Using Curiosity as a Compass

Mary Kingston Roche is a former teacher and current nonprofit leader who is passionate about helping both children and adults to spark and follow their curiosity for a life of meaning, adventure, and joy. She delivered a TEDx talk on the power of our curiosity and offers speaking, workshops, and an online course to help people rediscover and pursue their curiosity. Mary gets to practice her curiosity every day through adventures with her two kids, and lives in Maryland with her family.

On February 18, Mary is hosting a webinar on how to make 2026 your most curiosity-filled year yet (register for that here). She's also excited to relaunch her online course, Rediscovering Your Curiosity, to help people reactivate and pursue their curiosity for greater well-being, meaning, and adventure. Subscribe to her newsletter to learn when the online course registration will open up, and for other resources and opportunities to help you live a fulfilling, curiosity-filled life!

This month's theme is all about using curiosity as your compass. Tell us how this theme has played a role in your personal or professional life.

I have used curiosity as my compass throughout my life to explore personal and professional interests, and it has been such a rewarding and affirming experience. Using your curiosity as your compass simply means that you pay attention to what sparks your curiosity and pursue that as the truest path for yourself-over what you or others think you should do, or what may bring you more status, wealth, or accolades. For me, professionally that has meant pursuing teaching, then a career in policy and advocacy, to now a role with a nonprofit that empowers parents while also making time to nurture my passion for sharing with others the power of our curiosity. Personally, I have used my curiosity as my compass to continue running, practice yoga, travel to interesting places, take an improv class, do a TEDx talk, launch an online course, and immerse myself in personal development books and podcasts that expand my understanding of what is possible for myself and others.

At OutGrowth, we believe in designing the space and time to reimagine the path forward. How do you think that maintaining a practice of curiosity can help us to navigate our lives and careers?

Reconnecting with and nurturing your curiosity will help you in your life and career in so many ways, personally, professionally, and in relationship with others. Maintaining a practice of curiosity will help you better understand yourself-to identify your values, dreams, limiting beliefs, hopes, and fears. This greater understanding of yourself will give you clarity about who you are and what kind of life you want to live, so you can then pursue it. Practicing curiosity will also help you make choices both big and small (e.g. big like career pivots and small like how you want to spend your Saturday) that are aligned with what you are most interested in and feel pulled to, versus pushing yourself toward something that is not quite right or true for you. You will also enjoy stronger relationships, as practicing curiosity makes you a better listener, more understanding and empathetic, more interested in others, and more interesting (when you share what you are learning or exploring through your curiosity). Lastly, research shows that curiosity is linked to greater psychological well-being, so you will be able to navigate your life and career from a more positive state of mind that will help you make decisions rooted in what truly sparks your interest. Practicing curiosity is both about being intentional-to pay attention to, plan, design, and pursue what interests you-and open-minded and spontaneous-to listen and see what inspires or excites you that may be unexpected, and then to forge your own unique and fulfilling path from this combination of intention and spontaneity.

What is one hard lesson you learned in this past year that contributed to your growth?

This past year, I unintentionally let months go by without giving space and time to my passion for curiosity and instead was too narrowly focused on other demands and stressors. This hard lesson through this realization has helped me to grow as I have since pledged to myself to make space and time for my creative work on curiosity, and as I rejuvenate this work, I am already feeling more energized, inspired, and excited to pursue it and share it with others.

What is one competency or skill you hope to develop in 2026?

One skill I hope to develop and strengthen in 2026 is storytelling. I believe that we connect best with one another through stories, and I hope to strengthen this skill this year to tell my own stories and those of others to connect more deeply with people and to deepen understanding, empathy, community, and inspiration-in my curiosity work, my job, and my personal relationships.

What inspires you?

What inspires me is seeing people go for it: pursuing their curiosity and their dreams with conviction, persistence, and joy. I am also inspired by people like Kobe Bryant who showed us that our lives and careers can change and evolve-from professional basketball player to Oscar-winning movie producer-and that you can never go wrong when you honor and follow your curiosity.

At OutGrowth, we believe in preparing the next generation of leaders. What is one resource you'd recommend to those looking to carve out the time for growth in the next year?

I highly recommend a book I recently read titled The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You by Dr. Michael Gervais. I enjoyed the book so much, I wrote an article reflecting on it and how worrying less about other people's opinions can help your curiosity to flourish.

What's next? What are you excited about in the coming year?

In 2026, I'm excited to host a few webinars-one on this topic of how to use your curiosity as your compass-and another on how to make 2026 your most curiosity-filled year yet with key practices and mindsets. I'm also excited to re-launch my online course, Rediscovering Your Curiosity, to help people reawaken their curiosity and pursue and strengthen it for greater well-being, meaning, and adventure!