The Right Question Institute (RQI), works to build a more just and equitable democracy by strengthening people’s ability to ask questions and participate in decisions that affect them. As RQI puts it, “When people of all ages learn to ask the right questions, it leads to feeling a new sense of agency, confidence & power.”

Naomi Campbell directs RQI's Legal Empowerment program, leading RQI’s efforts to promote the adoption of the Right Question Strategy in legal practice settings serving low-income communities. 

The work is aimed at offering a simple way to integrate capacity-building into practice at the micro-level, as part of a systemic change strategy at the macro-level. That sounded to me like a serious curiosity practice in service of community transformation and I wanted to know more.

Learn more about about The Right Question Institute: https://rightquestion.org 

Read Jamie Jirout's research on children's questions and problem solving: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15248372.2020.1832492 

Take a look at this excellent coverage from The Guardian of work by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir on scarcity. Their work is not focused on curiosity specifically, but it certainly resonates! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/23/scarcity-sendhil-mullainathan-eldar-shafir 

Our theme music is by Sean Balick. “Faster Faster Brighter" by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #181: The Right Questions for Legal Empowerment, with Naomi Campbell

Claire Bown teaches techniques to help people connect more with art. Her guide How to Look at Art (Slowly) is as rich a compendium of curiosity practices as I've ever found. Claire's professional focus is museums, but she'd be the first to tell you: the skills she shares are useful anywhere...

Check out Claire's work at Thinking Museum: https://thinkingmuseum.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Purple Light" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.

CHOOSE TO BE CURIOUS

Ep. #191: Slow Looking & Visible Thinking, with Claire Bown

I can think of no better way to mark the rather miraculous milestone of my 200th episode than with a conversation about walking and wonder. David Pearl is an innovator in business and the arts. He's also inventor and founder of Street Wisdom, an exercise in meticulous whimsy that helps us find inspiration from strolling the streets around us.

"If you’re not curious, you tend to stay in the highways, not the byways, and you tend to stay within boundaries that your brain says, 'You're safe, you're knowledgable.' ... And  you can go far, but you don’t go wide." ~ David Pearl

Theme music by Sean Balick. “Derailed" by Depot, via Blue Dot Sessions. 

Check out David Pearl here: https://www.davidpearl.net 
And Street Wisdom here: https://www.streetwisdom.org

Ep. #200: Street Wisdom, with David Pearl

"I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times" is as encouraging a book as I can imagine. It is a curiosity guidebook par excellence, chock full of tips and tricks and a lovely reminder that, as author Monicá Guzmán puts it, “understanding the people who confound us is always, always worth it.”

Monicá Guzmán, founder of Reclaim Curiosity, is senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels. She dedicates her days -- and, as best I can tell, most of her nights and weekends as well -- to helping the rest of us build our curiosity muscle so we can, together, build trust and save our democracy.

You're going to want to get to know Monicá Guzmán: https://www.moniguzman.com

Check out Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org 

Theme music by Sean Balick. “Shift of Currents” by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #201: Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, with Monica Guzman

As the new school year gets started, I’ve been thinking  a lot about the important teachers in my life, the ones who left an indelible impression. Those special educators helped me see and, as importantly, they made me feel seen. They gave me tools with which to engage the world around me, exciting me about  it — and me in it.

No surprise: Slovakian educator and author Veronika Darwell caught my eye when she popped up with When You Are Curious, a children’s picture book with delightful illustrations by Johnny Plasil.

What I didn’t expect was that our conversation would take us to how teaching finds us, the magic of learning multiple languages, and the importance of representation and inclusive design.

Veronika maintains a robust and joyful social media presence on Instagram at @BooksWithMeaning.

Theme music by Sean Balick. “UpUpUp and Over” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #203: When You Are Curious, with Veronika Darwell

What if the best answer to a curious, generative question like, "What are all the ways we could...?" is "Do less"? 

UVA Engineering professor Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less makes the case  to consider subtraction as a viable, reliable, and all-too-often overlooked strategy in a world that is biased to always add more. 

