Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity

Guest Christopher Schaberg , PhD., is the Director of Public Scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a founding editor of Object Lessons, a book series on the secret lives of ordinary things. Chris is the author of ten books, including one really good one on fly-fishing.  Summary In this wide-ranging conversation, Chris reflects on curiosity, confusion, and the value of payin...

Guest Lyle Kirtman has been a leadership development consultant for more than 30 years. As CEO, of Future Management Systems Inc., he has worked on developing leaders to increase results for students in 500 school districts in 15 states. Kirtman's focus on innovation in education is a key element of his presentations, keynotes, and publications. His field-based research has already made major cont...

Guest When I sat down with Brew Moscarello , founder of Trico Unlimited, a Vermont-based fly fishing guiding and instruction service, it was clear that his story is about more than guiding—it's about a lifelong relationship with the outdoors. Drawn to Vermont by both snowboarding and fly fishing, Brew found himself immersed in the mountains and rivers that continue to inspire him today. His journe...

Guest Sam Sochet is a retired high school principal who currently works as an educational mentor, coach, consultant, and community speaker.  He has been a member of the Syosset, NY, Library Board of Trustees since 2020 and currently serves as its Vice President. Sam taught and led schools for over 3 decades, which culminated in his work at Martin Van Buren High School, transforming it from a schoo...

Guest Rebecca Winthrop is a leading global authority on education, the director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She is dedicated to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in life, work, and as an engaged citizen. She leads cutting-edge research and initiatives aimed at transforming education systems around the...

Guest None today; just me reflecting. Summary In this episode, I reflect on lessons I've drawn from Robert Redford's film adaptation of A River Runs Through It and how they support my growth as a writer. At first, I loved the film for its beauty, but as a writer, I later returned to it as an instructional tool: how to go beyond the surface story of familial love to convey Maclean's more profound m...

Guest Sarah Elkins is a keynote speaker, Gallup StrengthsFinder coach , and the author and podcast host of Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will. She is the principal at Elkins' Consulting. She is the organizing genius behind the annual No Longer Virtual Summit, a small business summit for those looking for a community of professionals to grow with - personally, professionally, and...

Guest Dr. Constantino "Costa" Aguilar is a distinguished educational leader with over 29 years of transformative service in public education. Throughout his dynamic career, Dr. Aguilar has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to student success and organizational excellence, serving in a wide range of leadership roles, including Spanish Teacher, Head Baseball Coach, Associate Principal, Principal...

In this episode, I reflect on some of the "No" responses I receive from potential guests. I have hosted this show for seven years and 376 episodes, yet some of my most popular episodes are about guests who declined to be on the show. I discuss three types of "Nos": a direct "No," an initial "Yes" followed by silence, and no response at all. I note that the rejections that linger with me are from g...

Guest Nanci Morris Lyon is a long-time resident of Bristol Bay, Alaska, living in King Salmon, where she owns Bear Trail Lodge on the famed Naknek River.  She is a long-time leader in Bristol Bay conservation and has been an essential voice in the fight against the Pebble Mine. As the first female guide in Bristol Bay and one of the first in Alaska, she is an inspiration for many young women pursu...

Today on Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity One of the many problems that plague U.S. businesses, not-for-profits, and our U.S. education system is when and how to change. For many institutions, the process can look like fruit-of-the-month club: they try "this" until a new "this" comes along. A new something – process, way of thinking, way of leading etc. – is seen as the answer to all organiza...

Guest Hannah Bratterud is a Norwegian-born writer, consultant, and real estate advisor living in Montana. Through her Substack "Finding Home," she explores themes of identity, belonging, and transformation, particularly in times of personal or political upheaval. A leadership strategist by trade and a curious wanderer at heart, Hannah recently shared her journey of becoming an American citizen ami...

Guest None today; just me reflecting on recent events. Summary In this episode, I recount my recent fly fishing trip to Alaska, reflecting on how various organizations shaped my experience. Delta Airlines impressed him with personalized service and proactive rebooking. In contrast, an overpriced and unwelcoming airport hotel in Detroit left a negative impression. The Bear Trail Lodge in Alaska, ho...

