Curated Questions: Conversations Celebrating the Power of Questions!

"The most powerful questions aren't really the ones that demand an answer, but really demand a presence." - Jenny Chan Jenny Chan founded Pacific Atrocities Education after her grandmother's death surfaced a box of wartime relics of military yen, rice rationing coupons, and decades of unexplained anger toward Japanese culture. That inheritance of unasked questions launched Jenny into the hidden history of the Pacific Asian War: comfort women, Unit 731's biological experimentation program, and the postwar immunity deals that let war criminals become CEOs and prime ministers. Jenny's research method centers on presence before inquiry. Sitting with survivors long enough to earn the right to ask hard questions. She sees historical memory not as a burden but as an essential context for understanding today's geopolitical decisions. Her work with survivors, students, and Japanese citizens seeking truth suggests that healing begins when forgotten stories are finally allowed to be told. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions?)) Keep questioning!

"The harm was architectural. It was not a matter of intention. It was a matter of never checking the blueprint before I opened my mouth." - Ken Woodward The Questions You're Living Inside: How to Stop Answering Questions You Never Chose is the premise of this week's solo episode. Every question builds a room. Most of us never notice the construction. In this solo episode, Ken Woodward explores what he calls the architecture of questions, the load-bearing assumptions embedded in every question we ask, answer, or inherit. Using a morning commute observation about a flatbed truck carrying prefabricated wall panels, Ken unpacks why the questions shaping our lives were often built by someone else, for someone else's benefit. Through two anchor stories, a painful misheard exchange during his 2,085-mile walk through Washington D.C., and an emotional moment from his conversation with Naomi Campbell of the Right Question Institute, Ken traces the difference between a question's skeleton and its resonance. The invitation is not demolition. It is something prior to answering. Read the blueprint first. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning!

"It's not having the answers I teach people — it's having the questions. And that just upsets the entire architecture of safe thinking." - Phil Liebman Phil Liebman spent years being trained by one of the most relentless questioners he'd ever encountered. It changed everything about how he leads and coaches. In this conversation, Phil unpacks the difference between knowing mode and learning mode, why most of us were systematically educated out of curiosity, and what it actually takes to form a powerful question. He introduces his cycle of curiosity and certainty, a four-quadrant framework that explains why three-quarters of the best thinking happens before any action is taken. Phil shares hard-won lessons from decades of executive coaching, traces his intellectual foundation back to mentor Dr. Lee Thayer, and makes the case that leadership is a performing art, not a management science. The episode closes with a personal health scare that became an unexpected masterclass in what curiosity can do when fear shows up uninvited. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned ALPS Leadership (https://alpsleadership.com/) Dr. Lee Thayer (https://thethayerinstitute.org/about-us/) Vistage (https://www.vistage.com/) Lynn Borton - Choose to Be Curious podcast (https://lynnborton.com/) Stony Brook University (https://www.stonybrook.edu/) Elon Musk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk) John Cleese (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleese) Grace Hopper (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper) Leonardo da Vinci quote: "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sit back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." Pablo Picasso (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso) Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center (https://www.msmc.com/comprehensive-cancer-center/) Phil Liebman on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiprliebman) Producer Ben Ford (https://www.producerbenford.com/) Beauty Pill (https://www.beautypill.com/)

"Lean into courage and see what happens." - Elia Park Robertson Former ABC News journalist, award‑winning filmmaker, and crisis communications strategist Eila Park Robertson joins Curated Questions to explore what happens “when listening saves democracy.” Drawing from a childhood navigating violence, immigration, and loneliness, Eila shares how asking genuine questions became her superpower for building trust with people who would never normally talk to the media. She explains why Western culture has forgotten how to listen, how that loss feeds polarization, and what it really takes to build bridges across political and ideological divides, starting with presence, curiosity, and courage. Eila and Ken dive into introverts as secret leaders of the room, why outrage‑only politics is burning us out, and how personal relationships can transform deeply held beliefs. They also explore climate storytelling, South Korea’s fight against authoritarianism, and practical ways to resist despair and rebuild community in an age of fractured attention. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned ABC News Anecdotia Vogue Magazine Wedding Article Diane Sawyers Barbara Walters Muammar Gaddafi Mel Gibson Ziwe Fumudoh Dr. Jane Goodall International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Azzedine Downes, CEO IFAW United Nations Kelly Boesch Eila on Instagram (@eila2.2) Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"There's a difference between avoidance and stewardship of our own attention." - Ken Woodward When life grinds us down, something essential is revealed. In this solo episode, Ken Woodward explores why questions are the fundamental technology humans use to make sense of a world that has broken wide open. Drawing from a personal essay about growing up in rural Arizona and the disorienting experience of having a lifelong worldview bubble pop, Ken examines the overwhelming flood of inputs modern life delivers and why not every question in that flood is yours to carry. He contrasts two kinds of wisdom, the certainty-hardened and the question-exhausted, and makes the case that the most meaningful conversations happen with people who have crossed a difficult threshold and been changed by it. The grinding of life, like a mortar and pestle, doesn't destroy us. It reveals us. The fragrance was always there, waiting. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning!

