Episode 92
The Quiet Pivot: When Curiosity Sparks. Your Brain's Secret Weapon for Career Pivots
When I left oil and gas – or rather, when the door slammed behind me – I thought I needed a plan immediately. Instead, I discovered something far more valuable: the power of following small sparks of curiosity.
In this episode, I share why curiosity became my compass during one of the foggiest periods of my life, and how it can become yours too.
What I Cover:
- How curiosity literally rewires your brain for learning and adaptation
- Why following random interests feels unproductive but creates the path forward
- The science behind curiosity as a tool for overcoming fear and paralysis
- Simple questions I used (and still use) to identify what truly draws me in
My Key Message: When everything feels uncertain, give yourself permission to not know the whole path. Just get curious about the next step.
Resources Mentioned:
- TED Talk: "How to Find Work You Love"
- The Quiet Pivot Companion Pack with curiosity exercises and spark-discovery tools. Get it as here, or signing up as a paying subscriber to my Substack.
Want to be a guest on Stories for the future: Beyond the Bubble? Send Veslemoy Klavenes-Berge a message on PodMatch.
You can always find more information about the podcast and my work on storiesforthefuture.com
Transcript
Hello again and welcome back to the Quiet Pivot.
Speaker A:This little series I created because I wished something like this had existed when I was in this fog of a career shift myself some years ago.
Speaker A:So if the last few episodes were about letting go of identity roles to titles, this one is about beginning to look forward.
Speaker A:But not as in build a huge plan and strategy for what's next.
Speaker A:No, it's more like starting to watch out for what it is that draws you in, like topics, ideas, books, people.
Speaker A:This episode is about curiosity and how those small sparks can become a compass when everything seems a bit up in the air.
Speaker A:So when I left oil and gas, or rather when the door closed behind me, slammed behind me, I could say I immediately started looking for a plan.
Speaker A:So I'd spent a long time building this career and this foundation in geophysics.
Speaker A:It was what I knew.
Speaker A:And for a while, all I could feel was grief, confusion, and even perhaps a little bit of shame.
Speaker A:Because losing your job is not exactly something that you shout about.
Speaker A:Even though maybe we should, because so many of us will face this at some point and there's no point in hiding it.
Speaker A:But that's another topic.
Speaker A:I'd lost my professional identity, my community, my sense of direction.
Speaker A:And I think this has to take its time.
Speaker A:You have to go through these different stages to some degree, but it can be really good to know that the phase that comes after is a lot more interesting and exciting.
Speaker A:So for me, slowly, little sparks started showing up.
Speaker A:It could be a new podcast.
Speaker A:I discovered a topic I couldn't stop talking about.
Speaker A:A book, a conversation that gave me energy, people I met, news from around the world.
Speaker A:Not necessarily positive news, but something that really sparked something in me.
Speaker A:And at the beginning, none of it really made sense and none of it felt productive.
Speaker A:It didn't lead to an obvious outcome, but it made me wake up and start to reorient myself.
Speaker A:And it really woke up my curiosity.
Speaker A:Very timely.
Speaker A:This was when I stumbled upon that TED talk that I might have mentioned a few times before.
Speaker A:Like a gazillion times, I think.
Speaker A:The one called how to find work you love, and you understand what that's about.
Speaker A:It's about how to find work you love and maybe also discover that the work that you have been doing wasn't really something that sparked your fire.
Speaker A:So with that little kick in the butt, I started thinking about alternatives to going back.
Speaker A:I started this blog because that is a really good way to test ideas, test my voice in a way.
Speaker A:And gradually that led to this podcast, not out of a business plan of any kind, just from this simple act of following what I found interesting conversations about the future, about meaning, about climate, work and identity.
Speaker A:So with that, curiosity became my first compass.
Speaker A:It didn't show me the whole path, just the next step.
Speaker A:And that was enough at the time.
Speaker A:When you're in a career transition, the pressure to figure it all out can be intense.
Speaker A:You want clarity, a plan, something that makes sense on a cv.
