Choose To Be Curious

Menka Sanghvi and I feel our ways around noticing as the first step to caring, taking responsibility for where and how we direct our attention, attention activism and artistry, not accepting default settings, the essence of parenting, and why looking at the sky first thing in the morning is such a good idea. Menka is a mindfulness and digital habits expert based in London. Her writing, speaking and many projects explore the relationship between attention, technology and society. She is the founder of Just Looking --- a community project that champions more curiosity and wonder in the everyday --- and co-author of the newly released book Your Best Digital Life: Use Your Mind to Tame Your Tech. Menka Sanghvi: https://menkasanghvi.com Theme music by Sean Balick; ”Mind Body Mind”, by Bodytonic , via Blue Dot Sessions.

XuanJun Gong is interested in media selection, computational modeling, communication networks, and information diffusion. He’s looked at how we choose media to manage our moods, how the sequence of our choices matters, and what draws us to that next book. All of this is one version or another of the old curiosity conundrum: explore or exploit? Do we seek novelty or leverage what we already know? Why? Does it get us what we want?  How do we even know….? XuanJun Gong: https://www.xuanjungong.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "Zig Zag Heart" by Nursery, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Today we dive into a tantalizing “kinesthetic framework for curiosity” a way of understanding how we move between ideas and bits of information. Researcher Dale Zhou thinks of our curiosity as our search process in specific conditions. His research shows we’ve each got our own style — and that architecture can be mapped using knowledge networks. Dale Zhou: https://www.dalezhou.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Step In Step Out” by Crab Shack, via Blue Dot Sessions.

I see clear curiosity overtones in the ways we think about wisdom -- the meta-cognition processes of wisdom -- including intellectual humility, openness to others’ ideas and insights, even the search for constructive conflict resolution. So I wondered: is anyone thinking about wisdom through a curiosity lens? Igor Grossmann, Ph.D. leads the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario. He’s passionate about how people make sense of the world -- and how cultural forces shape behavior and societal change.  We talk about those meta-cognitive characteristics of wisdom, how our idea of "curiosity" influences how it might contribute to wisdom, situational adaptations, how wisdom is expressed across cultures -- and embracing intellectual humility when our assumptions about those presumed cultural differences prove to be all wrong. Igor Grossmann: https://igorgrossmann.com Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Envelope" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Deep canvassing is built on listening, building rapport, staying in conversation -- sharing stories. I don't know when I first became aware of deep canvassing as an organizing tool, but I was immediately taken with it as a curiosity enterprise. Sulma Arias, executive director of People's Action and People's Action Institute, joins me to explore just what it is about this model that proves so transformative for everyone involved. Learn about People's Action Deep Canvass Institute: https://deepcanvass.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.

I have the good fortune of living in a place that values public art -- art that anyone can see at any time of night or day-- and that, with its very presence, invites just a little curiosity in a way that you might imagine would appeal to me. So I was delighted when Tomora Wright Swann, Public Art Projects Manager of Arlington County (Va.) reached out -- and propelled me to connect with contributing artist Aurora Robson. When I visit other cities, one of the things I look for is iconic walking tours – the cisterns of Istanbul, the passages couverts of Paris, the murals of Philadelphia, New Orleans’ Garden District. What a pleasure to talk with two people behind Arlington County's own art walking tours! Aurora Robson: https://www.aurorarobson.com Check out Arlington public art: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Public-Art/About/Self-Guided-Public-Art-Tours Theme music by Sean Balick. Hickory Interlude, Lemon and Melon, Sunday Lights, Town Market and Tuck and Point by Onesuch Village via Blue

I believe journalist, photographer and all-around producer Andy Isaacson has found ways to lean into his own curiosity, creating vehicles for the rest us to come along for the ride – in one case, literally. For him a good day sparks his curiosity -- a thought that came to him for the first time in this conversation. (Hurrah for asking about what makes for a good days!) We talk about why it's so important to meet people where they are; the intersections of respect, fairness, empathy and rigorous investigation; resourcefulness; and why stories are a form of currency. Andy Isaacson: https://www.andyisaacson.net Theme music by Sean Balick;“Union Hall Melody" by Union Hall via Blue Dot Sessions.

A family trip to the Pacific Northwest and the Salish Sea inspired my own curiosity about orca whales -- and that led, inevitably, to my curiosity about the orcas' own curiosity. Lucky for me, I found my way to Sara Shimazu & Jeff Friedman, orca fans, whale watch captains, and co-hosts of After the Breach Podcast. Theme music by Sean Balick; "Discovery Harbor" by Cloud Harbor, via Blue Dot Sessions.

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and its sister sites, people spent an estimated 2.9 billion hours reading English Wikipedia in 2024. I wondered: What does it take to be a trustworthy repository for all that curiosity? Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight has been a Wikipedia editor since 2007, and an administrator since 2009. With 100,000+ edits to her credit, she has created more than 4,000 new articles, with concentrations in geography, architecture, and women’s biographies. In 2015, she co-founded a volunteer project intended to address the current gender bias in Wikipedia content and in 2021 she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation. Who better to talk with? Wikimedia Foundation: https://wikimediafoundation.org Theme music by Sean Balick; "Great Is the Contessa" by Contessa, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Deanne Fitzpatrick is a virtuous rug hooker. Her art looks like the love child of wool and Vincent Van Gogh. She looks for--and sees--fresh and beautiful things in the world around her, and she supports others in doing the same.  Deanne encourages the rest of us to lean into creating--beauty, community, and time for ourselves. And she has thoughts about how curiosity can help. Find Deanne Fitzpatrick at: http://www.hookingrugs.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Discovery Harbor” by CloudHarbor via Blue Dot Sessions.

