Balloonists via Blue Dot Sessions. Photo used with permission from Actually Curious / Curiosity Lab.
We'll only ever get one body, change tho' it may with time. Can we get to know our bodies better? What's going on, why, and how we might work with what we've got? Personal trainer and founder of The Line Method Eva Meier joins me for a conversation about putting curiosity to work for our bodies, and for ourselves.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Are We Loose Yet?" by Body Tonic via Blue Dot Sessions.
Arlington County Sustainability Planner Helen Reinecke-Wilt joins me to explore how choosing to be curious about our environmental impact helps Arlington achieve its goal of carbon neutrality. Might curiosity literally save the world?
Theme music by Sean Balick. “A Certain Lightness” by Migration via Blue Dot Sessions.
Curiosity theories abound. How might curiosity contribute to their growth and attractiveness -- or/and how might it be an antidote? What happens when genuine curiosity is applied to these theories? Political scientist and University of Chicago professor Eric Oliver joins me to explore what happens when curiosity goes down the rabbit hole.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shadow Plan” by Dorica via Blue Dot Sessions.
The wise and wonderful healthcare advocate and equity champion Nicole Rochester, MD, founder and CEO of Your GPS Doc LLC, returns for a conversation about what the last two years have done to how curiosity shows up in medicine -- and society at large.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Rabbit Hole" by Love & Weasel via Blue Dot Sessions.
Information design consultant Alli Torban believes visuals can help anyone understand anything. Data visualization has undergone a seismic transformation in recent years. What role does curiosity play in how we collect, present and absorb information?
A morsel: "As a general rule of thumb, if I have a strong emotional response to a chart, I’m going to spend more time being skeptical of it."
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Charcoal Lines" by Sketchbook via Blue Dot Sessions.
Psychologist Todd Kashdan wrote his new book The Art of Insubordination to "elevate the value of curiosity, intellectual humility, and courage in public discourse, and to teach people how to amplify their voices and help others do the same."
Todd is intent on cultivating principled insubordination and pushing back against incuriosity. I figured we should talk...
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Hash Out" by Sunday at Slims via Blue Dot Sessions.
Research suggests that journalism focused on solutions outperforms problem-focused news. "Solutions Journalism" feels more interesting, trustworthy, uplifting -- and inspires people to get involved. Marie von Hafften of the Solutions Journalism Network joins me to explore the role of curiosity and all-important trust in finding and telling those stories.
Today's Curiosity Practice Harvest: Ask "who is doing it better?" Subject your own efforts to assessment and evaluation: are you having the impact you hope and or intend? (Re)Think whom you consider the "experts" and where insights and solutions may reside.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Filing Away” by Crab Shack via Blue Dot Sessions.
This started as a conversation about how curiosity shows up in mental health, but New Delhi-based independent journalist Tanmoy took us to post-colonialism property ownership, sussing out the boundaries of allowable questioning, our bias toward answers, and what we can learn from our kids. Sanity, through a whole new set of lenses.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Mind Body Mind” by BodyTonic via Blue Dot Sessions.
Arlington County's restorative justice efforts strive for an equitable, empathetic community that honors the dignity and humanity of all people and creates pathways for belonging, healing, accountability, and growth. Restorative Arlington coordinator Kimiko Lighty explains how central curiosity is to the work.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Turning on the Lights” by Speakeasy via Blue Dot Sessions.
"Architecting Curiosity" turns out to be a pretty fabulous way to think about choosing to be curious. It is also a community and school with which to practice and train our natural muscle of inquiry.
I decided to enroll.
Architecting Curiosity founders, experience designers all, Pim Schachtschabel, Monica Canfield-Lenfest and Anthony Rocco were my most marvelous teachers and guides. This is but a taste of what time with them is like...
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Slow Lane Lover" by Barstool via Blue Dot Sessions.
This week we visit that uncomfortable place that curiosity can create as we wrestle with the courage of our questions. Social justice music-maker Crys Matthews illuminates the power of music to open hard conversations. And, oh, what a voice!
"Exactly Where You Are" used with permission of artist.
How do the stories we read as children inform our curiosity about our environment? How do we "read" our landscapes wherever we are, no matter what age? Choose to be Curious intern Lydia Perry leads this rich conversation with environmental scientist Liam Heneghan.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Community engagement is a critical piece of our democracy puzzle -- a piece Dulce Carrillo, Supervisor of Public Engagement for Arlington Public Schools, is eager to help put into place. Curiosity in service of finding and asking the right questions!
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Town Market” from Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Do horror movies serve a purpose? Where do you draw the line between revulsion and wanting to know more? These are the questions that drive the research of Coltan Scrivner, Ph.D. student in the Department of Comparative Human Development and a Fellow at the Institute for Mind and Biology at the University of Chicago.
Just in time for Halloween, but with fascinating, surprising and thought-provoking applications any time, we focus today on morbid curiosity.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Nervous Whisp" by CloudCover, via Blue Dot Sessions.
I wondered: how might curiosity help me understand my community better – or help me better my community through understanding? Local author, journalist and historian Charlie Clark joins me to talk curiosity and Arlington history.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
To be “sober curious” is to reassess one’s relationship with alcohol. It’s part mindfulness, part overall attention to well-being, part solidarity in a frank re-examination and redefinition of how we socialize and celebrate in this country. I was so pleased to have Laura Silverman, founder of Booze Free in DC, Zero Proof Nation, & The Sobriety Collective join me to explore what happens when we approach our drinking with genuine curiosity.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut via Blue Dot Sessions.
What is it about defying our own expectations that we find so irresistible? Close-up magician Mitch Praver thinks with me about how curiosity and magic intersect. From infants' understanding of object permanence to our own delight with what seems impossible, this is magic through a news lens.
Theme music by Sean Balick; “We Build with Rubber Bands” by Lemuel, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Have you ever looked at a work of art and suddenly felt an extraordinary epiphany? Felt something kick in, come together, split open – finally make sense in a way it never had before? There is something about the creativity of others interpreting the world around us that helps each of us, all of us, see things differently.
Artist Rebecca Kamen explores curiosity as a creative link between the arts, humanities, and sciences, exploring the symbiotic relationship behind scientific research and artwork’s development. Her show "Reveal: The Art of Reimagining Scientific Discovery" is open August 28–December 12, 2021 at American University Museum at Katzen Art Center.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Valantis" by Cauldron via Blue Dot Sessions.
How on earth to mark the 150th episode of this curiosity adventure? With this delightful, surprising, fresh exploration of one man's commitment to centering curiosity in -- you guessed it -- work and life.
I am indebted to John Green. What do curiosity, pedagogy, conflict resolution and hair cutting have in common? You tell me...
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Home Home at Last" by Warmbody, via BlueDot Sessions.
I’ll be forever grateful to Virginia Humanities for helping me find my way to artist, writer and educator Sushmita Mazumdar and her Studio PAUSE, an inviting place that provides time and space for Arlingtonians to explore creativity and celebrate community. It is, in my mind, a most marvelous curiosity enterprise.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “A Burst of Light” by Delray via Blue Dot Sessions.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before I would turn my curiosity lens on community media itself, the very source of this show. Antoine Haywood, practitioner and doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, is the perfect companion for this celebration of connecting people, participatory media-making, collective learning --- and care.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Faster Faster Brighter" by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Most of our ideas about leadership are woefully inadequate for the world as we now know it. In his new book Rebel Leadership: How to Thrive in Uncertain Times, innovation advisor Larry Robertson helps us rethink what's needed in our "new abnormal" -- including how cultures of inquiry and curiosity contribute to our collective success. Such a timely conversation as we mark the radical rethinking that came with the birth of our fragile democracy. Our theme music is by Sean Balick; "Curio" by Vacant Distillery via Blue Dot Sessions.
What if we were to leave learning up to curiosity? Although that's not the language used, the Montessori Method is built on children's own exploration and discovery. Education consultant Chandra Fernando joins me for a delightful conversation about curiosity, Maria Montessori, absorbent minds, failure and peace.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Have you ever felt a burning desire to know what might have been, had you chosen a different course of action? That's "counterfactual curiosity" -- the desire to know about possible alternative outcomes -- and it can sometimes cause us pain and regret.
So why have it?
Dr. Lily FitzGibbon, postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences at the University of Reading (UK), helps me understand better.
Our theme and other music are by Sean Balick.
How might curiosity contribute to building peace? Alp Özerdem, dean of the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, joins me in exploring what happens when we approach conflict with curiosity and a commitment to transformation. It's hard to beat his closing affirmation, "After this, curiosity will be the backbone of our teaching and our research."
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Peacetime” by Tiny Tiny Trio, via Blue Dot Sessions. Dean Alp Özerdem photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services/ George Mason University.
Some time ago I was at a STEM event for middle schoolers, talking about curiosity -- in particular their curiosity about death. That got me thinking: how does curiosity show up around death? Doula by Destiny founder Valoria Walker joins me to explore how choosing to be curious about death might help us acclimate to the inevitable -- and how compassionate curiosity helps her in her work.
Maybe you think of yourself as curious, maybe you don't. How might you know? Stefaan van Hooydonk, founder of Global Curiosity Institute, offers curiosity diagnoses for people and organizations alike. His goal is to help others foster a curiosity mindset, in hopes of inspiring discovery and innovation.
Theme music by Sean Balick;“Reflectors” by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.
