Dr. Debra Clary — leadership strategist, researcher, and author of The Curiosity Curve — joins Dr. Dan for a powerful conversation about why curiosity may be the most overlooked leadership skill of our time. From driving a Frito-Lay truck in Detroit after earning her MBA (and helping spark what became the billion-dollar Flaming Hot product line) to advising Fortune 500 CEOs, Debra reveals how certainty quietly kills curiosity, why children ask 298 questions a day while adults ask only 5, and how fear and curiosity cannot exist in the brain simultaneously. This conversation explores why millennials disengage when leaders don't ask for their input, how curious mothers raise more intellectually advanced and emotionally stable children, and why the simple practice of asking questions without an agenda can transform leadership, relationships, and life.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why certainty can hinder growth more than doubt — as leaders rise, they often become less curious and more disconnected
How fear and curiosity cannot coexist in the brain — asking questions literally shifts emotional tone
Why people disengage when they aren't asked — especially younger generations who want to contribute, not just comply
The neuroscience behind curiosity: children ask 298 questions daily, adults only 5 — what happened?
How curious mothers raise children who are more intellectually advanced, emotionally stable, and socially connected
Why "I don't know, let's find out together" is one of the most powerful leadership phrases
The simple daily practice: "Today I seek to understand, and I do that by asking questions"
LEARN MORE
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February 26, 2026
Dr. Debra Clary
The Curiosity Curve: Why Great Leaders Ask Better Questions
"Fear and curiosity cannot coexist in the brain at the same time."
TIMESTAMPS
02:19 – The underdog mindset: From Frito-Lay truck driver to billion-dollar insights
18:15 – Why certainty quietly kills curiosity as leaders rise
25:08 – Fear and curiosity in the brain: Why they can't coexist
34:38 – The research: 298 questions to 5, curious mothers, and the third-grade drop-off
37:30 – Why we're taught to be incurious: Cultural programming against questions
42:08 – Learning to ask real questions: Without agenda, without leading the witness
53:00 – Seen, heard, valued: The human need curiosity meets
56:56 – The daily practice: "I seek to understand, and I do that by asking questions"
SHOW NOTES
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Dan sits down with leadership strategist, researcher, and executive coach and author Dr. Debra Clary to explore why curiosity may be the most overlooked—and most essential—leadership skill of our time.
Deb shares her remarkable journey from driving a Frito-Lay delivery truck after earning her MBA to advising Fortune 500 executives and the publication of her book The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Question. Along the way, she reveals how resilience, humility, and bold questions shaped her leadership philosophy and helped spark transformational change inside some of the world’s most iconic organizations.
Together, Dr. Dan and Debra explore why certainty can hinder growth, how curiosity fuels engagement and performance, and why fear and curiosity cannot coexist in the brain. They explore the role curiosity plays not just in leadership and business, but in parenting, relationships, creativity, and human connection.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Dr. Debra Clary
Book: The Curiosity Curve: A Leader's Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions
2026 Curiosity Curve Trend Report: "The Curiosity Crisis"
Key Research & Concepts
298 vs. 5 questions — Children ask 298 questions daily, adults only 5 (what happened?)
Fear and curiosity cannot coexist — Neuroscience shows they occupy opposite brain states
Certainty hinders curiosity — As leaders gain confidence, they often lose openness
The London study — Curious mothers raised children who were more intellectually advanced, emotionally stable, and socially connected (10-year longitudinal study)
Third grade drop-off — When creativity and curiosity decline significantly in school systems
"I don't know, let's find out together" — One of the most powerful leadership phrases
Seen, heard, valued — The three basic human needs curiosity meets
"What questions do you have?" — Not "Any questions?" — and then pause and wait
Leading the witness — Using questions to manipulate vs. genuine curiosity
The daily practice — "Today I seek to understand, and I do that by asking questions"
GUEST BIO
Dr. Debra Clary is a leadership strategist, researcher, and executive coach with over four decades of leadership experience at some of the world's most iconic companies, including Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, and Humana. With a doctorate in leadership and organizational development, Debra advises Fortune 500 companies on how to harness the power of curiosity to drive transformation and foster connection. Her book, The Curiosity Curve: A Leader's Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Questions, won a gold award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Whether leading billion-dollar brands, advocating for women's leadership, delivering viral TEDx talks, or performing sold-out one-woman shows, Debra is guided by her mission to ask bold questions and follow wonder.
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