#62 Haru Yamada: Flashlights, Lanterns, and the Way We Listen

"Not being a hundred percent sure all the time is a weird strength." - Haru Yamada

In this episode of Curated Questions, Ken Woodward is in conversation with Dr. Haru Yamada, a sociolinguist, intercultural communication scholar, and author of Kiku: The Japanese Art of Good Listening, to explore what it really means to listen. Haru traces her early understanding of questions back to age four, when she moved from Tokyo to New York and had to use questions as a tool for language, belonging, and survival.

Together, they unpack how culture shapes communication: English often rewards “flashlight” questioning, the precise, content-driven clarity, while Japanese culture tends to favor a “lantern” approach that illuminates context, relationship, and what isn’t said. Haru also shares the harrowing accident that reshaped her understanding of listening as a health practice, linking felt-heard experiences to relational, mental, and even physical well-being.

In a noisy, multitasking world, this conversation reframes listening as an active, life-giving skill, and a compass for navigating each other with empathy.

This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.

Keep questioning!

#49 Naomi Campbell: The Key to Helping Others Find Their Own Questions!

"Questions are an extremely sophisticated thinking skill that everyone can use and practice all the time." - Naomi Campbell

In this episode, host Ken Woodward is in conversation with Naomi Campbell, Director of the Right Question Institute (RQI) Legal Empowerment Program. They delve into the transformative power of teaching people to ask questions, highlighting its impact across various fields, including education, legal practice, and healthcare.

Naomi shares her journey from an inquisitive childhood encouraged by her family and school, through law school at Harvard, to her work in Mexico City advocating for migrant workers. The episode emphasizes the importance of questioning as a sophisticated skill that fosters personal agency and enhances democratic participation. Naomi also discusses RQI's unique methods for teaching this skill and how they support change agents in different communities.

The conversation provides insightful examples of how empowering people to formulate their own questions can lead to meaningful social change and better navigating decision-making systems.

This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.

Keep questioning!

#15 Kwame Sarfo-Mensah: The Vocabulary of Identity & Creating Culturally Affirming Classrooms

Kwame explores the concept of identity, including personal and social identities, and how these can affect one's experience in the world. The conversation delves into the challenges of addressing identity in educational settings and the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Kwame shares his experiences and insights on the power of questions in navigating contract negotiations, understanding student backgrounds, and self-growth. The dialogue also touches on unlearning ingrained biases and recognizing privileges. The discussion concludes by reflecting on the role of questions in fostering a more inclusive and understanding society.

#06 Bobby Morgan: Creating Disruptive Educators & Restorative Classroom Practices

Bobby Morgan opens the episode by recounting the realization that his approach to teaching did not inspire the intended results in his students. This realization prompted a process of unlearning while asking questions and listening to the very students he was there to teach. This conversation provides an exhaustive list of questions for students, teachers, parents, and anyone involved with school-aged kids... and we are all students. Bobby provides practical, real-world examples of meaningful ways to serve every aspect of the educational system by building disruptive educators.