Open + Curious

Understand the balance between leaving a conversation fulfilled and seeking more. “I know I didn’t even try to get everything [from a conversation] because I know I can’t get everything. So it’s somehow finding a balance between: “Okay, my cup is full. I should really move away and just revel in what I have.” Finding…

Can dialogue itself be more important than the decisions it leads to? “So then I have to ask myself, how do I have to be in the world so that I can create more moments like that for myself? And for others? And what [for] the spaces that I create? When I’m creating spaces for…

Is the depth of a conversation defined by content or the experience? “I feel like it only can be deep if it if it was deep for both of us. Like can you have a conversation— I guess anything’s possible. [But,] does it seem realistic to have a conversation where one person thought it was…

Join Craig and Jesse as they challenge the urge to keep talking and explore the value of silence. “I find that when I can’t shut up, it’s usually because […] I’m trying to provide more and more and more and more and more and more context. […] it’s really a lot about hiding— So I…

Craig Constantine and Jesse Danger explore navigating multiple topics gracefully, leveraging listening as a tool, and the nuanced dance of giving and receiving information. “I often signpost. So Jesse says ‘a’ and ‘b’ and ‘c’ and throws all these things at me, and then I grab ‘b’ and I start talking about it. I often…

In a conversation exploring the depths of dialogue and presence, Craig and Jesse delve into the intriguing parallels between Quaker meetings and Gurdjieff groups, revealing how these practices foster a deeply present state of mind, akin to a slow, thoughtful game of chess. “I Think that there’s a beautiful edge of curiosity here, around looking…

Exploring the fine line between adversity and challenge can transform the nature of our conversations. “I agree with everything you’re saying. I think from Errol’s quote, my first reading, I was like: Well, of course, there are adversarial interviews. But as soon as I thought about it more, then I came to this idea of…

Intentionally engaging until we find it interesting “I can see that my digging into things that didn’t seem interesting at first glance, has yielded terrific results: Learning, surprise, and happiness to name just three. And not just for myself, but for others too.” It’s surprising how many things become interesting once I spend enough time…

Choosing a direction towards what you don’t know “We want to avoid being drawn toward what we understand. In that direction lies the temptation to summarize and finish.” In a conversation we can feel the urge to have a purpose in the form of a goal we are trying to reach, and we can feel…

An actions-based perspective “When something feels off, we can consider which roles are present in the moment. Am I being a mover, and my guest a follower? Or are they perhaps being an opposer?” During a conversation we sometimes sense that it could be better. We might be aware that we are confused, disappointed, or…