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson says we habitually consume a diet that is depriving our brains of nutrients -- and that has all sorts of consequences for our health and well-being. She focuses on "psychology, mental health, food, and everything in between" and I wanted to know how curiosity might fit into that mix. Find Kimberley Wilson: https://www.kimberleywilson.co Theme music by Sean Balick; “Mind Body Mind" by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.

An experienced multi-lingual education specialist and organization leader, Loretta Goodwin is passionate about creating innovative, “anywhere/anytime” learning environments for young people, especially underserved youth.  She's also very curious about what AI offers her field -- and what it implies for all of us. So she undertook a 100-day learning journey. Lucky for us, she's got wonderful insights to share. It's a fascinating conversation about curiosity, productive struggle, creativity, bias, agency, inequity, and the joy of being a newbie. Find Loretta Goodwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loretta-goodwin/ Theme music by Sean Balick; “Setting Up” by Studio J, via Blue Dot Sessions.

If you came across something that promises to offer students "evidence-driven, rigorously tested ideas that consider alternative perspectives" wouldn't you be interested? Research shows that high school policy debate teaches students how to analyze, explore and understand the world around them, while it hones additional skills like research, critical thinking, and communication. Sounds like a curiosity enterprise to me! Delighted to have David Trigaux of Washington Urban Debate League join me to discuss. Washington Urban Debate League: http://wudl.org Theme music by Sean Balick; “Turning on the Lights" by Speakeasy, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Six years ago I sat down with Jacqueline Gottlieb, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Principal Investigator at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute, the very first neuroscientist I’d ever interviewed.  It was a delightful and far-ranging conversation. At some point she made a bold and quite tantalizing statement. “Curiosity," she said, "is going to take neuroscience to the next frontier.”  Today we check in on that assertion. We talked about visual systems, value systems, motivation, cognition, personality psychology, stress tolerance, introversion, extroversion and why it's a good idea for scientists to talk to one another. Jacqueline Gottlieb: https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/jacqueline-gottlieb-phd Theme music by Sean Balick; “Cicle Veroni” by Cicle Kadde, via Blue Dot Sessions.

How do you like to learn? We all do it differently. Argha Manna uses comics. Argha is a cancer researcher turned comics artist. He specializes in documenting the history of science and explores how knowledge is generated. Find Argha Manna here: https://drawinghistoryofscience.wordpress.com Theme music by Sean Balick; “Purple Light", Marble Run via Blue Dot Sessions.

How does choosing to be curious about the people and places around us help us discover, elevate and amplify history that's perhaps less well-known? In this third episode of the "Mile in Their Shoes" series, we use the Mount Vernon Trail as a vehicle for tracing our shared history, with the help of a local museum, a local government, and an independent journalist. Photo: "On the Point – ‘Buddies,’ May 30, 1897” Alexandria Black History Museum, used with permission. Visit Black Heritage Museum of Arlington: https://arlingtonblackheritage.org Visit Alexandria African American Heritage Trails: https://www.alexandriava.gov/historic-sites/african-american-heritage-trails Check out Kim O'Connell's work: https://www.kimaoconnell.com Theme music by Sean Balick; music by Onesuch Village, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Jason Logan is an artist and ink maker. But he doesn’t just make ink. He concocts magical potions from found ingredients. He forages, often in urban environments, everything from the berries you might expect, to scrap metal, cigarette butts and dry wall. It’s as if he looks at the world with one big “What if…?” Check out Jason Logan at: http://www.jasonslogan.com and https://torontoinkcompany.com Photo of Jason Logan credit to Sian Richards, used with permission. Theme music by Sean Balick; “Come As you Are” by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.

New Year, Timeless Wisdom! John L. Jackson, Jr., Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Valoria Walker and Jack Zhang drop some serious wisdom. I’ve pulled segments from four conversations to carry us into the new year. Forget new resolutions, try returning to things you know have worked for you already! Theme and other music by Sean Balick.

BONUS: Innovation advisor Larry Robertson and I talked much longer and more widely than I could accommodate in one episode. I can't bear for you to miss out on his insights, so here's a little bonus pack, with lessons gleaned from Naomi Osaka and others, in honor of rebel leadership everywhere. My original interview with Larry was 3 years ago (July 2021). One unexpected benefit of some digital housekeeping I'm doing right now is that I discovered this BONUS never made it to Soundcloud and the RSS feed. So, here you go! Find Episode #147 here: https://soundcloud.com/choosetobecurious/ep-147-rebel-leadership-with-larry-robertson Find Larry Robertson here: https://lrspeaks.com

I'm taking a little break in December. I'm calling it Curiosity R&R -- Curiosity Respite & ReAirs, so this is a quickie... It's been a packed 8 1/2 years of production and I need a rest. Radio audiences will have uninterrupted programming -- and you can get a peek here. Links on my website. I also provide a sneak preview of what's coming in 2025. :) But mostly I just want to say thank you for listening! Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Green Room" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.