We all start life curious. Asking questions. Exploring. Wondering why.

Yet somewhere along the way — especially at work — curiosity can begin to fade. Not because we stop caring, but because we’re rewarded for certainty, speed, and having the answers.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by leadership strategist, researcher, and TEDx speaker Dr Debra Clary to explore why curiosity isn’t a “nice-to-have”, it’s a leadership superpower.

Drawing on decades of experience inside global organisations like Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana, Debra shares why curiosity can be learned, measured, and deliberately strengthened. Together, they unpack how curiosity drives performance, engagement, trust, and better decision-making — and why leaders who stop asking questions often unintentionally shut others down.

They also explore Debra’s research-backed Curiosity Curve, the four drivers of optimal curiosity, and why curiosity matters even more in a fast-moving, AI-driven world.

If you care about building teams where people feel seen, heard, and able to contribute, this conversation will change how you think about leadership.

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• Curiosity is learned, not innate. Debra’s research shows curiosity can be developed, measured, and strengthened at every level.
• Certainty kills contribution. When leaders prioritise speed and answers over questions, they unintentionally shut people down.
• Great leaders play the long game. Asking questions builds confidence, capability, and future leaders — not just short-term efficiency.
• Curiosity is a human advantage in the AI age. AI delivers answers; humans still need to ask the right questions and apply discernment.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why curiosity is natural — and why it matters at work 07:57 – “Can curiosity be learned?” The question that changed everything 10:54 – What an Italian train journey taught Debra about certainty 13:36 – “Curiosity killed the cat” — the part we all missed 17:41 – Why disengaged employees feel unseen and unheard 26:15 – The Curiosity Curve explained 34:30 – Why senior leaders score higher on curiosity 38:51 – Curiosity, AI, and discernment 42:49 – Debra’s 3 Sticky Notes for curious leadership

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

Leadership training is rarely short on inspiration, but it’s often short on impact.

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by Dr Jenn Yugo, Managing Director of Corvirtus and an industrial–organisational psychologist, to explore why so much leadership training fails to create lasting behaviour change.

Jenn explains that the problem isn’t motivation, effort, or even the quality of the training itself. It’s that organisations treat behaviour change as a one-off learning event rather than a system supported by environment, habits, identity and social reinforcement.

Together, Andy and Jenn unpack what the science of behaviour change actually tells us, from the forgetting curve and feedback loops, to the powerful role of values, authenticity and team involvement. This conversation challenges the idea that leaders need to “do more”, and instead reframes leadership growth as doing things differently, consistently, and together.

If you’ve ever wondered why great leadership intentions fade once people return to the day job, this episode offers a grounded, human, and evidence-based answer.

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• One-off learning moments aren’t enough. The forgetting curve shows how quickly knowledge fades without reinforcement.
• Leadership training isn’t a motivation problem, it’s a behaviour change problem. Jenn reframes development as sustained behavioural shift, not information intake.
• Environment beats willpower. Feedback loops, systems and social support matter more than personal discipline.
• Lasting change is social, not solo. Leaders who involve their teams in their development see far greater impact over time.

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The key moments in this episode are:

01:11 – Why Leadership Training Creates Energy but Rarely Lasts 03:52 – Introducing Jenn Yugo and Her Work in Behavioural Psychology 06:20 – Moving from Academia to Business: Applying Behavioural Science at Work 09:15 – Leadership Development as a Behaviour Change Challenge 13:10 – The Science Behind Why Training Is Quickly Forgotten 16:40 – Why Leaders Blame Themselves When Change Doesn’t Stick 20:05 – The Role of Environment, Feedback Loops and Daily Systems 24:10 – Values, Identity and Authenticity in Leadership Behaviour Change 28:40 – Involving Teams in Leadership Development to Reinforce Change 32:55 – Open Learning, Peer Connection and Cross-Organisational Insight 37:15 – Designing Leadership Development as a Journey, Not an Event 42:10 – Sustaining Behaviour Change Through Habits, Nudges and Measurement

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Get the full transcript of the episode here

What if the real reason we’re overwhelmed isn’t the volume of work we’re facing — but the fact we’ve lost sight of what really matters?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy is joined by coach, author and founder of On The Up Consulting, Julia Wolfendale, to explore the rising tide of overwhelm affecting leaders, teams and everyday life. Julia has coached hundreds of leaders, and her book Five Ways to Focus feels more relevant than ever in a world that’s always on, overstimulated, and full of competing demands.

Together they unpack why overwhelm hits even the most capable people, how fear quietly drives busyness, and why we often underestimate our capacity while overestimating the workload ahead of us. Julia introduces her powerful Five Motivational Drivers: freedom, fulfilment, fellowship, finance and kudos; a simple lens that helps people understand what they’re really seeking, and what they should prioritise next.

If you’re feeling stretched, stuck or fizzing with that nervous-system overload Julia describes, this conversation offers a calm, practical reset. Five ideas. Five drivers. And a way of getting life and leadership back on the up.

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• Overwhelm is less about volume and more about clarity. People often know what needs doing but lack the focus to start. Overwhelm grows when we lose sight of our capacity and what truly matters.
• Fear quietly drives busyness and self-worth gets tied to doing. Julia highlights how fear-based behaviour makes people equate being busy with being valuable, trapping them in cycles of overwork.
• The Five Motivational Drivers help us re-centre our priorities. Freedom, fulfilment, fellowship, finance and kudos offer a simple way to understand what you’re really seeking and why certain tasks feel heavy or draining.
• Time expands when we regain perspective and shrinks when overwhelmed. Julia’s Five Time Frames tool (2 hours, 24 hours, week, month, 3 months) helps recalibrate our sense of time and focus on what’s actually achievable.

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The key moments in this episode are:

1:10 – Setting the Scene: Why Overwhelm Is Everywhere Today 3:53 – Meet Julia Wolfendale & Her Mission to Tackle Overwhelm 5:18 – The Overstimulated, Always-On World We’re Struggling to Navigate 8:28 – What Overwhelm Really Feels Like: Capacity, Volume & Nervous-System Load 11:39 – Fear, Busyness and the Self-Worth Trap 15:02 – Introducing the Five Motivational Drivers 20:59 – When Intentions Don’t Match Behaviour: Freedom vs Control 24:23 – How Overwhelm Warps Our Sense of Time 27:29 – Scheduling Everything: A Practical Way to Regain Focus 29:03 – Ideas vs Actions: The Two-List Clarity Tool 33:00 – Momentum, Micro-Actions and the Power of Breaking Things Down 43:59 – Julia’s Three Sticky Notes for Beating Overwhelm

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Get the full transcript of the episode here