What's the difference between curiosity, awe, and wonder and why does it matter for learning? In this episode, we welcome back three friends of the podcast: Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, researcher and educator at Harvard's Next Level Lab, Dr. Lauren Hodges, human performance researcher, and Jessica Billiet, neuroscience-informed change leader. Together, they explore curiosity as an epistemic emotion, the relationship between awe and meaning, and why widening our aperture might be the antidote to fear-based thinking. Part 1 of 2.

00:00 Cold Open

01:33 Dana Gets Meta-Curious

04:52 Meet Megan: Awe & Epistemic Emotions

07:23 Quick Curiosity vs. Sustained Interest

09:56 Does Learning Kill Awe?

11:12 Awe as Motivation at Work

14:00 Curiosity, Wonder & Vastness

21:02 Awe, Meaning & Purpose

24:18 Meet Lauren: Curiosity as Aperture

29:52 Curiosity as the Antidote to Stress

31:27 Reframing Fear with Curiosity

34:15 Wrap Up & Part 2 Preview

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS

Megan - https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/megan-powell-cuzzolino

Lauren - https://www.performance-on-purpose.com/about

Jessica - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabilliet/

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

Recorded live at SXSW EDU 2026, Jake and Bob sit down with Dr. Tessa Forshaw from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to explore metacognition in an AI-driven world. Tessa unpacks why our brains naturally offload thinking to AI, the power of productive friction, and what it takes to keep our own reasoning sharp. We close the show with simple strategies everyone can apply.

00:00 Cold Open

00:37 Live Show and Intro of Tessa

04:56 Metacognition in the AI Era

12:46 How to Stay Metacognitive with AI

17:26 Think While You Work, Not After

19:40 Productive Friction Explained

23:09 The Current Divide with EdTech

30:00 Practical Moves and Closing

CONNECT WITH TESSA’S WORK

https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/tessa-forshaw

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

Dan Bielenberg was one of the original learning geeks who spent 25 years in adult learning at Accenture. After retiring, he only deepened that curiosity. His learning path took him through seminary studies, becoming a hospice chaplain, and now coaching faculty in higher education. Dan shares how stepping away from the corporate world opened a new chapter of intentional, reflective learning. We explore self-awareness, emotional intelligence, being present, and why the best learners never retire.

00:00 Cold Open

01:38 Learning from Seminary and Hospice

09:59 Strengths Coaching in Academia

17:13 Emotional Intelligence Matters

21:42 EdTech and Distracted Learner

25:16 Microlearning Revisited

29:55 What I'd Tell My Younger

34:45 One Last Thing…

36:10 Closing

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

We're guest-free this week, so we pulled up some bar stools and went the unscripted happy hour route. We talk Bob’s move back to Chicago, the L&D pendulum swinging (again), AI hype, why hot takes suck and why you should teach instead. Plus, we discuss social media anxiety and a few other topics along the way. Pull up a barstool and join us!

00:00 Intro and first rounds

02:11 Bob moves back to Chicago

05:26 The L&D pendulum swings again

09:34 Resurrecting “Phenomenal Learning”

16:02 AI Hype and Human learning

21:07 Social Media anxiety and AI slop

27:41 Hot takes suck. Teach instead

31:21 Pop culture pivot: Marvel’s Wonder Man

33:14 Disney’s New CEO

35:18 Last call

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

David Chestnut joins us to rethink one of the biggest assumptions about AI enablement. We explore why AI isn’t a replacement for expertise, what AI is great at, what it’s terrible at, what ever happened to prompt engineering, and how context and delegation are becoming critical leadership capabilities.

00:00 Cold Open

01:12 Bob's Big Announcement

04:08 David's Journey into Learning

15:12 Challenges and future of AI

16:08 Limitations of GenAI

20:39 What ever happen to prompt engineering

22:26 The Importance of Context

24:52 Teaching AI Delegation

30:00 Future of AI and Human Expertise

30:48 Closing Remarks and Upcoming Events

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

It’s our yearly holiday special and a chance to pause, reflect, and look ahead. We reflect on the personal and professional lessons of 2025, including how AI, feedback loops, and immersive experiences are shaping learning. We also discuss the most important lesson – that at the end of the day, development is still about helping people become better versions of themselves. We wrap by looking ahead to 2026 and what we want to learn and build next, both for ourselves and for the podcast.

00:00 Introduction and banter

02:51 Bob – Meta tech and the Future of Learning

14:04 Dana – Better versions of ourselves

18:59 Bob Bot 3000

21:02 Jake – Family outings and AI powered journalling

30:42 Looking Forward to 2026

36:45 Thank you to listeners

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

In this episode, we’re joined by Brooke Weddle and Heather Stefanski from McKinsey to unpack why building tech skills is about unlocking human potential — not replacing it. We explore real client success stories and challenges with AI upskilling, the danger of ignoring human skills, why technology can’t fix broken work processes, and whether embedding AI into daily work actually improves apprenticeship and learning.

00:00 Cold open & banter

02:15 Introducing Brooke & Heather

04:26 What Tech Upskilling Really Means

07:13 Human Advantage vs. Machine Capability

14:52 Leadership, Storytelling & Positive Energy

17:29 Creating Space to Practice Tech Skills

18:26 Case Example: AI Transformation in Manufacturing

22:13 The Evolving Role of the CLO

26:09 Building a Developmental Ecosystem

31:27 AI as an Apprenticeship Engine

36:03 Final takeaways

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

READ MORE FROM BROOKE AND HEATHER

We’re all techies now: Digital skill building for the future: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/we-are-all-techies-now-digital-skill-building-for-the-future

The future of the CLO: Leading in a world of merged work and learning

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-future-of-the-clo-leading-in-a-world-of-merged-work-and-learning

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.

Longtime friend Deidra Busbee (Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase) joins us to unpack the power of your “learning posse”, or the group of people who challenge you, support you, connect you, and help you learn faster. We discuss how to build this crew intentionally, why it reduces stress and accelerates onboarding, and what roles AI has within the posse or will never replace. It's a thoughtful discussion at the relationships that fuel real growth.

00:00 Cold open and Deidre welcome

02:23 Deidre's Background

07:06 Deidre's Current Role at JP Morgan Chase

09:39 Building a Learning Posse

11:14 Roles in a Learning Posse

20:06 Introducing Bob Bot 3000

21:36 The Role of Human Connection

30:08 Networking Beyond Your Organization

34:53 Wrap up

LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast

You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.

CONNECT WITH US

If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.

DISCLAIMER

All thoughts and views are of our own.