The Curious Advantage Podcast

AI is not just another tool cycle. Dr. Michael Housman says it is the third digital disruption, and most organizations are still underestimating how fast it will reshape work, jobs, and competitive advantage.Simon Brown, Paul Ashcroft, and Garrick Jones sit down with Housman, founder and CEO of AI Accelerator and author of Future Proof: Transform Your Business with AI or Get Left Behind to unpack why curiosity, not just technology, is the real edge in an AI-driven world.Housman shares how a career built on following what was most interesting led him from data science and AI platforms into teaching executives how to adapt. He explains why companies should stop treating AI as a shiny add-on and start thinking in two modes: incremental wins that remove repetitive work, and transformational moves that prepare for AI-native competitors.
You’ll discover:

Why most people are still using AI like a glorified search bar

The “technology is easy, people are hard” problem that blocks adoption

How to build trust with agents by treating them like smart interns

Why leaders must model AI use themselves before expecting teams to change

How a 20% experimentation mindset can unlock real breakthroughs

The conversation goes deeper into the practical reality of future-proofing: data moats, subject-matter expertise, governance, culture, apprenticeships, and why junior talent may need a new path into expertise as AI changes entry-level work. The group also tackles one of the biggest open questions in business today: how much autonomy to give agentic AI, and when humans need to stay firmly in the loop.If you’re a CEO, leader, manager, or ambitious professional trying to make sense of AI without getting lost in the hype, this episode gives you a clear, grounded framework for what to do next. It is especially relevant if you’re responsible for teams, talent, or strategy and want to stay competitive while the rules keep changing.Perfect for anyone who wants to turn AI anxiety into action and curiosity into an advantage.
The Curious Advantage explores curiosity and its growing importance in the digital age. From history, neuroscience, and anthropology to business and culture, it takes the widest possible view of curiosity. At its heart is the ‘Sailing the 7C’s of Curiosity’ model, a practical framework to help individuals harness curiosity as a power skill for growth and transformation.
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing by Danny Cross and video editing by Jessica Wickham.

What makes a great question, and why might asking better ones be one of our most important human skills in the age of AI?
In this episode, Simon Brown and Garrick Jones are joined by award-winning author and innovation advisor Larry Robertson to explore the power of questioning, curiosity and intellectual humility.
They discuss why we are born questioning, how great questions help us navigate uncertainty, what humans need to retain as AI becomes more capable, and why sometimes the simplest way to go deeper is just to say: “Tell me more.”
A conversation about curiosity, AI, uncertainty and why the questions we ask may shape what happens next.
Learn more about iVentiv: https://iventiv.com/curiousadvantage

Paul Ashcroft and Garrick Jones are joined by Markus Bernhardt, founder of Endeavour Intelligence, to explore what is really changing as organisations adopt AI.
Drawing on his background in particle physics and his research into AI strategy and organisational transformation, Markus argues that the biggest shift isn’t simply the arrival of new tools. It is the quieter rewiring of how work gets done, how decisions are made and where accountability sits.
The conversation explores the difference between the visible “surface wave” of AI adoption and the deeper organisational undercurrent; why AI capability should not be confused with autonomy; the shift from AI literacy to AI fluency; and why human judgement may become more valuable, rather than less, as machines take on more execution.
They also discuss agentic AI, governance, the limits of large language models and why organisations may achieve more by redesigning one workflow well than launching another large-scale AI transformation programme.
Ultimately, Markus offers a practical starting point: don’t begin by asking where you can add AI. Look for where AI has already quietly changed the work, and redesign from there.
Find out more about Markus work:
Markus LinkedIn Page
https://endeavorintel.com/
https://endeavorintel.com/diagnostic/
The Curious Advantage explores curiosity and its growing importance in the digital age. From history, neuroscience, and anthropology to business and culture, it takes the widest possible view of curiosity. At its heart is the ‘Sailing the 7C’s of Curiosity’ model, a practical framework to help individuals harness curiosity as a power skill for growth and transformation.
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing by Danny Cross and video editing by Jessica Wickham.

In this episode of The Curious Advantage Podcast, Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown and Garrick Jones speak with Javier Echave, Chief Operating Officer of Heathrow Airport, about what it takes to lead one of the world’s most complex operations.
Heathrow is more than an airport. It is a city of 90,000 people, bringing together 400 companies and serving around 85 million passengers every year. Javier explains how curiosity, clear communication and disciplined decision-making help keep this vast interconnected system moving.
Drawing on his experience leading through the pandemic and Heathrow’s 2025 power outage, Javier shares how leaders can make difficult decisions with imperfect information, create psychological safety during a crisis and design organisations for reliability rather than recovery. He also explores why leadership is not about making people great, but reminding them how great they already are.
Find out more about Javiers work:
Javiers LinkedIn
Heathrow Airport Website
The Curious Advantage explores curiosity and its growing importance in the digital age. From history, neuroscience, and anthropology to business and culture, it takes the widest possible view of curiosity. At its heart is the ‘Sailing the 7C’s of Curiosity’ model, a practical framework to help individuals harness curiosity as a power skill for growth and transformation.
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing by Danny Cross and video editing by Jessica Wickham.

In this powerful episode of The Curious Advantage Podcast, Simon Brown and Garrick Jones speak with award-winning educator, author and entrepreneur Brandon Fleming about his extraordinary journey from joining a gang at 12 and selling drugs at 14 to becoming one of the youngest debate coaches recruited by Harvard University.
Brandon shares how a single teacher challenged everything he had been told about himself, recognised his hidden gifts and transformed the direction of his life. Determined to pay that opportunity forward, he created an educational pathway for young people from underserved communities in Atlanta, helping his students become seven-time consecutive champions at the Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshops.
That mission now continues through The Veritas School, where Brandon is reimagining education around connection, belonging, critical thinking and the belief that every young person has potential when given the right environment. He explains why students are often not disinterested but disengaged—and why it is the responsibility of teachers and leaders to create the conditions in which people can thrive.
The conversation explores the powerful relationship between curiosity and exposure, why talent is so often overlooked or mislabelled, and what it takes to turn potential into performance. Brandon also shares why great leaders should never “blame the seed,” how educators can make learning feel personal, and why young people must develop logic and independent thinking before relying on AI.
This is an inspiring conversation about education, leadership, curiosity, human potential and our collective responsibility to use our gifts to improve the lives of others.
Find out more about Brandon's work:
https://bpfleming.com/
The Veritas School
Miseducation: A memoir
LinkedIn 
The Curious Advantage explores curiosity and its growing importance in the digital age. From history, neuroscience, and anthropology to business and culture, it takes the widest possible view of curiosity. At its heart is the ‘Sailing the 7C’s of Curiosity’ model, a practical framework to help individuals harness curiosity as a power skill for growth and transformation.
The Curious Advantage Podcast is executive produced by Jessica Wickham and Aliki Paolinelis. Audio editing by Danny Cross and video editing by Jessica Wickham.