And in a twist I definitely didn't see coming, Leidy takes analogous thinking to a whole new level of subtraction. "Analogies," he says, "are one of the only ways to remove wrong ideas."

Leidy Klotz: https://www.leidyklotz.com

Theme music by Sean Balick. “Hash Out” by Sunday at Slims, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #204: Curiosity, Analogies & the Power of Less, with Leidy Klotz

Instagram and TikTok sensation chef Jack Zhang, aka @CookingForLevi, has some things to teach the rest of us about the adventure that is food and toddlers. His delightful videos are proof that bringing a little curiosity into the kitchen can make mealtime magic happen. Young Levi is a curious eater, eagerly joining his parents on the culinary journey they're offering. 

Jack and his wife Emmy have just come out with Cultivating a Curious Palate, a cookbook of the delicious and exotic dishes Jack has been making for Levi. How could I not ask for a chat?

Cooking for Levi: https://www.instagram.com/cookingforlevi/

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Plum King” by Molerider, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #206: Cultivating a Curious Palate, with Jack Zhang

You wouldn’t know it, given her passion for research and accumulation of impressive academic credentials, but one thing artist and educator Rebecca Kamen doesn't do very well is read.

Only as an adult did she come to understand that she lives with dyslexia – a challenge in making the connection between the letters on a page and their meaning and sound – a challenge in reading.

As we come to understand the human brain better, we’re also coming to see that dyslexia, once uniformly regarded as a learning disability, is also a lens for seeing things differently.

Think “neurodivergent” not “disabled."

I was delighted when Rebecca, the deeply curious & creative person who happens to have dyslexia, reached out to me with an offer to explore all three.

Learn more about Rebecca Kamen's work on her website: rebeccakamen.com 

Theme music by Sean Balick; "The Summit", by K2, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #207: Seeing Differently: Curiosity, Creativity & Dyslexia, with Rebecca Kamen

I think it's fair to describe first-time author and long-time educator Scott Shigeoka as a curiosity activist. His debut book SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World focuses on what Scott calls “deep curiosity” -- the search for understanding that leads to connection and transformation and, in so doing, makes people feel seen and heard...reminding them that they matter.

That's no small thing in a time of profound incuriosity.

In the first episode, we dig into some of  my favorites among his many curiosity practices, like: "Be an admitter" -- seeing the joy in saying "I don't know" and centering on the relationship, rather than being right.  I've found "Visualize yourself being curious" really helpful in those moments when I just don't feel the least bit curious. And, I've got some bonus content from his book and other recent writing as well!

Visit: https://scottshigeoka.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Arizona Moon" by Cholate, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Photo Credit: Matt Stomper

Ep. #208: (Part 1) How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World, with Scott Shigeoka

Part two of a wonderful conversation with curiosity activist Scott Shigeoka.  Scott has just released his new book SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World.

In this second episode, we focus on a few of his favorite practices, including "Quicksanding" -- how to survive those scary, suffocating moments by slowing down. We explore how we can honor the limits of our curiosity and appreciate curiosity's cardinal directions: inward, outward, and beyond. Finally, I revisit a conversation with Jenn Seiff, whose training in yoga echoes so many of Scott's insights. It's a lovely pairing.

Visit: https://scottshigeoka.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Home Home At Last" by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Photo Credit: Matt Stomper

Ep. #208: (Part 2) How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life & Change the World, with Scott Shigeoka

Ilya Monosov invites us to rethink our understanding of the brain -- and to wrestle with the implications of how we define "curiosity".

Ilya studies neuronal circuits of motivation, emotion, and learning at the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. But this conversation about how one neuroscientist explores the world -- and why --  is much more nuanced and thoughtful than his position description suggests. 

I didn't anticipate our conversation would take us to the importance of neuroscience and information seeking for the fate of humanity, or to how achieving an "engineer's understanding" of the brain could be helpful for those living with mental health challenges like OCD.

