“I think transitions are a great time to get curious about what’s inside you and how you want to bring it outside yourself.” ~ Estee Levine

Happy New Year, friends! I hope in 2026 curiosity adds meaning to your life — and the lives of those around you.

And I want to begin the new year with just that: meaning and purpose.

Research tells us that by leaning into externally-focused curiosity – “what do I notice that the world needs?” – and internally-focused curiosity – “How might I be able to contribute?” – we can find meaning and a sense of purpose in our lives.

We can find what lights us up.

Estee Levine did just that. She got curious about where her passions might fill some of the gaps in her community and she set out to do something with that information. She created CheapNFreeDC, an Instagram account that features destinations and activities that are (you guessed it!) cheap and free in and around Washington, DC. It’s a celebration of people, creativity and community.

We talked about purpose’s guiding light in our careers and beyond; curiosity as a way through transitions and toward community; cities’ many gifts and surprises; Mel Robbins’ 5-4-3-2-1 strategy to get going; being a newbie and learning new skills from all sorts of teachers; health crises, contemplating alternative futures and clarifying our sense of purpose — and the delightful intersection of “quest” and “question.”

As soon as I started thinking of it as “community service,” I felt that purpose really solidify. I felt much more anchored in it.

Listen to #308: CheapNFreeDC: Curiosity, Passion & Purpose, with Estee Levine

I hope you’ll give a little thought to what the world needs and where you are so uniquely able to contribute. Let me know what you come up with!

Follow Estee Levine on Instagram @CheapNFreeDC.

Read more about purpose: Todd Kashdan on 12 shortcuts to building purpose and Purpose Science & Innovation Exchange at Cornell University. Maybe there’s someone aged 18-25 you know who would be interested in the Contribution Project.

Hear more from Todd Kashdan in these C2BC Classics: Capturing the Bandwidth of Curiosity, The Art of Insubordination & Rethinking Curiosity.

It’s a wonderful world out there – much of it free! Explore more with these additional C2BC Classics: Tips for Wanderers, with Andréa Seiger; Foraging & Dancing with Nature, with Tama Matsuoka Wong; & A Mile in their Shoes: Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail.

Check it out! Estee was referring to my delightful conversation with Sam Furness and a Creative Quester’s Guide to Curiosity when she mentioned the intriguing overlap of “quest” and “question”.

Theme music by Sean Balick. “UpUpUp and Over” by The Balloonist, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Estee is shown in front of a mural by DC artist Reggie “Art” Gillumo.

You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Anyone recognize this whimsical public art installation? I enjoy finding the famous, infamous and decidedly obscure when I visit a place. How about you?