"It is easier simply to tell the truth, even if you've made a mistake, because what it does is build credibility over time." - Andrew Caulk
"It is easier simply to tell the truth, even if you've made a mistake, because what it does is build credibility over time." - Andrew Caulk
What happens when the questions leaders most need to ask are the ones they're most afraid to voice? Andrew Caulk spent two decades in the Air Force as an information strategist, and he's seen how institutions, military, political, and personal, manage their narratives by avoiding the hardest inquiries.
In this conversation, Andrew and Ken explore how misinformation and disinformation actually work, why truth is more strategically sustainable than deception, and how the attention economy is quietly rewiring our ability to think slowly.
Andrew shares what senior leaders refused to ask aloud in military war games, what the casualty projections for a Taiwan conflict actually look like, and why American will to fight may be the most underexamined variable in geopolitical strategy.
The conversation also turns to children, curiosity, and how the questions we allow, or suppress, in our homes shape the next generation's capacity to navigate a noisy world.
This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.
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Episode Notes
00:00 Welcome to Curated Questions
02:12 Meet Andrew Caulk
03:46 Power of Why
04:47 Choosing the Military Path
06:15 Public Affairs to Influence
08:38 Truth as Strategy
09:54 Credibility and Reviews
11:51 Mis Dis and Mal Info
13:31 Iran and Incentives
14:54 Rhetoric and History Lens
18:57 War Games Hard Questions
21:54 Will to Fight and Allies
27:27 NATO Article Five Details
31:46 Narrative Identity and Change
36:01 Changing Identies Late In LIfe When the Answers Demand it
43:16 Nuance Over Facebook
43:52 Understand Or Persuade
44:47 Conflict Communication Tools
45:35 Socratic Theology Debate
46:18 Leaving An Out
47:03 Change Takes Time
48:19 Deradicalization Lessons
49:15 Relatives And Intention
50:55 Self Reflection Practice
51:51 When Nothing Is Forgotten
53:32 Public Forgiveness Gap
56:07 Real Apologies And Follow Through
58:02 Reentry And Rehabilitation
01:00:41 Curiosity In Attention Economy
01:06:49 Poison Pills in Media
01:11:17 Andrew's Media Strategy
01:14:02 Broadening Your Media Diet
01:20:17 Explaining War to Kids
01:20:59 Screens as Slot Machines
01:21:28 Reading as a Baseline
01:21:57 Teaching Kids About Ads
01:22:55 Modeling Critical Thinking
01:25:04 Chores Versus Games
01:26:10 Feelings Versus Behavior
01:27:18 Predicting Your Day
01:28:34 Owning Mistakes and Apologies
01:31:00 Curiosity Through Homeschooling
01:33:37 Sex Ed and Consent Talk
01:38:01 Filtering Noise and Choosing Focus
01:42:19 A Vision for the United States
01:45:16 What Privacy Checks and Balances Look Like
01:50:30 Andrew's Right Now Question
Resources Mentioned
Inside The Manosphere documentary
Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday
Andrew Caulk on LinkedIn