The Curiosity Current: A Market Research Podcast

Market research is evolving as AI automates traditional tasks. In this episode of the Curiosity Current, Elle Park from Arcutis Biotherapeutics discusses why a broad background in data and strategy provides a unique advantage in a world favoring specialization. She explains the critical difference between being a human in the loop and being a human in the decision loop. The conversation explores h...

Social media has transformed from an entertainment platform into a sophisticated decision engine. In this episode, explore how the linear consumer journey has collapsed into a dynamic loop where discovery, validation, and conversion happen simultaneously. Vladimer Botsvadze explains why brands must shift from broadcasting to listening, the importance of human-centric marketing, and how high-growth...

Understanding human behavior requires embracing complexity. In this episode, Byron Reeves who is a pioneering Stanford researcher and has spent decades studying how humans interact with technology. They discuss why traditional research methods struggle to keep pace with fragmented digital lives. The conversation explores how AI simulations might help predict consumer behavior and what remains irre...

Market research is often focused on the present, but staying ahead requires a shift toward the future. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, hosts Stephanie Vance and Molly Strawn-Carreño speak with Kerry-Ellen Schwartz, Global Senior Director, Consumer Insights for Food Ventures at PepsiCo. They discuss the critical difference between insights and foresights. Kerry-Ellen explains why human em...

The research profession is transitioning from hands-on execution to strategic orchestration, yet many organizations struggle with adoption. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Zontziry Johnson, Head of Learning and Research at the Insights Career Network, explains why new tools often fail to deliver promised results. She discusses the gap between tool adoption and process transformation, the...

Alec Levin discusses the evolution of professional learning and explains why structured curriculums are failing modern researchers. He shares how his community, Learners, fosters a more effective and chaotic ecosystem for growth. The conversation examines the impact of ai on the research field and uses the cheese factory analogy to distinguish between artisanal work and automated insights. Alec ex...

Deborah Mendez joins The Curiosity Current to discuss why discrepancies between consumer claims and actual behavior are signals for market innovation. Drawing on her leadership experience at major brands like Kraft Heinz and Mars, she explains how agile research allows teams to identify patterns rather than isolated data points. The conversation explores how to maintain high research quality under...

In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie Vance is joined by Marin Mrsa, Founder and CEO of Peakator, to discuss the evolving landscape of research technology. Marin shares his journey of entering the insights industry from the outside and how that perspective shaped his vision for a more efficient research process. The conversation explores why surveys remain a vital communication...

Breaking into market research is getting harder, and it has long term consequences for the industry. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Brooke Reavey, Professor of Marketing at Dominican University, about the shrinking talent pipeline in insights. Brooke shares why internships and entry level roles are disappearing, how AI is reshaping both learning and work,...

AI is transforming market research, but regulation and ethics are struggling to keep pace. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Howard Fienberg, Senior Vice President of Advocacy at the Insights Association, about how researchers can navigate growing complexity around AI, privacy laws, and participant trust. Howard shares guidance on staying responsible while th...

Cleaning is no longer just about hygiene. New research shows consumers increasingly see it as a source of control, satisfaction, and emotional reset. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie Vance and Lev Mazin speak with Oksana Sobol, Vice President of Consumer Insights at The Clorox Company. They discuss how people’s relationships with their homes are evolving. Drawing from the Home C...

Consumers often behave very differently from what they say in surveys, creating a critical gap in how decisions are made. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Kate O’Keeffe, CEO and co-founder of Heatseeker, explains why traditional research methods struggle to predict real-world behavior. She explores how live market experiments help teams identify true buying drivers, validate decisions bef...

Research defines and informs food and beverage decisions. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Gloria Reardon, a brand marketing leader with deep roots in the food and beverage industry, about how consumer insights shape brand strategy, drive product innovation, and help marketers connect with consumers in meaningful ways. Gloria draws on her experience at Taco...

Speed is reshaping how insights teams operate, but hearing directly from customers still matters. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Sarah Haftings, Insights Manager at Shurtape Technologies. They talk about why qualitative research remains essential even as AI accelerates insight generation. Sarah shares how her team balances qualitative and quantitative meth...

The people behind good research have to speak for it. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Aarti Bhaskaran, Global Head of Research and Insights at Snap Inc., about how insights professionals stay impactful as platforms, audiences, and attention spans all shift at once. Aarti shares how she leads global teams, tells research stories that cut through, measures br...

AI is accelerating research, but it isn’t replacing human judgment. In this episode of The Curiosity Current: A Market Research Podcast, Molly Strawn-Carreño is joined by Lisa Wilding Brown, CEO at InnovateMR. They explore what “data quality” really means in today’s environment of AI-powered tools, hybrid methodologies, and increasing fraud risk. Lisa shares why there is no silver bullet for quali...

Research, trends and insights do not stand still, and neither do the people who practice it. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly step away from guest interviews to reflect on five lessons from the past year of conversations with researchers, strategists, and marketers. They share what surprised them, what made them uncomfortable, where they disagree on speed versus rigor,...

Consumers say they care about health, sustainability, and quality… but their behavior doesn’t always align. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Laurie Demeritt, CEO of The Hartman Group, explains why the aspiration–behavior gap in food and beverage is human, not irrational. She explores how integrating quantitative and qualitative research reveals emotional trade-offs, how to interpret consu...

In this 50th episode, Shanon and Lev reflect on the journey of building a meaningful B2B podcast. They explore the lessons learned from 50 guest conversations the consistency and collaboration required behind the scenes, and the themes that continue to shape the show. Looking ahead, they reaffirm their commitment to creating thoughtful, long-term value through conversation.

Market research only works when companies actually listen to it. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Ernest Baskin, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Food Marketing at Saint Joseph’s University, about why market research still matters and why it does not have to cost an arm and a leg. Ernest explains how organizations misuse data, overlook bias, and s...

Strategic insights only matter when leaders trust them. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly speak with Christopher Khoury, Vice President of Strategic Insights at the American Medical Association, about how credibility is built over time inside complex, highly regulated organizations. Christopher shares how insights teams earn trust by saying yes early, getting close to t...

Enterprise research teams often produce plenty of insight but struggle to influence real decisions. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie speaks with Kylee Lessard, Group/Principal Product Marketing Manager for Insights & Strategy at LinkedIn, about how she helped build a centralized insights function that leadership actually relies on. Kylee breaks down the practical steps she used...

The story that older adults struggle with technology keeps showing up. The data says otherwise. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Molly is joined by Dr. Brittne Kakulla, Senior Consumer Insights Manager at AARP, with special guest co-host Elana Marmorstein, aytm’s Market Revenue Operations Specialist and host of Waves of Thinking. Brittne shares what over two decades of research reveal abo...

Market research often rewards speed, confidence, and verbal fluency. That leaves insight behind. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Molly is joined by Garret Westlake, Vice Provost for Innovation and Strategic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University, with special guest co-host Katie Bernal, Senior Director of Learning and Enablement at aytm. Garret explains how LEGO SERIOUS PLAY can be u...

In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with Jason Cohen, Founder and CEO of Simulacra, to explore how causal AI and scenario modeling are changing the way market research actually works. Jason explains why more rows rarely fix weak studies, how seeded synthetic data can extract insight from incomplete datasets, and why understanding cause and effect matters more tha...