Every question can lead somewhere useful if you keep asking.

The short answer: One question about the workout in Miley Cyrus's "Flowers" video led me to the job of creative movement director, then to a hard look at how I carry myself on stage. By 1:30 in the morning I had a 28-day plan to sharpen my voice and stage presence.

Last night my curiosity took me somewhere I didn't plan to go.

It Started With a Workout

It started at midnight with Miley Cyrus. In her "Flowers" video she runs through a workout, and I wanted to know what each exercise was. So I asked.

One move was a glute bridge with a hip grind. I liked it because it loosens up a stiff lower back. So I asked where it came from. Yoga, Pilates, and physical therapy all have a version of it.

The Job I Didn't Know Existed

Then I learned the movement in the video was shaped by its creative movement director, Stephen Galloway, a former ballet dancer who has worked with the Rolling Stones. I didn't know that job existed. It's the person who shapes how someone moves on camera so every motion means something.

That's when it hit me. I'm preparing to speak on stage about AI and my new book, The Compass Method. How do I move? How do I carry myself when I tell my stories?

A Plan by 1:30 AM

By 1:30 in the morning I had looked at speaking coaches, figured out I don't need help with nerves, and built myself a 28-day plan to sharpen my voice and stage presence. I'm keeping my Southern drawl, though. That stays because it's part of my personal brand.

Music video → workout → hip grind → Pilates → movement director → my own stage presence → a plan for my own growth.

That's what curiosity does when you follow it instead of scrolling past it.

When was the last time a random question took you somewhere useful?

References

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