James Baldwin wrote, “The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you can alter even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world.” Changing the world is exactly what sociologist Jason Radford is trying to do. Through his leadership at Volunteer Science and Northeastern University's Social Design Lab, he is seeking to involve more people in scientific research and turning that research into technologies, programs, and companies that solve social problems. Curiosity enterprises if ever there were some!
Thanks to Sean Balick for our theme music; "Gusty Hollow" by Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.
When educator, therapist and community advocate Kate McCauley and I first planned this conversation, we thought we would be focused on parenting. But humble inquiry and shared power have important places in any good relationship.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
I was inspired to create a show about the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge when I moved to a condo and gained a distant view of some very cool arches. My curiosity piqued, I wanted to know more. It turns out, Engineer and Program Manager Dennis Howland has helped build more than a bridge. This conversation is a testament to the power of curiosity, ingenuity -- and community!
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Discovery Harbor" by Cloud Harbor, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Watching the multi-colored wonder of sunrise, an idea dawned: what would a conversation about curiosity and color reveal? Artist and teacher Bryan Jernigan seemed the perfect person to ask. Proof that asking surprising questions will always yield good conversation...
Thanks to Sean Balick for our theme music. "A Minor Etude" by Blue Nocturnal and "Chromium Blush" by Ray Catcher, both via Blue Dot Sessions.
Alison Horstmeyer, Ph.D. is a talent development facilitator, executive coach, and humanistic researcher with particular interest in workplace curiosity. Her research on curiosity in a VUCA world [volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous] drew me to her -- and her real-world workplace experience on how this all plays out kept me with her. I think it will do the same for you.
Spoiler alert: it's a hopeful view -- and our curious brains are built for these VUCA times!
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Front Runner" by Union Hall, via Blue Dot Sessions.
We return to empathy this week, with Kellen MacBeth, a management consultant with a clear humanitarian bent, whose Facebook group “Arlington Neighbors Helping Each Other Through COVID-19” earned 2,000 members on its very first day back in March, and has grown to more than 12,000 strong since. A conversation built around the caring question, "How might I...?"
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Hypothesis: we're where we are with the COVID pandemic because important decision-makers were catastrophically incurious. Epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding digs in to the consequences of our failures to be curious.
This is WERA 96.7 FM's 5th anniversary! Support free and independent community media with a donation at wera.fm -- Thank you!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
For years, Alli Henry, now Director of Community Planning at Rosslyn BID, and I have been having conversations about place-making and community–building. The pandemic has put our theories to the test: How do we build a sense of belonging in a place when we can’t easily meet the neighbors? How does a place become “home” when many of the usual markers are missing? And what role might curiosity play?
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Having seen thousands of crows roosting right nearby, how could I not do a show about these curious creatures that use tools, are self-aware and (be still, my heart!) appreciate analogies? And who better to talk with than Colleen and John Marzluff, corvid experts extraordinaire?
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “The Cast and Favor” by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Pop quiz: what were the last five articles you read from a news source? And how many of them had to do with science? Climate change, perhaps? The chase for a COVID vaccine? Migratory paths of the monarch butterfly?
We depend, perhaps now more than ever, on the fierce curiosity of science journalists like Kim O'Connell. A celebration of all things science writing.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Waterbourne” by Algae Fields, via Blue Dot Sessions.
The pandemic has forced many of us into isolation, perhaps even solitude. In this lovely, contemplative conversation, poet David Keplinger reflects on the power and importance of the sacred pause -- and the curiosity it enables and empowers.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Hickory Interlude” by OneSuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.
With so much coming at us, how are we to tell fact from fiction, truth from fabrication? The News Literacy Project has tips, tools and techniques to help. Ebonee Rice, VP for NLP's Educator Network, joins me to share the wealth and engage our curiosity in cultivating good information hygiene.
Theme music by Sean Balick, “Three Stories”, by Skittle, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Ayanna Spencer joins guest host Julie Williams-Reyes to explore protest as a radical form of curiosity and how that has unfolded in Ms. Spencer's journey to, and work with, Black feminist theory.
This is the second in a collaborative series of interviews hosted by graduate and undergraduate students who were enrolled in the fall 2019 class Topics in Philosophy at American University.
Theme music is by Sean Balick; "Valantis" by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.
What’s a wanderer to do in a pandemic? How can we get away while we stay close to home? Where can we go when so much is closed? Demian Perry's passion project TownCalendar.org has answers. He makes the case for choosing to be curious about the places right around us... You need this conversation!
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Lakeside Path" by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Ryoko Reed founded Bringing Student Equity to Education Now (B-SEEN). She joins me this week for a timely and telling conversation about how we -- parents, teachers, the whole community -- might use curiosity to support equity in education.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Cirrus Transit" by CloudBreaker, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Musician and self-described sound alchemist Yoko Sen and Tammy Beaulieu, a registered nurse with more than 20 years of expertise, teamed up to ask healthcare workers on the front lines of COVID how they are feeling.
Just asking the question was important. The answers will move you...
You can watch, listen to, or download Sounds of Caring at soundsofcaring.com
CuriosityConnects.us founder Philippa Hughes is a social sculptor and creative strategist. Whether persuading ends of the political spectrum to dine together, or crisscrossing the country "Looking for America", Philippa believes curiosity connects us. I think she's right!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Founder of Vote. Lead. Impact: Creating a Legacy of Political Influence, Krysta Jones is empowering women & people of color who are passionate about changing the world through politics. I wanted to know how curiosity might show up in those important efforts.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Pull Beyond Pull” by K2, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Guest host Matt Ferguson and K.J. Rawson, project director for the Digital Transgender Archive, explore marginalized communities’ lack of knowledge about their histories as a form of epistemic injustice – an injustice of limited access to and production of knowledge. A conversation about how curiosity and archives might help change that...
I'm thrilled to share the first in a collaborative series of interviews hosted by American University graduate and undergraduate students who pitched their ideas for episodes for the show as part of their coursework.
Theme music by Sean Balick.
Boredom: we've all felt it -- and chances are pretty good we don't really understand it. James Danckert Ph.D., professor and head of the cognitive neuroscience research area at the University of Waterloo, will persuade you boredom serves a purpose, and its interface with curiosity is especially intriguing. Boredom turns out to be really interesting!
Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Jat Poure” by The Sweet Hots, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Appreciative Intelligence rests in the ability to "see the mighty oak in the acorn." George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government professor Tojo Thatchenkery believes such intelligence is especially important right now.
Finding generative potential in the here and now.
Theme music is by Sean Balick, "Partly Sage" by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
"Reading curiously for opacity may be a scholarly practice of humility that students...seldom get afforded in their lives." Princeton professor Christina León will get you thinking about the ethics and implications of transparency and flattening difference. A rich and relevant perspective right now...
The last in my "Curiosity Studies" series. Check out the whole series at choosetobecurious.com/curiosity-studies
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Come As You Are” by Cauldron via Blue Dot Sessions
How we say anything, how we punctuate our statements grammatically and verbally, all have tremendous impact on how we are heard and understood. So how do we say something in such a way that others hear curiosity? Actor, director, educator and executive coach Carol Cadby joins me to explore voicing curiosity.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Great Great Lengths" by The Balloonist via Blue Dot Sessions.
Together with his co-editor Arjun Shankar, American University philosophy professor Perry Zurn has compiled a cross-discipline anthology on curiosity that seeks nothing less than to launch a whole new area of study --or, as he would put it, a "new ecology of knowledge."
Check out the whole Curiosity Studies series at choosetobecurious.com/curiosity-studies
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Town Market" by Onesuch Village via Blue Dot Sessions.
Brain scientist, neuroanatomist, author and public inspiration Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor says we're wired to be resilient and brave. It's a reassuring message for our times. Spoiler alert: curiosity helps.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Are We Loose Yet" by BodyTonic via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Prof. Perry Zurn talks about the new anthology "Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge".
How does a community use curiosity to create -- or re-create -- itself and its relationships? Arlington Presbyterian Church pastor Ashley Goff joins me to explore the power of humble inquiry.
Theme music by Sean Balick. ”Turning to You” by Landsmen Duets via BlueDot Sessions. Photo by Aimee Custis Photography.
Join us next time when brain scientist, author and public speaking inspiration Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor explains how we're wired to be resilient and brave, especially now.
It takes a certain amount of courage and curiosity to travel around the world to study for a year. Four NOVA students in the State Department's Community College Initiative talk about how curiosity has contributed to their year. A delightful, insightful conversation with Mercy Adhaya, Oscar Iván Barrera, Willy-Jefferson Y. Kouakou and Aninda Nurul Hadijah.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Peacetime" by Tiny Tiny Trio, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Arlington Presbyterian Church pastor Ashely Goff explains how she and APC use curiosity to (re)create community.
Danielle Bassett is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies biological, physical, and social systems by using and developing tools from network science and complex systems theory. She works at the intersection of basic science, engineering, and clinical medicine -- and now she's taking on curiosity itself.
How do we connect our curiosity dots? Network theory will out! The latest in our Curiosity Studies series.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when students in State Department's Community College Initiative discuss how curiosity contributes to their experiences living and studying here in the U.S. A delightful group and conversation!
More than 25 years ago Bob Mitchell founded a leadership program in Michigan to train diverse cohorts of would-be political candidates in campaigning and governing in a bipartisan way. Now he's bringing the Bipartisan Leadership Project to Virginia. A timely curiosity conversation about the power of listening well and seeking opportunities instead of obstacles. Vote for curiosity!
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Front Runner” by Union Hall, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when UPenn professor and polymath Dani Bassett helps connect the curiosity dots with complex systems and network analysis -- the latest in our Curiosity Studies series.
How often are we faced with health questions and concerns, but feel ill-equipped to ask the right questions, understand the answers we get -- or even know whom to ask? Dr. Nicole Rochester, a health advocate and founder of Your GPS Doc LLC, reveals the power of curiosity as a health care strategy.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “Mind Body Mind” by BodyTonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Bob Mitchell, founder of the Bipartisan Leadership Program explains the rationale behind his effort to train new politicians to reach across the aisle. A timely curiosity conversation about the power of listening well and seeking opportunities instead of obstacles. Vote for curiosity!
Many folks have interviewed Arlington Magazine founder and publisher Greg Hamilton about his community leadership and business and communications savvy. You won't get that here. Greg has a wonderful story to share -- and far be it from me to stand in the way of a heartwarming tale of curiosity rewarded.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "City Limits" by Albany, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Dr. Nicole Rochester, Your GPS Doc LLC, takes on the importance of curiosity in our own health care and advocacy for others'.
Educator and anthropologist Arjun Shankar worries that the "campus is sick". Values collide and curiosity pays the price. Does it have to be this way? The latest in our Curiosity Studies series!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Arlington Magazine founder and publisher Greg Hamilton explains why he "just wanted to know stuff" -- a conversation about curiosity in life, even more than work.
"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door" -- And what if you build a better shoe? OESH Shoes founder Casey Kerrigan got curious about everything wrong with women's shoes and decided to do something about it. You just never know where curiosity will take you: a data nerd unleashed!
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Discovery Harbor" by Cloud Harbor at BlueDot Sessions.
Join us next time for the latest in our Curiosity Studies Series: lecturer of anthropology Arjun Shankar takes on capitalist curiosity and student mental health. What happens when we stifle curiosity -- and what's that doing to our college campuses?
"Dance is how I practice curiosity. It is the vehicle through which I'm asking questions about the world -- and investigating questions about the world. " So says dancer, choreographer, educator and American University professor Erin Foreman-Murray in this lovely conversation about dance and embodied curiosity with C2BC intern Michela Dwyer.
Theme and other music thanks to Sean Balick.
Join us next time when doctor-turned-cobbler Casey Kerrigan shares her mission to build a better shoe!
Trend curator, marketing expert and best selling author Rohit Bhargava declares: "Learning to use non-obvious thinking has a valuable side effect: It makes you more curious, observant, and understanding of the world around you.” He had me at "Be curious."
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when dancer, choreographer, and educator Erin Foreman-Murray explores curiosity as embodied and expressed in dance.
Susan Engel, professor of psychology at Williams College, has made a career of studying the ebb and flow of curiosity in our lives. "There is no curiosity script," she says. and "it's almost impossible to cultivate curiosity in others without it in your own life." What's an educator -- or parent -- to do? The latest in our Curiosity Studies series!
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Curious Case" by The Cabinetmarkers, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time for a conversation with trend curator, marketing expert and best selling author Rohit Bhargava on the value of a curious mindset.
Rather than guilt ourselves with the pressure of New Years' Resolutions, how might we enter 2020 with questions and reflections instead? Kristine Wood joins me in greeting the coming year with an open mind and heart. Here's to a great new year for us all!
Theme music by Sean Balick. “UpUpUp and Over” by The Ballonist via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time for the latest in our Curiosity Studies series: Susan Engel, professor of psychology at Williams College, studies the ebb and flow of curiosity in our lives. "There is no curiosity script," she says. and "it's almost impossible to cultivate curiosity in others without it in your own life." So what's an educator -- or parent -- to do?
Imagine it’s your job to establish a relationship and build trust at the very moment people are going through what is proven to be one of the most stressful life events: buying a house. How do you do that? Curiosity, of course! Realtor Christine Hopkins on trust and finding home.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Home Home At Last" by Warmbody via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Kristine Wood muses on "reflections-not-resolutions" and the power of the pause as we welcome the new year.
Like the proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get with this show. We celebrate 100 episodes of choosing to be curious with University of Pennsylvania post doc David Lydon-Staley, who researches curiosity in the every day ... including everything ever said on Choose to be Curious!
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Silk and Silver” by Azalai via Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Choose to be Curious sponsor, realtor Christine Hopkins takes a turn at the mic with reflections on curiosity and home buying.
MIT Media Lab Fellow Kristy Johnson believes we're thinking about curiosity all wrong -- and leaving out a huge swath of the human experience while we're at it. She offers an exciting alternative: define curiosity as the ways in which an individual excels in exploring, and then go from there. The latest in our Curiosity Studies series.
Theme music by Sean Balick. Special thanks to Noel Bicknell and his students at The Lab School for their added wisdom and delightful sound effects.
Join us next time for our 100th episode. UPenn post doc David Lydon-Staley is curious about everyday curiosity and he's studying Choose to be Curious to understand it better - how perfect!
Have you ever noticed how some people can sit at the table (literal or figurative) with others and interpret unfamiliar or even ambiguous gestures or practices like a native? We call that "cultural intelligence." Asma Ahmad, founder of Zaha, wants us all to cultivate it. Zaha provides immersive cultural experiences to connect and engage with people from other cultures, through co-created food experiences and storytelling.
This week it's curiosity in service of community. Happy Thanksgiving!
Theme music by Sean Balick. "A Burst of Light" by Delray from Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us again next time when Kristy Johnson of the MIT Media Lab makes the case for considering a neurodiverse understanding of curiosity.
How might choosing to be curious about our values and long term goals help with financial planning? Rebecca Borton, Associate Client Advisor at Concentric Private Wealth, demystifies the financial services industry and explores how some well-placed questions can help us support the people and activities we hold dear.
Theme music by Sean Balick. “One Little Triumph” by Piano Mover at Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time as we explore cultivation of cultural intelligence with Asma Ahmad, founder of Zaha, a social enterprise start up that provides immersive cultural experiences.
Psychotherapist and clinical psychologist Narendra Keval observes "racism demands certainty" -- the opposite of curiosity. His is a thoughtful call for cultivating social spaces for curiosity and exercising our capacity to think under fire.
Theme music by Sean Balick. Check out Sean's music here on SoundCloud. "Slow Lane Lover" by Barstool, from Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when financial services professional Rebecca Borton joins us to explore curiosity and generating questions to challenge assumptions and imagine alternatives in financial planning and life.
Mark Twain wrote, “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” Nothing piques our curiosity like being told we can’t know something. Molly Roberts, professor of political science at UC San Diego, studies censorship in China. It's fascinating - and chilling.
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Hammer and Damper" by Blue Nocturnal, at Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Narendra Keval explores curiosity and racist mindsets, the latest in our Curiosity Studies series.
Georgia Tech professor HyunJoo Oh challenged her students to create fun and engaging exhibits for Children's Museum of Atlanta. Just how does one design for curiosity? Make people think!
Theme music by Sean Balick. "Cradle Rock” by Nursery, at Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Molly E. Roberts takes on censorship and curiosity curtailed.
Sometimes curiosity is badly misdirected, with consequences we might not have foreseen. Amy Marvin challenges us to consider the impact of "curiotizing" trans people. A conversation about what happens when people are reduced to curios -- and what we might do to push back.
Special feature: a taste of Arlie Adlington's award-winning work. Theme music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Georgia Tech professor HyunJoo Oh explores Designing for Curiosity.
"How might I? ... What are all the ways I could? ... Why not?" and other lessons in maker curiosity with Henry Dunbar. It's a curiously creative upcycle, trashion, plogging celebration!
Thanks to The Shop at Arlington Public Library for allowing me to visit and record. Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Amy Marvin takes on the problem of curiotization.
Americans gave $427.71 billion to charities in 2018. That's a lot of philanthropy. Sonia Quiñónez, Northern Virginia Program Director at Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation, joins me to explore how curiosity contributes to priority-setting and change-making with all those investments.
Speaking of strategic giving: if you enjoy Choose to be Curious, I hope you will choose to support WERA's parent organization, Arlington Independent Media. Tax deductible contributions can be made at wera.fm -- thank you!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Henry Dunbar spins straw into gold -- well, bike tires into belts -- and other magic of curiosity and the maker movement.
What is it about stories that so captures our attention and bridges distances? And what role might curiosity play, for the teller of tales as well as those who are listening? Storyteller and podcaster Ronald Young, Jr. has some thoughts...
Theme and other music by Sean Balick. Time Well Spent / "Bypass" clip used with permission.
Join us next time when Sonia Quiñónez of the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation and I explore curiosity in philanthropy.
What if curiosity and learning are best fostered not with focusing our attention, but by distracting it? “There should be room in education for daydreaming, flights of fantasy, and intellectual wandering…” declares Tyson Lewis. A conversation in praise of the wonder-fullness that is distraction!
This is the fourth in a monthly series of interviews with the contributing authors to the forthcoming anthology Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. Stay tuned for the whole series!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick: "Our Own Melody" by the Piano Moves, from Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when Ronald Young Jr. joins me to explore curiosity in storytelling - it's a curious tale.