"Every deflection is a small tax." - Ken Woodward In this solo episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward explores the hidden cost of defended answers and the quiet exhaustion that comes from maintaining stories that no longer fit. Drawing on conversations with Kevin Kelly and Phil Liebman, he examines the difference between exploitation and exploration, and why deep questioning is inherently inefficient. Through metaphors of strip mining, sinkholes, and live wires, Ken shows how cultures and individuals enforce authorized stopping points that keep conversations at the surface. A personal story about a pivotal career decision illustrates how a single honest answer can release stored energy and create unexpected freedom. The alchemy of questions is not about uncovering better information. It is about creating conditions where truth costs less than performance. When we stay past discomfort and refuse to stop too soon, something shifts. The energy returns. That return is liberation. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Kevin Kelly Wired Magazine Condé Nast Phil Liebman Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"The only cost of liberation is the decision to pay attention." - Ken Woodward In this solo episode of Curated Questions, host Ken Woodward reflects on wonder, not as a luxury, but as a necessary practice for resilience. Drawing from his experience aboard a U.S. Navy submarine in the gray winters of Connecticut, Ken recounts how weeks without color prepared him to recognize wonder the moment it returned. This memory becomes a lens for the present day, where constant crisis, scrolling, and AI-generated spectacle quietly dull our capacity to be moved. Ken weaves research, poetry, and personal practice to argue that real wonder has a cost: attention, specificity, and presence. From nature journaling prompts to insights from trauma research, he shows how precise noticing can interrupt numbness and restore resilience. Wonder, he suggests, doesn’t require mountaintops or submarines. Only the decision to stop, look again, and lower the threshold. The invitation is simple and demanding: reclaim reverence by paying attention to what’s already here. Wonder is not gone. It’s waiting to be noticed. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Groton, Connecticut Cole Arthur Riley Lynn Borton Choose To Be Curious - John Muir Laws episode John Muir Laws Deleting Instagram Angus Fletcher John O'Donohue Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections On Our Yearning To Belong by John O'Donohue Romanesco Broccoli This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

Episode Summary "They’re literally allowing their past to define them, not refine them. And refinement is an active process, and you have to be prepared to do the work if you’re gonna grow." - Dr. John A. King In this powerful and unflinching conversation, Ken Woodward is in conversation with Dr. John A. King, author, speaker, and PTSD recovery expert, whose life journey moves from profound trauma to purposeful advocacy. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse and trafficking, John transformed personal devastation into a mission to help others move from surviving to thriving through his foundation and mental wellness work. King reflects on how questions have guided his healing, challenging the tendency to live “from the outside in” and instead pursuing happiness through intentional inner work, and living "inside out." He shares the discipline behind lasting change, emphasizing the incremental progress of 1% shifts that compound over time, and the daily choice to let hardship refine rather than define us. Together, they explore resilience, identity, and the courage to rewrite one’s story. This episode is a candid reminder that recovery is not instantaneous but forged through persistence, self-honesty, and the relentless decision to keep moving forward. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Dr. John A. King's website Vilfredo Pareto Napoleonic War Civil War World War I World War II Five Whys Jesuit priest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Los Alamos National Laboratories Till It's Done (pending release) by John King Stopping Traffic documentary Stopping Traffic Trailer Sisu (Finnish) Taken film John Wick Braveheart Gladiator 300 film Rats and Rain (book) by John King Sisu film Warumungu People The Phoenix Collective The Phoenix Collective Program Dr. John A. King on Instagram Dr. John A. King on LinkedIn Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"Sometimes my parents say ask three questions and then you can play." - Addy Graff In this delightful episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward sits down with eight-year-old explorer Addy Graff to discover how curiosity takes root early in life. A seasoned traveler who has visited roughly 40 countries and every neighborhood in Washington, DC, Addy shares how asking questions helps her learn about people, cultures, and new experiences. From sampling adventurous foods like