Monsters of Curiosity

5. What Social Media Should I - Or My Business - Be On?

Jenny felt actual rage before we even hit record on this one. That should tell you everything about how badly businesses have been taught to think about social media. Every business owner asks the same question: which platform should I be on? Wrong question. In this episode, we break down why the answer starts with your audience, not the algorithm's flavor of the month and why speaking to your end user and speaking to the person who signs the check are two completely different jobs. We also get into using AI as an actual strategy partner: auditing competitors, spotting content gaps, and figuring out what a platform is quietly rewarding this week. Plus the boring stuff that quietly wrecks campaigns, and the one asset that survives no matter what happens to any platform...your own contact list. IN THIS EPISODE WE GET INTO: • Why starting with the platform instead of the audience is backwards strategy • How to message an end user differently than the person approving the budget • Why organic and paid content need different goals, not just different budgets • Using AI to compare competitors, find content gaps, and audit your own feed • Why incomplete profiles and missing tracking quietly wreck ad spend • Why you don't need to be everywhere, and how to choose channels on purpose CHAPTERS 0:19 The Channel Rage Is Real 2:02 Follow Your Audience, Not Trends 4:17 When You Have Two Audiences 9:00 Organic Builds Trust, Paid Sells 11:39 Let the Metrics Decide 13:47 Give Away Your Expertise 16:50 AI Is Rewriting the Rules 21:56 Fix Your Tracking First 24:53 AI Makes Content Easier 28:21 Find Your Competitor's Blind Spot 31:07 AI as Thinking Partner 34:20 Go Where Smart People Gather 38:55 Own Your Audience, Not the Platform 42:20 Ditch the "Shoulds" 46:45 The Prompt That Changes Everything 50:01 Never Trust Just One AI 51:57 Final Thoughts and Fine Print   🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736] 🎧 Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q' [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q'] 🎧 Listen on iHeart https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/] 🌐 Visit us at: https://monstersofcuriosity.com/ [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/] 📩 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one: https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity [https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity] 💬 Have a question, story, or anecdote for us? Email us: monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com [monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com]

4. The Most Expensive Conversation You Never Knew You Had

I did not set out to uncover confidential corporate strategy in an airport lounge. But that is exactly what happened. In this episode of Monsters of Curiosity, we walk through exactly what happened, what I found out, and why it should concern anyone who has ever taken a work call in a public space. We get into what this actually means for anyone who handles confidential information, why smart and presumably well-trained people still do this, and why corporate security departments should be considerably more concerned about airport lounges than they probably are. IN THIS EPISODE WE GET INTO: • How AI identified a major company, store location, and internal strategy from one overheard conversation • Why AI has fundamentally changed what casual eavesdropping can produce • The ethical questions nobody thinks to ask when they accidentally overhear something they should not • What you can and cannot legally do with information you overhear in public • Why corporate security training has not caught up to what AI now makes possible If you have ever taken a work call in public without thinking twice about it, this episode will fix that habit permanently. CHAPTERS 0:33 What one loud airport phone call accidentally revealed about a major company 3:51 How AI identified the company and employees in under 90 seconds 6:24 Why AI turns casual eavesdropping into something far more dangerous 10:59 Why working in public is a bigger security risk than most people realize 13:54 What corporate security teams should be losing sleep over right now 16:42 Why smart people make surprisingly careless decisions in public 24:14 The unwritten rules everyone should follow before talking business in public 26:00 What happened when we asked AI directly about the ethics of all this 27:23 Why conversations you think nobody hears are no longer invisible 31:15 Who legally owns information you accidentally overhear in public 32:40 What companies need to update in their policies before this happens to them   🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736] 🎧 Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q' [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q'] 🎧 Listen on iHeart https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/] 🌐 Visit us at: https://monstersofcuriosity.com/ [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/] 📩 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one: https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity [https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity] 💬 Have a question, story, or anecdote for us? Email us: monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com [monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com]

3. When Did We Stop Trusting The People And the Organizations We Work For?

Something is rotting inside a lot of organizations right now and most leaders are either not seeing it or pretending they don't. In this episode of Monsters of Curiosity, we dig into one of the most quietly damaging things happening in business today...the erosion of internal trust. Not the kind you fix with a company retreat. The deeper kind, where employees have simply stopped believing what they are being told. We get into why it is happening, what it is actually costing, and introduce a concept worth sitting with: the trust tax. The invisible toll that skepticism takes on productivity, retention, and whether anyone speaks up when something is going wrong.   In this episode we get into: • The biological reason your brain defaults to distrust before it defaults to trust • The trust tax — what it is, why it is measurable, and what it is quietly costing your organization • How generational experiences with layoffs and restructuring have compounded workplace skepticism over decades • Why communicating more is not the same as building trust and what actually is • The difference between saying you have someone’s back and building a culture where everyone does • How to measure trust inside your organization and track whether it is improving or eroding over time This one is for leaders who think they have it figured out and employees who are done pretending they agree.   CHAPTERS 0:23 Why internal distrust in business is at an all time high 2:02 Your brain has been hardwired to distrust authority since the beginning of time 5:42 How each generation became more skeptical of the companies they work for 8:07 Why younger employees have built-in BS detectors and what to do about it 14:29 What leaders cannot legally say and why that silence destroys trust 20:03 How return to office mandates and mouse tracking are making distrust worse 24:10 Why saying you have someone's back and meaning it are two different things 31:55 How three people define trust and why they all landed on the same answer 35:43 Why your smartest employees are always the first ones to walk out the door 38:33 Trust is not one size fits all and what that means practically 40:57 Actions are the only thing that actually builds trust over time 43:52 Where to start rebuilding trust in your organization starting tomorrow   Check out a practical list of strategies for building trust inside your organization and how to track whether it is actually working over time Practical Guide to Building Trust Inside an Organization: https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Monsters-of-Curiosity-Practical_Guide_to_Building_Trust_Inside_an_Organization.pdf [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Monsters-of-Curiosity-Practical_Guide_to_Building_Trust_Inside_an_Organization.pdf] 7 Ways to Measure the Trust Tax in Your Business https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Monsters-of-Curiosity-7_Ways_to_Measure_the_Trust_Tax_in_Your_Business.pdf [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Monsters-of-Curiosity-7_Ways_to_Measure_the_Trust_Tax_in_Your_Business.pdf]   🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736] 🎧 Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q' [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q'] 🎧 Listen on iHeart https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/] 🌐 Visit us at: https://monstersofcuriosity.com/ [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/] 📩 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one: https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity [https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity] 💬 Have a question, story, or anecdote for us? Email us: monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com

