Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity

Guests In this episode, I was deeply fortunate to sit down with two amazing guests: Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander . Ben is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Youth Orchestra. Rosamund was a therapist and an accomplished painter and sadly passed away in September 2023. They are the authors of The Art of Possibility – a life-change book if you adopt its twe...

Guest Dr. Hayley Watson is the founder and CEO of Open Parachute, a Tier 1 K-12 curriculum program that supports the mental health of students, teachers, and parents. She is a Clinical Psychologist and holds a PhD in school bullying interventions. She has been creating and delivering programs for youth and practitioners across the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia for the past 20 years.  Dr. Watso...

Guests As the "Connection Counselor,"  Joe Kwon 's mission is to help professionals elevate their careers by teaching them how to connect to anyone, anytime, and anywhere. He is the creator of the "Everybody Thrives" program, which is designed to help organizations transcend statistics, increase belonging, and unlock higher performance. He is also the author of three leadership books, including Un...

Guests Jason Greer is the Founder and President of Greer Consulting, Inc., a labor management and employee relations consulting firm specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is a trusted source of the latest race and labor relations news for media nationwide. Summary Jason Greer and I dove deep into the crucial yet turbulent waters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our polar...

Guests Andy Stephens  was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Washington on the Salish Sea. After 17 years, he traveled to Los Angeles to play college baseball in the sunshine. He taught in the public schools of LAUSD for six years before moving to Boulder, CO, where he now teaches science at New Vista High School and at area colleges. Summary My conversation with Andy revolved around the...

Summary No guest today in what is my first episode of the new year. I promise no New Year's resolutions except one: to read and digest as many books as I can during the year. Given my interest in books, I was curious to know what some of my colleagues, friends, and family members will read in 2024. So, I contacted more than 40 of them, asking them for a brief bio, their book of choice, and why tha...

Summary "Getting Unstuck" is somewhat of a rare animal in the world of podcasting. It's offered timely content focused on change, education, and curiosity for over 5 years and sits in the top 3% of all podcasts. 44% of all podcasts have less than 3 episodes, according to two tracking sources. Most podcasts don't make it past 10 episodes. Conversely, we just passed the 300-episode milestone, which...

Guests Mary Nadeau has worked at Nokomis Regional High as a teacher and administrator for the past 32 years. She has served as the Principal for the past 15 years.  Nick Miller is a member of the English department. Summary Our conversation explored how fly fishing, a seemingly unconventional activity in schools, can be woven into the fabric of education. We delved into the significance of the spo...

Summary Our conversation centered on the need to address the misconceptions surrounding homelessness and the importance of individual and collective action to create positive change. We emphasized the value of education and awareness in dismantling harmful stereotypes and empowering individuals to support those experiencing homelessness. By opening our hearts and minds, we can foster a more compas...

Guest Andrew Sachs is the CEO and Founder of Nobel Learning. Nobel helps learners get the technical, soft, and leadership skills they need to succeed in work and life in today's quickly changing world. Summary In this episode – which is an update of episode #122 where Andrew and I first talked – we focus on the need to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in school, life, and the ev...

My Guest Dennis Behnke provides individual and group tours of Berlin and German history, focusing on World War II and the Cold War. Summary / Key Topics My conversation with Dennis focused on the importance of history education, particularly in understanding World War II and its lasting impact. We discussed the challenges and opportunities of teaching history in a way that is both accurate and eng...

The Takeaway In this episode, I travel to Berlin, Germany, and the Bebelplatz, a large square in the city's heart. A university borders one side, a church another, and the opera another. Behind me is one of Berlin's main libraries.  Sitting atop one of the buildings is an outdoor bar with large colorful umbrellas to shield the patrons. As calming as the setting is today, it was anything but on the...

Summary This week, something different. As we approach Thanksgiving, I find myself in a contemplative mood. So, I'm solo this week, starting what could become a lengthy exercise that will have me unwrapping and considering the package that is my life in 15 crossroad moments. Talk about being curious. Jeff's Crossroad Topics Punching the clock: newspapers, groceries, and dishes Book of the Month Cl...