Learn more about Ilya Monosov's work here: https://neuroscience.wustl.edu/people/ilya-monosov-phd/

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Lacquer Groove" by Tiny Tiny Trio,  via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #209: Why Neuroscience Matters, with Ilya Monosov

Yasmine Arrington Brooks was a teenager when she became the potential answer to a challenge. The child of incarcerated parents with a passion for making things happen, she founded ScholarCHIPS and hasn't looked back since.

ScholarCHIPS provides college scholarships, mentoring, mental health supports, and a peer support network to college-bound young adults who have incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education.

I've been a Yazzie fan for a long time and I wondered: what would she say about how curiosity contributes to the work of social entrepreneurship?

ScholarCHIPS:  https://www.scholarchipsfund.org 

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Front Runner” by Union Hall, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #210: ScholarCHIPS: Curiosity with Social Entrepreneur Yasmine Arrington Brooks

Happy New Year, friends! I hope the new year is landing gently for you.

I thought it would be nice to start 2024 not in overdrive, but in a conversation about taking our curiosity out for a leisurely ride, and I figured Justine Ickes was just the person for it.

Justine is an instructional designer, facilitator, trainer, and ICF-certified coach. She has a special place in my heart because she’s been the source of inspiration for more than a few of my guests and topics. 

As I hoped and imagined, the lines between her gig as a coach and her joy as a creative are blurry, at best. It was, perhaps more than anything else, a conversation about reframing.

Justine Ickes: https://justineickes.com

Visit my website for the (very) full list of resources from today's show: https://lynnborton.com 

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Slow Toe" by k4 via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #212: Slow Down, with Justine Ickes

If you think poetry isn't your thing, spend some time with David Keplinger.

David is the author of eight books of poetry and a professor at American University. We got to know one another through a humanities workgroup that was looking at how curiosity might be more effectively woven into the fabric of life at AU. He was a warm and profoundly thoughtful participant in the group, one of my favorites.

His new book, Ice, starts with the melting permafrost in Siberia, which has begun to reveal the bodies of 40,000 year old animals, from the last Ice Age.

The poems about frozen animals then segue into poems about our own bodies under the “ice of forgetting”—and how the light of poetry, for him, melted that ice away and helped him remember.

Find David Keplinger's work here: http://www.davidkeplingerpoetry.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Snow Melt" by Glacier Quarter, Araby, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #213: Poetry: Curiosity Emerging, with David Keplinger

Journalist and genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn helps rediscover and tell stories that might otherwise be lost. She specializes in helping Eastern European Jewish families shattered by the Holocaust reclaim their history. In 2022, she co-founded the DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History, which seeks to promote DNA testing as a tool for helping Holocaust survivors find family.

Her curiosity practices have deep journalistic roots and she'd be the first to tell you: it's not magic.

Find Jennifer Mendelsohn at The Association of Professional Genealogists: https://www.apgen.org/profiles/jennifer-mendelsohn

Ep. #214: Curiosity & Genealogy: The Stories We Tell, with Jennifer Mendelsohn

Rob Lawless has set himself the goal of having one-on-one, hour-long conversations with ten thousand people. He has four conversations a day, which he carefully documents on Instagram. 

I was #6041.

If ever there were a curiosity enterprise, this is it.

You, too, can be one of Rob's Ten Thousand Friends. Reach him at @robs10kfriends on Instagram. Tell him Lynn sent you!

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Heartland Flyer" by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #217: Ten Thousand Friends, with Rob Lawless

Soren Meibom, scientist turned visual artist, situates himself at the intersection of curiosity, creativity, art and science. His work blends the techniques of visual arts with the tools of science: data, formulae, charts, and graphs. His unique combination – what he calls “SciArt” – seeks to trigger our curiosity and ignite our joy of discovery.

