“I wanted us to see if there was a different way that we can move through this era of incuriosity… to see if there was a way for us to meet our loneliness, our social isolation, our feelings of fear and anxiety in this moment of division and political polarization. Is there something else we can do to meet this moment? And the answer is something that we both love: to be curious.” ~ Scott Shigeoka
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, making people feel seen and heard…reminding them that they matter.
That’s no small thing in a time of profound incuriosity.
Deep curiosity is a particular type of understanding that actually connects us — to either ourselves or one another, or that transforms us.
Scott Shigeoka is a Choose to be Curious trifecta: he delves into research, theory and how curiosity shows up in our work and lives, It was a pleasure to talk with him about all that he’s learned.
It was such a great conversation, in fact, that I couldn’t contain it in one episode, so I give you a double dip of the deliciousness that is Scott Shigeoka!
Part 1
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!
Part 2
In the 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.
Check out Scott Shigeoka’s website and new book SEEK.
Read more! For a sampler of all the ways curiosity can be put into action, check out Scott’s recent articles in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company.
Listen to the full conversation with Carlisle Levine (source of the best question ever: “Anything else?”) and yoga teacher Jenn Seiff (source of the wonderful 5-5-5 curiosity practice).
Theme music by Sean Balick; “Arizona Moon” by Cholate and “Home Home At Last” by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.
Photo Credit: Matt Stomper, used with permission.
You can subscribe to Choose to be Curious on Apple Podcasts and now on Spotify.
Wear your curiosity on your sleeve. Check out the Choose to be Curious shop!
