

The Curious Advantage Podcast
The Curious Advantage
The Curious Advantage Podcast explores how curiosity drives success in the digital age. Hosted by authors and business leaders Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown, and Garrick Jones, each episode features conversations with global experts across business, science, and culture.
Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones are co-founders of Ludic Group and authors of The Curious Advantage and ALIVE: Digital Humans and Their Organizations. Simon Brown is Global Learning & Development Leader, Partner, Talent at EY, and co-author of The Curious Advantage. Together, they share insights and practical tools to help individuals and organizations unlock their potential through curiosity.
Learn more at curiousadvantage.com.
Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones are co-founders of Ludic Group and authors of The Curious Advantage and ALIVE: Digital Humans and Their Organizations. Simon Brown is Global Learning & Development Leader, Partner, Talent at EY, and co-author of The Curious Advantage. Together, they share insights and practical tools to help individuals and organizations unlock their potential through curiosity.
Learn more at curiousadvantage.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 13, 2023 • 41min
58: Rita McGrath: Inflection Points & Navigating Blind Spots (Professor, Columbia Business School)
Join the hosts of The Curious Advantage as they dive into the world of innovation and growth with the incredible Rita McGrath. Rita, a seasoned author, speaker, and Professor at Columbia Business School, shares her journey from CEO to academia, unveiling insights from her latest book, Seeing Around Corners.
In this episode, Rita unpacks the concept of inflection points, discussing the eight practices crucial for navigating blind spots. She emphasizes the importance of early warning systems in detecting these pivotal moments before they occur, revealing how examining assumptions ties into spotting these turning points using the 7Cs framework from The Curious Advantage book.
We explore the intersection of curiosity and business, discovering how Rita's personal curiosity fuels her work and why she believes curiosity is the key to success in our rapidly changing digital landscape. Rita's expertise, combined with her passionate approach to leveraging curiosity, offers a unique perspective on fostering growth and innovation and inspires individuals and organizations to navigate curiously during uncertainty to drive success in our ever-evolving world.
Seeing Around Corners is available on Amazon
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About The Curious Advantage Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing is expertly by Danny Cross. Video editing by Jessica Wickham.

Nov 22, 2023 • 56min
57: Doug Belshaw & Laura Hilliger: Beyond Blockchain - Open Badges, We are Open, Coops, Voodoo Categorization & the Future of Work with (Co-Founders, We Are Open Co-op)
Some of us maybe living in a version of the future now. Doug Belshaw and Laura Hilliger from “We are Open”, a cooperative structure that supports multi-dimensional non-corporate organisations, know what it takes to make a very different way of working work. We caught up with them to explore there ways of doing things, it spans the globe and is based on models that are fast becoming popular. We are curious about the future and different ways of organising and so we talk about Open Badges, beyond blockchain, cooperative structures and many other new concepts such as Voodoo Catagorisation.
Are you curious? Subscribe today! Join the conversation, connect with the authors, and keep exploring curiously!
Show notes:
https://tilde.town/~dozens/sofa/
https://dougbelshaw.com/thesis/
https://ailiteracy.fyi/
https://blog.weareopen.coop/navigating-greenpeaces-critical-incident-network-5d9fe79ea824
https://weareopen.coop
https://weareopen.coop/aop/
Green Peace Articles –
Part 1: https://blog.weareopen.coop/navigating-greenpeaces-critical-incident-network-5d9fe79ea824
Part 2: https://blog.weareopen.coop/exploring-community-learning-pathways-88a9758928c2
Part 3: https://blog.weareopen.coop/discovering-a-multimodal-training-f289eeed7fde
Open Badges, recognition and Credentialing - https://badges.community
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing is expertly by Danny Cross. Video editing by Jessica Wickham.

