Advertise on podcast: The Curiosity Current: A Market Research Podcast

The story that older adults struggle with technology keeps showing up. The data says otherwise. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Molly is joined by Dr. Brittne Kakulla, Senior Consumer Insights Manager at AARP, with special guest co-host Elana Marmorstein, aytm’s Market Revenue Operations Specialist and host of Waves of Thinking. Brittne shares what over two decades of research reveal about older adults in tech, including gaming, smart devices, and AI. The conversation reframes adoption as selectivity, not reluctance, and shows why trust, usefulness, and life stage matter more than age when designing technology for the 50+ market.

Market research often rewards speed, confidence, and verbal fluency. That leaves insight behind. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Molly is joined by Garret Westlake, Vice Provost for Innovation and Strategic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University, with special guest co-host Katie Bernal, Senior Director of Learning and Enablement at aytm. Garret explains how LEGO SERIOUS PLAY can be used as a legitimate market research methodology, why embodied and visual thinking matter, and how serious play creates space for insight from people who do not thrive in verbal-first research settings. The conversation explores inclusion, storytelling, innovation, and how AI can support creative sense-making without replacing human judgment.

In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with Jason Cohen, Founder and CEO of Simulacra, to explore how causal AI and scenario modeling are changing the way market research actually works. Jason explains why more rows rarely fix weak studies, how seeded synthetic data can extract insight from incomplete datasets, and why understanding cause and effect matters more than ever in modern consumer research.

Market research is losing great talent because the career path remains invisible. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly are joined by Charitie Dantis-Gayo, Corporate Vice President, Center for Consumer Insights at New York Life Insurance Company. Charitie shares her nonlinear path into market research, explains why visibility matters more than credentials, and outlines what truly attracts and develops the next generation of researchers. The conversation covers recruiting for initiative and curiosity, using AI with discipline, and why human judgment and fieldwork remain essential in modern insights work.

AI can accelerate research. It cannot replace context. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with Nancee Halpin, a researcher and insights specialist whose career spans Fuel Cycle, SurveyMonkey, Highlight, and Strella. Nancee explains why human judgment, curiosity, and lived context still sit at the center of good research, even as AI reshapes how fast teams can move. The conversation explores where AI genuinely helps, where it falls short, and why researchers remain essential interpreters between data and decision-making.

Influence does not come from more data. It comes from understanding risk, value, and timing. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly are joined by Ed Kahn, Senior Principal of CX Research and Insights at Mutual of America Financial Group. With a career spanning consumer electronics, syndicated research, and financial services, Ed shares why researchers often feel excluded from decisions and what actually changes that dynamic. He explains how fluency in business context, clarity around risk, and relevance in the moment turn research into influence. This conversation reframes the idea of a “seat at the table” and offers practical ways insights teams can earn it.

AI is transforming research, but human judgment still anchors the work. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with David Evans, Director of Market Research at Microsoft and author of Bottlenecks, to explore the realities of building AI and digital products that respect how humans think, feel, and decide. David draws on a decade of applied psychology at Microsoft to examine where AI truly accelerates research, where rigor is at risk, and why the voice of the customer must guide decisions long before any model speaks. From synthetic data to privacy, from UX bottlenecks to conversational interfaces, this episode reframes AI not as a shortcut, but as a partner that demands stronger theory, clearer ethics, and deeper accountability.

Research is evolving from reporting the past to shaping what comes next, and the most meaningful shifts begin with how we understand people. In this Greatest Hits episode of The Curiosity Current, five guests share the ideas that are redefining the insights profession. From Adam Hagerman’s view of research as a strategic engine, to Lindsey Goodman’s lived-world ethnography, to Marcus Cunha on influence and ROI, to J. Walker Smith’s return to analog life, and Ben Valenta’s work on connection and well-being, this episode brings together the human themes that turn information into impact.

UX research only matters when it changes something. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, Stephanie and Molly sit down with Amberly Miller, Director of UX Research at Prudential Financial, to discuss the real work of turning insight into influence inside a heavily regulated, high-stakes enterprise. Amberly shares how she rebuilt Prudential’s approach to research, moving from a tightly gated silo to a democratized model that empowers more than a hundred practitioners and what it takes to deliver insights that land, even when the truth is uncomfortable. From stakeholder silence to C-suite pressure, from separating signal from noise to knowing where AI belongs, this conversation goes beyond theory and speaks to the reality of earning a voice at the table.

Modern CMOs are overwhelmed with data yet short on clarity. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Molly Strawn-Carreño and guest host Shanon Adams, President and COO of aytm, sit down with Steve Olenski, “The CMO Whisperer,” to unpack what CMOs really need from insights partners. Steve explains why insights must be treated as a growth engine, how the strongest teams align on trust, translation, and timing, and why storytelling and speed now matter more than volume. The conversation breaks down how to earn a real seat at the table, how to use AI responsibly, and what separates insights teams that drive decisions from those that only deliver decks.

Every plate, product, and policy starts with research. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, hosts Molly and Stephanie talk with Steve Markenson, Vice President of Research & Insights at FMI – The Food Industry Association and longtime President & Consultant at WBA Research. They explore how industry-wide research shapes the food retail ecosystem, how consumer behavior is evolving, and how emerging technologies and analytics are transforming the way decisions are made across a $1 trillion grocery landscape. From defining value beyond price to balancing speed and rigor in research, Steve reveals how FMI brings data, advocacy, and collaboration together to serve an entire industry.

Speed gets the headlines. Consistency drives the decision. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Molly and co-host Stephanie sit down with Charlie Grossman, Owner of CG Research & Consulting and former VP at BASES and Burke, to unpack what makes research trustworthy and actionable. Charlie explains why context and consistency beat one-off metrics, how to avoid the novelty trap of high purchase intent, and where AI helps and hurts interpretation. He shares practical rules for parallel testing, targeting true decision makers, and managing promise so launches create repeat, not just trial.

Change gets the headlines. Fundamentals drive the business. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie and co-host Andrew Kawalek sit down with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead for Strategy & Consulting at Kantar, to unpack what truly shapes consumer behavior. Walker explains why convenience remains the strongest driver of choice, how pricing tells a brand’s story, and why storytelling, not dashboards, still persuades. He shares his practical mantra, “one thing” for clarity in communication, a measured view on AI’s role in research, and a compelling argument for using technology to give people back their time.

Every brand has a voice but few realise their loudest one sits quietly on the shelf. In this episode of The Curiosity Current, host Stephanie speaks with Matt Salem, SVP of Customer Success at Behaviorally and co-author of unPACKED: Predict Packaging That Sells. Matt explains how the Four-S framework: Seen, Shoppable, Seductive, Selected, helps brands design packaging that drives decisions at the shelf and online. He shares how behavioral science, real shopper observation, and AI-powered tools like Pack.AI are transforming packaging into a measurable growth engine for brands that want their design to sell.

We’re revisiting one of the most grounded and inspiring conversations from The Curiosity Current featuring Raina Rusnak, Head of Market Research and Business Intelligence at StarKist and CEO of 750 Research. In this Greatest Hits episode, Raina shares the lessons that connect mountaineering, leadership, and mental health, from knowing when to lean on your team to the science of taking just ten minutes outdoors each day. If you’ve ever struggled to find balance in a high-pressure career, this episode is a thoughtful reminder that resilience is built, not found and that leading well begins with being human first.