Speaker A:But I really believe that the best you can do is to give yourself permission to not know and just get curious.
Speaker A:So now why not use our curiosity to explain why curiosity is so important right now?
Speaker A:Because it turns out curiosity isn't just a nice to have when you're a kid, or if you like to compete in quizzes.
Speaker A:It's actually one of the most helpful tools we've got when going through a big career shift.
Speaker A:And here's what I mean.
Speaker A:First of all, your brain loves being curious.
Speaker A:When we follow something we're really curious about, whether it's a podcast, a project, or a strange little corner of the Internet, our brain rewards us by lighting up the same areas that get activated by chocolate or a gift or something.
Speaker A:It gives us a tiny hit of dopamine, which is a quite useful feature when everything else feels foggy and hard.
Speaker A:So if you're pivoting and everything feels uncertain, following your curiosity can actually give you micro hits of energy and motivation.
Speaker A:It's like a trail of breadcrumbs that feels good to follow.
Speaker A:Second, curiosity boosts memory and learning.
Speaker A:In studies, people remembered way more, even unrelated facts when they were curious about something.
Speaker A:Basically, curiosity doesn't just help you learn, it makes your whole brain more spongy in a way.
Speaker A:And this is great news in a transition because career changes often come with a lot of learning.
Speaker A:New terms, new tools, maybe even new parts of yourself.
Speaker A:Curiosity helps you soak it all in with a bit more ease.
Speaker A:And that's a really good thing.
Speaker A:Third, curiosity is linked to openness and adaptability.
Speaker A:And what's a career pivot if not a crash course in being open and adaptable, Curious people tend to be more willing to try new things, test ideas, and update their beliefs in many ways.
Speaker A:When your identity is shifting, when you're not sure what to say at parties anymore about what you do, curiosity makes it feel less like you're losing something and more like you're exploring something new.
Speaker A:And lastly, curiosity helps override fear.
Speaker A:This is my personal favorite, because when you're in that scary in between space, fear says don't move or run.
Speaker A:Don't mess it up.
Speaker A:But curiosity.
Speaker A:Curiosity leans in and says, huh, I wonder what's over there.
Speaker A:That shift from fear to curiosity changes everything.
Speaker A:It moves you out of paralysis and into motion.
Speaker A:And in a pivot, motion is magic.
Speaker A:It doesn't even have to be in the right direction.
Speaker A:Just moving helps you find out more.
Speaker A:So with all this knowledge in the bag, knowing how important curiosity is not only in a career shift, but in life in general, I want to challenge you to explore more, use your curiosity throughout your day and discover how interesting life can get.
Speaker A:I have added some tools on my notion page called the Quiet Pivot Companion Pack that I find helpful myself.
Speaker A:But a really simple and fun exercise I used a lot myself and still use to this day is just asking these questions.
Speaker A:For instance, if you walk into a bookstore or a library or something, which section pulls you in?
Speaker A:First, is it travel?
Speaker A:Is it food?
Speaker A:Is it interior design?
Speaker A:Or something completely different?
Speaker A:And second, what did you used to love learning about when you were a kid or a teen, before anyone told you it should be practical?
Speaker A:Third, what rabbit holes do you fall into when you're supposed to be doing something else?
Speaker A:Like when you come into a webpage and that leads to something else and that leads to another one and there you go down the hole?
Speaker A:What are those rabbit holes?
Speaker A:And then what kinds of YouTube videos, newsletters, or podcasts do you go back to again and again?
Speaker A:All these questions and many more, along with some other ways to ignite your spark you can find inside the Pivot pack.
Speaker A:The point isn't to land on the answer, it's to gather signs.
Speaker A:You can find the link to everything in the show notes, and if you're now thinking to yourself, well, this is all good, but curiosity doesn't pay the bills, I completely agree.
Speaker A:Been there, tried that.
Speaker A:And that's why next Monday I will talk more about creating a safety net and a financial buffer plan.
Speaker A:Until then, stay curious and I will talk to you soon.
Speaker A:Sa.
