“So for me, ‘believe’ is mostly ‘I’m pretty sure about this’, but there is a little gap of, ‘And I’m …pretty… sure about it.’ You know? There’s that little space in between where maybe it’s 2% or maybe it’s 20%, but it needs a little oomph...“ ~ Jen Dary

Ten years ago, as a young mom with two really little kids and one equally new coaching business, Jen Dary had a routine MRI that revealed a lemon-sized brain tumor needing surgery immediately and that upended her life in every imaginable way.

In her book I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood and Magic, Jen chronicles the journey that brought her, among other things, to moments of profound spiritual revelation and appreciation for what she calls “The Bigness”.

It’s a story about wonder, and uncertainty, and faith. A story of questioning and openness.

A story, absolutely, about curiosity.

 I feel strongly that it is not my job to convert anybody to anything. It’s more just my job to share, look at this wild stuff that happened, and now you can do with that whatever you like.

We explore creating space for others to share, feeling playful with belief, the abundance of seeds, how coaching affected her mindset — and vice versa, faith’s relationship with uncertainty, whether we need an answer to “why me?” — and why taking inspiration from someone we barely know feels easier.

Listen to Ep. #332: Curiosity, Faith & Believing in Everything, with Jen Dary

Author Jen Dary is a sought-after leadership coach, entrepreneur, brain tumor survivor, podcast host, and mom. As founder of the coaching firm Plucky she has coached professionals from over 200 companies.

Arlington Magazine carried a lovely story about Jen’s experience. Read it here.

I appreciate the many gifts of Grateful Living and the 100-day Gratitude Challenge in which I participated.

Check out my conversation about “seeing the mighty oak in the acorn” in Appreciative Intelligence, with Tojo Thatchenkery.

Enjoy a good coach? Me, too! Try these C2BC Classics: Networking, with Dana Theus; Curiosity in the Workplace, with Alison Horstmeyer; Curiosity is Hailey Magee’s Love Language; Slow Down, with Justine Ickes; Collaboration is a Curiosity Practice, with Gregg Potter; and Facilitation, Leadership & Curiosity, with Andres Marquez-Lara.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “The Big Ten” by Warmbody, via Blue Dot Sessions.

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