Choose to be Curious

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 app...

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...

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 Blu...

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 mu...

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 th...

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 helps me understand better. Lily investigates cognitive, behavioural and emotional responses to uncertain situa...

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...

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. Theme musi...

Ep. #142: Science Thinking, Uncertainty & Kids, with Jamie Jirout by Lynn Borton

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 scient...

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 S...

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...

Ep. #136: Dialogues on Race & Equity, with Samia Byrd by Lynn Borton

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...

Ep. #134: Curiosity & Learning in Two Languages, with Marleny Perdomo by Lynn Borton

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 C...

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!...

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?...

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. Show originally aired Nov...