Thecuriousmanspodcast

In this episode, I'm joined by medieval historian Peter Jones, author of Self-Help from the Middle Ages: What the Seven Deadly Sins Can Teach Us About Living.

We explore how medieval thinkers used the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins not just as religious warnings, but as a surprisingly practical guide to understanding human habits, desires, and flaws.

From pride and envy to greed and sloth, these ancient ideas reveal timeless truths about psychology, morality, and the challenge of living a balanced life.

In this episode I speak with lead singer, guitarist, writer and producer of The Quarantined. A former Army Airborne Infantryman who served in Iraq, Sean now channels his experiences into raw, unfiltered music that confronts mental health, identity and purpose head-on. We discuss transitioning from the service to civilian life, the lack of facilities for service members and what got Sean through his struggles. Please give a listen.

In this episode, I talk with Kory Stamper, author of True Color: The Strange and Spectacular Quest to Define Color—from Azure to Zine Pink. We explore the strange, funny, and complex history of color — from dictionary definitions and scientific standards to branding, fashion, art, and human perception. Why do color names change? Who decides what a color "really" is? And why is it so hard to pin down something we all think we see clearly? This conversation blends language, science, culture, and storytelling — and will permanently change how you think about color.

French cuisine is often seen as timeless, elegant, and untouchable—but what if its rise was anything but inevitable?

My guest is Luke Barr, a James Beard Foundation Book Award nominee and acclaimed writer whose work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, GQ, and more.

In his fascinating book, The Secret History of French Cooking, Barr uncovers the dramatic, messy, and often political story behind how French cuisine became the gold standard of the culinary world—through larger-than-life chefs, cultural upheaval, and a battle for taste itself.

In this episode, I speak with Gil Bashe, author of Healing the Sick Care System, about the urgent need to transform healthcare.

From his early experience as a combat medic to his leadership in health communications, Gil shares a powerful perspective on why the system is broken — and what it will take to fix it. We explore prevention, patient empowerment, trust, innovation, and the human side of care.

This conversation challenges how we think about medicine, systems, and the future of health.

In this episode, leadership strategist and bestselling author Brooke Dukes discusses her book Burn On, Not Out and her Culture Compass framework for building healthier workplace cultures. We explore why burnout has become so widespread, how leaders can create environments where people thrive, and practical strategies individuals can use to maintain energy, purpose, and resilience.

Today's episode takes us into a sweeping science-fiction universe shaped not just by imagination, but by real-world experience in medicine, travel, and the fragility of the human body.

My guest is Nicholas Keating Casbarro, author of the novel Vitalerium: Descent into the Void. Born in Providence in 1990, Nicholas trained as a Doctor of Physical Therapy at Northeastern University and spent years working in wound healing, burn care, and regenerative medicine—traveling constantly to hospitals and burn centers across the country.

Somewhere between flights over the Rockies and late-night layovers, that experience evolved into an ambitious science-fiction saga: a planned seven-book series following Roman Matthews across a planet called Deorum, where the glittering city of Kairus sits beside the most powerful energy source in the galaxy—the Vital Fracture.

It's a world of beauty, hierarchy, power, and danger- and today we're diving into how it all came to life.

My guest is Mark Kaplan, Managing Partner of the Dagoba Group and co-author, along with Mason Donovan, of the book The Parenthood Advantage: Building Corporate Cultures That Value Working Parents.

In the book, Mason and Mark argue that supporting working parents isn't just the right thing to do—it's a powerful competitive advantage for organizations. They explore how companies can rethink policies, leadership practices, and workplace culture to better support employees who are raising families.

This is a conversation about leadership, inclusion, productivity, and how organizations can thrive by recognizing the real lives of the people who power them.

In this episode, I speak with David King Dunaway, professor of English and author of A Four-Eyed World: How Glasses Changed the Way We See. We explore the surprising cultural and intellectual history of eyeglasses, how they transformed education and longevity, and why this small invention had such a profound impact on human civilization.

In this episode, I speak with award-winning journalist and author Tom Junod about his memoir, In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man. We explore how cultural expectations shape boys and men, how personal identity evolves over time, and how vulnerability, creativity, and self-awareness can challenge traditional ideas of masculinity.

Junod reflects on his upbringing, career, fatherhood, ambition, failure, and emotional growth — offering a deeply personal and thought-provoking look at what it means to become a man on your own terms.