snails to practicing French in local shops, she demonstrates a fearless approach to discovery. Addy reflects on lessons from school about thoughtful versus superficial questions and explains why the best ones invite stories rather than one-word answers. Encouraged by her parents to ask meaningful questions at the dinner table, she is already developing the habits of a lifelong learner. Whether researching travel for the book she is writing or choosing the most interesting path while wandering a new city, Addy reminds us that curiosity is less about age and more about posture. One that keeps the world expansive, welcoming, and full of possibility. Follow along on her adventures through her Dad's Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/austinkgraff/ This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction To Curated Questions 01:52 Meet Addy Graff: The Young Explorer 03:16 The Power of Asking Questions 05:13 Adventurous Travels and Tasting New Foods 08:44 Learning About Questions in School 11:37 Curiosity and Learning New Skills 13:52 Family Traditions and Encouraging Questions 16:17 Favorite Questions and Multilingual Curiosity 17:12 Discussing Language and Travel 17:51 Exploring Washington, DC 18:12 Neighborhoods and Landmarks 19:19 Wandering and Discovering 20:09 Culinary Adventures 23:11 Writing and Researching Travel 26:33 Travel Stories and Experiences 31:14 Reflections on Questions Resources Mentioned Austin K Graff: Dad who chronicles Addy's adventures Austin K Graff on Instagram Ms. Watts Addy's Teacher S'mores N'more Santa Rosa Taqueria 50 Maps of the World Nutcracker Princess Jasmine outfit Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

Episode Summary "I don’t want hope as a primary strategy for living well." - Ken Woodward In this solo episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward explores hope not as a feeling or slogan, but as a muscle, something built, weakened, and strengthened through use. Prompted by Alex Honnold’s free-solo climb and his own season of uncertainty, Ken reflects on the collapse of trust in institutions and the fragility of inherited forms of hope. Drawing on psychological and neuroscientific research, he reframes hope as a cognitive skill set rooted in agency and pathways, the belief that we can act and imagine multiple routes forward, even without certainty. Ken examines how rumination, paralysis, and outsourced responsibility erode hope, and how well-chosen questions can interrupt despair and reengage possibility. Moving from individual to collective hope, he invites listeners to consider where their own “hope muscles” have atrophied and what small, concrete actions might rebuild them. This episode is not a lesson on hope, but a vulnerable, out-loud search for it, grounded in questions, courage, and shared responsibility. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 A Taste Of What Is To Come 02:02 The Story of Alex Honnold 02:45 Personal Reflections on Hope 03:49 Current State of the World 05:34 The Concept of Hope 08:41 The Neuroscience of Hope 12:03 Practical Questions for Hope 15:55 Collective Hope and Action 19:09 Poem: Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Murdered by I.C.E, January 24th, 2026 by Amanda Gorman 20:58 Closing Remarks

"You can only live with so much cognitive dissonance in your life." - Matthew Pridgen Matthew Pridgen joins Ken Woodward for a raw, wide-ranging conversation about how questions can crack open denial and move us toward truth, repentance, and reconciliation. Matthew shares his dramatic journey from addiction and a near-fatal suicide attempt to a decades-long pursuit of faith, justice, and historical honesty. His pivotal moment was when an eight-year-old girl asked, “Why did you take my church down?” after a tent revival in Charleston’s historically Black East Side, which became the question that launched his racial awakening. Together, they explore how American “mythology” hides the realities of slavery, Jim Crow, and modern dog whistles, and how the Black church has sustained a prophetic witness against oppression. The episode highlights the personal cost of cognitive dissonance, the freedom of living without lies, and a central challenge for today: are Christians willing to abandon Christian nationalism and follow Jesus’ actual teachings? This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction to Curated Questions 02:05 Meet Matthew Pridgen: A Story of Redemption 03:38 Matthew's Tent Revival and Racial Awakening 05:02 Confronting Myths and Realities of American History 05:57 The Impact of Systemic Racism 07:19 The Power of Film in Social Change 08:41 Charleston's Unique Racial History 09:13 The Great Migration and Segregation 11:01 The Role of White Supremacy in American History 11:37 Theological Justifications for Racism 17:16 Matthew's Higher Call to Christians 21:37 Matthew's Personal Journey to Faith 25:06 Homeless Ministry and Community Engagement 27:12 Understanding Institutional Poverty 30:29 The Prophetic Witness of the Black Church 34:28 Cognitive