What happens when we decide we already know?

We talk about curiosity as though it's always available to us. As though staying open is simply a matter of asking better questions and being willing to understand another perspective.

But what happens when that perspective challenges something we've built part of ourselves around?

In this episode of The Hey Alexa Podcast, Alexa sits down with Mark Groves — Human Connection Specialist, founder of Create The Love, author, speaker, coach, and host of The Mark Groves Podcast — for a wide-ranging conversation about what actually makes curiosity possible.

Together, they explore the relationship between curiosity and security, why our capacity to understand others may begin with our willingness to investigate ourselves, and what happens when our beliefs become so intertwined with our identity that changing our minds can feel like losing part of who we are.

The conversation moves through relationships, triggers, self-worth, inherited beliefs, boundaries, belonging and our increasingly complicated relationship with attention and technology. Mark and Alexa explore why understanding someone doesn't require agreeing with them, why surrounding ourselves only with people who reinforce what we already believe can limit us, and how reclaiming our attention may be essential to reclaiming our capacity for curiosity.

And eventually, the conversation arrives somewhere bigger:

What if curiosity isn't simply a communication skill, but a way of choosing how we meet another human being?

Because behind every belief is a person — with experiences, relationships, fears, protections and an identity wrapped around how they've come to understand the world.

And sometimes asking a question isn't about changing someone's mind.

Sometimes it's simply a way of saying: there is still something about you worth discovering.

In this conversation

Curiosity, security and the nervous system • Self-worth and reactivity • Becoming curious about ourselves • Relationships as mirrors • Boundaries and discernment • Identity and inherited beliefs • Belonging and the courage to change our minds • Attention, algorithms and our relationship with technology • Understanding without endorsement • Diversity of thought • Curiosity in disagreement • Human connection in an increasingly divided world

Connect with Mark Groves

Mark is a Human Connection Specialist and the founder of Create The Love. His work explores relationships, personal growth, authenticity and what it means to live and relate with greater intention.

Mark Groves — Website
Instagram — @createthelove
Instagram — @itsmarkgroves
The Mark Groves Podcast

Mark's Free Digital Detox

During the episode, Mark talks about how our relationship with technology can affect our attention, our ability to create space for ourselves, and ultimately our capacity for curiosity. Near the end of your conversation, he specifically offers listeners his free Digital Detox, which he describes as being based on current research and filled with practical changes people can make to their relationship with technology.

Get Mark Groves' free Digital Detox

Mark's site describes it as a free, science-backed protocol designed to help people reclaim their focus, sleep and attention.

What if curiosity isn’t just something you have, but something you spend?

In this solo episode of The Hey Alexa Podcast, Alexa finally unpacks the phrase at the heart of the show: Curiosity is currency.

From years spent behind the bar talking to strangers, to conversations that became relationships, opportunities, new perspectives, and eventually this podcast, Alexa explores what can happen when we stop assuming we already know, and ask one more question instead.

Because curiosity has a way of disrupting certainty. It asks us to reconsider the people we think we know, stay interested in the people we love as they change, question the identities we've built for ourselves, and remain open to the possibility that there may be more to discover.

This is a conversation about people, relationships, opportunity, identity, assumptions, and why some of the most important moments in our lives begin with something as simple as wanting to know more.

And maybe curiosity isn't valuable simply because we possess it.

Maybe it becomes valuable when we're willing to spend it.

So this week, ask the question. Talk to the person you normally wouldn't. Revisit something you've been certain about. Get curious about someone you love—or about the version of yourself you've stopped questioning.

You don't have to know where the question will take you.

That's kind of the point.

🎙️ The Hey Alexa Podcast
Where curiosity is the currency of every conversation.

What if the things that teach us the most about money have very little to do with money?

In this episode of The Hey Alexa Podcast, Alexa sits down with Mike Milligan, CFP® founder of 1.oak Financial, author, educator and entrepreneur—to trace a story that begins at his grandmother's kitchen table and eventually becomes a much bigger conversation about what makes a life feel rich.

