Guest Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver. Summary In this episode, Jeff Ikler talks with author and environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb about his book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They explore the intersection of wildlife conservation and infrastructure, focusing on wildlife crossings, roadkill reduction, and habitat preservation. Ben highlights the economic and environmental benefits of wildlife-friendly infrastructure and discusses the importance of advocacy, public awareness, and collaboration to address the challenges posed by human development. Focus of Part 1

• Defines road ecology

• Explains why crossings are critical

• How various groups—road ecologists, wildlife biologists, conservation aid organizations, government agencies, and transportation departments—collaborate to bring about beneficial solutions

• How crossings are financed

• Argues that we must commit to habitat preservation as well as providing safe passage

Overall Takeaways

1. Wildlife Crossings Save Lives: Properly designed crossings dramatically reduce roadkill and improve public safety, addressing the economic and ecological costs of animal-vehicle collisions.

2. Collaboration is Key: Road ecology requires partnerships between transportation agencies, conservationists, policymakers, and communities to implement effective and sustainable solutions.

3. Advocacy and Awareness Matter: Public support and legislative action are essential to fund and prioritize wildlife crossings and habitat preservation projects for long-term impact.

Social Media / Referenced

Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben.a.goldfarb/

X: https://twitter.com/ben_a_goldfarb

Books:

Crossings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324005890

Eager: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Surprising-Secret-Beavers-Matter/dp/160358739X

 

Guest Bob Reece has worked as a full-time educator with at-risk teens and as a successful small business owner over the past two decades.  He now works as a Clinical Counselor and Personal Coach.  He holds Master of Natural Science and Master of Clinical Counseling degrees as well as Life Coach Certification from the Tony Robbins/Madanes Training School.   Summary

In this episode, Jeff Ikler talks with Bob Reece, a counselor and fly-fishing guide, about his work addressing the mental health of men and at-risk teens. Bob highlights the importance of emotional well-being, the power of group dynamics, and the healing environment of fly fishing. They discuss overcoming societal stigmas around vulnerability, providing men with tools to manage emotions, and the transformative impact of connecting with nature to improve relationships and professional lives.

Three Takeaways

1. Nature as a Healing Space: Fly-fishing retreats provide a peaceful environment where men can open up, reflect, and address emotional challenges outside the stresses of daily life.

2. Overcoming Stigma: Bob emphasizes the need to normalize vulnerability among men, challenging traditional notions of masculinity and fostering healthier emotional expression.

3. Practical Emotional Tools: Through guided counseling and group support, participants gain actionable strategies for managing emotions, improving relationships, and finding balance in their lives.

Social Media

Website: www.ThinAirCoach.com

Instagram: @thin_air_angler

Guest Tamsin Astor: Tamsin Astor is a Chief Habit Scientist. She helps her clients shift their mindset, organize their vision, and improve their habits, creating productivity and joy! Dr. Astor’s clients reduce their decision-making, increasing their time and energy for fun! Tamsin is a mother, a traveler and foodie. She believes travel breeds tolerance and cultivates gratitude and reflection. Tamsin holds a PhD in neuroscience and psychology and a post-doctorate in education. She has certifications in yoga, coaching, mindset & ayurveda. She is an executive coach and author. Summary

In this episode, Tamsin Astor discusses her approach to habit formation and wellness, integrating both Western and Eastern philosophies. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the "Big Why" behind habits and focusing on creating new, positive routines rather than solely addressing the root causes of negative habits.

Tamsin shares her personal journey, including her struggles with sleep and the impact of her son's cancer, which led her to explore Ayurveda and health coaching. She highlights the significance of personal responsibility, mindset, and the role of pleasure in daily life. Tamsin also touches on the importance of ethical frameworks in relationships and the value of diverse perspectives in her coaching practice.

Social Media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamsin-astor/

https://substack.com/@drtamsin

https://www.facebook.com/ktamsinastor

https://www.instagram.com/tamsinastor/

About Jeff

Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching. “Quetico” (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government.