My Guest Susan Engel is a professor at Williams College, where she teaches courses on developmental psychology and education. Her research interests include children's curiosity, invention, and ideas. She is currently working on a book about Kindergarten in America.     Summary / Key Topics Lifelong learning and curiosity are essential for a thriving society. They allow us to adapt to change, solv...

My Guests Bill Whiteside is a sales and marketing executive turned software salesman turned lay historian turned narrative nonfiction writer. He is the author of an engaging memoir, Everyone Knows a Salesman Can't Write A Book, and to further debunk the myth that he can't write, he's finishing up a much-anticipated book about a little-known incident in Winston Churchill's tenure as Britain's Prime...

My guest Kate Jackson is the principal at Enso Wellbeing Coaching, where she works with individuals and organizations to enhance leadership, culture, communication, productivity, retention, and, ultimately, well-being. Kate is also co-author of Flyfishing - A Pathway to Wellbeing and offers workshops to individuals and business teams at Margo and Lola Flyfishing School in Ellsworth, WI. Summary Th...

My Guest June Hersh began her food writing career in 2004.  Her mantra is Eat Well-Do Good, and to that end, she writes books with a charitable flavor. Her first was Recipes Remembered, a Celebration of Survival (Ruder Finn Press May 2011), written in association with and to benefit the Museum of Jewish Heritage - a Living memorial to the Holocaust.  The book is a collection of stories and recipes...

Summary In this special edition of Getting Unstuck — Cultivating Curiosity, I rotate the mic and tell a story where, with help from a dear friend, Sarah Elkins , and some self-reflection, I extricated myself from "stuckville."   About Sarah Elkins "Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate thei...

Summary This is part 2 of my conversation with two very smart guys, Wade Bruffey and Zoltan Sarda , the co-founders of GoMobi.work, a partnership-driven software company that helps organizations build and optimize their employee development program. They bring 30 years of experience working with teams and individuals to help people grow and succeed. Organizations using GoMobi.work's frameworks bui...

Guest Jeanne Gutierrez is a Curatorial Scholar in Women's History at the New-York Historical Society. She is a Ph. D. candidate in History at the CUNY Graduate Center. Jeanne is the co-curator of the NYHS "Women's Work" exhibit. Summary In this episode, Jeanne takes me behind the scenes at the New-York Historical Society to understand the collaborative thinking and effort that goes into curating a...

My Guest Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs  israelwriterstudio.com . Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal. She is a longtime yoga practitioner and instructor. She has two unconventional books...

My guest Spencer Seim (rhymes with "time") lives a life devoted to fishing, environmental issues, and serving people. Since he was 8 years old, Spencer has been obsessed with fly fishing. Spencer has been guiding northern New Mexico and southern Colorado for eighteen years. Eight years ago, he founded  ZiaFly , a guide service that focuses on a personalized fishing experience with access to some o...

My Guests Wade Bruffey and Zoltan Sarda are the co-founders of GoMobi.work, a partnership-driven software company that helps organizations build and optimize their employee development program. They bring 30 years of experience working with teams and individuals to help people grow and succeed. Organizations using GoMobi.work's frameworks build systems that foster clarity, empower high performance...

Guest Annette Taylor is a part-time researcher of evolutionary psychology who works to understand how our common biology, which evolved from our days as cave dwellers, may help explain various social and antisocial behaviors today.  Summary Jeff and Annette discuss the concept of the "cave dweller" inside each person, which refers to our instinctual, psychological, and biological tendencies. Annet...

Guest Scot Simmons is a husband, father, and fly fishing guide. He is 12 years in recovery from addiction and doing well managing depression and anxiety, which started at a young age. Fast forward decades, and he is able to walk and talk in his truth and make purposeful change. Summary Jeff and Scot's conversation delved into their mutual love for fly fishing and the connection it fosters with nat...