Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Self-Improvement
About
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, let's see the familiar from a different angle or something new as a possibility to consider.
Episodes
- 417: What's One Question You Can Ask to Build Capacity?
Hi, I'm Jeff Ikler, host of the Cultivating Curiosity podcast. It's summer, and our thoughts naturally turn to making the most of longer days and warmer weather. We're desperate to be outside. With that in mind, I'm periodically releasing…
- 416: How Can We Make Work Feel and Be More Meaningful?
Guest After 11 years at IBM, Brooke Erol left a "great job on paper" to pursue a more aligned, purpose-driven life. She founded Your Best Life Inc. to help professionals find meaning at work, and later Purposeful Business to support leader…
- 415: Is It Possible to Reinvent Oneself Without Having All the Answers? Pt 1
Guest JoAnne Duncan has had a varied career, from Alaskan fly-fishing guide to elementary teacher and principal, always focused on valuing the strengths of every student and staff member. Though she's stepped away from her career in public…
- 414: How Do Memorials Engage Visitors Physically and Mentally?
Dr. James Young explains that memorials are dynamic, experiential spaces that differ from static monuments. He uses examples like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Holocaust memorials to illustrate how effective memorials balance abstracti…
- 413: Working to Find Common Ground on Public Lands Amid Competing Interests
This episode features Aaron Hebeisen discussing the management and future of U.S. public lands, emphasizing their multiple-use mandate and the importance of civic engagement for their protection. The conversation covers land access complex…
- 412: From Insight to Action: How Real Change Actually Happens
Guest Ashley Jablow shares insights on navigating career transitions and the necessity of balancing reflection with action for meaningful change. She emphasizes that creativity, play, and joy are essential pathways when feeling stuck, and…
- 411: How Can Schools and Communities Collaborate to Prevent Bullying
Dr. Shileste Overton Morris explains that bullying stems from systemic conditions and power dynamics, amplified by technology. Effective prevention requires a whole-school, consistent approach focusing on social-emotional learning and posi…
- 410: What Did We Learn From Crashing Into an Asteroid on Purpose?
Planetary scientist Dr. Carolyn Ernst and software engineer Michelle Chen discuss NASA's DART mission, which successfully impacted an asteroid to test planetary defense. The mission
- 409: How Do Unspoken Family Histories Shape Who We Become?
Guest Carol Tyler, known for her beautifully written and drawn autobiographical comics, is one of the most important and influential comics artists ever. In July 2026, she will be inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame at Comic-Con. He…
- 408: What Do We Still Get Wrong About Wolves?
Guest Amaroq Weiss is the Senior Wolf Advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. A biologist and former attorney, she has worked on wolf recovery and conservation advocacy at the state and federal levels across the country for near…
- 405: What Can Standing in Awe of the Natural World Teach Us?
Guest Tom Reed studied photography at Rutgers while studying Geography. Ansel Adams, Edgar Payne, and the Hudson River School are major influencers. Zen sensibilities profoundly influence his compositions and writings, as he is a student o…
- 404: How Do the Experiences of War Echo Across Generations?
Guest Matthew Collins is a writer, speaker, and voice coach whose career spans British television, travel writing, prison education, and Shakespeare. A former BBC presenter, he now leads voice and public speaking workshops and teaches Shak…
- 403: What Do Artifacts Explain About the History of the West?
Guest Paul Knowles has not followed a conventional path. Originally from Texas, he worked in Downtown Dallas as a financial advisor for the world's largest private wealth manager. He then served as marketing director for a highly successfu…
- 402: How Does Animal-Assisted Education Improve Student Focus and Mental Health?
Guest Barbara Vokatis is a professor at the State University of New York an Oneonta, keynote speaker, award-winning author, and therapy dog partner. She is an author of books in dog therapy in educational settings ("Teachers and Therapy Do…
- 401: How Do Writer Friendships Make the Creative Journey More Sustainable?
Guest Hurley Winkler is a writer and editor from Jacksonville, FL. Her newsletter, "Lonely Victories," is among the top Substack publications in the Literature category. She teaches creative writing at Flagler College. Summary In this epis…
- 400: How Do Observing and Deep Listening Help Shape Strong Writing?
