The Curiosity Solution Podcast

AI is stressing engineers and other people out. Michael has some tips on how to make yourself indispensable in this changing marketplace. We also veered into "my why" for starting the podcast!
 
Michael has been debugging software for 40 years, and getting paid to do that for much of that time, including at Microsoft, Tableau, and Salesforce. At some point, he noticed that every technical problem he encountered was actually a squishy people problem. Now he helps leaders debug themselves, since he couldn't debug them himself. He is the founder of Uncommon Teams and author of _The Resilient Tech Leader_. He's spent a long time in the friction, and found something useful there. He hopes you will find something useful too in his words.
 
FREE download for listeners! https://uncommonteams.com/resilient-leader-downloads/
More about Michael's work: https://uncommonteams.com/the-resilient-tech-leader/
Beverly's website: www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com
FREE bagua map customized for your home's facing direction: https://www.theintuitiveinterior.com/freebaguamap
 

August 2026 I Ching Forecast: Deliverance: The Storm Breaks
 
Month's Energy: Hexagram 40 Clarifiers: Hexagram 19 (line 1) · Hexagram 56 (line 6) · Hexagram 8 (line 6)
 
August opens the Fire Monkey month 8/7-9/6. The Monkey carries us across a real threshold, the last blaze of a Fire Horse summer meeting the first cool edge of metal and water. Yang Fire pressing on Yang Metal, and then, in the Monkey, water is born. Pressure that's been building finally finds somewhere to go.
 
Hexagram 40: Deliverance.
 
Thunder over water. The storm that's been gathering breaks, and the rain clears air that was too heavy to breathe. Something stuck, tangled, or held under strain comes loose.
 
This hexagram is clear about the moment the knot releases: if nothing's left to resolve, return to ordinary life. Stop re-litigating a crisis that's already over. If something does remain, do it now, while the opening is fresh. And genuinely let go...drop the grievance, set down the weight. You can't move freely while still clutching what you were just freed from.
 
Clarifying Cards:
19, line 1: Approach. Something good is drawing near. Opportunities are coming your way are even better when you have a strong and mutually supportive group. Notice where the new growth is coming from and nurture those soft shoots. Maybe it's a new relationship, a love interest, a business opportunity, or even a flowering of a sense of well-being. Nurture them all.
 
56, line 6: The Wanderer. When the surroundings are unfamiliar, be alert, assume nothing, and ask question. Listen and you just might learn something valuable. Don't judge those who are unfamiliar with the local customs as inferior. That's a childish habit of inferiority. Be respectful in new situations, and be wise to avoid reckless and insensitive behavior. Don't let arrogance burn needed bridges.
 
8, line 6: Holding Together. Find a group that will work with a oneness of purpose. Shared visions and common experiences will form bonds that will withstand any adversity. Take a moment this month to acknowledge the people who are "the glue" of the groups, those who find ways to connect everyone. Don't hesitate until the window has closed, or you will find no place in the group. The opposite failure: too little, too slow.
 
For anyone building something: strong month to unstick a stall, make the move you've been sitting on, and say yes to the alliance forming around you. Do it now and with people you trust. Let the storm you've been under become the rain that clears the ground.
 
Autumn is turning the light. Move while it's fresh.
Dates to make that move: 8/8, 8/18, 8/20, 9/1
 
FREE Bagua map: https://www.theintuitiveinterior.com/freebaguamap
Book a session: https://www.theintuitiveinterior.com/book-now
 

Ruoyun Xu Killian, Human Centered business advisor and speaker, is on a mission to put the human experience back into marketing and business. She’s helped build 100-year brands like BigCommerce, Serenity Kids, Rebel Cheese, and University of Texas Center for Sports Communication and Media to create a sustainable Human Centered Marketing system. She believes that by humanizing the way we do business, we can humanize our society overall.
 
Contact info:
website: rxuconsulting.com
IG: imperfectlyren
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruoyunxu/
Facebook: @rxuconsulting
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhmTGNgiDvGCxGf51Pi78g
Tiktok: @imperfectlyren
 
Beverly can be reached at:
www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com
Instagram: @theintuitiveinterior
Beverly@TheIntuitiveInterior.com 

Core (48 – The Well): The month centers on flexibility. Yin Wood bends, it doesn’t break. Nature is the guide to this concept, as well as the mentor for when life becomes stressful. We have a deep well of knowledge to tap into. This requires flexibility of mind, because uncertainty is uncomfortable. Expect this wisdom to shift something fundamental in your psyche. Once you drink from the clear waters of consciousness, you will want more from yourself and others. Even if you have a teacher or mentor to guide you along the path of discovery, the final steps are always solo efforts. Go deep, and be unafraid.
 
