I recently had the opportunity to return to A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay for Career Day.

I had been there before to record podcast conversations with members of their leadership team, but this visit was different. This time, I was there to spend time with the kids and talk about podcasting, YouTube, communication, creativity and careers.

I went in thinking I would teach them something.

I left thinking about how much they reminded me of the things I believe matter most.

Here are seven lessons I took away.

1. Curiosity Opens Doors

One of the first questions I asked was simple:

If you had your own podcast or YouTube channel, what would it be about?

The answers were all over the place: true crime, robots, sports, music, cooking, gaming, haunted attractions and more. A Kids Place 09-22 Workshop on …

That variety reminded me why curiosity matters so much.

My own podcast exists largely because I am curious. I want to understand people. I want to know how they think, why they make certain decisions and what experiences shaped them.

Curiosity is one of the best tools we have for growth.

2. There Is Power in a Good Question

We practiced asking what, why and how questions.

A good question creates movement. It takes a conversation somewhere.

That applies whether you are talking with a child, interviewing a CEO, speaking with a friend or trying to understand yourself better. A Kids Place 09-22 Workshop on …

Sometimes growth starts not with having a better answer, but with asking a better question.

3. Listening Is Different from Hearing

We also talked about listening.

It sounds basic, but real listening requires attention. After asking a question, you have to care enough to hear the answer instead of immediately thinking about what you want to say next. A Kids Place 09-22 Workshop on …

Some of the best conversations I have had in more than 900 podcast episodes happened because I stopped trying to control where the conversation was going.

Listen long enough, and people will often teach you something you were not expecting to learn.

4. You Don’t Need Everything Figured Out

When I asked what might prevent someone from starting a YouTube channel or podcast, one answer was money.

I explained that you do not need an expensive studio to begin. You can start with a phone. You can learn the equipment, editing and technology as you go. A Kids Place 09-22 Workshop on …

That lesson goes far beyond content creation.

We often tell ourselves we need more money, knowledge, confidence or equipment before we start.

Sometimes you simply have to begin.

5. Skills Build Confidence

We talked about video editing, photography, content creation and different tools people can learn.

One of the kids already knew how to edit videos.

I told them that editing is a real, marketable skill. A Kids Place 09-22 Workshop on …

Learning a skill changes more than what you can do. It changes what you believe you are capable of doing.

That confidence can become momentum.

6. Everyone Has Something Worth Talking About

As I listened to the kids describe their interests, one thing became obvious: nobody lacked a subject.

They had ideas.

They had opinions.

They had interests.

They had stories.

Sometimes people assume they need to become more interesting before they can create, speak or contribute.

I think the opposite is often true.

Start paying attention to what already interests you. There is usually something there worth exploring.

7. Growth Really Does Come from Learning from Others

The vision behind my podcast has always been growth through learning from others.

That philosophy was on full display during this visit.

I may have been the person standing in front of the room, but I was learning too.

That is one of the reasons I continue having conversations after hundreds and hundreds of episodes. Everyone sees life through a slightly different lens, and every conversation gives us a chance to expand our own.

About A Kid’s Place

A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay provides a safe and nurturing environment for children in foster care and works to keep siblings together whenever possible.

If you would like to learn more about their work, volunteer or support them financially, visit akidsplacetb.org.

I went to Career Day to talk about podcasting and YouTube.

But, as often happens when I stay curious and listen, I walked away with lessons of my own.