413: Working to Find Common Ground on Public Lands Amid Competing Interests
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Release Date: 05/05/2026
426 - Serendipity: The Art and Science of Creating Smart Luck
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Today on Getting Unstuck Hi, I’m Jeff Ikler, host of the Cultivating Curiosity podcast. This summer, I’m periodically releasing mini-episodes of “Cultivating Curiosity.” In about 10 minutes, I’ll dive deeper into a key point from a previously broadcast evergreen episode. The content in these mini-episodes is designed to be readily applicable to your life or work. Summary This mini-episode revisits Jeff Ikler's conversation with Dr. Christian Busch, author of Connect the Dots: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, to explore why serendipity is far more than simple luck. Dr....
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425: What is Your Default Thinking Pattern Under Pressure?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Dr. Melissa Hughes is a keynote speaker, author, and Human Potential Alchemist who helps people understand how the brain works so they can work, lead, and live better. With a doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction and decades of experience translating neuroscience into practical strategies, Melissa has become a trusted voice for organizations looking to improve leadership, communication, performance, and culture. She is the creator of the Cognitive Blueprint™, a neuroscience-based assessment that reveals how your brain naturally processes information, makes decisions, solves...
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424: Telling the Story You Can't Forget
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
The story behind this episode The story I relate in this episode emerged when, in September 2019, I walked some of the World War I battlefields in Belgium and France with my guide, Iain McHenry. As we walked along where a trench had existed during the war, Iain told me the story of an archaeological dig that recovered and eventually identified the remains of a British soldier who was killed there in November 1914 in a German mortar attack. The story has stayed with me because of how the soldier, Richard Lancaster, was finally identified and because there are literally thousands of other...
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423 - Giving an "A"
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Today on Getting Unstuck Hi, I’m Jeff Ikler, host of the Cultivating Curiosity podcast. This summer, I’m periodically releasing mini-episodes of “Cultivating Curiosity.” In about 10 minutes, I’ll dive deeper into a key point from a previously broadcast evergreen episode. The content in these mini-episodes is designed to be readily applicable to your life or work. At some point during the summer of 2019, I was walking in our nearby forest preserve, listening to a podcast with Tim Ferriss in conversation with Seth Godin. Tim Ferriss always asks his guests during the wrap-up what...
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422: Is It Possible to Reinvent Oneself Without Having All the Answers? Pt 2
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest JoAnne Duncan has had a varied career, from Alaskan fly-fishing guide to elementary teacher and principal, always focused on valuing the strengths of every student and staff member. Though she’s stepped away from her career in public education, she continues to learn, grow, and inspire others. A lifelong learner, she finds joy and insight outdoors, exploring nature and discovering new ideas, always growing, always learning, and always curious. Summary In Part 1 of this episode, JoAnne reflected on her unconventional path into education, her transition into school...
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421: How Can You Learn to Love Life's Unanswered Questions?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Elizabeth Weingarten is a journalist and applied behavioral scientist who works at the intersection of science and storytelling. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has worked on the editorial staffs of The Atlantic, Slate, and Qatar Today, and was Managing Editor of Behavioral Scientist. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Atlantic, Slate, CNN, The Financial Times, Quartz, Harvard Business Review, and Time. She has led research programs at the think tank New America, the consultancy ideas42, and at tech companies Torch and...
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420 Avoiding Groupthink? A Leadership Practice Demonstrated on the Way to Pluto
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Hi, I’m Jeff Ikler, host of the Cultivating Curiosity podcast. This summer, I’m periodically releasing mini-episodes of “Cultivating Curiosity.” In about 10 minutes, I’ll dive deeper into a key point from a previously broadcast evergreen episode. The content in these mini-episodes is designed to be readily applicable to your life or work. This week’s mini-episode comes from a May 2023 interview with Dr. Alan Stern. Today, Dr. Stern is an aerospace executive and remains a planetary scientist. In 2015, he was the Principal Investigator on the historic New Horizons mission to Pluto....
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419: What is the Priority?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Hi, I’m Jeff Ikler, host of the Getting Unstuck - Cultivating Curiosity podcast. This summer, I’m periodically releasing mini-episodes that, in under 10 minutes, dive into an evergreen idea from a previously broadcast episode. The content in these mini episodes is designed to be readily applicable to your life or work. This week’s episode was inspired by a conversation with educator Dr. Deb Gustafson in December 2019, when she explained how, as a principal, she had applied Jim Collins’ flywheel principle from Good to Great in her elementary school. The idea The flywheel is an...
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418: How Can Leaders Create the Conditions for Staff to Succeed?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Guest Rich Gassen has worked at UW-Madison for over 15 years as Production Manager and, more recently, as Director at Digital Publishing and Printing Services. He focuses on empowerment, autonomy, and process improvements with his team. His work mantra has always been “Show Up and Participate,” which continues to guide him in his lifelong learning. He also leads a community of practice for supervisors at UW-Madison, focusing on training and development. Summary In this episode, Rich discusses his leadership journey and the principles that guide his work. Drawing on more than 35 years in...
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417: What's One Question You Can Ask to Build Capacity?
Getting Unstuck – Cultivating Curiosity
Hi, I’m Jeff Ikler, host of the Cultivating Curiosity podcast. It’s summer, and our thoughts naturally turn to making the most of longer days and warmer weather. We’re desperate to be outside. With that in mind, I’m periodically releasing mini episodes of “Cultivating Curiosity.” In about 10 minutes, I’ll dive deeper into a key point from a previously broadcast evergreen episode. The content in these mini episodes is designed to be readily applicable to your life or work. The idea This week’s mini episode was inspired by a July 2021 interview with Dr. Melissa “Missie”...
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Minnesota native Aaron Hebeisen grew up hunting, fishing, and recreating outdoors. His lifelong passion for wildlife led him to earn an Animal Ecology degree from Iowa State University. He has worked for the Minnesota Conservation Corps, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on wildlife disease research, and is now the Field Operations Coordinator with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, supporting chapters in 10 states across the Midwest and the southern U.S.
Summary
This episode explores the meaning, management, and future of public lands in the United States. The discussion begins by defining public lands—roughly 640 million federally managed acres overseen by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service—and emphasizes their “multiple-use” mandate, balancing recreation, resource extraction, and conservation.
Aaron highlights BHA’s mission to advocate for these lands on behalf of all users, not just hunters and anglers, framing Americans as “public landowners” with both rights and responsibilities. A key theme is the complexity of land and water access, illustrated through conflicts over stream access laws in states like Illinois, where differing definitions of “navigability” create legal gray areas and tension among stakeholders.
The conversation also examines policy advocacy, including coalition-building, lobbying, and navigating bipartisan politics. Aaron describes BHA’s approach as “radically purple”—engaged but nonpartisan—focused on finding common ground across competing interests.
A major case study is the rollback of mining protections near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area via H.R. 140, which Aaron argues could set a precedent for weakening environmental safeguards nationwide. Despite such challenges, the episode remains grounded in a broader philosophical reflection: public lands are a uniquely American inheritance that fosters personal connection, humility, and stewardship.
Ultimately, Aaron underscores that protecting these lands requires active civic engagement—if people don’t participate, they risk losing access to what is collectively theirs.
A key takeaway
Public lands belong to all of us, but their future depends on whether people actively engage in protecting them—through stewardship, advocacy, and participation in the political process.
References / Links
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers