Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity

Guest Jon Waterman 's immersive explorations of wilderness and environmental issues are distilled within his 17 books, in a mission to inspire readers to protect the planet's natural wonders.   His book  Into the Thaw: Witnessing Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis   is drawn from some of his life's most profound journeys.  By taking risks and tackling difficult issues, his work transcends tradi...

Guest Matt Ence is a teacher at Bountiful High School in Bountiful, UT. Matt retired from the military in 2017, when he began his teaching career. He teaches a course on the Holocaust, as well as courses in AP World History and US History. Matt became a Museum Teacher Fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2023. Summary Matt discusses teaching a dedicated Holocaust course. He covers the c...

Guest Jennifer Raff is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas.  She works with Indigenous communities and tribes across North America who wish to use DNA as a tool for investigating questions of recent and more distant histories. Her first book, "Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas," is a New York Times bestseller and has won multiple awards, including the Phi Bet...

Guest Reuben Swartz is the founder of Mimiran , the fun, anti-CRM for independent consultants. He founded Mimiran out of his experience as a sales and marketing consultant for the Fortune 500 who struggled with his own business development efforts. He's also the host and chief nerd on the Sales for Nerds podcast . Summary – Why this discussion matters This episode explores how solopreneurs can eff...

Guests Jane Kelly founded Eat Your Books in 2009 with her sister Fiona Nugent because she wanted to easily find recipes in her extensive cookbook collection, and reasoned there are other cooks with the same need. She has spent the past 15 years building the site into a search engine for 2.6 million recipes found in cookbooks, food magazines, and online. Previously, she held senior roles in televis...

Guest Deborah Sosin, MSW, is a writer, editor, psychotherapist, and an instructor at GrubStreet, the Center for Creative Writing. Her essays have appeared in the  New York Times, Boston Globe, Salon, Cognoscenti, Brevity Blog,  and several literary magazines. She wrote the award-winning picture book  Charlotte and the Quiet Place;  and a workbook,  Sober Starting Today . Debbie just completed  Thi...

Guest Sarah Elkins is your guide to uncovering the right personal stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and effectively demonstrate their character, values, and vision. She is a storyteller, communication coach, author, and professional musician. As a Gallup-certified StrengthsFinder coach, Sarah uses that tool and story-sharing strate...

Guest Julie A. Vitale, Ph. D. is the Superintendent of the Oceanside Unified School District. Her educational journey includes a Ph. D. in Urban Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration, and a Masters and Bachelor of Arts from the University of LaVerne. Dr. Vitale has been a faculty member at Concordia University since 2007, cont...

Peter Byck is an award-winning documentary film director helping to lead a $10 million research project comparing Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing with conventional grazing. He is the director of the docuseries  Roots So Deep (you can see the devil down there) ,  which is all about inventive farmers and maverick scientists building a path to solving climate change with hooves, hearts, and soil.  Byc...

Guest Paul Banks is an ADHD father and husband who broke out of corporate life and spent 5 years in complex SaaS sales, understanding how to create meaningful connections through the power of video content.  The former retail manager and volunteer police officer now spends his days combining technology, AI, and expertise to help his clients attract and convert premium clients.  His 'Why' is to hel...

Allan M. Winkler is the University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Miami University of Ohio. He has also taught at Yale University and the University of Oregon and, for one year each, at the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya. In addition to his own books, he co-authored a college textbook and a high school...

Guest Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet , named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter , winner of the PEN/E....

Guest Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet , named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter , winner of the PEN/E....

Guest B ob Reece has worked as a full-time educator with at-risk teens and as a successful small business owner over the past two decades.  He now works as a Clinical Counselor and Personal Coach.  He holds Master of Natural Science and Master of Clinical Counseling degrees as well as Life Coach Certification from the Tony Robbins/Madanes Training School.   Summary In this episode, Jeff Ikler talk...

Guest Tamsin Astor: Tamsin Astor is a Chief Habit Scientist. She helps her clients shift their mindset, organize their vision, and improve their habits, creating productivity and joy! Dr. Astor's clients reduce their decision-making, increasing their time and energy for fun! Tamsin is a mother, a traveler and foodie. She believes travel breeds tolerance and cultivates gratitude and reflection. Tam...

Summary An artist's rendering of Apollo 8 as it photographs "Earthrise." This episode reflects on the Apollo 8 mission's iconic "Earthrise" image in late December 1968 and the turbulent year that preceded it. It highlights enduring lessons on inequality, collective problem-solving, and environmental stewardship. The episode urges renewed respect for history and a commitment to addressing modern ch...

Summary In this episode, I reflect on how books have impacted my life and why standing up to book censorship is essential. Given my interest in books, I was curious to know what some of my colleagues, friends, and family members read in 2024 and what they will read in 2025. So, I contacted more than 40 of them, asking them for a brief bio, their books of choice, and why a given title found its way...

Summary Next February, Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity will start its seventh year. I try to offer timely and, I trust, interesting guests and content on leading effective change in education and business and cultivating curiosity about a wide variety of topics, including space exploration, art, history, the environment, personal development, purpose setting, writing, racism and anti-Semitis...

Guest After completing an undergraduate degree in history and political science at Simon Fraser University, Paul McNicholls spent a career in insurance claims investigation. When nearing retirement, he was approached by the UK publisher Helion and Company, and the result was his first book Journey Through the Wilderness. He is now writing the story of Donald Montgomery who served with the Canadian...

Guest Luann Horobin is one of 1700 ICF Master Coaches who serves clients as an Executive and Leadership Transformational Coach and Consultant. Having been raised on a farm, the core values of work and community have been her guiding life principles. Yet, when facing life and career transitions, a pivotal point was learning how to achieve ambitions, not by working harder but by adopting a different...

Guest Laura Bakosh, Ph. D.,   is a mindfulness teacher, published researcher, and co-founder of Inner Explorer, an organization that brings stress resilience, attention, and mental well-being skills to K-12 schools and early learning centers. She earned a Ph. D. from Sofia University and a Bachelor of Science from Boston College. Laura was trained as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) ins...

Guest Elizabeth Keating, Ph. D. , is a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin. A linguistic anthropologist who studies culture and communication, she has been a Fulbright Scholar in Ireland and a visiting scholar at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies in Germany and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. Summary In this episode, I chat with...

Guest Dr. Sarah Bennison is an adjunct professor at New York University and founder of Trinity School (NYC) Office of Public Service, a thought-leading service learning initiative engaging students, faculty, families, and alumni in ongoing, meaningful community engagement work and social impact curriculum. She started her career in New York City public schools in the South Bronx and has thirty yea...

Guest Frank Zaccari is a TV/podcast host and keynote speaker with a background in the U.S. Air Force and over 30 years as a high-tech executive & business owner. A five-time Best-Selling and two-time Award-Winning Author, he has written nine impactful books and co-founded the "Trust the Process" Book Marketing Program. Frank mentors at Arizona State University and the University of California Entr...

Guest Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching . "Quetico" (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government. Jeff has h...