I feel…
Full. Whole. Grateful. Awe. Inspired. Excited. Elevated. Loved. Seen.
Why?
March 12th - 16th I was with some of my favorite humans on the planet during the first LIVE Curiosity Island™ event.
For those that may not be familiar, Curiosity Island™ is an invite-only community that is comprised of many of the podcast guests you hear on the show.
My website is in need of a major update on describing Curiosity Island, but you can check it out here for deets.
Anywho…
I spent ~2 months designing this experience, and it felt like a true masterpiece the way it unfolded.
The only thing attendees were told was:
“Show up and on the agenda is magic.”
Behind the scenes, I was weaving together that involved…
… and SO much more.
It’s essentially the event I’ve always dreamed of having… that didn’t exist… so I created it.
Today’s episode is a FULL breakdown of what happened, and a “peek into my brain” as to how I designed this wild thing.
Enjoy 🙂
00:00 - Introduction to Beyond Curious and today’s guest, the Castaways of Curiosity Island Live in San Diego
Brandon Fong opens the episode with overflowing gratitude and joy, fresh off the first-ever in-person gathering of the Curiosity Island community. He introduces this behind-the-scenes solo recap to unpack the magic, community design insights, and personal takeaways from the event.
00:04:20 - Setting the Foundation: Citizenship, Passports, and the 4% Framework
Brandon lays down the foundational concepts of Curiosity Island, including the metaphor of earning citizenship and the deeply personal "Find Your Four Percent" framework—a fractal breakdown of actions, environments, and beliefs that yield disproportionate results in life.
00:13:20 - Beach Arrival and Gem Fuller’s Grounding Ritual
The castaways meet for the first time on a San Diego beach. Jem Fuller, a seasoned facilitator, leads a grounding eye-gazing ritual where attendees exchange the words “I see you. I let you see me. You are safe,” fostering psychological safety and connection right from the start.
00:19:05 - Curiosity Island Customs: Passport Control & Leah + Kya's Special Role
At the mansion entrance, attendees pass through a custom "Curiosity Island Customs & Border Patrol" station where Brandon’s wife, Leah, and 17-month-old daughter, Kya, greet them and stamp their passports. A QR code leads to a custom welcome video and sets the stage for a magical weekend.
00:24:04 - Cooking a Story: Five-Course Collaborative Dinner
Brandon introduces Ben Gorelick, the community's live-in chef, who organizes a five-course meal that everyone cooks together in pairs. This shared culinary journey becomes a powerful bonding and storytelling experience, with laughter, minor chaos, and intentional pairings.
00:28:08 - The Mirror Mystery: Secret Santa with a Reflective Twist
Day two begins with a twist on Secret Santa called “Secret Mirror.” Participants draw someone else’s...
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.