Every episode, I end with the same phrase, “Until next time, may creativity and curiosity fuel your life.” Lately, I haven’t felt curious and the tank certainly feels empty. So, what’s the point of saying that phrase when curiosity seems to have left the building and all that’s left is a rut-filled routine? Well, like any affirmation, repeating it helps keep the truth in the forefront of the mind: curiosity is the most valuable action you can take every single day. Asking someone how they’re doing, going to the library and checking out a book, staring at the leaves falling to the ground, smelling the heavenly scent of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, sitting back and hearing the sounds that make up your favorite album, it doesn’t take much to break free from obligation and enter into a state of levity and exhalation. That lightness you feel, like you are floating through the sky filled with wonder and delight, that’s the value of curiosity and we all need it. Oh, and in case you were wondering what the second most valuable action you need to do every day is, it’s stretching and anyone over 40 knows what I’m talking about.

1. Curiosity isn’t the solution to the problem, it’s how you find it.
2. When people lose curiosity in the little things, they lose hope in the big things.
3. Curiosity allows us to try on new possibilities, but unless we use it to also affect change, the status quo remains.
4. Non-monetized curiosity is more valuable than curiosity that’s been neutered to meet economic needs.
5. You don’t have to be curious about everything, just what you’re actually curious about.
6. Your curiosity isn’t my curiosity and when we share our curiosities, we grow together.

• Episode photo from Envato Elements: Abstract Liquid Art with Blue, Gold and Black

Have you ever read a non-fiction book and wondered, "Why haven't I learned about this before?" Molly Guptill Manning's new book, A Librarian's War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions, had me saying that from page one as I learned about Ray Trautman, Chief Army Librarian in World War II, and how he brought books to millions of soldiers in the war. It's the power of books that this conversation is all about. Books not only have a net positive effect on our lives, but a literate and well-read society is essential for the survival of democracy. Molly and I also talk about where her love for reading and history come from, how curiosity, trust, and patience help her to discover overlooked history and unknown stories to write about, why history is relevant to today, why our mind diet is just as important as what we eat, and the value of a good education.

• Molly Guptill Manning
• A Librarian's War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions by Molly Guptill Manning
• When Books Went To War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning
• Men at War with an introduction by Ernest Hemingway
• American Library Association
• PEN America
• Library Journal
• The End of Reading is Here by Rose Horowitch
• Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman
• No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN ON THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT (14 DECEMBER, 2015)
• Episode photo from Envato Elements: Library interior featuring a wall of bookshelves filled with various books. Stockholm

Where do ideas come from? When do you know an idea is worth bringing to life? What if you aren't qualified? How do you keep going in the face of endless rejection? These are but a handful of questions at the heart of my conversation with inventor, businessman, and founder of Leatherman, Tim Leatherman. His latest project, The Leatherman Book: Stories, Lessons, and Advice from the Inventor of America's Original Multi-Tool, just hit the shelves and it's honestly one of the best business books I've ever read. It's got practical advice that actually helps, stories from Tim's perspective as well as his customers, and that extra bit of encouragement that entrepreneurs need when they set out to bring their ideas to life. In our conversation, Tim also shares insights into writing the book, wisdom he has earned from his own entrepreneurial journey, what we often forget to do when setting goals, and the value of a positive attitude and a sense of humor.

• The Leatherman Book: Stories, Lessons, and Advice from the Inventor of America's Original Multi-Tool by Tim Leatherman with Chris Kornelis
• Leatherman
• Chris Kornelis
• Jungle Jim's International Market
• The Interview – The New York Times Podcast
• Episode art from Envato Elements: Riveted Metal Texture Background, Abstract Industrial Design