When the Arlington County 2019 Profile showed up in my inbox, I was curious about the people behind it. What are they curious about? And what's the "why" behind all that information and the census? Elizabeth Hardy, a principle planner and demographer for Arlington County, tells all.
P.S. Please be sure to participate in the upcoming Census 2020!
Join us next time when University of North Texas, College of Visual Arts & Design professor Tyson Lewis makes the case for distraction.
Theme and other music with thanks to Sean Balick. Find his new album on Soundcloud.
When I read Seeta Sistla’s confrontation to the environmental costs of curiosity - a list that is as thought-provoking as it is long - I sent myself on an internal journey of challenged assumptions and weighted values. This was, I imagine, exactly the effect she was hoping for. The third episode in our Curiosity Studies series.
This is the third in a monthly series of interviews with the contributing authors to the forthcoming anthology Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. Stay tuned for the whole series!
Photo by Chris Linder, used with permission. Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Elizabeth Hardy makes the case for Census 2020.
Karen Coltrane, president and CEO of Leadership Center for Excellence, sat down with me to talk about LCE's new DMV Diversity and Inclusion Institute -- an exciting effort to put the value of curiosity into meaningful action in the workplace.
Join us next time as we reassess the costs of curiosity with ecosystem ecologist Seeta Sistla, the third episode in our Curiosity Studies series.
Thanks to Sean Balick for our theme and other music.
What if we really look and listen differently, with a purpose -- or as my dad likes to say, "if we change our point of view" -- might we see something new? That was the thread in this week's "Curiosity to Go" segment that pairs John L. Jackson, Jr,, dean of Annenberg School for Communication and ethnographer, with photographer Jason Horowitz. How might we embody that profound level of paying attention?
Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, John L. Jackson, Jr. is an ethnographer by training -- and by nature. A "conspicuous listener", he challenges us to nurture the cultures we desire, curiosity among them. Lovely, thoughtful and thought-provoking.
This is the second in a monthly series of interviews with the contributing authors to the forthcoming anthology Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. Stay tuned for the whole series!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick. Join us next time when Karen Coltrane and I explore the centrality of curiosity in support of diversity and inclusion.
This week we take a poke at the whole premise: CAN we choose to be curious? American University professor of philosophy Asia Ferrin and I try on various philosophical hats as we explore why and where and how and for whom curiosity might be a choice. Or not. Fascinating!
Theme music by Sean Balick. Check out Sean's new album "From the Pines" available on Soundcloud.
Join me next time when John L. Jackson Jr., dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at UPenn, is with me to talk about ethnography and cultures of curiosity.
My choice of “choose” was not accidental in naming my show. I believe that we reveal our true selves through our choices -- and, as with exercise or eating right or courtesies -- choosing to be curious is a decision we make about how we show up for life. Philosophy professor Asia Ferrin and improv actor Jesse Robinson explore different ways to think about choosing...
We're curious, we collect, we study. At some level it's all about luring others to share our curiosity, isn't it? Trinity College professor Barbara M. Benedict and George Washington University professor Caetlin Benson-Allott come at "stuff" from different directions, but with a shared delight in all of it!
Trinity College professor Barbara M. Benedict delights in curiosity, curiosities and collecting in English literature. We cover everything from Gulliver's Travels to Freud, from curiosity cabinets to the dawn of journalism. Indie Photobook Library founder Larissa Leclair illuminates her version of what Barbara describes.
This is the first in a monthly series of interviews with the contributing authors to the forthcoming anthology Curiosity Studies: A New Ecology of Knowledge. Stay tuned for the whole series!
Join us next time when American University philosophy professor Asia Ferrin and I grapple with whether we can, in fact, choose to be curious.
Theme music and “Sitting in the Pasture” by Sean Balick; “We Collect Shiny Things” by Love and Weasel from Blue Dot Sessions. Research and other support by the wonderful Caroline Kish.
We've talked about better and more beautiful questions, but what about the foundational question: what IS a question? Edinburgh philosopher Lani Watson is thinking a lot about the question question.
Join us again next time when Trinity College professor of English Barbara M. Benedict explores curiosity and collecting - with a special feature on the Indie Photobook Library!
Theme and other music by Sean Balick. Hear Sean's new album, From the Pines, on Soundcloud.
Lani Watson wants to know what makes a question a question - and Andrew Minigan wants to help us get better at asking them. It's all about questions today!
"What I love most about curiosity is sitting with someone I don't know, asking what makes them tick, what brought them to this day, just really leaning into it -- and enjoying it." Mike Morales just retired as a LtCol USAF, was a White House Fellow, has been to both divinity and business school. He has a lot to say about curiosity as a gateway to community. Enjoy!
Join us next time when philosopher Lani Watson takes on what constitutes a question.
Theme music by Sean Balick. Check out Sean's new album "From the Pines" available here on Soundcloud.
Think of all the ways we make and find connections. Think how important that is. Mike Morales and I talk about curiosity as a gateway to connection -- and my mother-in-law takes us on a journey to discover family connections she didn't know she had...all that in five fast minutes!
The Right Question Institute has pioneered an elegant and deceptively simple way to generate more and better questions, no matter who you are or what your circumstances. Andrew Minigan, PhD, Director of Strategy for RQI's Education Program, joins me to explain.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick. Join us again next time when Mike Morales and I explore curiosity as a gateway to connection.
Learning to ask more and better questions, with The Right Question Institute's (RQI) Andrew Minigan and WERA's own Enlighten Me host, Andrea Cambron. #QFT #parenting #questions
What could be more basic than curiosity about sex? And yet the topic makes lots of us squeamish. C2BC intern Caroline Kish sits down with Jacomina de Regt, sexuality education facilitator, to celebrate two basics of human nature: curiosity and sexuality.
Join us next time for a visit with the Right Question Institute.
Jacomina de Regt speaks to validating our natural curiosity about sex and our sexuality, and Dr. Judson Brewer explores other forms of awakening in this celebration of human nature.
Cartographer Alison Davis-Holland and Capital Naturalist founder Alonso Abugattas each help ground us where we are. We're all about being curious in the world around us this week!
Artist-naturalist Ellen Meloy wrote, "A map, it is said, organizes wonder." Cartographer and story map author Alison Davis-Holland couldn't agree more. Where might your curiosity take you, given the right map? And what makes for a good map, anyway? join us to learn more!
And join us next time when we consider the inevitable intersection of curiosity and sex ed.
In honor of National Walking Day, and every day that is made for walking, we take a stroll around Arlington -- and another around the farmers market. Complete with a taste of music from -- you guessed it! -- The Walkaways
In honor of National Walking Day, we take a stroll with Eileen and Allen, who've decided they're going to walk every street in the County. They neither know, nor really care, how many miles that is -- they just want the journey. I walked along with them one Saturday.
Featuring music thanks to Blue Dot Sessions: "Walking Shoes" by Skittle, "Home Home At Last" by Warmbody; "City Limits" by Albany, NY; "OneEightFour" by Skittle; "Three Stories" by Skittle; "Strange Dog Walk" by Castro; "Pedalrider" by Skittle; "Perspiration" by The Balloonist; and "Glass Beads" byThe Ballonist.
Join us next time when we put curiosity on the map!
I'm delighted to introduce the radio debut of our Choose to be Curious/American University intern, Caroline Kish. She found a link between our conversation with Noobtsaa Vang about the comforts of food and Brandon Charles' insights on empathy: it's all about making the human connection.
Theme and other music thanks to Sean Balick.
How many ways might curiosity serve in a social enterprise that partners with budding home-taught chefs from diverse immigrant communities and celebrates their stories, heritage, and cultures through their delicious foods? Foodhini founder Noobtsaa Vang explores just that.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when we take our curiosity out for a stroll in honor of National Walking Day!
Palma Strand and Ellen Fox -- one a lawyer, the other a doctor -- make the case for curiosity and listening. Our lives and communities depend on it.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Lawyers ask a lot of questions, but are they curious? Is the law itself curious? Does it foster curiosity? Law professor and forward thinker Palma Strand parses the question.
Music by Sean Balick.
Join us next time when Noobtsaa Vang, founder of Foodhini, explores curiosity in his business model.
How do our thoughts shape our actions? How do our actions shape and focus our thoughts? Columbia University professor and neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb studies the links between cognition, curiosity and decision making in behavioral, computational and physiological terms.
Join us next time when we look at curiosity and the law with Palma Strand.
Theme music and "Summer Dream" by Sean Balick.
Henry James wrote in The Art of Fiction, “Try to be one of those on whom nothing is lost.” Neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb and executive coach Dana Theus take that advice very much to heart, whether they're investigating neural networks and eye movements as expression of curiosity, or professional networks and career advancement with the help of curiosity.
Theme music and "Summer Dance" by Sean Balick.
Newly-elected Arlington County Board Chairman Christian Dorsey has called for a focus on equity in County policies. We explore what role curiosity might play in understanding past damage and ensuring a more just future.
Theme and other music by Sean Balick.
Join us again next time when Columbia University professor and neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb eyes curiosity.
Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey and Virginia Tech's Discovery Analytics Center Director Naren Ramakrishnan consider the implications of what information we gather -- and from whom -- as we look at how curiosity can support one community's commitment to equity and our larger search for knowledge.
Theme and other music thanks to Sean Balick.