2. Is Fear Of Change A Sign To Move Forward Or A Warning To Stop?

What if the biggest risk in your business isn’t the decision you’re afraid to make… it’s letting fear make it for you? Fear shows up the second things start to change, and in business, that usually means you’re either about to grow… or about to back out of something that mattered. In this episode, we get into the real question behind every big decision: when fear hits, is it actually trying to protect you or is it the exact thing holding you back? Turns out, your brain isn’t great at telling the difference. Between real-world business experience, brain science, and a healthy amount of calling ourselves out, we break down why fear shows up for both bad ideas and the right ones and why reacting too quickly is where most people get it wrong. If you’ve ever second-guessed a decision, stalled on something important, or convinced yourself that staying comfortable was the smart move… this one might hit a little close to home. We get into: • Why your brain treats every change like a potential threat (even when it’s not) • How to tell the difference between real risk and just being uncomfortable • Why fear feels the same whether something is right or completely wrong • The mistake most people make when reacting to fear in business decisions • How to use curiosity (instead of panic) to make better calls • Why having the right people in your corner can save you from your own thinking   Chapters 0:20 Change Happens (Whether You RSVP or Not) 1:41 Fear Enters the Picture 6:21 Understanding Your Brain's Response 9:51 So...Do You Lean In or Run? 11:24 The Role of Adrenaline and How it Hijacks Your Brain 12:42 Real Stories, Questionable Reactions 17:09 Business Decisions vs Emotional Reactions 20:06 Does Age Make This Easier...or Just Louder? 25:37 Acknowledging Fear Without Letting It Drive 28:45 Purpose: The Only Thing that Calms the Chaos 36:44 What Success Looks Like (Before You Panic)     🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monsters-of-curiosity/id1893176736] 🎧 Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q' [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Iy2Y9XMyJ9Yjc9icMeUDG?si=ajdpFX1ZQIWtUF-RFffg7Q'] 🎧 Listen on iHeart https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/ [https://iheart.com/podcast/332768788/]   🌐 Visit us at: https://monstersofcuriosity.com/ [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/] 📩 Subscribe on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity [https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity] 💬 Have a question, story, or anecdote for us? Email us:   monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com [monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com]

1. How Can I Know My Marketing Agency Is Actually Doing Work That Supports My Business?

Most business owners hire a marketing agency and then wonder why nothing is happening. Spoiler: the agency is probably wondering the same thing about you. In this episode of Monsters of Curiosity, Jenny, Paul, and Susan get into it about what actually makes the relationship between a business owner and a marketing agency work... and what quietly kills it. Between a marketing technologist, a performance coach, and someone who spent 25 years in crisis communications, they have seen this go wrong in every possible direction. And they are not shy about saying so. If you have ever felt like you were handing over a lot of money and watching nothing happen, this one is for you.   In this episode we explore: • The questions you should be asking your marketing agency before you sign anything • Why vanity metrics are the junk food of marketing data and what to look at instead • How long you should realistically give an agency before you start making decisions • Why outsourcing your marketing is not the same as handing it off • What your digital infrastructure has to do with why your marketing might not be working • The two-way communication breakdown that kills most agency relationships before they ever get going   Here is the list of questions you can bring to your next agency meeting. https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/10-Starter-Questions_-Marketing-Agency.pdf [https://monstersofcuriosity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/10-Starter-Questions_-Marketing-Agency.pdf]   Chapters 0:23 Welcome to Monsters of Curiosity 4:50 The Topic of Today's Discussion: Questions For Your Agency 5:28 Understanding Agency Responsibilities 10:08 The Importance of Two-Way Communication 16:01 Asking the Right Questions 22:45 Techniques for Evaluating Agency Performance 31:27 Investment in Marketing and Expectations 34:02 Timeframes for Evaluating Agency Effectiveness 47:06 Communication as a Key to Success 50:50 Questions to Ask Your Agency 51:46 Wrapping Up the Conversation   💬 Have a question, story, or anecdote for us? Email us - monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com [monstersofcuriosity@gmail.com]   ▶️ Follow @monstersofcuriosity on: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity [https://www.youtube.com/@MonstersOfCuriosity]