Dr. Debra Clary — leadership strategist and author of The Curiosity Curve — explores why curiosity may be the most overlooked leadership skill of our time. From driving a Frito-Lay truck in Detroit after earning her MBA 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 people disengage when they aren't asked for input, how curious mothers raise more emotionally stable children, and why the simple practice of asking questions without an agenda can transform leadership and life.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why certainty can hinder growth more than doubt
How fear and curiosity cannot coexist in the brain
Why people disengage when they aren't asked for input
The neuroscience behind curiosity: 298 questions to 5
How curious mothers raise more emotionally stable children
Why "I don't know, let's find out together" is powerful
The simple daily practice of seeking to understand
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
00:02:19 – The underdog mindset
00:18:15 – Why certainty kills curiosity
00:25:08 – Fear and curiosity in the brain
00:34:38 – The research: 298 to 5 questions
00:37:30 – Why we're taught to be incurious
00:42:08 – Learning to ask real questions
00:53:00 – Seen, heard, valued
00:56:56 – The daily practice
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.
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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