Wilma Jones traced her family and community history in one of Arlington's historically Black neighborhoods and published those stories in "My Halls Hill Family." She makes a case for choosing to be curious about our own stories and their social context.
Join us next time when newly-elected Arlington County Board chair Christian Dorsey joins us to talk about how curiosity supports his focus on equity in the community -- a perfect pairing with what Wilma has captured in the stories of Halls Hill.
Theme music by Sean Balick. Thanks to Blue Dot Sessions and Cloud Harbor for "Discovery Harbor."
So many stories to be shared and heard in Arlington, VA! Wilma Jones' "My Halls Hill Family" meets Valeria Gelman's "The Local Shop" in this celebration of oral and family history in historically Black neighborhoods and legacy businesses.
Photographer Jason Horowitz and journalist/sound artist Jocelyn Frank both take to heart my own father's favorite line, "If you change your point of view, you will see something new." Ah, the perspective we gain by looking and listening with curiosity!
Theme music and "Coyote Kid" by Sean Balick.
"If you change your point of view, you will see something new," says my Dad. Fine art photographer Jason Horowitz walks that talk -- and takes us along for the ride. Looking, reframing and using curiosity to see things with fresh eyes -- all in a day's work.
Check out Jason's photographs at jasonhorowitzfineart.com
Theme music and "Coyote Kid" by Sean Balick.
I didn't know much about animal curiosity when a student asked me about it, but a visit to the Smithsonian's National Zoo helped fix that problem. It's curiosity, predators, puzzles and the power of sex!
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Trivial Call" by Bayou Birds from Blue Dot Sessions.
Join us next time when we change our point of view to see something new with photographer Jason Horowitz.
It started with a philosophical question and took us to Amazonia and the Shenandoah Mountains as well. Animal curiosity, all in under five minutes!
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Lord Weasel" by Molerider from Blue Dot Sessions.
We get wrapped up in our busy city lives, but with a little help from Alonso Abugattas and his Capital Naturalist group you can bask in the glory of bugs, native plants and the mystery species among us. The joys of choosing to be curious about the (wild! wonderful!) world out there.
Join us next time when we head to the National Zoo to explore animal curiosity.
Theme music by Sean Balick; Gullwing Sailor by Migration, from Blue Dot Sessions.
It's a big world, get out and explore! Capital Naturalist founder Alonso Abugattas makes his case for delighting in the natural world around us and Laine Coates takes off for the far reaches of the nation in an RV. Two ways to pay attention, be astonished and tell about it. All in 5 fast minutes.
Music thanks to Sean Balick and Blue Dot Sessions.
Rebecca Czarniecki, maven of manners and founder of Tea With Mrs. B, teaches people of all ages a mix of traditional and modern etiquette over a cup of tea. Please, pour yourself a cup o' and pull up a chair as we chat about the intersection of curiosity and courtesy.
Join us next time when Alonso Abugattas, founder of The Capital Naturalist, explores the wonders of our natural world, right here in our urban setting.
Just in time for the holidays: the intersection of courtesy, conflict and curiosity! Rebecca Czarniecki of Tea With Mrs. B and Megan Price of George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution on the art of good discourse in any company, all in 5 fast minutes.
Theme music by Sean Balick; "Lick Stick" by The Nursery from Blue Dot Sessions.
On the eve of Educational Theatre Company's 20th anniversary, Stan Kang, executive director and founder, explores the role of curiosity in storytelling and the theater. ETC and a celebration of the human experience - bravo!
Join us next time when Rebecca Czarniecki, maven of manners and founder of Tea With Mrs. B, explores the intersection of curiosity and courtesy. We're going to be curiously well mannered!
Educational Theatre Company builds its work with school-aged kids around what it calls its “four Cs” corner stones: creativity, community, collaboration and confidence. Founder Stan Kang and I think we could make a case for adding curiosity to the list. Just listen to what one high school participant has to say about what she’s gained along the way...
Theme music by Sean Balick; also featuring Mind Body Mind by Body Tonic from Blue Dot Sessions.
Film-maker Brian Grazer wrote: “Curiosity—asking questions—isn’t just a way of understanding the world. It’s a way of changing it.” In some ways, that’s really what Choose to be Curious is about -- and its certainly what this segment addresses with select tips from current affairs radio host Andrea Cambron and students of Central Falls High School's class on "How to Change the World."
Andrea Cambron, producer and host of "Enlighten Me", encourages our curiosity about current affairs -- and invites kids' attention there as well. So what happens when children actually start asking questions about what's going on in the world around them? Making the case for choosing to be curious, even when it's complicated -- maybe especially when it's complicated.
Join us next time when Stan Kang of Educational Theatre Company celebrates curiosity's part in theater arts, just in time for ETC's 20th anniversary.
Good conversation relies on good listening -- in other words, choosing to be curious about what others are thinking and feeling. This week George Mason University professor Todd Kashdan and Vivek Patil, founder of Building Bridges, explore what it takes to better understand perspectives that are different from our own. Six minutes well spent.
Todd B. Kashdan's work was one of the first places I encountered an explicit call for choosing to be curious. I'm fascinated by his latest research illuminating what he calls the "full bandwidth" of curiosity. He grapples with curiosity in all its multidimensional, technicolor glory.
Join us next time when Andrea Cambron, producer and host of news show Enlighten Me, explores curiosity, current affairs and kids. Ensuring a curious next generation!
A filmmaker and a film critic weigh in on something else entirely. Robin Hauser (producer and director of the documentary Bias) and Kevin Sampson (of WERA's own PictureLock) and I explore unconscious bias, the many -isms that afflict us -- and how curiosity might just be the solution. Six fabulous minutes.
Professor of philosophy Perry Zurn asserts "curiosity is political" and asks us to attend to those whose stories we might otherwise overlook, whether intentionally or otherwise. Historian Susan Strasser and poet Marcia E. Cole ask us to do the same -- with a shameful part of US history: lynching. Choosing to be curious about some hard stuff. A thoughtful and thought-provoking 6 minutes.
At some level I've been making this case for a while, but American University professor Perry Zurn makes it explicit: curiosity IS political. What questions are sanctioned? Who gets to ask what? Of whom? When? We dig into the power of attending to what gets passed over and think about how our ideas about education and institutions might be transformed through curiosity.
A team from Arlington Public Library navigated War & Peace as a summer Big Book Club -- and curiosity as a travel companion. Alex Zealand, Jennifer Rothschild, Megan Biggins and Peter Petruski are a lively bunch of librarians; they led 200+ loyal readers through 1,200 pages of Napoleonic grandiosity and Russian fatalism. A good time was had by all. Except maybe the characters. They're never very happy...
What do librarians reading Russian literature and comedians talking about racism have in common? A lot, it turns out. Six fast minutes of insights on War & Peace, truth and wisdom...
Shane McCarty, Ph.D. is devoting his life to helping students find ways to improve school climate -- and their own lives in the process. In four short weeks at Yorktown High School he worked with AP Psych students to do just that - and I got to listen in. Short story: the future is in very good hands.
The wisdom of youth: two very different conversations in seven fast minutes. Shane McCarty of Cor Foundation and students from Yorktown High School on student-led research; Anderson Escobar and Mariami Shengelia, both formerly of Wakefield High School, talk about their experiences as immigrants. Spoiler: curiosity helps.
What is it about celebrities that so excites our curiosity - and might we learn anything from them, or about ourselves? Dean Rogers, entertainment news journalist and founder of The Rogers Revue, tells all!
The great American literary figure Lemony Snicket says, "Being curious is the most important part of being a journalist. It might be the most important part of being anything.” Entertainment news reporter Dean Rogers and "hard news guy" Drew Costley would hardly disagree.
Are some people just born more creative than the rest of us? Absolutely not says George Mason University professor Matthew Cronin -- but true "creatives" work hard to hone their craft, and curiosity turns out to play an important role. It's all about the process...
More at choosetobecurious.com
Whether its in business, writing or life, honing ones craft takes work. And maybe a little curiosity. Management professor Matt Cronin and author Laura McBride explore "craft" in all its many glories.
One word comes up a lot in our curiosity conversations: trust. "Chump Lady" Tracy Schorn and corporate culture & engagement guru Scott Nycum come at it from quite different directions but have surprisnigly similar things to say about how curiosity reflects and deepens trust. All that in five minutes!
"Infidelity is the antithesis of curiosity" says Tracy Schorn, whose blog "Chump Lady" has amassed 20M page views. We explore curiosity as a power tool in facing relationship betrayal. There's a reason she's an internet and publishing sensation....
Look up, listen up! We're all about paying attention to the world around us in this short visit with audio journalist and artist Jocelyn Frank and Atlas Obscura's DC chief explorer, Elliot Carter. Why choosing to be curious about the small sounds and lesser known sights is so rewarding. All that in six short minutes!
Listen in, listen up: you might hear something that surprises you. Award-winning audio journalist, media consultant and audio artist Jocelyn Frank on curiosity and the awesome power of listening carefully to the people and sounds around us.
Photo by Kristian Whipple @kwhipplephoto kwhipple.com Theme music by Sean Balick
Two TED Talk superstars on the power of curiosity to beat bad habits and overcome fear. Drs. Judson Brewer and Mario Livio in a rich, fast five minutes.
You've seen his TED Talk on habit change, now Dr. Judson Brewer joins us to talk more about the central role curiosity plays in mindfulness and breaking bad habits. Its all about understanding our craving mind.