Dissonance and Historical Awareness 37:20 The Need for National Reconciliation 42:28 The Uncomfortable Work of Facing Truth 48:56 The Role of Motivation in National Policy 50:23 Soft Power and Global Influence 50:55 The Motivation Behind Our Actions 52:25 Impact of USAID and Trump's Policies 53:13 The Harm of White Supremacy 53:46 Christianity and Political Disillusionment 54:58 The Hypocrisy in Evangelical Christianity 56:25 The Existential Crisis of Faith 57:07 False Prophets and Historical Atrocities 58:12 Embracing the Black Church Tradition 59:18 The Prophetic Witness of Black Women 01:02:12 The Legacy of Slavery and Black Women's Burden 01:04:21 The George Floyd Protests and Aftermath 01:05:50 The Need for National Conversation on Race 01:08:38 The Role of Individual Awakening 01:09:32 The Importance of Historical Awareness 01:12:56 Taking Action and Refusing to Be Complicit 01:16:37 The Influence of Barbara 01:22:34 The Freedom of Honesty and Repentance 01:28:25 Increased Sensitivity of Raised Defenses 01:31:28 The Challenge of National Pride 01:32:32 The Role of Humility in Overcoming Bias 01:33:41 Final Thoughts and Call to Action Resources Mentioned Sins of Our Fathers From Folly by Matthew Pridgen America Street by Matthew Pridgen South of Broad neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove George Floyd Emancipation Reconstruction Jim Crow Laws Civil Rights Era Tower of Babel Day of Pentecost Martin Luther King, Jr. Tulsa Race Massacre Donald Trump DEI CRT Antifa The Great Party Switch Southern Strategy Dr. Bernard Powers College of Charleston Center for the Study of Slavery at the College of Charleston Jemar Tisby Duke University Rev. Dr. Dallas Wilson, Jr. Emancipation Proclamation Reverent William Barber II Poor People's Campaign The Naked Truth Art Project by Ephraim Urevbu The Indigenous People's History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Sister Citizen by Melissa Harris-Perry Ann...

"Questions are not neutral; they're interventions." - Ken Woodward What actually happens inside us when a question is asked? In this solo episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward explores the neurological, emotional, and psychological impact of being asked a question. Moving beyond techniques or tactics, Ken examines how questions hijack attention, trigger chemical responses in the brain, open unresolved mental loops, and sometimes activate fear or defensiveness. Drawing from neuroscience and a powerful encounter during his Washington, D.C. walking project, he reflects on a question that has remained open for years: What real difference are you making? This episode reveals why some questions feel like relief before they’re answered, why others linger long after they’re asked, and how certain questions don’t just reveal who we are, but actively shape who we become. Questions, Ken argues, are not neutral requests for information. They are interventions. And understanding their power changes how we ask, how we answer, and how we live with them. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Be sure to check out the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions) Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction: The Power of Smell and Memory 01:09 Welcome to Curated Questions 02:21 Part One: The Hijack 04:07 Questions in Everyday Life 06:39 Part Two: The Chemical Cascade 11:13 Part Three: The Open Loop 14:57 Part Four: The Threat Response 17:15 Part Five: The Self In Question 18:52 Part Six: Putting It Together 20:43 Conclusion Resources Mentioned Brain Rules: We Are Not Wired For True Multitasking by John Medina Neuromodulatory Systems UC Davis Bluma Zeigarnik Washington Post Article about Ken's walk through Washington D.C. by Teresa Vargas Default Mode Network Rainer Maria Rilke Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"Literally everything in life is hard. The question is, what cost are you willing to pay? And you pay that willingly and happily because you value it." - Mitchell Osmond In this episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward sits down with Mitchell Osmond, founder of Dad Nation Co., and host of the Dad Nation Podcast (Top 5% globally), to explore a hard but liberating truth: everything in life is difficult; the question is which difficulty we choose. Mitchell shares the moment a single question at a funeral, “Are you living a life worthy of imitation?” forced him to confront his health, marriage, finances, and legacy. From that reckoning emerged a framework for growth rooted in discomfort, integrity, and honest self-inquiry. Together, Ken and Mitchell examine why confidence is built through keeping promises, how avoiding hard questions quietly shapes our futures, and why legacy is forged at home as much as at work. The conversation challenges the myth of ease, reframes struggle as a signal of alignment, and invites listeners to define success on their own terms. Ultimately, this episode is a call to stop outsourcing meaning, and to choose the hard that leads to a life worth living. Mitchell is