Feeding Curiosity

— JORDAN CRISS

Jordan Criss long time guest on the podcast, and many of you know, what he's been working on, but for those of you who don't. Jordan has been actively pursuing screenwriting.

In this conversation, we get pretty granular and talking about how he looks at his writing process, why he is choosing to do screenwriting,  As such a niche field, screenwriting can feel like a lost cause or something that is a pipe dream, for lack of a better term. And I even asked this question to him is what would you say to someone who says, why are you doing this? Screenwriting seems like a waste of time.

And beyond that, we have a great discussion around the film as an industry and loving critiques of it. What shows are good or great? What makes compelling stories?

We get into what is a fulfilling life like what drives someone to do something and fully immerse yourself in it. For Jordan, it's not leaving anything on the table. So with that, everyone, please enjoy this conversation with my good friend, Jordan Criss.

Show Notes:

(00:04:22) Writing Progress

(00:06:07) Writing is never really 'done'

(00:07:06) Screenwriting Contest

(00:10:48) New writing project

(00:13:33) Dissecting writing or storytelling

(00:17:17) Creating your unique blend

(00:20:53) What do you say to someone who thinks you're wasting your time?

(00:24:25) What type of writer is Jordan?

(00:28:04) Toning down expert speak

(00:29:29) Star Wars Discussion

(00:33:19) Everyone has a niche

(00:34:37) Immerse yourself in the cultures you want to be a participant in

(00:36:41) A community that pushes everyone forward

(00:40:13) How do you know you can do something you've never done before?

(00:41:44) Don't wait for the perfect moment

(00:42:44) The curse of past success?

(00:45:45) Continuing to explore new territory

(00:47:18) There is a simple solution to success

(00:49:28) Jordan's Process to Pick a movie in the Theatre

(00:51:49) 4DX Movie Theatre

(00:56:16) The difference between theatre and home experience

(00:58:24) Letting people express themselves

(01:02:31) Being of the world

(01:05:17) Changing or keeping routines

(01:06:49) Speaking what you write

(01:09:40) A love of dialogue

(01:14:20) Adapting other forms to screenplays

(01:17:09) Gold Age of TV

(01:21:39) Sci-fi gives you worlds that could be

(01:26:48) Office Discussion

(01:30:21) What does feeding curiosity look like for Jordan?

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast/jc-screenwriting

Today's episode is a special one that I've been honestly planning for quite some time. We've now reached well, frankly, over a hundred episodes of Feeding Curiosity. And. Instead of doing the typical. Interviewing Q and a or something like that. That didn't feel like it captured the spirit of what Feeding Curiosity has been for me and what it has evolved into over the last two years.

And the last a hundred plus episodes. What I thought would be more interesting and more fulfilling would be to pull in the people behind the scenes or the most frequent guests that have been here since day one.  I had with each of the main people who helped shape what Feeding Curiosity is becoming and evolving into. We pull back the curtain and evaluate or reflect on the past present and future of Feeding Curiosity.

To all the guests and listeners of the podcast: This wouldn't be what it is without each of you. I'm blown away by the response I receive and encouragement from those who come on the show.

It's incredibly rewarding to connect with curious people and to resonate with what we believe about human nature and leading a more fulfilling life.  So once again, thank you all for joining me on the journey that is Feeding Curiosity.

In today's podcast, it is a special one on the podcast to celebrate the completion of Joe's thesis. As returning listeners to the podcast, you will be familiar that Joe's been working on his thesis for the last year.

Joe's thesis is The Manifestation of Meaning: A Thesis on Meaning Making and Veterans. In this conversation, we get to unpack all of the research Joe's been working on to be able to put into the thesis, and it's a really interesting one, you'll hear for both me and Jordan it's a really interesting topic. 

Having a platform that allows my friend to be able to share the things that he's been pouring himself into the last year and to give his thesis a home post-graduation so that it can exist outside of the academic world is a really special thing for me. And so this is co releasing with the thesis so you can go read it on the website, and you'll be able to listen to this long-form podcast. That's hopefully a little bit more accessible and not as much in the weeds in the technical sense as the actual thesis itself, but I highly recommend you both listen and read that the thesis, if you're really interested in this space of meaning-making because Joe pulls on a lot of threads from experts, both current and past, so with that everyone, please enjoy this conversation with Joe Jackowski and Jordan Criss.