Nov 8, 2023 • 27min
S5 Ep5: #56 Exprovement - Exponential Improvement through Converging Parallels with Hersh Haladker (Founder, Instillmotion)
In this episode, Garrick Jones dives into the world of innovation with Hersh Haladker, founder of InstillMotion, a company that helps businesses achieve Exprovement, the convergence of ideas solving unique business challenges.
Hersh, co-author of Exprovement: Unleashing Innovation Across Industries shares insights into his innovation journey, discussing his early interest and the nuanced relationship between innovation and incrementalism.
Our discussion centres on the three key topics from Hersh's book, providing a concise exploration of revitalizing methods and driving productivity through cross-industry disruption.
Hersh also highlights the significance of behavioural economics in innovation, emphasising the understanding of human behaviour for successful strategies. Learn how curiosity is the driving force behind innovation, sharing its role in sparking ideas and fostering continuous improvement.
Are you curious? #curiosity #improvement #curiousconversations #behaviouraleconomics #staycurious
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis and Jessica Wickham, edited by Roman Pechersky and Danny Cross
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organizations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organizations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history, and behaviorism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy of The Curious Advantage on Amazon
Listen to The Curious Advantage on Audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn

Oct 25, 2023 • 44min
S5 Ep4: #55 Neuroscience, Experience Facilitation & the New Learning Protocols with Lauren Waldman (Founder & Learning Scientist, Learning Pirate)
In this engaging podcast episode, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown and Garrick Jones are joined by Lauren Waldman, the founder and learning specialist behind Learning Pirate.
With an educational background spanning prestigious institutions like Harvard, Duke, and John Hopkins University, Lauren launched Learning Pirate in 2017. Her mission is to empower individuals to harness their full cognitive potential, thereby enhancing the quality of their lives through scientifically optimized learning strategies.
During our conversation, Lauren explains the concepts of scientific learning design and how it can revolutionize the way we approach education, the connections between brain chemistry, neurotransmitters, and the learning process, the importance of curiosity from a neurological perspective and how it fuels cognitive growth and valuable insights on navigating stress and emotional responses within the learning process, empowering learners and educators alike to overcome challenges and achieve excellence
Don't miss this enlightening conversation that merges the worlds of learning and neuroscience, offering profound insights into optimizing our capacity for learning, working, and living life to the fullest.
Are you curious? Subscribe today! Join the conversation, connect with the authors, and keep exploring curiously!
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organizations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organizations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history, and behaviorism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy of The Curious Advantage on Amazon
Listen to The Curious Advantage on Audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn

Oct 11, 2023 • 50min
S5 Ep3: #54 The Khan Academy with Sal Khan (Founder & CEO, The Khan Academy)
In this episode, we delve into the world of education and innovation with our special guest, Sal Khan, the visionary founder, and CEO of Khan Academy. Sal's mission is to provide a free, world-class education to learners of all ages and backgrounds, and his pioneering approach to education has earned him acclaim as a trailblazer in the ed-tech industry alongside his early adoption of Generative AI technologies.
We uncover the intriguing narrative behind Khanmigo's inception and the driving inspiration that birthed this ground-breaking platform. Explore how Khanmigo and cutting-edge technologies like ChatGPT 4 are revolutionizing the educational landscape. Delve into the significant role curiosity plays in Sal's approach to innovation and education. Plus, get a glimpse into Sal's personal interests and the diverse curiosities that ignite his passion beyond the realms of AI and education.
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis & Jessica Wickham and edited by Roman Pechersky & Danny Cross
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn

Sep 28, 2023 • 47min
S5 Ep2: #53 All-Blacks Management, Excellence & Curiosity with Darren Shand (Manager, All Blacks)
Darren Shand, the long-time manager of the All Blacks rugby team, shares his inspiring journey and leadership philosophy that prioritizes curiosity and continuous improvement. He discusses the challenges of managing a top-performing team, particularly after defeats, while highlighting the importance of a strong team mentality known as 'the All Blacks Way.' Darren also explores how the principles of sports leadership can be applied to business, emphasizing authenticity and collaboration for achieving excellence in any field.