Jeff has hosted the “Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity” podcast for 5 years. The guests and topics he explores are designed to help listeners think differently about the familiar and welcome the new as something to consider. He is also the co-host of the Cultivating Resilience – A Whole Community Approach to Alleviating Trauma in Schools, which promotes mental health and overall wellness.

Jeff co-authored Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. Shifting integrates leadership development and change mechanics in a three-part change framework to help guide school leaders and their teams toward productive change.

Summary

An artist’s rendering of Apollo 8 as it photographs “Earthrise.”

This episode reflects on the Apollo 8 mission's iconic "Earthrise" image in late December 1968 and the turbulent year that preceded it. It highlights enduring lessons on inequality, collective problem-solving, and environmental stewardship. The episode urges renewed respect for history and a commitment to addressing modern challenges with the same ingenuity that defined the space race.

Three Takeaways

Historical Literacy: The mission symbolizes humanity's capacity for courage, teamwork, and ingenuity, offering hope and a sense of shared accomplishment amidst turmoil.

Historical Inequality: The unresolved issues of racial, gender, and economic inequities persist, echoing the divisions of 1968.

Environmental Responsibility: "Earthrise" underscores the planet’s fragility, emphasizing the need for collective stewardship over self-interest.

About Jeff

Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching. “Quetico” (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government.

Jeff has hosted the “Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity” podcast for 5 years. The guests and topics he explores are designed to help listeners think differently about the familiar and welcome the new as something to consider. He is also the co-host of the Cultivating Resilience – A Whole Community Approach to Alleviating Trauma in Schools, which promotes mental health and overall wellness.

Jeff co-authored Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. Shifting integrates leadership development and change mechanics in a three-part change framework to help guide school leaders and their teams toward productive change.

Summary In this episode, I reflect on how books have impacted my life and why standing up to book censorship is essential. Given my interest in books, I was curious to know what some of my colleagues, friends, and family members read in 2024 and what they will read in 2025. So, I contacted more than 40 of them, asking them for a brief bio, their books of choice, and why a given title found its way to their bookshelf and nightstand. See their suggestions below. Three Major Takeaways

1. Books as Lifelong Companions: Jeff's "next" shelf symbolizes curiosity, learning, and discovery throughout life.

2. Reading as Resistance: Championing books combats censorship and fosters critical thinking.

3. Power of Storytelling: Great books connect us to history, nature, and universal truths, shaping perspectives and fostering empathy.

Summary

Next February, Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity will start its seventh year. I try to offer timely and, I trust, interesting guests and content on leading effective change in education and business and cultivating curiosity about a wide variety of topics, including space exploration, art, history, the environment, personal development, purpose setting, writing, racism and anti-Semitism, selling, cooking, and, of course, fly fishing.

Getting Unstuck Cultivating—Curiosity still ranks in the top 3 percent of all podcasts globally. Currently. just over 4 million options are vying for your ears’ attention. We just published our 341st episode, which is notable given that most podcasts don't reach ten episodes.

As we approach the end of the year, I want to thank you, my listeners. I wouldn't be able to continue doing this show without your interest and support. Thank you.

A special thanks goes to my engineer, Neil Hughes. He manages all the back-end publishing logistics and makes every episode sound professional. He also welcomes me to pull up a virtual chair for periodic emotional therapy when needed. To say I would be lost without him doesn’t begin to do his services justice.

I’m going to recap 2024 in three parts:

Part One, the episodes that you listened to the most.

Part Two, all the episodes were important, but one was particularly special to me.

Part Three, my most popular episode over the life of the podcast.