Check out Soren Meibom: sorenmeibom.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Celestial Navigation" by Aeronaut, via Blue Dot Sessions.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders; passage used with permission of the author

Ep. #215: Curiosity, Creativity, Science & Art: "SciArt" with Soren Meibom

Ep. #216: Curiosity & Aging, with Michiko Sakaki

Addie Bracy is a professional ultra trail runner, coach, and sport psychology consultant. She helps athletes of all ages and abilities to prepare for the mental demands of competing. She says curiosity is key.

Check out Addie Bracy here: https://www.strivementalperformance.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Glass Runner" by Marble Run, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #220: Superpower: Curiosity & Athletic Performance, with Addie Bracy

The folks at The Center of Brain Health at the University of Texas, Dallas, want to empower people to be the architects of their own brains.

At the heart of the the Center's work is the science of neuroplasticity – that our brains are works in progress, capable of remarkable continuous growth and strengthening.

How might curiosity contribute? 

Dr. Julie Fratantoni is a cognitive neuroscientist, with a specialty in making neuroscience approachable. She is head of research integration and partnerships at the Center and leads the user experience and content creation for the Center's 10-year long Brain Health Project.

Check out the Center for BrainHealth and the Great Brain Gain movement: https://centerforbrainhealth.org

Find Julie Fratantoni on Instagram at @drjuliefratantoni

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Mind Body Mind" by Bodytonic, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #218: Curiosity & Brain Health, with Dr. Julie Fratantoni

Matt Rogers is a political strategist by profession and nature. I wondered what insights he might have about how curiosity shows up in politics. 

More than anything else, this ended up being a conversation about the risks of incuriosity. Matt sees the dangers for his beloved Eagles, in his experience as a political candidate, and in personal relationships.

Matt Rogers is a busy guy. Find him on LinkedIn @mcrogers and check out his podcast, Honorable Mention: A (Philly) Sports Podcast: https://www.linkedin.com/company/honorable-mention-po

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Town Market" by Onesuch Village  via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #219: Curiosity in Work, Life, Politics & Sports, with Matt Rogers

Do you have things you do, with any regularity, that feed your curious soul? Things that you just know will energize and enliven your day, your week, your whole month?

You should. They make a difference.

Allow me to introduce you to CreativeMorning, a global network of monthly breakfast gatherings "for the creative community" -- meaning: for you, me, and anyone else who is interested.

Check out CreativeMorning/Fayetteville: https://creativemornings.com/cities/FAY

Theme music by Sean Balick; "Bauxite" by Little Rock, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #222: Lessons in Curiosity from CreativeMornings with Regina Buono & Jess Whalen

What might the rest of us learn from someone whose job it is to observe places really closely?

I met movie location scout Aaron Hurvitz at a wedding last summer and immediately thought (1) cool suit, and (2) interesting job – seems like  a curiosity enterprise to me! 

Aaron’s location scouting credits include Joker, West Side Story, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Maestro. He says he likes “bringing to reality what’s on the page….” Indeed!

Check out Aaron Hurvitz's work, including his location scouting and terrific street photography (alert viewers will enjoy Lafanda): https://aaron-hurvitz.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Clay Pawn Shop", by Castro , via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #221: Seeing LIke a Location Scout, with Aaron Hurvitz

Today’s conversation with Ben Rein, PhD is a Choose to be Curious trifecta: a neuroscientist, who studies empathy, has devoted himself to science communication, and willingly stands in the chaotic swirl where curiosity can go weirdly very awry.

Ben is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Robert Malenka's lab at Stanford University and a science communicator on social media. 

You might know him as @Dr.Brein on TikTok or @Doctor.Brein on Instagram. He’s the one summarizing research papers, teaching neuroscience basics, and debunking viral videos that promote scientific misinformation. 

Somehow, Ben has managed to combine curiosity, empathy and social media and have genuine good come of it. At some point in our conversation I declared his work a "special kind of alchemy." I stand by that.