24.3 (The Turning Point, line 3): As summer reaches the peak season, it’s a good time to pause and reflect where you are holding onto “what could have been”, and let that go. Know that we are where we are in time to experience it all, to be part of the shift. If you are feeling stuck in mental fretting, do something to get back into your body. Go dancing, take a run, or play in the pool! Then you will recognize where the next turning point will take you.
 
57.3 (The Gentle, line 3): Gentleness and softness are approaches that yield long-lasting results. Nonviolence may seem like it won’t be as effective as more direct approaches, but the results are longer lasting, as they are built on a foundation of understanding, not force. However, this month you may find that some people are projecting a false front, masking their true intentions of extraction and harm. Stay in alignment and they won’t even try to make conversation with you.
55.1 (Abundance, line 1): When one is aligned with abundance, they radiate a glow about them. Notice when you see someone like that, and just enjoy being with them. And if that is you, then share that light generously! Focus on taking advantage of the time when you can maximize your efforts. Notice when you are inclined to stay small, which leads to complaining and staying in the same old situations. Shift back into the expansive nature of abundance by imagining the world as one big gift to unwrap.
 
Mercury Retrograde June 29-July 23. Be prepared for schedule changes, trip delays, and possible tech challenges.
Conflict days (more intense for those with Rat and Tiger in their Bazi charts): 7/13, 15, 18, 25, 27, 30, 8/6. Great for changing bad habits, having discussions that are overdue, and for clarifying requests/job roles. 
 
Money Hygiene Class (Austin), 7/13: https://theintuitiveinterior.as.me/MoneyHygiene7-13-26
https://www.theintuitiveinterior.com/
 

"We are what we tolerate." We all want to be seen, supported, and inspired. K. Margaret Solorio experienced the pandemic of 2020 as a time of dissolving an old identity, and an opportunity to become curious about who she was becoming. She wrote her book "Make Ease Your Vibe" as a way to capture this transformation and offer guideposts for others who are in similar situations. She is an Angel Reiki Master, a former wine maker, and has a background in biotechnology. All of this comes together in her approach to space clearing, intuitive guidance, and energy mentorship.
 
Website: https://deliciousease.com/
Book: https://amzn.to/4h4l3w9
Free Quiz: https://deliciousease.com/quiz
Free Spring Energy Refresh: https://deliciousease.com/spring
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-margaret-solorio-5b1165267/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliciousease/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IntuitiveWisdomPodcast
InsightTimer: http://insig.ht/deliciousease
www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com
 

We stand at a threshold where something enormous is being asked of us, and the question is whether we have built the foundation strong enough to hold it.
 
Month (and Year!) card, #28, Excess
The image is of a ridge beam under extraordinary pressure. The center is heavy; the ends are weak. This is not a time of ordinary effort. Something has grown beyond its normal bounds, and it demands that you rise with it or risk collapse. The energy is urgent, even precarious, yet full of transformative potential.
 
Clarifying cards:
#10 Treading, line 2. The image of walking carefully on a tightrope. It counsels not recklessness but conscious, deliberate movement. Fear has no place here; neither does arrogance. The path forward requires precise awareness of where you step and why. Grace under pressure is the assignment. This is the time to hold back and watch the drama as others try to make the case that their role is the most important.
 
#8 Holding Together, line 1. We cannot do this alone, nor should we. Alignment with the right people, the right energies, the right timing is not a luxury — it is the architecture of success. Who and what are you truly bonded to? Where is your center of gravity? Do your best to for the good of all, and the team bond will be strengthened.
 
#18 Work on What Has Been Spoiled, line 3. Something has been neglected, corrupted, or outgrown. This combination does not allow you to bypass the old decay. Renewal requires honest reckoning with what has gone stale — in your systems, your beliefs, perhaps in your spaces themselves. Notice when overcorrection happens and move forward anyway. Start today, because no new beginnings can happen until the clean-up is completed.
 
