Choose to be Curious

"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...

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 t...

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 ou...

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 inv...

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 wande...

"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 ab...

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...

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...

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 choos...

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 p...

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...

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...

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-u...

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....

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...

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 Phi...

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 Cr...

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...

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.com Theme 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 Lin...

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, wi...

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;...

Ep. #216: Curiosity & Aging, with Michiko Sakaki by Lynn Borton

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.com Theme music...

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 cur...