Guest "Brave Leadership" founder Kimberly Davis champions emerging leaders and senior managers navigating today's workplace and partners with HR professionals looking to develop talent. She shares her inspirational message of personal power, responsibility, and impact with organizations nationwide and teaches leadership programs worldwide. Kimberly is a TEDx speaker whose 2018 book, Brave Leadersh...

Guest Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker, Food Story coach, and author of the award-winning memoir Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict . She reveals how emotional wounds, cultural expectations, and personal history—not hunger—often shape our relationship with food. After battling emotional overeating for decades and gaining and losing over 700 pounds, Michelle discovered that the key to la...

Guest Irene Stern Frielich is the daughter of a German Jewish Holocaust survivor—but for much of her life, the story remained unspoken. In 2017, after rediscovering her father's testimony, Irene set out to physically retrace his escape route from Nazi Germany through his survival in Holland. The result was a journey of reconciliation and healing. Her award-winning memoir, Shattered Stars, Healing...

Guest Byron Edgington is a retired commercial helicopter pilot, writer, a graduate of The Ohio State University, and a dedicated cook using only plants. His other interests include a daily crossword puzzle, meditation, and a four-year association with BizCatalyst 360 and its weekly Friendship Bench. Edgington lives with his wife Mariah in North Florida. His Substack essays, titled "Passing Thought...

Guest None today; just me reflecting on recent events. Summary After participating in New York City's "No Kings" march, I reflect on the urgency of defending democracy, drawing parallels between the current political climate and 1930s Germany. A conversation sparked by a protest sign leads me to contemplate his father's World War II contributions. Later, a chance visit to a bookstore uncovers Reme...

Guest Cindy House is the author  Mother Noise , a memoir in essays and a regular opener for David Sedaris on his tours across the country. She teaches nonfiction in the Lesley University MFA program and memoir writing at the Gotham Writers Workshop. She also offers private writing classes. Summary This podcast episode explores the art of memoir writing with Cindy House, my memoir writing coach. My...

Guest Bill Whiteside is a sales and marketing executive turned software salesman turned lay historian turned writer of narrative non-fiction, specifically a forthcoming book about an incident in Winston Churchill's tenure as Britain's Prime Minister during World War II. Summary In this episode of "Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity," I talk with Bill about the process of writing the book on Chu...

Guest Valerie Gordon is a 10-time Emmy-winning television producer with over 20 years of producing and overseeing award-winning content for HBO, ESPN, CBS, and the Olympic Games. She knows what makes a story meaningful and memorable and the incredible power of stories to engage, educate and entertain. An engaging speaker with innovative programming, Valerie offers audiences and individuals the sto...

Guest Paul Glover is the No B.S. Executive Leadership Coach, assisting leaders in organizations with revenue up to one billion dollars.  He's a Tedx speaker, an approved Vistage and YPO Speaker on leadership in the Post-Pandemic work environment, the author of WorkQuake ™: Making the Seismic Shift to a Knowledge Economy, a Forbes contributor, a "recovering" federal trial lawyer, an ex-felon, a Sta...

Guest Tony K Silver is a multi-award-winning LinkedIn expert, who has been helping people on the platform since 2008. He works with individuals and teams. He also presents on LinkedIn at conferences, expos, and company events, live and Online. Because LinkedIn is the preferred platform of professionals, he can work across many different industries, which include professional services, financial, c...

Guest Colleen Kelley Creating fun and accessible chemistry stories has been a labor of love for Colleen, as a retired chemistry professor and author of a series of kid's chemistry comic books . In 2023, the PBS short documentary, "Comic Book Chemistry," was awarded an Emmy. Colleen holds a Ph. D. in chemistry from Penn State University and was a tenured professor with research expertise in environ...

Guest In a career that spanned a quarter-century, Ted Czech covered crime for newspapers in three states. Disenchanted with how journalism was taught and practiced, Czech launched a second career in public relations in 2021 and began work on Saving the Beast: A Recovering Reporter Reflects on America's Broken Media and How to Fix It. Why This Episode Matters This episode explores the state of Amer...