Find Ben Rein, PhD on line at: www.benrein.com and follow him on social media: Instagram: @doctor.brein TikTok: @dr.brein

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Perspiration” by The Ballonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #225: A Special Alchemy: Curiosity, Empathy & Social Media, with Dr. Ben Rein

Business and popular magazines are riddled with assurances that the best leaders are curious. That where curiosity goes, success will follow. 

I blithely encourage people to “choose to be curious.”

But the truth is: it isn’t that simple.

There is some skill involved. And, not surprisingly, more than a few social constructs.

So, today we’re digging into the social side of curiosity at work with Phil Thompson, PhD. Phil is a professor in the Department of Management at the Pamplin School of Business at Virginia Tech. He’s trying to understand how micro-organizational behaviors such as organizational citizenship behavior, impression management, organizational politics, perceived organizational support, and curiosity influence employees’ job performance.

And, he wants to know, what happens when those dynamics intersect with gender differences?

Check out Phil Thompson's work: https://www.philthompsonphd.com

Music by Sean Balick.

EP. #223: The Social Side of Curiosity at Work, with Phil Thompson PhD

Author, journalist, sailor and community radio host Katya Gordon says radio pulls together everything she believes in: a shared purpose, old fashioned connection to one another, a vast array of differing ideas and priorities, and plain old hard work and commitment. 

We had a lovely and candid conversation about curiosity, spirituality, our many media biases, and the power in choosing to trust.

Get to know Katya Gordon through Amicus Adventure Sailing, which she owns and operates with her husband: https://amicusadventuresailing.com/credentials

Check out KTWH 99.5 FM, Two Harbors Community Radio: https://ktwh.org

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Temporal Slip" by CloudBreaker, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #224: Curiosity, Community Radio & Choosing to Trust, with Katya Gordon

I’ve been thinking that foraging – going from place to place looking for things one can eat – is a lot like the sampling and prioritizing of information gathering that neuroscientists are studying, just applied to things many of us readily dismiss as "weeds".

Tama Matsuoka Wong is a finance lawyer turned professional forager. She got curious about the “weeds” around her when she moved to a fixer-upper house in northern New Jersey. She started to see them and their ecosystem differently. Now she forages for high-end chefs in Manhattan and is an advocate for thoughtful stewardship of what's naturally all around us.

That struck me as a curiosity conversation worth having.

Learn more about Tama Matsuoka Wong here: https://www.meadowsandmore.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Lakeside Path" by Duck Lake, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #226: Foraging: Curiosity & Dancing with Nature, with Tama Matsuoka Wong

The first in a series: looking at a place from multiple perspectives. 

I call it "A Mile in Their Shoes". 

We begin with people who have chosen to care for a bit of the Earth, the big-hearted, hard-working, fun-loving Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. 

They have found community, purpose and lots to be curious about...

Check out Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail: https://mountvernontrail.org 

Music by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions

Photo used with permission of Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail

Ep. #227: A Mile in Their Shoes: Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail

We talk a lot about questions here on Choose to Be Curious. But talking about questions is one thing, really wresting with them is another.

Ken Woodward not only curates questions, he leans into them. Big time. And that has changed his life in ways large and small that are an inspiration to me. I think they will be for you, as well.

“Wrestling with the questions has allowed me space for me to work through the emotions, the thoughts, the processing. All of that comes through questioning, doing some journaling, and kind of making my way through that challenge.” ~ Ken Woodward

Check out Ken's Curated Questions: https://www.curatedquestions.com

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Four Point Path“ by The Bulwark, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #228: Wrestling with Questions, with Ken Woodward

"Infidelity is the antithesis of curiosity" says Tracy Schorn, whose blog "Chump Lady" has amassed 20M page views. We explore curiosity as a power tool in facing relationship betrayal. There's a reason she's an internet and publishing sensation....

Ep. #58: Infidelity, with "Chump Lady" Tracy Schorn

Choose to be Curious is a show all about curiosity. We talk about research and theory, but mostly it's conversations about how curiosity shows up in work and life.  

Now syndicated and available via Pacifica RadioNetwork.

Choose to be Curious

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