Guest Heather Lende is the author of four books centered on her life in Haines, Alaska: If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, Find the Good: Life Lessons from a Small-town Obituary Writer, and, m…
- 399: Why Do Public Lands Remain a Source of Controversy?
Guest Adam Bronstein grew up exploring the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York and knew from a young age that he wanted to work to protect wild places. He received a BS from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in Environm…
- 398: Why Do Internal Customers Matter as Much as External Ones?
Guest April Obersteller is a people-centered leader, operator, and founder of And Not Or, a community and leadership platform built around the belief that we don't have to choose. She has led customer and employee experience across iconic…
- 397: Who and What's Behind the Continued Efforts to Sell or Transfer Our Public Lands?
Guest Hal Herring is a long-time contributing editor and writer at Field and Stream magazine and has covered conservation and the environment for national and international publications for almost thirty years. His work was featured in the…
- 396: What We Read and Why in 2025
Summary In this episode, Cultivating Curiosity host Jeff Ikler reflects on his love of year-end "Best Books" lists and why reading sits at the heart of his podcast and personal life. He welcomes lists from institutions like The New York Ti…
- 395: Why Are Many of Today's Students Anxious, Aggressive, and Shut Down?
Guests Why are school children more anxious, aggressive, and shut down than ever before? We first heard answers from educators Tamara Neufeld Strijack and Hannah Beach in April 2020. Hannah takes us up to the present in this update episode…
- 394: "Earthrise"—What Can the Apollo 8 Mission to the Moon in 1968 Still Teach Us?
Update: If you listened to last week's podcast, you know that today's episode about the historic Apollo 8 mission to the moon in late December 1968 was one of my most popular of 2024. The lessons from that mission, which I discussed in epi…
- 393: Which Podcast Episodes Did You Listen to the Most in 2025?
Summary This coming February, Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity will start its eighth year. My goal with this podcast is to host guests who will make us think, "I didn't know anything about that," or "That's something I hadn't consider…
- 392: In What Ways Do Children Grow When They Run Real Businesses?
Guest Leah Ellis is a mom of four, writer, wedding officiant, Girl Scout leader, and founder of The Society of Child Entrepreneurs. Her life blends family, creativity, and leadership, from giggling over business plans at the breakfast tabl…
- 391: What Can Chronic Uncertainty Teach Us About Control, Acceptance, and Resilience?
Guest Jonathan Gluck is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post . He was deputy editor of New York magazine for ten years, after which he worked as managing editor of Vogue . He currently w…
- 390: What Leads to the Successful Management of Our Public Lands?
Guest Hunter Seim is a thirty-year veteran of the Bureau of Land Management. His current role is a range and wild horse advisor to the District Manager of the Northwest District, Colorado BLM. During his career, he worked as a land survey…
- 389: In Life's Current—Where Curiosity, Connection, and Serendipity Converge
Guest Spencer Seim owns and operates ZiaFly guide service in Taos, NM. He's been tying flies since age eight and just finished his 23rd season guiding the southern Rockies. Spencer is well known for his classic Atlantic salmon flies, as we…
- 388: Bridging Our Virtual Distance: Reconnecting in the Age of AI
Guest Dr. Karen Sobel-Lojeski is a pioneer in understanding how technology shapes human connection at work and beyond. She created the award-winning framework, Virtual Distance, a proven and practical set of predictive analytics that targe…
- 387: The Healing Power of Plants, Purpose, and Family
Guest Jodi Scott is a purpose-driven business leader and entrepreneur passionate about bridging the gap between natural wellness and modern innovation. As the co-founder of Green Goo, she's helped pioneer plant-based alternatives in catego…
- 386: Walking Back to Ourselves: Lessons from the Camino de Santiago
Guest Dennis and Ali Pitocco lead 360° Nation, a global media platform dedicated to uplifting humanity. For over 15 years, the couple has focused on showcasing humanity's best aspects and driving positive change. Their philosophy emphasize…
- 385: Uncertainty and The Art of Paying Attention to Small Things
Guest Christopher Schaberg, PhD., is the Director of Public Scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a founding editor of Object Lessons, a book series on the secret lives of ordinary things. Chris is the author of ten…
- 384: Beyond Test Scores: Four Pivots for Educational Leaders to Create Lasting Impact
Guest Lyle Kirtman has been a leadership development consultant for more than 30 years. As CEO, of Future Management Systems Inc., he has worked on developing leaders to increase results for students in 500 school districts in 15 states. K…