Mike grew up watching his grandmother turn necessity into entrepreneurship, selling collard sandwiches to support her family and teaching him some of his earliest lessons about money, resourcefulness and relationships. Decades later, after building a career in finance and entrepreneurship, his definition of success looks a little different.

Alexa and Mike talk about the moving finish line of “enough,” our obsession with productivity, the cost of sacrificing our health and relationships for success, why experiences may be worth investing in before retirement, and what happens when being good at making a living starts competing with being good at living.

And underneath all of it is a reminder Mike carries with him every day:

Never miss a moment.

Because the goal isn't simply to accumulate more. It's to build a life you'll actually remember.

Connect with Mike

Learn more about Mike's work, financial education and One-of-a-Kind approach to financial planning at MikeMilligan.com.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

Interested in working with a financial planner? Mike founded 1.oak Financial, where his team builds personalized financial plans around an individual's goals, values and life rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Mike also currently offers a six-week Personal Financial Planning Course, taught virtually through Old Dominion University, designed to give participants practical financial-planning knowledge and tools. You can find course information and Mike's other educational offerings through MikeMilligan.com

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And there’s more to explore. Visit our new home at: The Hey Alexa Podcast

In this episode of The Hey Alexa Podcast, Alexa sits down with strategist, speaker, and author Stephanie Forbes for a conversation that goes far beyond supply chains and global trade. Together, they explore the invisible systems shaping modern life — from government policy and economic infrastructure to human behaviour, relationships, resilience, and the way people navigate uncertainty.

What begins as a conversation about global systems quickly unfolds into a much deeper discussion about curiosity, adaptability, leadership, trust, and the repetitive patterns humanity continues to revisit throughout history. Stephanie shares insights from her new book, Global Wealth, Local Impact, while offering a grounded and deeply human perspective on how systems break, why resilience matters, and what happens when people stop asking better questions.

Viewers can expect a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about:

• the hidden systems influencing our daily lives
• how uncertainty shapes innovation
• why relationships are becoming more important than ever
• what history teaches us about human nature
• how individuals and nations respond under pressure
• the connection between global resilience and personal resilience

This episode is for anyone curious about the forces quietly shaping the world around them — and how greater awareness, collaboration, and curiosity might help us navigate what comes next.

Connect with Stephanie Forbes:

Book — Global Wealth, Local Impact
https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Global-Wealth-Local-Impact/Stephanie-Forbes/9781637635162

LinkedIn
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/calgaryforbes

The Forbes Group Website
https://theforbesgroup.ca/

Order the Book Directly
https://theforbesgroup.ca/order-now/

Find & Contact Your Representative in Canadian Parliament:

Find Your Member of Parliament
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en

Parliament of Canada
https://www.parl.ca/

What does it mean to really listen in a world that never slows down?

This year on The Hey Alexa Podcast, we’re going deeper.

What started as a space for conversations with founders, leaders, and creators is evolving into something more expansive—because the truth is, the most meaningful perspective doesn’t always come from the most visible voices.

It comes from people.

From lived experience.
From quiet resilience.
From stories that don’t always make headlines—but shape the way we see the world.

In 2026, you can expect a blend of conversations that challenge, ground, and open you up.

We’re continuing to sit down with incredible leaders doing impactful work—but we’re also creating space for something just as important:

Hey Alexa: Everyone Has a Story.

A new series dedicated to everyday people—real, unfiltered conversations about perspective, adversity, growth, and what it means to be human in today’s world.

At its core, this podcast is built on one belief:

That curiosity is currency.

And when you lead with it, you don’t just learn more about others—
you understand yourself more deeply too.

So whether you’re here to think differently, feel more connected, or simply listen in on honest conversations that remind you you’re not alone—

You’re in the right place.

If you’ve ever walked into a room (or a job) and felt your body say “nope” before your brain caught up… this episode is for you.