Michelangelo, the master artist, wrote, “I am still learning." We're all about the spirit of life-long learning in this week's segment, featuring Sharon Shutler's lessons learned from the 2017 Virginia elections and Marjorie Varner of Encore Learning.
What might we learn by choosing to be curious about outcomes? Sharon Shutler spent the better part of 2017 supporting the effort to "flip Virginia blue." Then she spent some time looking at what worked -- and what didn't. Now she's sharing what she and others learned.
And special thanks to Rene Barger for his segment "The Rocking Horse" and Sean Balick for his original tunes.
Teacher Seth Kolker thought, “If we’re not teaching kids how to change the world, then our education isn’t doing them very much good.” So he and sixteen of his students from Central Falls (RI) set out to learn how to change the world. This is a taste of their story, made possible by the miracle that is community media!
Sixteen students, seven days, one remarkable adventure in curiosity, courage and systems transformation. Students of Central Falls High School (RI) came to Washington DC as part of their class "How to Change the World" - they have a lot to say about their experience.
Join us next time when Sharon Shutler shares lessons learned from Virginia's 2017 Election.
A White historian and an African-American poet team up to view the history of lynching in the U.S. with fresh eyes. What do we discover when we become curious about parts of our past that are shameful and violent? How might choosing to be curious about lynching's historic context and continuing consequences help us move forward?
Join us next time when high school students from Central Falls, RI reflect on curiosity and what they learned from their trip to DC and their class "How to Change the World." As they say in Rhode Island, these kids are mad inspiring.
"Change is hard," says historian Susan Strasser as she and poet Marcia E. Cole join me for A Double Take on Lynching. We choose to be curious about tough parts of our history so that we may learn, grow -- and change. Valeria Gellman collected oral histories from local legacy businesses in Arlington, VA, for the same reason. All in six minutes!
It's not going away and neither is she. We take a look at Miriam Gennari's journey from curiosity to concern to advocacy as she takes on expanded polystyrene, Styrofoam. Are you a badger mom? Listen in to find out?
Paying attention to the world we call home - from our environmental footprints to our grasp of world affairs. Miriam Gennari and Bunmi Akinnusotu take on the world, literally. All in six minutes!
Two conversations about what really matters: Dr. Ellen Fox on bringing curiosity to ethical dilemmas in healthcare and Dr. Raya Kheirbek on narrative medicine and the art of really listening.
Humane curiosity right where we need it - all that in just six minutes!
Healthcare ethicist Dr. Ellen Fox takes on the question "What truly matters?", using curiosity to help others reach good decisions when faced with ethical dilemmas. A remarkably thoughtful and humane conversation about healthcare.
Join us next time when "Styrofoam Mom" Miriam Gennari brings curiosity to our environmental impact -- just in time for Earth Day!
A dual celebration: the 50th episode of Choose to be Curious and a lovely return to our first anniversary show with Scott Nycum on a theme that comes up a lot here: trust.
In five fast minutes we make the case for slowing down and savoring what we find when we choose to be curious....
This is my 50th episode of Choose to be Curious and it's dedicated to walking the curiosity talk. In honor of the occasion, I dedicated a weekend -- 50 hours -- to being actively, consistently, and persistently curious.
Who knew it would involve tornadoes, grave diggers, affinity groups with names like BURP, and Chinese belly dancers?
I hope you'll join me next time when Dr. Ellen Fox and I explore bringing curiosity to ethical dilemmas in healthcare.
A tantalizing idea: answers to all our challenges are hiding in plain sight, if only we can determine where and how to look for them. If only we are curious about how to find them. Naren Ramakrishnan, director of Virginia Tech's Discovery Analytics Center (DAC) and Arlington County Police Department Detective Sarah Bertollini on sleuthing out the facts in some unexpected places - in five minutes!
Thanks, as always, to Sean Balick for his original guitar music...
Naren Ramakrishnan, director of Virginia Tech's Discovery Analytics Center (DAC), joins me to talk about how he and his colleagues use big data to do things like predict flu epidemics using decidedly non-medical information like Tweets and restaurant reservations.
Curiosity + big data = fascinating results!
Join us next time when we celebrate our 50th episode: a whole weekend of walking the choose to be curious talk...
With spring coming, we're all about the wandering around with our eyes open this week. Elliot Carter, DC Chief Explorer for Atlas Obscura, pays attention the to the "little-known facts about the well-known places" and Karen Ward, founder of Curiosity Global, invites us to share how we discover the world through our curious eyes. Seeing the world anew, in just five minutes!
As always, thanks to Sean Balick for his evocative tunes!
J.R.R.Tolkien wrote "Still round the corner there may wait / A new road or a secret gate" He was writing about an exotic land far from here, but the same sense of adventure can inform our local explorations. Elliot Carter, DC Chief Explorer for Atlas Obscura, joins me to talk about choosing to be curious about the the world's hidden wonders in our own backyards.
Join me next time when Naren Ramakrishnan of Virginia Tech's Discovery Analytics Center explores curiosity, big data and flu forecasting.
This week it's all about the thrill of the chase - searching out the hidden histories of ordinary things and wriggling down rabbit holes after fascinating new facts. Georgetown professor and author Caetlin Benson-Allott talks about object lessons and the transformative power of attention, and librarian Jennifer Rothschild reminds us why we might have been in love with the librarians of our childhood. All that in 5 minutes!
This week, we choose to be curious about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Georgetown professor Caetlin Benson-Allott joins us to reflect on the "transformative power of attention" -- the idea that the more attention we pay to something, the more interesting it becomes. Case in point: she wrote a whole book about remote controls.
Join us next time when Atlas Obscura's DC Chief Explorer Elliot Carter is with me to talk about curious and wondrous travel. You'll never walk around the DMV the same way again, I promise!
Two very different stories with one common theme: searching for truth about who we are and how family fits. Sondra Kolker's search for the father she never knew, and Evie and Sarah Priestman's gender identity journey. As one storyteller puts it, "you can't help but want to know." All that in just over 6 minutes!
"It's just an intense curiosity - that desire to know your roots."
This is a story about not having a choice in one's curiosity. About the burning need some of us have to learn even the most basic things about our origins and ourselves. One woman's search for her father, two women's discovery of family; a story told in four voices.
"You can't help but want to know."
Internationally-known astrophysicist and author Dr. Mario Livio joins me to talk about what makes us curious, why we want kids to ask lots of questions and why a "curiosity epidemic" would be a good thing. Dr. Livio is the author of several books, including "Why? What Makes Us Curious" (2017) and "Brilliant Blunders" (2013, one of WaPo's "Best Books of the Year"). You can see why I wanted to talk with him...As he puts it, "Curiosity and a #2 pencil will take you far."
Join us next time when we try something a little different: the search for a father not seen since childhood, told in four voices. Sondra's Story - "You Can't Help But Want to Know"
It's a celebration of "willing, proud and eager confessions of ignorance" with astrophysicist and author Dr. Mario Livio and Arlington teacher, Micaela Pond. Why we love kids who ask lots of questions and how a curiosity epidemic might help. As always, thanks to Sean Balick for his music. All that in 5 minutes!
It's comedy and trauma this morning as we go from the observations of stand-up to the consequences of lock-up. Curiosity as observation and life skill, all in five minutes with Felonious Munk of Second City and Elizabeth Jones of OAR (Offender Aid and Restoration).
Second City's own Felonious Munk, Odinaka Ezeokoli and Calvin Evans talk comedy, curiosity and the power of just paying attention. Their comedy is wickedly smart, their powers of observation practically supernatural. We explore what's funny, what's not, and why it's never just about the jokes. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be more observant for ever after...
Join us next time when astrophysicist and best selling author Mario Livio explores what makes us curious.
The full, unedited, uncut conversation with Felonious Munk, Calvin Evans and Odinaka Ezeokoli - including a riotous few minutes improvising station ID promos for WERA. #comedy #curiosity #truth #woollychains (12/29/2017)
"Nothing to Lose (But Our Chains)" is showing at Woolly Mammoth Theater through December 31. Visit woollymammoth.net for more information.
Urban planner Valeria Gelman is about to launch "The Local Shop" on WERA, featuring oral histories from legacy businesses in Arlington - but before she airs there, she sat down with me. Why being curious about others' stories matters, and what we can learn from the past as we plan for the future.
Join us next time when astrophysicist and national best selling author Dr. Mario Livio talks about what makes us curious -- and how we're doing on his curiosity epidemic.
R.E.M. puts it best : "Now stand in the place where you work / Now face west / Think about the place where you live / Wonder why you haven't before." Being attentive to the stories around us is central to Choose to be Curious. Graham Coreil-Allen, a social practice artist and self-described "radical pedestrianist" in Baltimore, leads tours that encourage us to dig into the stories of people, structures and history around us. He was an obvious, delicious pairing with Valeria Gelman and her collection of oral histories from legacy businesses in Arlington. A new world view in under 5 minutes!
A tribute to analogies and revisiting the conversation with professor of language and literature Tonya Howe. All the many ways we express and explain curiosity -- with a little radio drama just for fun -- all in five fast minutes.
Special thanks to Sean Balick for his original compositions.
We depart from our usual format to pay tribute to the wonderful world of analogies. Did you know the best business strategists rely on them?
