When you feel stuck, do you push harder—or get curious?
In this episode
In this Expert Topic episode of The Accomplishment Project, I’m joined by my friend and business partner Gary Ware (founder of Breakthrough Play and author of Playful Rebellion). We dig into how curiosity helps you overcome obstacles, reframe anxiety and overwhelm, and find momentum in your accomplishment journey.
Our origin story: the "sliding into" DMs that kicked off a 10-year friendship and collaboration
Curiosity vs. anxiety: openness, possibilities, and getting the prefrontal cortex back online
Gary’s health/running story: shifting from all-or-nothing to small experiments
A team exercise that exposes the multitasking myth and helps leaders delegate
Simple curiosity prompts you can use today: What else could be true? What am I not seeing yet? What’s surprising me?
A playful “curious questions” game that reveals insights from Filipino culture to musicals
The closing reflection: Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Episode Timestamps
00:00 The Story of Our Connection
05:42 Why Curiosity Matters
12:12 Curiosity vs. Anxiety
16:20 A Real-Life Curiosity Reframe
20:36 How to Practice Curiosity
22:10 Curiosity in Teams and Leadership
25:52 Creativity and Flow at Work
30:56 Improv as a Curiosity Gym
34:46 Curious Questions Game
40:56 Final Takeaway: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?
About Gary
Gary Ware is a facilitator, keynote speaker, and the founder of Breakthrough Play. He helps teams boost creativity, connection, and collaboration through play and improv. He’s also the author of Playful Rebellion.
Connect with Gary:
Resources & Links
Bonus: Curious about the workshop that first connected Gary and me? Watch the webinar version here.
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