Choose to be Curious

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...

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. “Water...

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 i...

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...

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”...

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/cu...