Thanks to Sean Balick for permission to use his original composition, None. Your Love Is Like Clean Water by SongAboutYourPost2 is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The World Is Like An Apple... (a mix for Test / Radio Nova March 2001) by Ewan Pearson is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Like A Pig in The Sunshine by Jorge CE is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Join us next time when Valeria Gelman, producer of the forthcoming show "The Local Shop", talks about the oral histories she and others have collected from local legacy businesses - getting curious about the stories around us.
"Curious, but cautious" was one definition I found for skepticism -- which seemed about right. Keris Myrick helps me unpack some of the finer distinctions between curiosity and skepticism, and then Carlisle Levine expands on the concept by bringing her approach to evaluation and evaluative thinking to the mix. All that, and some smooth Sean Balick original tunes in just 5 minutes!
Are you curious, or skeptical? What's the difference and does it matter? Keris Myrick and I feel our way around the edges and into the depths of two essentials of science and learning.
Join us next time when Valeria Gelman shares her work in collecting oral histories from local legacy businesses. You're going to love the stories!
Montreal artist, entrepreneur and curiosity aficionado Karen Ward takes us inside the inspiration for #mycuriouseyes. What happens when we take curiosity to the streets...
Join us next time when Keris Myrick and I try to disentangle curiosity and skepticism. Is one complete without the other?
Two artists come at what inspires them from different directions - but both driven by their own curiosity. Artist/entrepreneur Karen Ward and musician AJ Smith explore the creative process and the power of asking great questions. So much insight in 5 minutes!
Executive coach Dana Theus and the executive director of OAR, Inc. (Offender Aid and Restoration) Elizabeth Jones are coupled in this quick lesson in the power of networks in our personal and professional success -- whether we're climbing the business ladder or getting back in the game after an incarceration. The secret: curiosity, of course! All that in under five minutes...
Executive Coach Dana Theus helps us reframe networking as a "quest" fueled by curiosity. "As a coach," she says, "Curiosity is my technique." Tips and strategies for making the whole thing fun and effective.
Join us next time when Karen Ward shares the inspiration for her worldwide initiative #mycuriouseyes.
This is a show about curiosity in work and life - and in this episode we combine the two. How might curiosity help us find our calling? My friend Moe helps me think about it...
Join us next time when executive coach Dana Theus shares what she has learned about bringing curiosity to that business necessity, networking. A whole new way to think about cocktail parties.
Mohamed Ali reflects on the importance of choosing to be curious in finding one's calling in work and life and Revs. Carolyn Richar and Junsen Nettles explain why faith and spirituality are all about the questions we ask. "It is," as Junsen Nettles puts it, "about the journey." Big questions in a little package - all that in five minutes!
Laine Coates is living the dream. She and her husband are quitting their jobs, hitting the road - and choosing to be curious about this great big country of ours. Would you want to live in 37' with two cats?
Join us next time when my friend Mohamed Ali joins me to talk about choosing to be curious in work and life, or: finding one's calling.
What makes something feel like home? Laine Coates is taking to the road in a 37' RV with her husband and two cats in search of a place to call home -- and yoga teacher Jenn Seiff helps students settle into their own bodies. Taking curiosity on various journeys of discovery -- all in five short minutes.
My favorite trick from Jenn? Something she calls 5-5-5. You'll have to listen in...
"Let's have a conversation," said then County Board candidate Vivek Patil. It was more than a campaign slogan. He's made it a central part of his life and work. Through an effort they've called Building Bridges, Vivek and others have set out to listen -- really listen -- to their neighbors and people outside their "bubbles" in hopes of building a stronger community and Commonwealth.
"Curiosity makes us better people," says he. "It drives us to learn, to evolve our positions, to understand the world and ... really get a sense of empathy for another human's experience.”
Building all sorts of bridges in these five short minutes - across political, ideological, geographic and life divides. Vivek Patil, Stacy Snyder and Brandon Charles open their own versions of curiosity conversations in this segment on empathy and making a commitment to really listen.
How to be a better and smarter citizen of the world in one easy lesson from two terrific sources. Radio host and producer Bunmi Akinnusotu on getting curious about world affairs and teacher Patricia Hunt on news literacy. Curiosity helps keep you on top of the news. All that in five minutes!
Bunmi Akinnusotu, producer and host of "What In The World?" - also of WERA-LP 96.7FM - explores what curiosity brings to world affairs. We ponder the power of courage in face of the unknown and why Americans seem so reluctant to learn about others. A fresh take on paying attention to the world around us.
Join us next time when entrepreneur, engineer and county activist Vivek Patil talks about building bridges and bringing curiosity to community conversations.
We're all born curious -- and with a little effort, we can all stay curious. Marjorie Varner of Encore Learning and my own beloved parents weigh in on cultivating a life-long learning habit and choosing to be curious, no matter the age. All under five minutes!
Does curiosity take different forms as we age? Does it keep us from feeling "old"? Marjorie Varner, executive director of Encore Learning, explores the benefits of life-long learning and all that Encore Learning has to offer its volunteer instructors as well as its members. Spoiler alert: curiosity is good for your health!
Join us next time when Bunmi Akinnusotu, host of "What in the World?" explores the power of an inquiring mind. Don't know much about foreign affairs? Bunmi makes it all approachable with her infectious curiosity about the world around us.
What happens when you choose to be curious about the places and spaces you inhabit? Artist and self-described radical pedestrianist Graham Coreil-Allen makes the case for being curious wherever you go -- and we head back to the Farmers Market to enjoy the thrill of discovery, even in a familiar place. All that in under five minutes!
Artist and self-described radical pedestrianist Graham Coreil-Allen produces participatory projects and leads social initiatives in the service of pedestrians and places. I think his voracious curiosity is both a unifying theme and his secret sauce. We'll wander around placemaking and being attentive to where we are in space. Come along for this fun and fascinating virtual Curiosity Walk! You'll never look at crosswalks the same way again...
I hope you'll join us next time when Marjorie Varner, executive director of Encore Learning, shares what she's observed about curiosity and life-long learning.
Exploring the nature of curiosity -- from its scientific origins to the language we use to describe this uniquely human trait. In a preview of this week's discussion with Dr. Tonya Howe about language, literature and the "feminine side" of curiosity, we make a link to another conversation about the nature of curiosity with neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. From the poetry of Milton to bench science at Harvard, in under 5 minutes!
It started as a converstaion about the language we use to describe curiosity and became so much more! Marymount University's Dr. Tonya Howe explores how language and literature have shaped our ideas of curiosity and exploration for everyone from Eve to Real Houswives. Is curiosity a feminist issue? You decide...
Join us next time when we talk about curiosity and place-making with Graham Coreil-Allen, a social practice artist and self-described "radical pedestrianist" who works to make cities more inclusive and liveable through public art, walking tours, and civic engagement. Aren't you curious?
A preview of our show with Phone2Action co-founder and President Ximena Hartsock on curiosity and the entrepreneurial spirit -- and a revisit of the conversation with Beth Flores on design thinking and asking more beautiful questions regardless of context. Does inspiration float around looking for a place to land? And what role does curiosity have in staying open to innovation? All that in five fast minutes!
Co-founder and President of Phone2Action Ximena Hartsock has a lot to say about curiosity and the entrepreneurial spirit in this wide-ranging conversation about innovation and risk-taking. What's not to love about a Latina "Tech Titan" with a passion for advocacy and public service?
Be sure to join us next time when Tonya Howe, professor of language and literature at Marymount University, gets going on the tangled relationship between women, curiosity and our literary traditions. Is curiosity a feminist issue? You decide.
Checking out curiosity at the library - and storytelling in all kinds of forms. A preview of our show with Arlington Public Library's Jennifer Rothschild, in which she very much encourages heading down rabbit holes. And so I did, at the Center for Local History, where I discovered wonderful oral histories of Arlington County. German war prisoners? Dusty roads, and failed school bonds in the age of segregation? It reminded me of the important role that sharing stories has in Challenging Racism. All that in under 5 minutes!
When I was a kid and I was curious, I headed to the library. Jennifer Rothschild of Arlington Public Library tells us all the ways in which libraries are still the place to check out your curiosity. Would you believe wheelbarrows and thermal cameras? Librarians as your personal curiosity concierge. What's not to love?
Join us next time when Ximena Hartsock, co-founder and President of Phone2Action joins us to explore curiosity and the entrepreneurial spirit.
Science + Politics = potent mix! A preview of our show with Arlington potter and Together Virginia PAC founder Stacy Snyder about getting curious across political distances, both ideological and geographic. Turns out: science curiosity bursts political bubbles! So where else to go but back to the conversation with National Science Foundation director of polar research, Kelly Falkner? How might you have an inquisitive attitude about your stuck places? All that in under 5 minutes!
"Be curious, not judgmental," wrote Walt Whitman - it's good advice, especially in times of political discord. Arlington potter and founder of Together Virginia, Stacy Snyder talks about getting curious across political distances, both ideological and geographic. How might we understand one another better and work to address all our needs more effectively? Start by listening....
I hope you'll join us next time when librarian Jennifer Rothschild makes her case as your "curiosity concierge."
A debut effort! Combining a preview of our program with author Laura McBride with insights from former CIA counter-terrorism operative turned comic book writer Tom King and disability advocate Brandon -- curiosity, empathy and the human condition, all in under 5 minutes.