launching a new group coaching program, the High Performance Husband Accelerator! All the details can be found at https://www.dadnationco.com/accelerator Mitchell is offering The Connection Code as a gift. 50 questions to spark the fun and get the fire back is available at https://www.dadnationco.com/code Sign up for the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter at https://curatedquestions.substack.com/ This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Dad Nation Co website The Dad Nation Podcast Dad Nation Co Instagram Mitchell Osmond on LinkedIn Josh Waitzkin Tim Ferriss Albert Einstein Seth Godin Virginia Satir The Gap in the Gain by Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan Ed Mylett John Gray author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus The High Performance Husband Raymond Coates Spark Starter Kit Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"What are the questions you will be carrying into the year, such that it will be a celebration of your becoming?" - Ken Woodward This year-end Curated Questions episode is a reflective curation of the questions that shaped several conversations throughout 2025. Rather than offering a rapid recap of every episode, Ken highlights a handful of moments that reveal how intentional questioning can clarify purpose, interrupt unhelpful patterns, and guide meaningful becoming. Across stories from entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, and personal reflection, the episode explores questions that ask us to define the change we seek to make, consider who we are becoming, and choose where to place our attention. Along the way, listeners are reminded that good questions often emerge only after many imperfect ones, that perspective shapes dignity and connection, and that small mental reframes can act as powerful resets. As the year closes, the episode becomes an invitation: to name the questions that mattered most in 2025, to carry one forward with intention into 2026, and to trust that a better world is built by those willing to keep questioning. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Ensure to subscribe to the Curated Questions Dispatch weekly newsletter on Substack. Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Highlight 01:56 Introduction and Welcome 02:51 Overview of 2025 Episodes 04:09 Curated Questions Dispatch Newsletter 05:10 Highlighting Seth Godin's Insights 07:31 A Helpful Practice 08:46 Lisa Wimberger on Neurosculpting 09:25 Tim Molnar's Strategic Dating Guide 10:14 Kevin Kelly on Questioning and AI 11:30 Robert Sturman's Unique Perspective 12:23 Conclusion and Call to Action Resources Mentioned Flightcast Steven Bartlett, host of Diary of a CEO Curated Questions Dispatch on Substack Seth Godin Ask the Dust by John Fante Hannah Fry Lisa Wimberger Neurosculpting Tim Molnar Date Smarter: A Strategic Guide for Navigating Modern Romance by Tim Molnar Kevin Kelly Robert Sturman San Quentin Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"Direction often emerges not from knowing what you want, but from finally admitting what you don’t." - Ken Woodward The Inquisitive Almanack: 2026 Edition closes the year with something Curated Questions has never quite done before—an affectionate, slightly irreverent, and deeply thoughtful almanack for the inner life. Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, this episode blends dry wit, invented bureaucracy, and hard-won wisdom to offer forecasts not for the weather, but for the heart, mind, and questions we carry. You’ll hear interior weather reports, proverbs for the asking class, arbitrary rules of inquiry, lunar phases of curiosity, and predictions for the questions most likely to surface in 2026—across leadership, relationships, parenting, teams, and personal life. Released intentionally as the final episode of the year, this Almanack isn’t a recap or a resolution guide. It’s a pause. A breath. A lighter place to rest before the calendar turns and begins asking new things of us. Come curious. Leave rested. And carry one good question forward. Be sure to check out the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (LINK) This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Poor Richard's Almanack Benjamin Franklin Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"Not being a hundred percent sure all the time is a weird strength." - Haru Yamada In this episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward is in conversation with Dr. Haru Yamada, a sociolinguist, intercultural communication scholar, and author of Kiku: The Japanese Art of Good Listening, to explore what it really means to listen. Haru traces her early understanding of questions back to age four, when she moved from Tokyo to New York and had to use questions as a tool for language, belonging, and survival. Together, they unpack how culture shapes communication: English often rewards “flashlight” questioning, the precise, content-driven clarity, while Japanese culture tends to favor a “lantern” approach that illuminates context, relationship, and what isn’t said. Haru also shares the harrowing accident that reshaped her understanding of listening as a health practice, linking felt-heard experiences to relational, mental, and even physical well-being. In a noisy, multitasking world, this conversation reframes listening as an active, life-giving skill, and a compass for navigating each other with empathy. