CuriosityBased

06/17/2026

Graduation season got us thinking — when does the real learning actually begin? 🎓

For CuriosityBased founder Julie Pham, one of the most formative experiences came years after her PhD, when she joined Leadership Tomorrow, a community leadership program in Seattle. Her classmates were busy adults who chose to show up and learn together — and that made all the difference.

Her belief: it's not what you learn, it's who you learn with.
Whether it's a leadership program, a nonprofit board, or just a new community you've decided to show up for — the people in the room matter as much as the curriculum.

She uses three simple questions before committing to any new learning experience:

Do I really want to do this?
Am I willing to make a strong effort?
Can I learn from the people there?

What have you done to keep learning since leaving school? 👇

Read the full newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=bb7caf77f1

Listen to Julie read this newsletter on YouTube: https://youtube.com/shorts/14LS5iryf_U?feature=share

Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238

Image caption: Julie’s Leadership Tomorrow Class of 2016 self-organized a 10-year reunion at classmate Jamila Conley's WeRise Wine Bar in Seattle in May.

06/10/2026

What do you do when you move somewhere new and realize you have to rebuild everything — your routines, your people, your sense of place?

CuriosityBased's Maia Segura Segura recently returned to Minnesota after 30 years away, and found herself feeling more unsettled than expected. Starting over socially, even in a "home" city, is no small thing.

So she and her husband got to work — looking for volunteer opportunities, co-hosting a neighborhood holiday party, cueing up local events to attend like Porch Fest, where live bands play from private porches and talking to strangers suddenly feels completely natural. 🎶🏡

In just a few months, they're feeling more connected — and healthier for it.

The Centers for Disease Control backs this up: strong community bonds genuinely improve physical and mental health.

You don't have to start big. Invite someone to lunch. Join a choir. Take your dog to the park.

What's one thing that helped you feel at home somewhere new? 👇

Read the full CuriosityBased newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=b8f7e8d1d7

Listen to Maia read this newsletter on YouTube https://youtu.be/PUE-0h0ZSiE

Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238

Image caption: Maia & Daimian Lix wanted to meet their new neighbors, so they co-hosted a party with a popular neighbor, Jason, who has lived in the building for 20 years and invited everyone in the building (invitation design by Creative Catalyst Communications).

06/09/2026

Look what dropped! On the latest episode of Curiosity at Work podcast, Episode 32: Curiosity in Life Enrichment with Mathews, Julie Pham speaks with Monika, CEO and founder of Queen Care and Life Enrichment Group. They discuss the importance of curiosity in entrepreneurship, the evolution of Queen Care from a nonprofit initiative, and the challenges of leading a diverse workforce. Monica shares her journey of personal growth and the significance of self-care in sustaining her business. The conversation highlights the generational differences in work ethic and the need for curiosity in understanding and bridging these gaps.

👉 Check out the podcast: https://curiositybased.com/curiosity-at-work-podcast-episode-32-curiosity-in-life-enrichment-with-monika-mathews/

06/03/2026

Have you ever said "I'd have people over, but my place isn't nice enough"?

Growing up, CuriosityBased founder Julie Pham absorbed that message — and ran with it. She was buying clearance martini glasses in high school to furnish her someday-perfect home. 🍸
It wasn't until her 20s, moving internationally and leaving most of her belongings behind, that she finally let go of that idea of "enough." Now her hosting philosophy is simple: great conversations over nice table settings.

The stories we tell ourselves about having enough — they shape so much more than our homes.

Julie got into all of this on Melanie Vargas's beautiful podcast What's in Your Neighborhood? Give it a listen 👇
🎙️ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neighborhood-of-enough-with-julie-pham-phd/id1837935787?i=1000760334829

What did "enough" mean in your house growing up?

Read the full CuriosityBased newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f2ea526c30

Listen to Julie read the newsletter on YouTube: YouTube link: https://youtube.com/shorts/nxduHg5YmnE?feature=share

Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238

Image caption: As a teenager, Julie loved window shopping at stores like Crate and Barrel to get ideas of what she needed to host a dinner.

05/27/2026

Athleisure every day — with a few intentional exceptions. 👟

CuriosityBased founder Julie Pham is the first to admit her default uniform is joggers and sneakers. But a conversation with image consultant got her thinking about the deeper connection between what we wear and how we show up for others.
Lazaruk's "3C" framework — Character, Congruence, and Choice — reframes getting dressed not as conforming, but as a form of self-expression and, sometimes, respect.

Because sometimes what we wear says "I see you" before we ever say a word.

Do you ever think about what you wear as a way of showing respect? Or is comfort always king? 👇

☑️Read the full CuriosityBased newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=38fbb42acf

☑️Listen to Julie read the full newsletter on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xlnb_c2F9Uo

☑️Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238



Image caption: Julie was invited to try Armoire, a clothing rental company, and got clothing suggestions from a personal stylist. This was the closest she came to exploring non athletic gear in years

05/26/2026

What if the way you show respect is different from what your team actually experiences?

On a recent "Lifting Leaders Podcast Gems" episode, the hosts and revisit insights from their conversation with Julie PhamJulie about her book, “The 7 Forms of Respect®.”