- 383: Beyond the Catch—The Deeper Lessons of Fly Fishing
Guest When I sat down with Brew Moscarello, founder of Trico Unlimited, a Vermont-based fly fishing guiding and instruction service, it was clear that his story is about more than guiding—it's about a lifelong relationship with the outdoor…
- 382: Rethinking the Purpose of Schooling—Preparing Adaptable Thinkers
Guest Sam Sochet is a retired high school principal who currently works as an educational mentor, coach, consultant, and community speaker. He has been a member of the Syosset, NY, Library Board of Trustees since 2020 and currently serves…
- 381: From Compliance to Curiosity – Rethinking Student Engagement
Guest Rebecca Winthrop is a leading global authority on education, the director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She is dedicated to ensuring that every child has the op…
- 380: Digging Deeper to Find the Heart of the Story
Guest None today; just me reflecting. Summary In this episode, I reflect on lessons I've drawn from Robert Redford's film adaptation of A River Runs Through It and how they support my growth as a writer. At first, I loved the film for its…
- 379: Lessons in Curiosity and Storytelling
Guest Sarah Elkins is a keynote speaker, Gallup StrengthsFinder coach , and the author and podcast host of Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will. She is the principal at Elkins' Consulting. She is the organizing genius behi…
- 378: Leading with Purpose—Reforming Locally Within an Antiquated National Public School System
Guest Dr. Constantino "Costa" Aguilar is a distinguished educational leader with over 29 years of transformative service in public education. Throughout his dynamic career, Dr. Aguilar has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to student s…
- 377: Sitting Across From An Empty Chair
In this episode, I reflect on some of the "No" responses I receive from potential guests. I have hosted this show for seven years and 376 episodes, yet some of my most popular episodes are about guests who declined to be on the show. I dis…
- 376: Leading in the Wild—Cultivating Resilience, Customer Service, and Environmental Stewardship
Guest Nanci Morris Lyon is a long-time resident of Bristol Bay, Alaska, living in King Salmon, where she owns Bear Trail Lodge on the famed Naknek River. She is a long-time leader in Bristol Bay conservation and has been an essential voice…
- 375: Hiring Staff for What Matters Most
Today on Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity One of the many problems that plague U.S. businesses, not-for-profits, and our U.S. education system is when and how to change. For many institutions, the process can look like fruit-of-the-mo…
- 374: Choosing America: A Discussion on Citizenship and Our Historical Paradox
Guest Hannah Bratterud is a Norwegian-born writer, consultant, and real estate advisor living in Montana. Through her Substack "Finding Home," she explores themes of identity, belonging, and transformation, particularly in times of persona…
- 373: Managing Brand Touch Points to Meet the Organization's and Customers' Goals
Guest None today; just me reflecting on recent events. Summary In this episode, I recount my recent fly fishing trip to Alaska, reflecting on how various organizations shaped my experience. Delta Airlines impressed him with personalized se…
- 372: Living Your "Super Objective": Unlocking the Potential for Authentic Leadership
Guest "Brave Leadership" founder Kimberly Davis champions emerging leaders and senior managers navigating today's workplace and partners with HR professionals looking to develop talent. She shares her inspirational message of personal powe…
- 371: From Emotional Eating to Eating for Nutrition: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Guest Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker, Food Story coach, and author of the award-winning memoir Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict . She reveals how emotional wounds, cultural expectations, and personal history—not hunger—often…
- 370: Walking Where History Happened: A Daughter's Holocaust Journey
Guest Irene Stern Frielich is the daughter of a German Jewish Holocaust survivor—but for much of her life, the story remained unspoken. In 2017, after rediscovering her father's testimony, Irene set out to physically retrace his escape rou…
- 369: From Heart Attack to Health: A Plant-Based Transformation
Guest Byron Edgington is a retired commercial helicopter pilot, writer, a graduate of The Ohio State University, and a dedicated cook using only plants. His other interests include a daily crossword puzzle, meditation, and a four-year asso…
- 368: What We Make of Them
Guest None today; just me reflecting on recent events. Summary After participating in New York City's "No Kings" march, I reflect on the urgency of defending democracy, drawing parallels between the current political climate and 1930s Germ…