The Learning Geeks Podcast

On Day 2 of camp, we dive into all eight durable learning principles by reading their original definitions from the ancient scripture, which was dug up from an archeological dig of Jake's closet. We unpack what each one means, why it matters, and how they connect, plus a quick update on how practice and reflection have evolved since the framework's early days.
 
00:00 Intro and banter
02:36 Durable Learning Setup
03:19 Relevant
04:41 Engaging
06:53 Contextual
08:40 Effortful
15:19 Generative
17:45 Social
22:04 Practice
26:28 Reflection
30:12 Do Principles Still Hold?
34:16 Wrap Up
 
ARTICLE REFERENCED
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/people-in-progress/designing-for-the-cognitive-cost-of-change
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.

Summer's here and we kick off a multi-episode dive into durable learning with an overview of the eight core principles. We share personal learning examples from pinball, woodworking, and journaling to show durability in action, plus how AI tools intersect with metacognition and role-play practice. Consider this the fundamentals refresher before our next episode where we dig deeper into each principle.
 
00:00 Summer Camp Kickoff
00:33 Where have we been?
01:33 Movies and Broadway detour
06:58 Durable Learning Summer Camp Intro
07:58 Eight Principles Recap
12:05 Spaced Practice Pinball Story
15:38 Woodworking Skills and Recall
19:41 Experiential Learning and Journaling
24:39 AI Roleplays and Metacognition
29:54 Summer Agenda and Wrap Up
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.

In part two, Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, Dr. Lauren Hodges, and Jessica Billiet dig into what prevents curiosity in our kids, our workplaces, and ourselves. From the neuroscience of dopamine and threat response, to how schools and organizations are designed for speed over exploration, the conversation gets practical. What does it take to protect the margin where curiosity lives? And what can leaders do to model and cultivate it? Part 2 of 2.
00:00 Intro
02:02 Neuroscience of Curiosity
05:39 Aperture Threat and Learning
10:35 Failure Safety and Workplace
21:23 Curiosity Needs Margin
24:14 Awe and Context for Kids
29:00 Patience and Social Safety
31:59 Leader Takeaways and Wrap
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Megan - https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/megan-powell-cuzzolino
Lauren - https://www.performance-on-purpose.com/about
Jessica - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabilliet/
 
RESOURCES
Reflection Guide: Making Space for Everyday Awe: https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/websites.harvard.edu/dist/a/108/files/2025/10/Making-Space-for-Everyday-Awe-Reflection-Tool.pdf
 
Reflecting on Your Learning in the Workplace: https://nextlevellab.gse.harvard.edu/learning-modules/reflecting-on-your-learning-in-the-workplace/
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.

What's the difference between curiosity, awe, and wonder and why does it matter for learning? In this episode, we welcome back three friends of the podcast: Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, researcher and educator at Harvard's Next Level Lab, Dr. Lauren Hodges, human performance researcher, and Jessica Billiet, neuroscience-informed change leader. Together, they explore curiosity as an epistemic emotion, the relationship between awe and meaning, and why widening our aperture might be the antidote to fear-based thinking. Part 1 of 2.
00:00 Cold Open
01:33 Dana Gets Meta-Curious
04:52 Meet Megan: Awe & Epistemic Emotions
07:23 Quick Curiosity vs. Sustained Interest
09:56 Does Learning Kill Awe?
11:12 Awe as Motivation at Work
14:00 Curiosity, Wonder & Vastness
21:02 Awe, Meaning & Purpose
24:18 Meet Lauren: Curiosity as Aperture
29:52 Curiosity as the Antidote to Stress
31:27 Reframing Fear with Curiosity
34:15 Wrap Up & Part 2 Preview
 
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Megan - https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/megan-powell-cuzzolino
Lauren - https://www.performance-on-purpose.com/about
Jessica - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicabilliet/
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.

Recorded  live at SXSW EDU 2026, Jake and Bob sit down with Dr. Tessa Forshaw from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to explore metacognition in an AI-driven world. Tessa unpacks why our brains naturally offload thinking to AI, the power of productive friction, and what it takes to keep our own reasoning sharp. We close the show with simple strategies everyone can apply.
 
00:00 Cold Open
00:37 Live Show and Intro of Tessa
04:56 Metacognition in the AI Era
12:46 How to Stay Metacognitive with AI
17:26 Think While You Work, Not After
19:40 Productive Friction Explained
23:09 The Current Divide with EdTech
30:00 Practical Moves and Closing
 
CONNECT WITH TESSA’S WORK
https://pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/tessa-forshaw
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.

Dan Bielenberg was one of the original learning geeks who spent 25 years in adult learning at Accenture. After retiring, he only deepened that curiosity. His learning path took him through seminary studies, becoming a hospice chaplain, and now coaching faculty in higher education. Dan shares how stepping away from the corporate world opened a new chapter of intentional, reflective learning. We explore self-awareness, emotional intelligence, being present, and why the best learners never retire.
00:00 Cold Open
01:38 Learning from Seminary and Hospice
09:59 Strengths Coaching in Academia
17:13 Emotional Intelligence Matters
21:42 EdTech and Distracted Learner
25:16 Microlearning Revisited
29:55 What I'd Tell My Younger
34:45 One Last Thing…
36:10 Closing
 
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE, SPOTIFY, AND YOUTUBE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-learning-geeks-podcast/id1413446184 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7mACo97JvUL1LOmVJ9lATI?si=c430a6d9b08c4100
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@learninggeekspodcast
 
You can also download us anywhere you get your podcasts.
 
CONNECT WITH US
If you have any feedback or want to join in on the conversation, connect with us via LinkedIN.
 
DISCLAIMER
All thoughts and views are of our own.