The Learning Geeks Podcast

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.