On The Hey Alexa Podcast, I’m joined by Tracey Grove, MA.ODL, PCC, founder of Pure Symmetry Coaching & Consulting—executive coach, speaker, and author, whose work lives at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and real-world leadership.

We talk about what’s happening beneath behaviour: values violations, trust breakdowns, survival-mode leadership, and the quiet ways pressure rewires how we show up.

This conversation isn’t about “soft skills.”
It’s about the human operating system and how to lead (and live) with more clarity, regulation, and resilience.

🎧 Listen for: practical re-frames, honest stories, and a few “oh… that’s me” moments.

Connect with Tracey:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceygrove/
Website: https://puresymmetry.com/home
Tracey's Book: Taming The Sabertooth: Resilient Leadership In A Stressful World: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1642250708?pf_rd_p=1cac67ce-697a-47be-b2f5-9ae91aab54f2&pf_rd_r=FR22SP4ZK9YAH3S9B8G3

In the first conversation of 2026, Alexa sits down with Gino Perrotte — educator, keynote speaker, and creator of the S.L.O.W. Framework to explore what it really means to reclaim presence in a culture designed to fragment our attention.

Together, they examine why burnout is often misunderstood as a personal failure instead of what it truly is: a systemic pace problem. Drawing from over 25 years in higher education, leadership, and international work, Gino reframes slowness as a vital leadership and communication skill — not an opt-out, but a conscious choice.

This episode weaves together slow education, conscious communication, travel as a teacher, and the embodied wisdom of living at a human pace. Gino introduces his S.L.O.W. Framework — Savoring, Listening, Openness, and Wisdom — offering practical, immediately applicable ways to step out of distraction and back into meaning.

From post-pandemic burnout and hustle culture, to sabbaticals in Italy, to savouring a fleeting snowfall in New York City, this conversation invites listeners to reconsider their relationship with time, attention, and what it truly means to live well.

This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing what matters more, intentionally.

What makes a truly impactful leader and why do so many leaders still struggle to understand their own strengths?
In this episode of Hey Alexa, I sit down with Shawn Richards, founder of Blue Sky Business Consulting, bestselling author, host of the Team Engagement Podcast, and a leadership expert who has interviewed more than 450 leaders across industries.

Shawn believes leadership isn’t a title—it’s a human practice.
And in our conversation, he breaks down why the most effective leaders aren’t the ones who follow a formula, but the ones who understand their Leadership Signature: the unique blend of strengths, tendencies, and presence that shape how they lead.

Together, we explore:
✨ The moment Shawn realized leadership is not one-size-fits-all
✨ Why traditional leadership advice often falls flat
✨ How understanding your strengths can transform the way you lead
✨ The most common blind spots leaders don’t realize they have
✨ How to approach change, team dynamics, and communication with more empathy and clarity
✨ What separates leaders who feel “mechanical” from those who are magnetic and deeply human
✨ Why delegation breaks down—and how to do it right
✨ How curiosity fuels innovation, team connection, and personal growth
✨ Shawn’s bold take on how AI won’t replace good leadership

This episode is packed with real-world stories, lightbulb moments, and the kind of reflective questions that help you understand yourself, not just as a leader, but as a human.

If you’ve ever felt unsure about your ability to lead… or wondered how to bring more clarity, confidence, and authenticity to your work… this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

Curiosity is the currency of every conversation — and this one is rich.

🔗 Connect with Shawn Richards:
🌐 Website – Blue Sky Business Consulting
Learn more about Shawn’s work, leadership development programs, and The Team Engagement Podcast:
👉 https://blueskybizconsulting.com

📘 Book – Rapid Fire Leadership: Insights from 401 Business Leaders
Grab Shawn’s book here:
👉 Book homepage: https://rapidfireleadership.com
👉 Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FNKQ9T51

💼 Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn
Follow Shawn and his leadership insights:
👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnjrichards