Finish lines are supposed to be clear. Cross it. Celebrate. Move on...but what if they are not endings at all?

In the Season 1 finale of Listening for the Questions, Dr. Patti Fletcher, Dan Ward, and Lynne Cuppernull take on one of the most emotionally loaded ideas we carry with us: finish lines. Athletic. Professional. Academic. Personal. Visible and invisible. Chosen and imposed.

Drawing on Lynne’s experience as an Ironman triathlete, Dan’s background as an engineer and systems thinker, and Patti’s work around transformation, leadership, and life transitions, the conversation explores finish lines as waypoints, transitions, and sometimes illusions. From triathlons and PhDs to careers, gender equity, glass ceilings, and personal reinvention, the trio asks what really happens when we focus too tightly on the end instead of the experience.

Along the way, they wrestle with questions like:

• When does a finish line become a starting line?
• Whose finish line are you running toward and who chose it?
• What do we miss when we are too focused on crossing the line?
• What can we learn from not finishing?
• And who helped you get there in the first place?

This episode is thoughtful, funny, honest, and deeply human. It is about ambition, presence, partnership, and the courage to question whether the finish lines we chase actually belong to us.

As Season 1 comes to a close, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and ask yourself what you are building toward, who you are building with, and what might be waiting on the other side.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

Building something new sounds exciting. Rebuilding something after it breaks sounds exhausting. And yet most of us are living in a world where both are happening all at once. In this episode, Patti, Dan, and Lynne dig into the questions we should be asking when we talk about building and rebuilding and why these processes are never as simple as they seem.

Dan brings his experience as an engineer and technologist and admits that even in fields built on data and logic, most decisions are emotional ones. Lynne talks about coming back from a serious injury and how rebuilding a life and rebuilding a body are never separate experiences. Patti reflects on transformation and why rebuilding feels so loaded with history, memory, and meaning.

Together we explore questions about resilience, fragility, anti fragility, institutional collapse, community, collaboration, disagreement, and the emotions we attach to words like build and rebuild. We also look at what is worth rebuilding, what is better to build from scratch, and how personal rebuilding shapes everything else we try to create.

This conversation moves from sandcastles to frozen yogurt shops to democracy to the stories we tell ourselves about what should last and what should change. It is thoughtful, curious, and surprisingly funny in moments that remind us just how human these questions are.

If you are navigating change or trying to understand what should be saved, strengthened, or scrapped, this episode offers the questions that help you see the path more clearly.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

Magic is one of those topics everyone thinks they understand until someone asks a real question about it. In this episode, Patti, Dan, and Lynne step into the world of tricks, sleight of hand, wonder, and the deeper meaning of it all.

Dan adds a twist right from the start by revealing that he is not only an engineer and a technologist but also a magician who believes the best magic happens close up, in the moments when you are not sure what is real and what is not. That sets the stage for a conversation packed with curiosity and a surprising number of questions that have nothing to do with rabbits, hats, or sawing anyone in half.

Together we explore what magic actually is and why there is more to it than meets the eye. Why some people love it and some avoid it. What good magicians and bad magicians can teach us about leadership, creativity, timing, connection, and paying attention. We also look at what happens when we move past the tricks and start talking about transformation, invention, and the bold decision to imagine a third option when the world says there are only two.

Along the way we get into authentic human connection, wonder, belief, creativity, archetypes, sexism in magic, and the strange but very human desire to be surprised.

If you have ever wanted to peek behind the curtain, or if you are simply in the mood for a conversation that invites curiosity and possibility, this episode delivers.

Listen in and ask yourself a few magical questions.
Where might you find wonder this week. What mystery might you create. And who will you share it with.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

What if the wisest questions aren’t asked in boardrooms or think-tanks — but in kindergarten classrooms, minivans, and sticky-fingered breakfast tables?

In this episode, Dr. Patti Fletcher, Dan Ward, and Lynne Cuppernull dive into one of the most delightfully disruptive prompts we’ve ever explored:

From “Why is the sky blue?” to “Why don’t grown-ups play more?” children constantly challenge assumptions, dismantle logic, and push adults into the kind of curiosity we forgot we needed.

Together we explore:

• What kids know instinctively about curiosity and wonder
• When adults begin filtering and performing instead of asking
• Why little-kid questions make us squirm (and what that says about us)
• What changes when we listen instead of rush to answer
• Whether curiosity might be a form of presence — and maybe, leadership
• How reclaiming childlike wonder could transform the way we work, parent, and connect

This episode is a sandbox of ideas — playful, profound, occasionally messy, and full of those “Wait… that’s a really good question” moments.

Bring your beginner’s mind. Leave your certainty at the door.
The world gets bigger and more beautiful every time we dare to ask like a kid again.

🎙️ Listening for the Questions — where curiosity isn’t childish.
It’s a superpower.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you wonder.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

Why do some beliefs feel like bedrock while others crumble at the first nudge? In this episode of Listening for the Questions, Patti, Dan, and Lynne unpack why we cling to what we “know,” how power structures profit from our certainty, and what happens when curiosity finally cracks something open.

From “don’t wear white after Labor Day” to faith, identity, and technology’s role in reinforcing echo chambers, this episode invites you to take a fresh look at what you believe and why. Because questioning isn’t rebellion. It’s growth.

Listen in if you’ve ever asked yourself:

• Why does changing my mind feel like failure?
• Who benefits from what I believe?
• And how much of what I “know” is really mine?

🎧 Listening for the Questions — the podcast with no answers, just better questions.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

What does the “best sandwich” reveal about how we make choices, give feedback, and connect with one another? In this deliciously curious episode of Listening for the Questions, hosts Dan Ward, Lynne Cuppernull, and Dr. Patti Fletcher unwrap the layers—literally and metaphorically—of one of humanity’s most universal meals: the sandwich.

From the Earl of Sandwich’s gaming table to your local deli, this conversation dives into why we love certain combinations, how food reflects our culture and habits, and what a sandwich can teach us about leadership, empathy, and change.

Along the way, the trio explores “the sandwich method” for feedback, the surprising evolution of gluten-free culture, and why sandwiches always taste better when someone else makes them.

Tune in from Boston to LA to London—and wherever great questions are asked—to find out why sometimes, the best way to understand life is to start with lunch.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.

What if the best thing we can do with a question… is share it?

In the very first episode of Listening For The Questions, hosts Lynne Cuppernull, Dan Ward, and Dr. Patti Fletcher invite you into a lively, thought-provoking conversation about three topics shaping today’s world: burnout, power, and artificial intelligence. But this isn’t another show promising quick answers — instead, it’s an exploration of the questions we should be asking.

You’ll hear these three friends and innovation leaders dig into:

• Why burnout feels different for women and men — and how fear of being perceived as “weak” shapes the conversation.
• What power looks like today — and how to share it equitably.
• Where AI belongs in human conversations about work, energy, and boundaries.
• How better questions can help us tell better stories — about ourselves, our teams, and our future.

Whether you’re an executive woman navigating leadership inflection points, an innovation-driven professional, a leadership coach or consultant, or a future-focused org builder looking for inspiration, this episode will make you think, laugh, and maybe rethink the questions you’re asking in your own life and work.

Tune in to join the conversation, leave with more questions than you came with — and share this episode with a friend who loves exploring big ideas.

Listening for the Questions is where curiosity is our compass.