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Curated Questions

Celebrating The Power Of Questions

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#101 Ken Woodward: When Certainty Drifts

"  I ate of that apple. It tasted like safety." - Ken Woodward

Once a submarine goes under, nobody aboard knows exactly where they are. The boat runs on an estimate that drifts, and being off course feels exactly like being on course. The only remedy is to come up and take a fix.

In this solo episode, Ken asks whether certainty is what keeps us safe, or whether safety comes from our ability to keep checking our position against the world.

He draws on his time as a Navy Radioman plotting fixes, Arie Kruglanski's research on the need for closure, a Listerine ad campaign that manufactured a fear to sell a cure, and John Keats's idea of negative capability.

He also tells the story of a political and religious certainty that once absolved him of responsibility, and what 2,085 miles of D.C. streets taught him about fear.

The episode closes with a question to take with you: Is my need for certainty making me safer?

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

Be sure to subscribe to the weekly Curated Questions Dispatch newsletter for more fun with questions and curiosity! (https://substack.com/@curatedquestions)

Keep questioning!

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tags: Curated Questions, Ken Woodward, need for certainty, certainty and safety, fear and uncertainty, tolerating uncertainty, need for cognitive closure, seizing and freezing, Arie Kruglanski, negative capability, John Keats, critical thinking, questioning your beliefs, fear-based messaging, fear and manipulation, protection racket psychology, Listerine halitosis advertising, faith deconstruction, religious certainty, political certainty, moral majority, evangelical politics, submarine navigation, dead reckoning, periscope depth, Navy veteran podcast, Every Street DC walk, Black Lives Matter walk, My Grandmother's Hands, imposter syndrome, curiosity podcast
categories: Social Impact, Leadership, Listening, Mental Wellness, Personal Growth, Imagination, Politics, Strategy, Critical Thinking, Justice, Legacy, Problem Solving
Thursday 09.17.26
Posted by Kenneth Woodward
 

#63 Ken Woodward: The Inquisitive Almanack: 2026

"Direction often emerges not from knowing what you want, but from finally admitting what you don’t." - Ken Woodward

The Inquisitive Almanack: 2026 Edition closes the year with something Curated Questions has never quite done before—an affectionate, slightly irreverent, and deeply thoughtful almanack for the inner life.

Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, this episode blends dry wit, invented bureaucracy, and hard-won wisdom to offer forecasts not for the weather, but for the heart, mind, and questions we carry.

You’ll hear interior weather reports, proverbs for the asking class, arbitrary rules of inquiry, lunar phases of curiosity, and predictions for the questions most likely to surface in 2026—across leadership, relationships, parenting, teams, and personal life.

Released intentionally as the final episode of the year, this Almanack isn’t a recap or a resolution guide. It’s a pause. A breath. A lighter place to rest before the calendar turns and begins asking new things of us.

Come curious. Leave rested. And carry one good question forward.

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

Keep questioning!

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tags: Curated Questions, Ken Woodward, Inquisitive Almanack 2026, year end reflection, questions for the year ahead, curiosity practice, reflective inquiry, personal growth questions, leadership questions, end of year reflection, self reflection podcast, thoughtful questions, inner life reflection, uncertainty and curiosity, annual reflection ritual, wisdom through questions, asking better questions, philosophy of inquiry, curiosity podcast, reflection and rest, intentional living questions, meaning and purpose, leadership reflection, slowing down practice, contemplative podcast, questions for leaders, questions for life, annual traditions, inquiry based living
categories: Community, Connection, Leadership, Listening, Personal Growth, Coaching, Creativity, Gratitude, Mentoring, Parenting, Year End
Wednesday 12.24.25
Posted by Kenneth Woodward
 

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