Scott Shigeoka

“Most people recognize the value of curiosity, but few know how to embrace and unleash it. Seek will help you close the gap between awareness and action. Scott Shigeoka’s thirst for understanding and connection is contagious, and his book is a timely bridge for our divided world.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author

While we often think of curiosity as a personality trait, it’s actually the most potent tool we have to bridge our differences and heal relationships: from political blow-ups to age divides at work; religious differences to languishing friendships; gun rights to gender rights. As an internationally-recognized curiosity expert and author of the upcoming blockbuster Seek, Scott Keoni Shigeoka explores the stories and science of curiosity as a fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and through his groundbreaking classes on the power of curiosity at the University of Texas at Austin. He also practices his research through national storytelling campaigns and immersive personal journeys, such as a 45,000-mile road trip to demonstrate how deep curiosity leads to connection, healing, and growth even across differences. 

Scott’s book Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World is an original reporting from his journey across America. He explores why there is so much division, and more importantly, how we can heal. Along with a lifetime of practice and years of research at UC Berkeley’s GGSC, Scott developed the “DIVE” model for cultivating curiosity and transforming our relationships. The DIVE model focuses on the four “muscle groups” of curiosity: Detach (letting go of your assumptions, biases, certainty), Intend (preparing your mindset and setting), Value (seeing the dignity of every person—including yourself), and finally Embrace (welcoming the hard times in life). This highly anticipated title has garnered praise from experts like Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) and Kristin Neff (Self-Compassion). “Scott explores the nature of curiosity and how opening our hearts and minds to the unknown can transform our experiences,” says bestselling author Kristin Neff.

Scott’s first book, the Bridging Differences Playbook, is packed with research-based strategies to promote understanding. For over 18 months, Scott worked with 100 leading experts, researchers, and practitioners to distill 14 everyday practices to bridge differences in our work and life. In the first 3 months of its release, it had over 200,000 reads, and has since been developed into a groundbreaking online course taken by ten thousand students.

In talks, Scott explores curiosity and its connections to every aspect of our lives—from work to our personal relationships. He blends cutting-edge research on curiosity with wisdom from years of grassroots community work and the stories of people living at the threshold of deep curiosity. With electric vulnerability, thoughtful storytelling, and actionable tools, he calls upon each of us to stop turning away from what is unfamiliar, uncomfortable or unknown and, instead, embrace our power to seek. 

Scott is also the award-winning host of Made in America (produced by Sophie Harris, a long-time producer at HBO Docs) and a collaborated with David Byrne on the “We Are Not Divided” project (in lead-up to American Utopia, which was directed by Spike Lee). Scott’s dynamic, creative, and interactive keynotes and workshops have inspired C-Suite executives at Fortune 500 companies, legislators in Washington, D.C., showrunners in Hollywood, and leaders at educational institutions and national nonprofits.