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction: Embracing Uncertainty 01:57 Introducing Dr. Haru Yamada 02:23 The Art of Listening: Kiku 03:12 A Life-Altering Accident 03:37 Welcoming Dr. Yamada 04:02 Early Experiences with Questions 04:57 Navigating Cultural Differences 07:28 The Journey of a Third Culture Kid 08:19 Academic Pursuits in Linguistics 10:32 The Strength in Uncertainty 16:04 Questioning Anti-Fragility As A Goal 23:02 Flashlight vs. Lantern: Different Approaches to Questions 26:57 Cultural Context in Business Meetings 28:16 Interpersonal Communication Challenges 32:12 The Importance of Listening 39:51 Personal Anecdotes and Reflections 44:11 The Healing Power of Being Heard 47:42 Reflecting on Past Medical Experiences 48:16 The Evolution of Listening Post-COVID 49:41 Remote Work and Multitasking 52:24 The Impact of Isolation on Communication 54:02 Curated Interactions in the Digital Age 55:34 The Shift in Media Consumption 57:48 The Importance of Visual and Auditory Listening 59:04 Personal Experiences with Hearing Loss 01:00:58 Advancements in Hearing Aid Technology 01:03:20 The Value of Ambiguous Questions 01:04:23 The Fear of Uncertainty in Listening 01:05:05 The Role of Multitasking in Communication 01:07:24 Learning from Students' Unique Needs 01:11:29 The Changing Nature of Academic Inquiry 01:19:23 Better Understanding The Lantern View 01:22:35 Cultural Differences in Language Learning 01:24:52 The Complexity of Bilingualism 01:26:48 The Challenges of Cross-Cultural Communication 01:31:07 Final Reflections and Takeaways Resources Mentioned KIKU: The Japanese Art of Good Listening by Dr. Haru Yamada Lynn Borton at Choose To Be Curious Jeff Wetzler Austin K Graff Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb The Power of Introverts TED Talk by Susan Cain Stanford Interpersonal Dynamics Class Dr. Haru Yamada on LinkedIn Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

Episode Summary "If all you do is pay attention to what everyone else is paying attention to, then by definition you're not likely to innovate anything or create anything very original or different or surprising." - Rob Walker Writer and cultural observer Rob Walker joins Ken to explore how questions and noticing reshape the way we move through the world. Rob traces his origin story back to discovering journalism at 18, a framework that gave a shy, introverted kid permission to ask questions on behalf of others. They dig into his book and newsletter The Art of Noticing, talking about everyday noticing assignments, why “what am I missing?” is a powerful self-question, and how small acts of attention can mark time and make life more memorable. Rob shares the story behind the Significant Objects project and why story, and not a price tag, creates real value in the objects we keep. From New Orleans as a “conversational city” to his teaching on point of view and manifestos, Rob reflects on questions as both agency and responsibility, in democracies, organizations, and personal life. Be sure to subscribe to Rob's Substack The Art of Noticing newsletter at https://robwalker.substack.com/ This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction to Overlooked Ideas 01:56 Introducing Rob Walker 03:19 Rob Walker's Early Life and Career 04:28 Discovering Journalism and the Power of Questions 05:54 Embracing Curiosity and Askew Perspectives 08:57 The Influence of Laurie Anderson 13:30 Living in New Orleans 14:56 The Unique Culture of New Orleans 21:21 The Art of Noticing 22:32 Personal Experiences with Noticing 27:50 The Impact of Noticing on Daily Life 33:21 Noticing and Questions 40:56 The Power of Asking Questions 42:39 Questions and Agency 44:26 The Importance of Questions in Organizations 45:14 Inspirations and Heroes in Questioning 46:11 The Art of Asking Questions 46:37 Early Lessons in Journalism 47:42 Challenges of Interviewing Law Firms 48:12 Curiosity-Driven Interviews 48:35 The Sharpie Story 50:15 Preparing for Interviews 50:51 The Flow of Conversation 52:58 Finding Unique Angles in Business Stories 55:09 The Power of Longevity and Community 56:39 Mindfulness and Creativity 59:21 Significant Objects Project 01:01:04 The Value of Story in Objects 01:06:23 The Gift of a Questioning Mindset 01:11:59 Teaching and Point of View 01:12:51 The Role of Questions in Design 01:14:20 Student Challenges with Questions 01:18:57 Personal Reflections on Questions 01:19:25 End of Year Reflections 01:22:48 Final Takeaways and Reflections Resources Mentioned Consumed column in the New York Times Magazine The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker (book) Buying It by Rob Walker (book) Significant Objects Project Lynn Borton