Author Laura McBride reflects on how curiosity shapes her writing - and our experience as readers. Reviewers describe Laura's new novel 'Round Midnight as “equal parts intricate and graceful” and “filled to the brim with captivating characters, humorous dialogue, and unexpected twists and turns,” but Laura shares an even deeper tale about how stories affect us and her own journey into being curious about the choices we make and the lives we live. Just lovely.
Join us next time when Stacy Snyder, Arlington potter and founder of Together Virginia, shares how she's chosen to be curious across political distances, both ideological and geographic. Definitely a show for these times!
We celebrated our first anniversary addressing a theme that has come up a lot across the months: Trust. Scott Nycum joins me to reflect on how curiosity builds trust - and vice versa. "Asking questions out of care - out of curiosity - is the start of it all." A lovely distillation of many conversations over the months...
Join us next time when author Laura McBride talks about curiosity and writing fiction.
Racism isn't going to go away by itself. It takes intentionality, effort, help from programs like Arlington's Challenging Racism (challengingracism.org) and some degree of curiosity. With those, we can begin to question what we see, or don't see, of the systemic nature of racism. Monique Brown joins me for a second conversation about making progress toward an anti-racist world.
For the first part of this conversation, listen to Choose to be Curious #15.
Join us next time for our first anniversary show. Scott Nycum joins me to explore a theme that came up a lot in the last year: trust.
Once upon a time we were all curious... We take a trip back to early childhood to explore our innate curiosity as little "aggressive researchers" with Kate Graham, coordinator of Arlington Public Schools' Early Childhood and Pre-K Programs. My parents make a cameo appearance to answer that burning question, "Were you always curious?"
Join us next time when we revisit Challenging Racism with Monique Brown for the second part of our conversation on using curiosity to explore and address racism. (Part 1 is available in episode #15)
What if you go somewhere familiar and choose to be curious? What more do you see, hear, taste and learn? We find out on this fun visit to Arlington Farmers Market at Court House. How to make soap, taste test olive oil, store mushrooms; where the best fruit grows; who plays the charango....and some of the stories behind all the people who make up the market. Come, choose to be curious!
Join us next time when Monique Brown returns for a follow-up conversation about curiosity and challenging racism.
Wakefield High School's US and Virginia government teacher Patricia Hunt joins me in a thoughtful conversation about what it takes to build news literacy in an age of social media and "fake news". Where do you get your news -- and how do you know it is reliable?
Join us next time when we take our curiosity to the Arlington Farmers Market - woohoo: field trip!
A refreshing conversation with two young immigrants about how curiosity helps in acclimating to a new place -- and feeds their hunger to learn ore. Get past the hype of recent headlines and come enjoy a lovely half hour with these wise students, Anderson Escobar and Mariami Shengalia. And an added bonus conversation with Arturo Ramirez as he reflects on regaining curiosity and finding inspiration in his homeland.
Join us next time when Wakefield High School teacher Patricia Hunt joins us to talk about new literacy. Where do we get our news -- and how do we know it is reliable? Curiosity is critical!
How do we know what actually works? Join international development, peace building and advocacy evaluator Carlisle Levine as we explore the power of curiosity and "evaluative thinking".
Be sure to join us next time when we look at curiosity and the immigrant experience.
Evie and Sarah Priestman offer a master class in gender identity and familial respect. "Don't be afraid to be curious... and be curious again" suggests Evie as we explore a topic many people never think to question.
Be sure to join us next time when we take on the power of evaluative thinking with Carlisle Levine, an international development, peacebuilding and advocacy evaluator.
So much to love about adolescence. No, really! Kate McCauley and Michael Swisher make the case for why curiosity in adolescence is so important -- and such a joy. Great insights and strategies in this conversation about a critical stage in our human and social development.
Join us next time when Evie and Sarah Priestman help me explore curiosity and gender identity.
Curiosity and conflict resolution have some fascinating - and maybe surprising - commonalities. Dr. Megan Price of George Mason University's Insight Conflict Resolution Program joins me to talk about learning to bring questions to conflicts of all sorts.
Join us next time when Michael Swisher and Kate McCauley take on curiosity and adolescence.
Kevin Sampson turns the focus around and interviews me - host, Lynn Borton - about the wild and wonderful path that led me to "Choose to be Curious" and where it might take all of us next.
Be sure to join us next time when Megan Price, director of the Insight Conflict Resolution Program joins us to talk about curiosity's role in resolving conflicts.
By day Jesse Robinson coordinates a radio station, by night he takes to the stage. In this episode he reflects on the role of curiosity in performing, appreciating and building skills in improv theater. We talk about "yes/and", what businesses are learning about the power of improvisation and why having others' backs is so important.
Be sure to join us next time when Megan Price, Director of George Mason University's Insight Conflict Resolution Program, joins us to talk about the importance of curiosity in resolving conflict. A timely conversation, if ever there were one.
Challenging racism takes center stage in this provocative conversation about curiosity and race. Marty Swaim and Monique Brown bring their own insights and wisdom in exploring the impact of systemic racism and their efforts through Arlington's initiative to counter racism through stories and conversation. Truly: curiosity put to good purpose. For more information, visit www.challengingracism.org
Join us next time when Jesse Robinson joins us to talk about curiosity and improv theater.
Just in time for Veterans Day! Dr. Raya Kheirbek loves her work in geriatric and palliative and her all of her time spent at Washington DC's V.A. Medical Center. In this show she reflects on the power of curiosity and personal story-telling in the doctor-patient relationship. People's everyday struggles are "heroic," she says in this lovely exploration of narrative medicine, an approach that recognizes the value of people's own stories in clinical practice, research, and education as a way to promote healing. This episode was selected for broadcast on ScienceRadio 360.
Join us next time when we talk with Jesse Robinson about improv theater and the curious potential of "yes/and."
Are scientists more curious than the rest of us? National Science Foundation's Kelly Falkner explores curiosity and the scientific mindset -- and makes a call for a Curiosity Core - or is that Corps? Listen in and decide for yourself!
Join us next time when Dr. Raya Kheirbek talks about curiosity and narrative medicine - story telling in service of health care.
Scott Nycum offers a wealth of insights on the hot topic of leadership. In a conversation both practical and inspiring, Scott explores the role of curiosity in leaders' success. "Curiosity has to be one of the tools that an effective leader needs to have, not just nice to have - it would almost be an essential component."
Join us next time when we talk with Kelly Falkner of the National Science Foundation about whether scientists and researchers are any more curious than the rest of us.
Elizabeth Jones, executive director of Offender Aid and Restoration of Arlington County (OAR), brings her incredible warmth to a conversation about what happens to curiosity before, during and after incarceration. We explore the impact of trauma and how to rebuild and redirect curiosity in the process of returning to home and society.
Join us next time for a conversation with Scott Nycum on curiosity and leadership.
Brandon Charles hosts "Breaking Boundaries", a radio program about living with disabilities, and happens to be blind. He joins me to talk about the importance of curiosity on the path to empathy and moving forward with understanding one another. What do you think: is it possible to break boundaries without curiosity?
Join us next time when we explore the impact of trauma on curiosity before, during and after incarceration.
Arlington Detective Sara Bertollini explores the role of curiosity in law enforcement, dispels some popular myths (sorry, folks!) and revels in the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. And what of "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"? You'll just have to listen in...
Join us next time for a conversation with "Breaking Boundaries" host Brandon Charles for a conversation about curiosity, empathy and disability.
Jenn Seiff shares her deep well of curiosity and insights drawn from the yoga tradition. We talk body awareness and listening to what our bodies are trying to tell us.
Be sure to join us next time when we shift gears to talk with Arlington County Police Department's own Detective Sara Bertollini - curiosity and real life mysteries!
Tom King, comic book writer and ex-CIA operative, talks curiosity, Kierkegaard and the Caped Crusader. Is Batman curious? Is writing really weaponized empathy? Is "nerd" a good thing, after all? Tune in, Bat-fans!
An exploration of how we can learn to craft more --and more beautiful-- questions. Drawing on techniques such as design thinking and active listening, Beth Flores offers both personal and professional insights into asking more and better questions to shape our work and lives. This is one you'll find yourself mulling for days to come.
And for something totally different: be sure to check back for Episode #007 when Tom King, new author to the Batman comic series, former CIA operative and closet philosopher gets going on curiosity, "weaponized empathy" and Kierkegaard.
A musical exploration of curiosity and creativity with songwriter, musician and performer AJ Smith. Are you a hungry caterpillar?
Be sure to join us next time when we explore forming beautiful questions.
A rich, thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation with Rev. Carolyn Richar and Sengha leader Junsen Nettles about the interplay of curiosity, spirituality and faith.
Be sure to join us next time for an exploration of curiosity and creativity.
A show all about how curiosity works in our brains - featuring Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, author of "My Stroke of Insight" and of TED Talk fame. Jill joins the birds of Arlington in singing for your pleasure!
Join us next time when we talk about curiosity, spirituality and faith.
A conversation all about curiosity and journalism. We explore different types of curiosity and how -- or whether -- they show up in journalism. Drew talks about what role curiosity plays in the our media, as seen through his eyes as a local news editor. And about that train whistle...
Our debut show! Introducing "Choose to be Curious" - a show all about curiosity and learning. In this first episode, we look at what research tells us about the role curiosity plays in memory and learning and get one teacher's experience cultivating curiosity in the classroom. Oh, and reveille!