Choose to be Curious

Jennifer Sauter-Price, an advocate for reading, discusses the power of books to open minds and worlds in young children. They emphasize the importance of diverse and inclusive books using the mirror and window book strategy. The podcast examines the significance of reading to children from an early age and fostering curiosity through books. The speaker compares curiosity to hopscotching and pop music, encouraging listeners to share pop music analogies.

Author Liz Coley discusses her journey from hospital administration to becoming a writer. They explore thought experiments, sharing ignorance, and the challenges of being a mature playwright. The conversation includes analogies for curiosity, querying and analyzing one's work, and sponsorship acknowledgements.

Erik Neighbour, creator of the app/game 'Capital Clues', talks about the inspiration behind the game developed during the pandemic, creating bike-friendly routes and new modules, and the power of curiosity in entrepreneurship.

Textile artist Andi Cullins, known as the 'Grandma Moses of quilts', and the host explore the interplay between African and Western textiles, emphasizing the value of curiosity. They discuss how curiosity fosters creativity, childhood experiences that nurtured curiosity, battling cancer, retirement, and the fascination of non-traditional fabrics and techniques in quilting.

Reed Weiler explores the intersection of spirituality, religion, and social justice with American University chaplain Rev. Bryant Oskvig. They discuss the importance of curiosity in faith and spirituality and its role in addressing moral issues like climate change. The speaker compares curiosity to comfortable sneakers that motivate action, expressing gratitude to their guest host and producer. They reflect on their experience as a guest producer and share their interest in exploring the Methodist tradition.

Entrepreneur and former ad exec Michael Tennant founded Curiosity Lab to "spread curiosity, inclusivity, and empathy through storytelling experiences." One way to do that is with his "Actually Curious" playing cards, his attempt to gamify empathy and community. I think he's on to something... Theme music by Sean Balick; "Up, Up, Up and Over" by the Balloonists via Blue Dot Sessions. Photo used with permission from Actually Curious / Curiosity Lab.

Personal trainer and founder of The Line Method, Eva Meier, joins the host to discuss how curiosity can be put to work for our bodies. They explore the mind-body connection, the relationship between movement and emotions, and make fascinating analogies between curiosity and kayak navigation and weaving.

Helen Reinecke-Wilt, Arlington County's Sustainability Planner, discusses how curiosity drives efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. Topics include making communities more walkable and bike-friendly, energy consumption practices, and transportation decarbonization initiatives like EV charging stations.

Political scientist and University of Chicago professor Eric Oliver joins the host to explore the allure and impact of conspiracy theories. They discuss the prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories, the connection between curiosity and uncertainty, and how conspiracy theories relate to understanding oneself. They also draw analogies between curiosity and swimming, and discuss how curiosity can be cultivated and protected.

Dr. Nicole Rochester, healthcare advocate and equity champion, discusses the impact of the last two years on curiosity in medicine and society. They explore the challenges of medical encounters during COVID-19, the broken trust in healthcare, the importance of asking why, addressing vaccine hesitancy and health disparities, and the power of curiosity in fixing broken systems like healthcare and education.