Curiosity sits at the intersection of creativity, effective human interactions, problem-solving and purposeful change. Unfortunately, the pace of life — at home, work, and school — often sidetracks our natural curiosity. So, listen as we look at the familiar from a different angle or something new as a possibility to consider.
Kevin and Sue Harter began their journey of operating an inn more than 25 years ago. Life intervened, and it wasn’t until the summer of 2019, that they took the leap when they made an impulsive visit to the inn that had been Norman Rockwell’s former home and studio in Arlington, VT. From the moment they drove over the covered bridge, they knew they were about to write their next chapter. By the end of 2019, they became Vermonters and renamed the property “Rockwell’s Retreat.”
Read MoreIn this episode, I trace the mental and physical journey I recently traveled in the Netherlands to grasp the murder of 102,000 Dutch Jews during WWII at the hands of the Nazis. I wanted to move beyond the number and get to the human beings. The larger mental issue I faced was confronting the remnants of hate I saw and how they drove me toward hate.
Read MoreMost of the time, when anyone talks about reforming education to meet the demands of the 21st century, we look at grades K-12. But my guest in this episode, Mike Magee, President of Minerva University, worked with others to completely redesign the role and operation of higher education. Listen to find out why Minerva University was ranked “the most innovative university in the world.”
Read MoreRenée Smith is the founder and CEO of A Human Workplace, a global movement, and consultancy committed to making work more human. Renée and I discussed her journey into organizational development and why she started her organization, A Human Workplace, which aims to eliminate fear in the workplace. In this episode, we focus on the antidote to fear in the workplace: love.
Read MoreRenée Smith is the founder and CEO of A Human Workplace, a global movement, and consultancy committed to making work more human. Renée and I discussed her journey into organizational development and why she started her organization, A Human Workplace, which aims to eliminate fear in the workplace. In this episode, we focus on how and why fear shows up at work.
Read MoreThe Calamity of the Battle for the Hurtgen Forest In this episode, I detail aspects of a recent tour of World War II’s Hurtgen Forest battlefield on the border between Belgium and Germany. It was the site of the longest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army and one of its worst – if not the worst – defeats. There are lessons to be learned here for today’s leaders and us.
Read MoreKirk Wallace Johnson is the author of The Fishermen and the Dragon: Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, and To Be a Friend is Fatal: the Fight to Save the Iraqis America Left Behind, which covers his efforts on behalf of Iraqi refugees as the founder of the List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies.
Read MoreBernard Beitman, M.D. is the first psychiatrist since Carl Jung to systematize the study of coincidences. In this episode, we explore meaningful coincidences – synchronicity and serendipity: how we can spot them, leverage them, and benefit from them.
Read MoreIn this episode, Joanne Greene, author of By Accident: A Memoir of Letting Go, shares the story of her life before and after a traumatic accident where she was hit by a car while crossing the street.
Read MoreMark Reid, a former lawyer with a background in martial arts and Japanese, started the Zen Sammich podcast on mindfulness and Zen philosophy. In this episode, we discuss his Zen practices, including focusing on objects and doing kind things for patience, and his interest in nature and other cultures.
Read MoreWhat’s your decision-making process? Think things through in your head? Go with your gut? A combination. Guest Jennifer Jane Young helps us explore and rely on our intuition.
Read MoreIf there is an area of study that epitomizes human curiosity, it may just be space exploration because space exploration – as planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern explained – can help answer the critical scientific questions of how and when our solar system was formed and whether our home in the Universe is unique.
Read MoreValerie Gordon is a 10-time Emmy-winning television producer with over 20 years of producing and overseeing award-winning content. She knows what makes a story meaningful and memorable and the incredible power of stories to engage, educate and entertain. And she’s detailed how we can tell a healthier personal story – and overcome our inner narrator – in her highly readable book, FIRE YOUR NARRATOR: A Storyteller’s Guide to Getting Out of Your Head and Into Your Life.
Read MoreHal Herring is an award-winning journalist and contributing editor at Field and Stream magazine. He is also the host of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Podcast and Blast. In this episode, we discuss a number of environmental issues.
Read MoreThis episode unwraps a 3-minute and 30-second piece entitled “The Night Window” that Thomas Newman scored for the film “1917.” It comes at a particularly dramatic point in the film. Helping us understand the music, the dramatic point in the film it supports, and the genius of film scoring is Jeanine Cowen, the chair and professor of practice of the Screen Scoring department at the University of Southern California.
Read MoreRick Locke is a great example of someone who literally had to look at life from a different angle. While he was losing his central vision due to macular degeneration, he could still see out of the corner of his eye. And that, as it turns out, was the lens through which he could see – and share – a whole new world of wonder.
Read MoreApril Vokey couldn’t help but look at life from a different angle. From a very early age, April loved fishing and hunting. She decided to shun more traditional work and instead start a business where she would guide, provide instructional courses, write, be a keynote speaker, and host a podcast on all things related to her fishing interests, all while becoming a wife and mother. Her decision also came with the expected challenges — and one challenge that men doing the same work never face.
Read MoreIn this podcast episode, my cohost, Steve Miletto, of the “Teaching, Learning, Leading K12” podcast, and I talk with Elizabethton, TN High School teachers Daniel Proffitt, Jason Clevinger, and Patrick Roberts. Elizabethton High School has a mission to build a culture for learners to think and act as changemakers.
Read MoreCindy House is the author of Mother Noise, a memoir in essays, and is a regular opener for author/humorist David Sedaris on his tours across the country. She teaches in the MFA program at Lesley University.
photo by Vivien Stembridge
Read MoreSteve Jobs famously said, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” Today’s guest, Christian Busch, PHD, would respectfully disagree. He writes, “serendipity is not just about a coincidence that happens to us, but it is actually through the process of spotting and connecting the dots do we start to see bridges where others see gaps.”
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