of Choose to Be Curious Laurie Anderson United States Live (album) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Live) Pacifica radio station (Houston) Brooklyn Academy of Music / BAM Journey (band) Foreigner (band) University of Texas Hand Grenade (cocktail) Anne Rice Dave Isay Sound Portraits New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCA) The Art of Noticing (newsletter) The American Lawyer (publication) Am Law 100 Martindale-Hubbell (legal directory) Karen Dillon Sharpie Fast Company Starbucks Cracker Barrel Logo Controversy Austin Kleon Waking Up Meditation App Joshua Glenn Meg Cabot William Gibson Project Object Lost Objects Lost Objects Book by Rob Walker Ignorance by Stuart Firestein (book) Inconspicuous Consumption newsletter by Paul Lucas Jerry Colonna David Whyte School of Visual Arts in New York Point of View Class at SVA Products of Design Rob Walker Substack robwalker.net Hypothetical Development Organization Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"We vote with our labor for the world we want to create. If you don't reflect on what you're doing, how do you know you're casting the right vote?" - Radhika Dutt In this episode of Curated Questions, host Ken Woodward engages entrepreneur and author Radhika Dutt in a profound exploration of how questions can transform organizations from goal-driven to puzzle-solving entities. Radhika is the author of "Radical Product Thinking" and shares her journey from MIT to becoming a serial entrepreneur to developing the puzzle-based leadership OHLA framework (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings, Adaptations). The conversation reveals how traditional goal-setting, rooted in 1940s assembly-line thinking, fails in today's complex environment, where creative problem-solving matters more than repetitive execution. Radhika demonstrates through a live experiment how "puzzles" energize while "goals" burden, explaining that puzzles tap into internal motivation rather than external pressure. She emphasizes the critical importance of reflection, a practice she credits with enabling better decision-making both personally and professionally. Drawing from her nine languages and global experience, including living in post-apartheid South Africa, Radhika offers insights on creating psychological safety for questions across cultures. The episode culminates with practical guidance on implementing puzzle-based thinking in organizations, showing how asking better questions leads to ownership, engagement, and transformative results. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Resources Mentioned Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter by Radhika Dutt Lobby Seven MIT Avid Technology Monetary Authority of Singapore ChatGPT Sam Altman Gates Foundation What has the Gates Foundation done for Global Health? Muhammad Yunus Microloans Esther Duflo Abhijit Banerjee Frank Blake Adobe Apple Only The Paranoid Survive David Eagleman Management by Objectives detailed in The Practice of Management by Peter Drucker General Motors Lean Startup Adidas Bryn Mawr College Monument Lab Albert Einstein Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller OHLA Framework Toolkit (Objectives, Hypotheses, Learnings, Adaptations) Radhika Dutt on LinkedIn RadicalProduct.com Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill

"The Insight Pause is sitting in the rubble of your shattered worldview before clearing a single stone." - Ken Woodward In this solo episode, Ken Woodward introduces The Insight Pause—a five-step framework for navigating the moments that crack open our worldview. Through his own story of confronting the hidden history behind the Indigenous names and artifacts that shaped his childhood landscape, Ken explores how insights arrive fully formed, unsettle our identities, and demand more than quick fixes or defensive reactions. He walks listeners through the foundational skills that prepare us for these moments, the instant of recognition, the sacred pause that follows, and the slow work of integrating unsettling truths into a new, liberated worldview. Whether you're rethinking long-held beliefs, noticing contradictions you can’t ignore, or sensing that something in your life no longer fits, this episode offers a practical and compassionate guide for holding discomfort without collapsing into denial or overreaction. Discover how the Insight Pause can transform the questions you carry—and the person you’re becoming. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:55 Personal Story: Early Realizations 02:36 The Cracks in the Story 02:51 Framework Introduction 03:37 Manifest Destiny and Indigenous Names 04:29 A Shattered Worldview 05:37 The Moment of Insight 05:56 Step One: Foundation 07:38 Step Two: Insight 08:47 Step Three: Insight Pause 10:23 Step Four: Integration 12:04 Step Five: Liberation 13:28 Insight Pause Deep Dive 16:14 Practical Applications 17:11 Creating Your Own Pause Practice 19:36 Final Thoughts and Call to Action Resources Mentioned Yavapai County (https://www.yavapaiaz.gov/Home) Hopi (https://www.hopi-nsn.gov/) An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (https://a.co/d/8xO1EDb) Manifest Destiny (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny) Prescott, Arizona (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescott,_Arizona) Quinnipiac River (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinnipiac_River) Niantic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niantic_people) Montauk Point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Point_Light) Mashantucket Pequot (https://www.mptn-nsn.gov/) Mohegan (https://www.mohegan.nsn.us/) Bison herds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison) American exceptionalism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism) Founding Fathers of the United States (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States) Piscataway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscataway_people) Narragansett (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narragansett_people) Producer Ben Ford (https://www.producerbenford.com/) Beauty Pill (https://www.beautypill.com/) Questions Asked What question are you avoiding that would change everything? What questions float at the edge of your consciousness? What contradictions do you live with daily? Even if 50% of the book was false, what do I do with the 50% that's true? What do I do with the 50% that's true? What truths are hiding in plain sight in your life? Why do our best people keep leaving? Why do I keep having the same fight? Why does this success feel empty? Why does this certainty require so much defending? What am I working hard not to see? Where do you feel the truth in your body? What truths are hiding in plain sight in your life? What feedback have you been deflecting? What patterns have you been rationalizing? What questions are you unwilling to ask? What costs are you refusing to calculate? ( What names are you driving past? What pottery shards are you collecting without asking whose hands shaped them? What “half-truth” would change everything if you faced the true half? What seedling of truth needs protection in your sacred uncertainty?

"I'm gonna make an appointment with my curiosity." - Frank Sesno Emmy award-winning journalist Frank Sesno shares how curiosity and strategic questioning shaped his four-decade career covering presidents and world leaders as CNN's Washington Bureau Chief and White House correspondent. From a fourth-grade question about astronauts to interviewing five U.S. presidents, Frank reveals the power of deliberate curiosity and active listening. Frank breaks down his approach to preparing for high-stakes interviews, explaining how he blocks conversations into thematic acts while remaining flexible. He introduces the "echo question" technique, which is simply repeating a person's emotionally charged word back to them, that transforms surface answers into more profound truths. Frank emphasizes that the best questioners are the best listeners, focusing on what people say and what they don't say. In "Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change," Frank discusses why bridge-building questions are critical in our polarized moment. He explores how AI makes human curiosity more valuable and shares his practice of "making an appointment with curiosity" to create time to deliberately formulate meaningful questions. This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com. Keep questioning! Episode Notes 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 02:04 Meet Frank Sesno: A Legendary Journalist 03:05 Early Encounters with the Power of Questions 05:01 Curiosity Encouraged: School Days 05:54 The Art of Interviewing: Following Curiosity 08:37 Touchstone Moments in Journalism 09:35 Holding Power to Account 10:42 The Journey to Asking Tough Questions 12:48 Understanding Human Stories 18:25 Complexity of Human Experience 22:38 Listening: The Key to Great Questions 24:37 Echo Questions: A Powerful Technique 27:29 Preparing for Interviews: A Structured Approach 29:40 Structuring Interview Questions 30:27 The Importance of Flexibility in Interviews 31:16 The Power of Walking and Reflecting 32:01 Lessons from the Galapagos 34:13 Traveling with Curiosity 36:38 Fostering Curiosity in Students 40:46 Question Categories That Are Needed Today 47:04 The Role of AI in Questioning 50:39 The Human Touch in Questioning 52:21 Building Rapport with Interviewees 53:26 The Right Now Question 53:54 Finding Hope in Challenging Times 57:26 Connecting with Frank Sesno 58:51 Summary and Takeaways Resources Mentioned Ask More: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change by Frank Sesno The Sesno Series George Washington University Senator Mark Warner George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs Washington Post Shohei Otani Yoshinobu Yamamoto Los Angeles Dodgers Nancy Kanwisher Cal Fussman Plant Forward Storyfest Competition Galapagos Islands Lindblad Expeditions 1882 Morgan Silver Dollar Nancy Pelosi Frank Sesno on LinkedIn Frank Sesno website Producer Ben Ford Beauty Pill