Show Notes:

(00:05:52) People are blank slates

(00:09:19) Difference between values and goals

(00:11:59) Action Identification Theory

(00:15:13) How to organize values?

(00:17:52) Abstraction

(00:20:59) Global Meaning

(00:24:55) Sunday Scaries

(00:25:55) Why are values abstract?

(00:28:02) Example from philosophy and superordinate goals

(00:29:21) Religious Systems

(00:36:37) Does this hold true for atheists?

(00:37:52)The loss of belief and increase in suicidal ideation

(00:39:36) Jordan Peterson including a buffer against anxiety

(00:46:15) We are not blank slates

(00:48:19) Updating stories and cultural beliefs

(00:52:17) Shared Beliefs

(00:55:06) How does this explain the Crusades

(00:57:55) Do different meanings naturally come into conflict?

(01:00:17) Genghis Khan and Cultural Impact

(01:06:01) Situational Meaning and Meaning Violation

(01:13:03) Confronting meaninglessness

(01:15:46) Oscillating between Nihilism and Totalitarianism

(01:17:28) Existential Vacuum

(01:22:05) The search for objective meaning is absurd

(01:26:51) How You makes meaning

(01:36:41) Being in service of others

(01:39:12) Closing

(01:45:21) Books!

Read here https://feedingcuriosity.net/blog/the-manifestation-of-meaning

— DIERDRE WOLOWNICK

Dierdre Wolownick is an unstoppable force when it comes to an understanding of who she is and what she is capable of.

Since 1971, she has taught five foreign languages on three continents and recently retired from the American river college near her home in Carmichael, California. And she's also done freelance writing and appeared in magazines worldwide. On top of already this list of accomplishments, she has been a musician all her life and founded the West Sacramento community orchestra.

And the cherry on top of all of this is at the age, 55 She became a long-distance runner, and your career includes marathons and half marathons and other races. At age 58, she began rock climbing and at age 66. She became the oldest woman to climb Yosemite's El Capitan.

And if this story wasn't already crazy enough, she is the mother of Alex Honnold. The world's most prolific rock climber. He is the star of the film Free Solo where he climbed El Capitan with no climbing equipment. It's incredible. This conversation shows why or how someone can be as incredible at what they do.

Dierdre is fascinating in what she provides to people, her outlook on the world. Being able to push back on norms of how people assume you should be. The power of writing because she believes that what you tell yourself informs what you're capable of doing. When you say, Oh, I'm supposed to be this or I should be that that's another person value. She says, write your own story.  Please enjoy this conversation with Dierdre Wolownick.

Show Notes:

(00:05:00) Who is Dierdre Wolownick?

(00:06:12) Thoughts on wide ranging interests

(00:07:26) New experiences and activities

(00:09:24) Experiencing life post World War II

(00:10:56) What was the first thing that captured your interest?

(00:13:40) Elaborating on language and how to learn one

(00:16:26) How do you help people become a world citizen?

(00:17:55) Recommendations to get people outside of their comfort zone

(00:22:24) Seeing the environmental impacts of human activity or lack of it

(00:23:24) Being drawn to nature

(00:24:49) Gifted or Influential books

(00:29:26) The power of fiction

(00:30:59) Climbing El Capitan

(00:38:08) Make your own choices

(00:39:57) Who should you listen to?

(00:40:12) The Power of Journaling

(00:42:52) Understanding the stories you tell yourself

(00:44:34) Specializing doesn't mean crystalize

(00:47:09) Sharing stories unfiltered

(00:47:56) Dealing with struggle

(00:49:31) How have you grown in the first five?

(00:52:23) Directing your attention

(00:53:44) Writing process

(00:56:53) What is feeding curiosity to you?

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play.” James Michener.

I am incredibly excited to bring this conversation to all of you today. My guest is Kevin Carroll. And many of you will not know who Kevin is.

Kevin is a master at what he does.