After taking the "7 Forms" Respect Assessment themselves, they reflect on:

👉Why respect can look wildly different across teams and cultures

👉How co-creating team norms builds stronger trust and belonging

👉The small shifts leaders can make to create healthier communication and culture

A thoughtful listen for leaders who want to lead with more awareness, clarity, and intention.

🎙️ Tune in and see what resonates. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-a-culture-of-respect-leadership-gems/id1616243616?i=1000749100121

Podcast Episode · Lifting Leaders Podcast · February 10 · 49m

05/20/2026

This AANHPI Heritage Month, we've been reflecting on a simple but powerful question: What shaped you before you even knew it was shaping you?

That's the heart of Hyderabad Days by — a memoir about growing up in a close-knit Hyderabad neighborhood in the 1980s and 90s. Not a story of hardship overcome, but of community, simplicity, and belonging that quietly became a lifelong compass.

He writes: "We didn't have frameworks. We had festivals. We didn't have awareness campaigns. We had invitations."
It stopped us in our tracks.

CuriosityBased put together a full list of leadership books by AANHPI authors — because these stories deserve to be read, shared, and celebrated.

📚 Explore the list → https://curiositybased.com/2026-aanhpi-authored-leadership-books/

You can check out our other leadership book lists by Black authors, those who identify as having disabilities, Hispanic/Latino/Latinx, LGBTQ, Native American, and women at https://curiositybased.com/category/books/.

Know a book that should be on here? Drop it in the comments! 👇

☑️Read the full CuriosityBased newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=d787ed82b7

☑️Listen to Julie Pham read the full newsletter on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C1X0EA8squQ

☑️Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238

In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, CuriosityBased curated this 2026 AANHPI Authored Leadership Book List...

05/19/2026

Here's something Julie PhamJulie said in this episode that we keep coming back to: Vietnam’s "Liberation Day" and "The Day We Lost Our Country" — both are real. Both are true. And both deserve to be held.

In Episode 58 of "Everything's Not Black & White" podcast, Julie joins hosts and for one of those rare conversations that actually slows you down. She talks about the Rubber Band Rule — how far you can stretch to meet someone else before you lose yourself in the process. She talks about what it means to pause before you react, especially when something lands hard. And she shares the personal history behind her life's work — the refugee experience, the South Vietnamese perspective that history often leaves out, and how all of it shaped her belief that curiosity is the antidote to a world that wants everything sorted into sides.

This is the kind of conversation the CuriosityBased community was built for.

🎧 Give it a listen → https://www.buzzsprout.com/773981/episodes/19061723

What's a truth you've had to hold alongside someone else's very different truth? Drop it in the comments — we'd love to hear.

Can multiple truths coexist in one conversation? In this episode of Everything’s Not Black & White, hosts Lachandra and Brian sit down with Dr. Hoai Julie Pham, a PhD historian and CEO of Curiosity Based. From her journey as a Vietnamese refug...

05/14/2026

What does curiosity look like inside county government?

Julie Pham finds out in Episode 31 of Curiosity at Work with guest , CIO for Snohomish County Government — on what it really takes to lead IT in the public sector.

Viggo made the jump from private to public sector and doesn't shy away from what's different: the timelines, the accountability, the stakes. And why curiosity is the throughline that makes it work.

In this episode:

✔️ Normalizing questions and new ideas in government

✔️ Innovation funds as a tool for agile experimentation

✔️ AI as a productivity tool — not a job threat

✔️ What building a curious culture actually looks like

Bottom line: In IT, curiosity isn't a nice-to-have. It's how you stay relevant.

➡️ The podcast is live now: https://curiositybased.com/curiosity-at-work-podcast-episode-31-curiosity-in-county-it-with-viggo-forde/

👉 Explore more Curiosity at Work episodes:
https://curiositybased.com/category/curiosity-at-work-podcast/

05/13/2026

Being helpful might be more harmful to you than you think

Have you ever felt more appreciated by strangers than by the people closest to you — or the colleagues you see every day? There may be a reason for it rooted in how influence actually works.

CuriosityBased founder Julie Pham recently attended a workshop led by exploring the six core influence principles drawn from Dr. Dr. Robert Cialdini's framework: reciprocity, commitment/consistency, social proof, authority, liking, and scarcity. While these are often associated with sales and marketing, McCann applies them to how leaders show up in relationships — at work and at home.

One insight stood out: the very traits that make someone a great leader or colleague — being generous, helpful, and always available — can actually undermine their influence over time. When someone makes themselves endlessly available, others may begin to take them for granted. Team members who give the most don't always feel the most heard.

What changes when people make themselves just a little less available? The early answer is less resentment — and potentially more influence.

This is the kind of curiosity-driven reflection that CuriosityBased brings into its workshops and retreats. Understanding how influence operates can transform how teams communicate, build trust, and show up for one another.

What's your "go to" influence style — and where might there be room to grow? Share your thoughts in the comments. 👇

Image caption: A shelf at a grocery store with many missing products, possibly making shoppers desire them even more.

➡️ Read the full newsletter https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=5ba8b3be6e

🎧 Listen to Julie read the newsletter on YouTube https://youtube.com/shorts/5S7hDA_ojJs?feature=share

✔️ Subscribe to our newsletter https://curiositybased.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb7e29d6fb07e1a34280d97c5&id=f577a21238