Guest After completing an undergraduate degree in history and political science at Simon Fraser University, Paul McNicholls spent a career in insurance claims investigation. When nearing retirement, he was approached by the UK publisher Helion and Company, and the result was his first book Journey Through the Wilderness. He is now writing the story of Donald Montgomery who served with the Canadian Corps in the First World War. He moved to Vancouver in 1908 and was the older brother by one year of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. In 2021, Paul received the Howard Browne Medal from the Victorian Military Society. Summary

In this episode, Jeff and Paul explore the historical significance of World War II's Battle of the Bulge, coinciding with its 80th anniversary.

Paul explains Hitler’s campaign goals, including his desire to split the American and British alliances and capture the port of Antwerp.

Jeff provides the context for some of the events leading to the battle: the Allied breakout from the Normandy beaches, the Ally’s ill-fated Market Garden campaign, and the disastrous Battle of the Hurtgen Forest.

Their conversation also focuses on the challenges of the harsh winter conditions, the U.S.’s initial troop limitations, and the German force’s need for fuel.

The conversation also highlights lesser-known stories, such as the Malmedy Massacre and the brutal realities faced by soldiers in the Ardennes.

Paul and Jeff share their experiences walking historic battlefields and how physically visiting these sites provides a deeper understanding of history's emotional and human elements. The discussion concludes with reflections on the importance of preserving these stories and their enduring lessons about leadership, resilience, and the cost of conflict.

Three Takeaways

Battlefield Lessons: The Battle of the Bulge illustrates the significance of tactical decisions, resource limitations, and the human cost of war in shaping history.

Emotional Connection to History: Walking historic battlefields fosters a deeper understanding of the physical and emotional challenges the soldiers faced.

Preserving Stories for the Future: Sharing lesser-known events, like the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest and the Malmedy Massacre, deepens the public’s understanding of the critical lessons of history.

Social Media

LinkedIn

Referenced

The Malmady Massacre: The War Crimes Trial Controversy by Steven Remy

When Senator Joe McCarthy Defended the Nazis Smithsonian July 2020

Rachel Maddow Ultra Season 2

The Boys’ Crusade by Paul Fussell

Voices of the Bulge by Michael Collins and Martin King

About Jeff

Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching. “Quetico” (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government.

Jeff has hosted the “Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity” podcast for 5 years. The guests and topics he explores are designed to help listeners think differently about the familiar and welcome the new as something to consider. He is also the co-host of the Cultivating Resilience – A Whole Community Approach to Alleviating Trauma in Schools, which promotes mental health and overall wellness.

Jeff co-authored Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. Shifting integrates leadership development and change mechanics in a three-part change framework to help guide school leaders and their teams toward productive change.

Guest Luann Horobin is one of 1700 ICF Master Coaches who serves clients as an Executive and Leadership Transformational Coach and Consultant. Having been raised on a farm, the core values of work and community have been her guiding life principles. Yet, when facing life and career transitions, a pivotal point was learning how to achieve ambitions, not by working harder but by adopting a different mindset.

Luann’s dive into the science of transformation led to her customized coaching of breakthroughs that achieve ambitions, make better decisions, and put zest into life without stress.

Summary

In this episode, Jeff speaks with Luann Horobin, a coach specializing in mindset, neuro coaching, and vertical development (see below). Luanne explains how understanding brain chemistry and mindset shifts can help individuals overcome inner resistance and unlock their potential. She introduces the concepts of the "red brain" (triggered by stress and fear) and the "green brain" (fostering creativity and decision-making) to illustrate how words and feedback impact brain function.

Luann emphasizes the importance of reframing resistance as feedback and highlights the power of vertical development, which shifts underlying thought patterns to achieve lasting growth.

They also explore combating ageism and rediscovering personal values, encouraging listeners to focus on their unique strengths and contributions.

Three Takeaways

Reframing Resistance: Recognizing resistance as feedback can help individuals shift their mindset and embrace growth opportunities.

Vertical Development: vertical development refers to the process of fundamentally transforming the way we think, perceive, and approach challenges rather than just adding new tools, skills, information, or knowledge, which defines horizontal development.

Combating Ageism: Focusing on personal strengths and unique contributions helps combat limiting beliefs and rediscover value at any stage of life.

Social Media

LinkedIn:  https://ca.linkedin.com/in/luannhorobin

Guest

Laura Bakosh, Ph.D., is a mindfulness teacher, published researcher, and co-founder of Inner Explorer, an organization that brings stress resilience, attention, and mental well-being skills to K-12 schools and early learning centers. She earned a Ph.D. from Sofia University and a Bachelor of Science from Boston College. Laura was trained as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor at the University of Massachusetts, Center for Mindfulness, and is an Allstate/Northwestern University Nonprofit Fellow.

Laura has practiced and studied mindfulness for over 30 years and began teaching it to children 15 years ago. She realized it was difficult for children to commit to daily practice at home, leading to the creation of Inner Explorer in 2011. Inner Explorer provides a year-long sequence of short, audio-guided mindfulness practices that are easy to implement in the classroom each day! Students and educators practice together and improve their social-emotional capacities, leading to 43% less stress, 60% better emotional regulation and behavior, and 15% higher grades and test scores. Laura coined the term “Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Learning-(MBSEL)” in 2012 to show that mindfulness is foundational to social-emotional functioning because it buffers stress and activates learning readiness.

Summary

In this episode, Jeff and Jillane Flanders, the Executive Director of the Center for Educational Improvement, talk with Laura Bakosh, Ph.D.., founder of Inner Explorer, about the transformative power of daily mindfulness in schools. Laura shares her journey into mindfulness and the development of her program, which provides simple, guided audio sessions for students from preschool to high school. The program emphasizes the connection between mindfulness and academic, behavioral, and emotional benefits, supported by extensive neuroscience research.

Laura explains how mindfulness reduces stress, improves focus, and fosters emotional resilience, particularly in high-stress school environments. She highlights the challenges of implementation, including educator buy-in, and shares success stories of schools that have adopted the program, noting improvements in student behavior, academic performance, and school culture. The conversation concludes with strategies to integrate mindfulness into education more broadly and the need for systemic changes in teacher preparation programs.

Three Takeaways:

Daily Mindfulness Improves Outcomes: Regular mindfulness practice enhances focus, reduces stress, and boosts academic and behavioral performance in students.

Simple Implementation is Key: Inner Explorer’s guided audio sessions make it easy for educators to integrate mindfulness without adding to their workload.

Cultural Shift Required: Systemic changes, including mindfulness training in teacher preparation programs, are needed for widespread implementation.

Social Media

Email [email protected].

Website www.InnerExplorer.org

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/InnerExplorer/

LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/company/inner-explorer-inc-

X https://twitter.com/inner_explorer

Guest Elizabeth Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin. A linguistic anthropologist who studies culture and communication, she has been a Fulbright Scholar in Ireland and a visiting scholar at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies in Germany and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. Summary

In this episode, I chat with Elizabeth Keating, Ph.D., author of The Essential Questions, about the power of curiosity in preserving family history and understanding generational perspectives. Dr. Keating discusses how asking meaningful, anthropologically inspired questions can help uncover the rich stories and cultural insights of parents and grandparents, transforming familial relationships. She emphasizes the importance of capturing these stories before they are lost, as time and cognitive ability are fleeting. The discussion also highlights how cultural transmission occurs in everyday interactions and the impact of generational conflict on how values and beliefs are passed down. Dr. Keating shares her experiences as an anthropologist and teacher, using her framework to encourage deeper connections and a greater appreciation for the complexities of family history.

Three Takeaways

1. The Urgency of Storytelling: Capturing family stories is vital before they are lost, as time and cognitive ability are finite.

2. Cultural Transmission Through Everyday Life: Understanding how values and beliefs are passed down helps bridge generational differences.

3. Anthropology-Inspired Questions: Using open-ended, meaningful questions fosters deeper connections and unearths untold family histories.

Social Media

LinkedIn

Website

Referenced

The Atlantic article: The Questions We Don’t Ask Our Families but Should