Together, these four hexagrams form a complete arc: a heavy moment requiring courageous discernment, conscious alliance, and the willingness to clear what no longer serves — so that what is being built can actually stand.
Challenging Days: 6/7, 6/19, 7/1
 
To book your session, visit: TheIntuitiveInterior.com/book-now
 

Judy Tsafrir, MD is a holistic adult and child psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and astrologer with a private practice in the Boston area. She is the author or the award winning book “Sacred Psychiatry: Bridging the Personal and Transpersonal to Transform Health and Consciousness” She is currently working on an oracle deck entitled “Threshold Medicine Oracle Deck: A Symbolic System for Navigating Personal and Collective Transformation.”
In terms of psychiatric consultation, I can only work virtually with patients who live in Massachusetts due to licensing laws. Those who live out of state must see me in person in my office. I can do astrology readings virtually for anyone and am also happy to meet in person for readings if someone lives locally.
 
https://www.judytsafrirmd.com// sacred_psychiatry
https://www.judytsafrirmd.com/sacred-psychiatry-book/
Link for the retreat: https://viharatulum.com/retreat
theintuitiveinterior.com
https://www.theintuitiveinterior.com/book-now
 

May is a good month to reflect on what has happened, and prepare for what is coming. This requires inner work, intestinal fortitude, and courage. The Yin Water supports the introspection, and the Snake's Yin Fire aligns with Joy and inspiration. Even so, the I Ching card for the month is 43, Resoluteness. This speaks to the need to stay focused on the task at hand, and to be prepared to have your character tested. This is easier when you know yourself, and have the inner resolve and integrity to stick to the right path.
 
The clarifying cards:
37, The Family, Focus Line 2: Remember that we are all part of the same family, the Human Family. Do what is best for your community and stay focused on the work that is right in front of you. Don't allow the distractions of the day to pull focus or try to force matters. That will not end well for anyone.
 
40, Deliverance, Focus Line 3: We are feeling the tension that happens before a big storm. Anyone who has lived through a tornado or a hurricane knows the feeling...and once the storm has passed, there is a certain sense of relief and even exhilaration. This focus line indicates that we've been processing this and ready to look at the damage done by the storm. We are making a plan to clean up the broken limbs, repair the things that got damaged, and maybe even contemplate starting from scratch if that's the case. However, it's also very important to not go overboard, because the high energy of release can rarely be sustained. Don't make plans that your "normal self" can't follow through on.
 
48, The Well, Focus Line 1: If the Yin Water Snake alone wasn't enough to compel us to get in touch with our intuition, here is yet another bell ringing to go deep. This awareness will increase our wisdom (MUCH needed these days!) and the fearlessness to get to the bottom of things, whatever those things may be. By being the conduit between the inspiration and spiritual insight of the Heavens and the grounding and connectedness of the Earth, we can truly live our remit as Souls having our Earthbound School experience.
 
High friction days: 5/13, 14, 25, 26 (Pig, Rat) Use these dates to upend unhealthy trajectories and stop bad habits.
 
www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com
 

We had such a great conversation, spanning the range of the newsroom, helping people refine their zoom presence and skills, to working with sorority rush intro videos, to the final gift we can give to our parents: making sure they are taken care of during their later years. Kim and Mike are true gifts to the community at large. I know you'll enjoy this show!
Kim Barnes spent more than 30 years as an award-winning television news anchor, journalist, TV, commercial and film actor. She taught television news reporting at The University of Texas and runs Barnes Team Media, a communication training firm. But her most transformative work began when she and her husband started navigating care for their parents in their 80s.
What started as her own caregiving journey became Parenting Aging Parents in 2021, a platform now supporting over 37,000 families nationwide. Kim & Mike have conducted 120+ expert interviews and built a comprehensive resource library to help adult children manage one of life's most demanding transitions. She brings her decades of communication expertise and personal experience to help adult children balance caregiving responsibilities with personal and professional demands, turning what most people navigate in isolation into a shared, strategic approach.
www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com/book-now
https://parentingagingparents.com
https://www.youtube.com/@parentingagingparents
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingagingparents
https://www.facebook.com/kim.z.barnes/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/parenting-aging-parents
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimzbarnes/
https://www.instagram.com/parenting_aging_parents/
 
 

Fear may be in the forefront of people's minds, but so will courage and the power to manifest your dreams. With self-discipline, concentration, and an eye towards reaching your potential, one can overcome the overloaded, exhausted patterns. Transformation is inevitable, as are growing pains. Relying on those with experience will help turn that inexperience and vulnerability into fertile ground, ready for new growth!
 
Month card: 26, The Taming Power of the Great
 
Clarifying cards:
49, Revolution, focus line 6
28, Excess, focus line 3
3, Difficulty in the Beginning, focus line 5
 
Challenging dates:
Year breaker (Rat): 4/8, 4/20
Month breaker (Dog): 4/6, 4/18, 4/30
Expect sudden changes, surprising windfalls, and potential missteps. Use these dates to upend unhealthy trajectories and stop bad habits.
 
www.TheIntuitiveInterior.com/booknow