Welcome to S5E6 of the @MAGICademy Podcast! Our guest today is Megan Powell Cuzzolino, who is a prominent educational researcher and a project director at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She studies the role of awe in learning and development, and how emotional experiences can enhance educational outcomes in different fields, but particularly in science education. We had a very interesting conversation about awe as a worker in different fields and how is essential for every type of talent to feel a certain level of awe when serving in a company or organization.

One thing we know for certain is that money or benefits alone don’t make people happy at work, some sense of belonging or motivation is needed. And that’s where awe and fulfillment come in. Megan shares some insights on childlike wonder and adult wonder; we deep dive into the concepts of gratitude and awe; we go over the role of cultural and individual differences in organizations when trying to boost awe; and much more!

Conversation Outline

00:00 - Introduction and Megan introducing herself

02:12 - Why focus on awe?

05:23 - What happens in the brain when we experience awe

07:40 - Megan’s research findings

11:52 - Awe and motivation in other industries besides science

17:30 - About the Prisoner’s Dilemma

23:38 - Separating gratitude and the sense of awe

28:38 - Awe in children and adults

33:35 - The role of culture

38:38 - Influence of the fast-emerging technologies in our sense of awe

43:06 - Jiani’s recap of the episode

45:02 - Megan at 11 years old

48:15 - Challenges that Megan had to overcome

51:51 - Megan’s magic

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