It's Kevin's job to inspire businesses, organizations, individuals from CEOs, and school children to embrace their spirit of play creativity and maximize their human potential for more meaningful business and personal growth.

Here's a quote on his website where he sums up what he's all about. 

I love this quote because it encapsulates who Kevin is to an insane degree. And in this conversation, you're going to hear the intensity that Kevin brings to the conversation.

And not only that, Kevin turns the tables on me. And in many ways, this conversation is not an interview. It is an active discussion in real-time we're playing in this conversation. And he picked me apart, and he understands what I bring to the table. And I think honestly, that's what this is all about, but we also talk a lot about how we can show up as humans in this crisis in this Great Pause so that we can be better people when we get through this.

And so with that everyone, please. Enjoy this amazing and wide-ranging conversation full of fire with Kevin Carroll. And I also want to give one more shout out is to check out his short-form podcast called Kataglyphs, and you can find a link in the show notes to go check those out. It's well worth your time.

Show Notes:

(00:05:08) German Heritage and Learning Languages

(00:07:38) Who is Kevin Carroll?

(00:08:28) Where did the love of language start?

(00:11:13) Was there an unlocking moment?

(00:13:24) Where did movement become so integral to Kevin?

(00:16:14) Belonging and Community

(00:18:50) The Power of Gaming

(00:22:02) Competing against themselves

(00:23:04) Engineers and Creativity

(00:24:19) A challenge to Erich

(00:26:30) Personal Philosophy

(00:28:39) Uncovering your potential and being a seeker

(00:30:44) Deconstructing movement for engineers

(00:32:34) Shakespeare - The play within the play

(00:34:26) Getting yourself to keep coming back

(00:36:45) Unlocking the inner creative

(00:39:18) Challenge to be of service for the next generation of engineers

(00:41:38) Elevating others around you

(00:46:14) What can be counted doesn't always count

(00:48:36) The entire world is having a mindful moment

(00:51:30) Reimagining humanity

(00:52:34) From doing to being

(00:58:39) The wake up call

(01:03:18) The sacrifice of essential workers

(01:06:08) The optimistic viewpoint

(01:08:35) Redemption arc

(01:11:13) The great disruptor - what direction should people look?

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast/kevin-carroll

Will you be part of the secret crowd?

You can read this at feedingcuriosity.net/blog/secret-crowds

In this conversation, Joe Jackowski shares some of the research on the evolution of attraction. This podcast is outlined from a paper Joe wrote of the same name in an evolutionary biology class at the University of Michigan.

Show Notes:

(00:01:32) Intro - Everything has a cost

(00:03:27) Human Attraction

(00:09:25)General Attraction for Heterosexual behavior

(00:11:05) Sexual Dimorphism

(00:15:03) Estrus and Exotic Dancers

(00:20:22) Women's attraction to men

(00:25:55) Other effects of personality traits and sexual partners

(00:27:18) A statement on generalities of what this research show about gender and sexual preference

(00:29:44) Making the unconscious, conscious

(00:31:35) Closing

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast

— COREY MCCARTHY

In this conversation, we are joined by Corey McCarthy. I wanted to have a conversation with after watching the film Just Mercy. At the time, I was interested in learning more about the prison system and someone who was a part of the prison system. After setting up to record, COVID-19 swept the world in about a week. This shifted our discussion to talk around the work Corey has done to change his mindset and, in many ways, start over.

Corey McCarthy lives in Buffalo, New York with his girlfriend and three children. He is the founder and owner of McCarthy, I.E., a company that specializes in the restoration of historic churches and architectural homes. At age seven, Corey was attacked by a stranger in a public place, which altered his life significantly. One traumatic event led to the next, the result being years of addiction, visits in rehab facilities, jails, mental inpatient services, homelessness, and eventually an extended stay of seven-plus years in N.Y.S correctional system. Defying the odds, Corey has endured and overcome. He embraced a new narrative of gratitude and hope. Because of the changes he’s made, he has built a strong business with a family of employees. He has built a loving home. His life’s work is most certainly the time he spends on a daily basis doing whatever he can to help others change their narrative, anyone who feels damaged, dirty, alone, or just plain not good enough. This is where he derives true meaning and purpose.

Show notes:

(00:06:29) The Choice to be busy

(00:08:58) Alienating people and being in places of Fear

(00:13:06) Action Words - Mindfulness and Meditation

(00:15:47) Exploring mindfulness and connecting to others

(00:18:29) Definites and Absolutes

(00:20:25) When you feel overwhelmed and unfocused what do you fall back on?

(00:23:44) Stopping the negative spiral or starting over

(00:25:01) Most worthwhile investments outside of money?

(00:26:05) Cultivating deep relationships

(00:28:02) How do you become vulnerable?

(00:33:40) Releasing emotions

(00:35:54) Who do I want to be?

(00:38:28) Esteemable Acts and being of service

(00:41:36) Sharing knowledge for everyone

(00:45:30) The good and the bad of COVID-19

(00:47:07) Shared global experience

(00:48:40) The power of reflection

(00:52:26) Getting started

(00:54:44) How do you know you should try?

(00:56:54) Keeping the ego in check

(00:58:53) Gifted books or recommended books

(01:00:48) Since getting out of prison what new belief or mindset has positively impacted your life?

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast/corey-mccarthy

— PANOS PAPADIAMANTIS

Panos Papadiamantis, Co-Founder of PNOE, the world's first portable cardio-metabolic analyzer. What that is, it's a mask that you wear during a 10-minute test on a treadmill, and from that, you gain incredible insights into your health and fitness.

PNOĒ is on a quest to bring cardio-metabolic analysis to everyone. As the gold standard for nutrition & exercise prescription, the most non-invasive method for cardiovascular disease screening, the clinical standard for triaging between pulmonary and cardiac limitations as well as a valuable tool in detecting latent causes of myoskeletal problems, cardio-metabolic analysis is rapidly becoming the central assessment in holistic health.

Show Notes:

(00:04:20) What is PNOE?

(00:10:10) One of the biggest misconceptions of metabolic testing

(00:12:31) Describing the technology

(00:15:47) Studies that validate PNOE?

(00:16:51) Calorie Deviation

(00:18:02) What is Panos' Background?

(00:23:20) Accessibility of the technology and what understanding your metabolism can provide for average users

(00:27:01) Understanding metabolic efficiency

(00:29:26) Uses for different types of training

(00:32:27) Mitochondria and metabolism

(00:37:19) Frequency of testing?

(00:38:18) Bad advice in training

(00:41:01) Entry level recommendation for movement

(00:43:21) What to do when feeling overwhelmed or unfocused?

(00:44:21) Any routines that help Panos?

(00:46:09) Advice the young or driven?

For transcripts and links to learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast/panos-papadiamantis-pnoe

— ANDY VASILY

Andy Vasily is an educator who wants to push his understanding of teaching and learning to a deeper level. Andy decided to begin blogging to share his teaching practice and connect with other educators and top researchers around the world. The value that he saw in this exchange of vision and practical applications led to an enriched professional learning journey that he has shared with practitioners and scholars alike.

In this conversation, we expand on Andy’s inner exploration, starting with darkness in his life and experiences. Andy shares what works for him to keep the darkness from overwhelming him. We expand on the ideas of self-discovery and reflecting on your journey to help guide others on there own.

Show notes:

(00:04:54) Experiencing Darkness

(00:09:26) Why focus on mental health?

(00:11:17) New Year's Resolutions

(00:12:32) Moral Weigh Stations

(00:14:43) Two-week experiments

(00:17:05) What is performance?

(00:18:13) Creating a vision for movement

(00:20:14) The Power of Physical Activity

(00:24:27) Physical Activity and Mindfulness

(00:27:03) Answering questions while running

(00:31:26) Positive Psychology

(00:33:10) Innate or learned behavior?

(00:37:00) Giving away what you know

(00:41:56) Self-learning

(00:43:17) Having the right tools

(00:45:01) Andy's Routines

(00:47:28) Giving yourself permission to explore

(00:50:42) Power of social interaction

(00:52:47) Recommended Books

(00:54:18) Advice to someone entering the "real" world?

For transcripts and links learn more here: https://feedingcuriosity.net/podcast/andyvasily