Sep 14, 2023 • 48min
S5 Ep1: #52 Problem Solving, Curiosity & Living in The Moment with José Manuel Barroso (Former Portugal Prime Minister & President of the European Commission)
José Manuel Barroso's path from academia to politics is a journey fuelled by curiosity and lifelong learning. Starting as a law professor in Portugal, he rose to become the Prime Minister of Portugal in 2002 and later served as the President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014, steering through critical events like the Lisbon Treaty, the 2008 financial crisis, and the European Sovereign Debt Crisis.
Discover how José's upbringing influenced his curiosity and love for learning, and how these traits played a pivotal role in his successful political career. Explore how his commitment to curiosity has shaped his leadership style and guided him through challenging situations and crises.
Join us for these insightful conversations and more with José Manuel Barroso in the Season 5 premiere episode of The Curious Advantage Podcast. Continue this curious conversation with us over on our LinkedIn page and share your thoughts and feelings on this episode.
Get your copy of The Curious Advantage on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible
Follow The Curious Advantage on LinkedIn
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis, Jessica Wickham & Edited by Roman Pechersky, Danny Cross.
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com

Aug 29, 2023 • 52min
S4 Ep11: #51 Surviving AI with Calum Chace (The AI Guy)
Calum Chase, best-selling author, and AI expert and adviser, specializing in the future of AI and its impacts on our societies and economies, has an insightful conversation with Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones about the benefits and challenges of AI. He talks about the future impacts of Artificial Intelligence and how it will affect the future of work, health, and economic sectors.
How can curiosity navigate AI's evolving implications? How does curiosity drive AI innovation and progress? What are the challenges and opportunities in harnessing AI's potential for positive impact?
Are you curious?
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history, and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis & Jessica Wickham and edited by Roman Pechersky & Danny Cross
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible

Aug 14, 2023 • 48min
S4 Ep10: #50 The Olympics going beyond Psychological Safety with Richard Parker (Head of Leadership & Culture & Partner, EY)
Richard Parker, previous CEO of the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association and current CEO of Leading Line Consultancy and Partner within EY Lane4 joins Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones in a thought-provoking discussion on how resilience, not being afraid to fail and curiosity has driven him to move through a career starting as a teacher, professional athlete and CEO to a big 4 partner.
How do you build your confidence to follow different career paths? What do you think is stopping people from trying new things out? What does this mean for leaders and organizations? and what is a leader’s role in creating psychological safety?
Are you curious?
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history, and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis, Jessica Wickham & Edited by Roman Pechersky
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible

Jul 20, 2023 • 54min
S4 Ep9: #49 Nurturing Deep Human Possibility with Tim Munden (Former Chief Learning Officer, Unilever & Director, Kairon)
Tim Munden, award-winning Former Chief Learning Officer of Unilever and Founder and Director of Kairon joins Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown, Garrick Jones in a thought-provoking discussion on igniting and discovering purpose, ensuring wellbeing for individuals and leaders, and focusing on the approach of upskilling employees to shift behaviours. How is purpose connected to curiosity and how does managing the wellbeing of leaders create organizations fit for the future? Why should organisations aspire to be a purpose led, future fit place?
Are you curious?
About the Curious Advantage Podcast Series
The Curious Advantage Podcast series is brought to you by the authors of the book The Curious Advantage, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown & Garrick Jones and it is about how individuals and organisations use the power of curiosity to drive success in their lives and organisations, especially in the context of our new digital reality. It brings to life the latest understanding from neuroscience, anthropology, history and behaviourism about curiosity and makes these useful for everyone.
Produced by Aliki Paolinelis, Jessica Wickham & Edited by Roman Pechersky
#Curiousadvantage #Curiousadvantagepodcast #curiosity #7CsofCuriosity
About ‘The Curious Advantage’ Book
The Curious Advantage is an exploration of the idea of Curiosity and its increasing importance for thriving in the digital age. Taking the widest possible exploration of things Curious – historical, contemporary, neuro-scientific, anthropological, behavioural, semantic and business-focused.
At the heart of the book is our model of Curiosity, called ’Sailing the 7 C’s of Curiosity’. This model provides individuals with a practical framework for how to be successfully Curious and use Curiosity as a power skill to unlock their own potential. To find out more visit: curiousadvantage.com
Get your copy on Amazon
The Curious Advantage Audiobook is also available on audible


