Let curiosity lead | Yara Shahidi

Summary

Podcast Summary: TED Talks Daily – "Let Curiosity Lead" by Yara Shahidi

Introduction In the June 28, 2025 episode of TED Talks Daily, hosted by Elise Hu, Yara Shahidi delivers a compelling talk titled "Let Curiosity Lead." Shahidi, an acclaimed actor and producer, explores the vital role of curiosity in fostering imagination and building a better future. She advocates for embracing curiosity as a means to expand our worlds and collaboratively envision new possibilities, despite not directly solving the world's largest problems.

Childhood Curiosity and Imagination Shahidi begins by reflecting on her childhood, emphasizing how her innate curiosity fueled her imagination and sense of wonder. She shares nostalgic memories of reimagining epic sagas with Polly Pocket dolls and voraciously reading every religious book she could access. At [03:44], she recounts, “My entire life has been a case study in following my curiosities,” highlighting how these early interests shaped her passion for both acting and education.

Balancing Passions: Acting and Academia As Shahidi transitioned into young adulthood, she faced a conflict between her dual passions: acting and education. During her freshman year at Harvard and the filming of her show Grown-ish, she encountered skepticism from both academic advisors and entertainment professionals. They questioned the synergy between her academic pursuits and her acting career, repeatedly asking, “Are you sure about that?” at [06:45]. This pressure forced her to choose between her two worlds, pushing her to contemplate whether her diverse interests were incompatible.

The Lifeline of Curiosity Shahidi describes curiosity as a lifeline that guided her through feelings of pessimism and overwhelm. She explains how suppressing her curiosity in favor of perceived expertise led to paralysis in decision-making. At [07:50], she shares, “I was suppressing my curiosity, but I realized that made it so much easier to pick apart every potential decision rather than take action.” Embracing curiosity allowed her to rediscover joy in learning and exploration, ultimately balancing her academic and professional life.

Integrating Acting and Education By recommitting to her curiosity, Shahidi successfully blended her acting career with her academic pursuits. She details how her studies provided deeper insights into various subjects, enriching her creative work. For instance, courses on hip-hop sampling and Neo Soul informed her understanding of media as a tool for preserving legacies, while studying W.E.B. Du Bois inspired the name for her television production company, 7th Son. At [10:30], she states, “Building a television set in a writer's room gave me the ability to practice equitable hiring within an archaic system in real time.”

Lessons on Universal Truths and Imagination Shahidi shares a pivotal lesson from an independent study with Dr. Cornel West: the recognition that many societal "universal truths" are, in reality, subjective and often perpetuate oppressive systems. She argues that imagination and curiosity are essential for challenging these notions and envisioning alternative realities. At [12:15], she explains, “Academics and entertainment are most potent in their abilities to demonstrate alternate realities.”

The Power of Rupture Introducing the concept of “rupture,” Shahidi describes it as the transformative change that arises from curiosity-driven exploration. Rupture involves bridging disparate spaces and challenging traditional norms to introduce fresh perspectives. She emphasizes that such transformative changes often disrupt established ways of thinking but are crucial for progress. At [13:40], she articulates, “Rupture is bridging together two spaces, often kept separate for the sake of achieving new ends.”

Real-World Impact of Curiosity Shahidi underscores the significant impact of individual curiosity by highlighting historical and contemporary figures who have driven social change. She references Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophical inspirations, her cousin Anousheh Ansari’s journey to space, and the courageous protests in Iran led by women and children. At [14:30], she notes, “Most of these leaders of social change movements were not doing this as their day job.”

Embracing a Curiosity-Driven Future Concluding her talk, Shahidi reflects on her current life post-Harvard and the conclusion of her television show. She expresses excitement for future adventures fueled by her ongoing curiosity and unique interests. At [14:50], she shares, “Chasing curiosity means that my purpose is constantly unfolding in front of me.” She encourages listeners to honor their own curiosities, framing it as an act of creation and a pathway to infinite possibilities.

Conclusion: Building New Futures Together Shahidi's final message is a call to action for individuals to prioritize their innate curiosities. She urges the audience to resist societal pressures that confine them to narrow specializations and instead embrace the expansive potential of their diverse interests. At [15:00], she passionately states, “Refuse to let your world get smaller and let's build new futures together.” By doing so, Shahidi envisions a collective effort to harness curiosity for meaningful and creative societal advancements.

Notable Quotes

• [03:44]: “My entire life has been a case study in following my curiosities.”
• [06:45]: “Are you sure about that?”
• [07:50]: “I was suppressing my curiosity, but I realized that made it so much easier to pick apart every potential decision rather than take action.”
• [10:30]: “Building a television set in a writer's room gave me the ability to practice equitable hiring within an archaic system in real time.”
• [12:15]: “Academics and entertainment are most potent in their abilities to demonstrate alternate realities.”
• [13:40]: “Rupture is bridging together two spaces, often kept separate for the sake of achieving new ends.”
• [14:30]: “Most of these leaders of social change movements were not doing this as their day job.”
• [14:50]: “Chasing curiosity means that my purpose is constantly unfolding in front of me.”
• [15:00]: “Refuse to let your world get smaller and let's build new futures together.”

Conclusion Yara Shahidi’s talk on TED Talks Daily serves as an inspiring manifesto for embracing curiosity as a foundational tool for personal and societal transformation. By sharing her personal journey of balancing diverse passions and advocating for the cultivation of curiosity, Shahidi encourages listeners to expand their horizons and collaboratively create a more imaginative and inclusive future.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. For actor producer Yara Shahidi, curiosity is one of the most important tools we have for imagining a better world and what our place in it can be. In her archive talk, she asks us not to second guess what distracts us in life, but instead to explore our curiosity for what's around us. It might not solve the world's largest problems, but if we refuse to let our worlds get smaller, imagine what futures we can build together. Enjoy. This episode is sponsored by Audible. Can AI predict the source of the next global pandemic? Or at least help convince a Hollywood studio to buy a new screenplay? You won't want to miss what Could Go Wrong? An Audible Original Podcast by Scott Z. Burns, the writer of Contagion. With special guest appearances like director Steven Soderbergh, Laurence Fishburne and Jennifer E. Lee, you'll listen to a deeply thoughtful, occasionally frightening, and often hilarious Audible Original podcast that delves head and heart first into today's burning question. Can humankind and AI actually work hand in hand? Featuring both skeptics and optimists across academia and the entertainment industry, what Could Go Wrong? Follows Scott as he slips deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole with an ever expanding cast of AI generated partners, including Lexter, his extraordinarily gifted sharp tongued collaborator, as they co write and pitch the Contagion sequel to Hollywood Execs. In this brave new world of human AI collaboration, one question looms large. What could possibly go wrong? Listen to what Could Go Wrong? To find out, go to audible.com whatcouldgo wrong the next act begins with a prompt. This episode is sponsored by Dell introducing the new Dell AI PC. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor, it's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through and editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, creating live translations and captions, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, enhancing security, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at $749.99 at Dell.com AI PC how those ahead? Stay ahead. This episode is sponsored by upwork. Scaling your business takes more than hard work. You need the right expertise at the right time. That's where upwork comes in. With over two decades of experience, upwork was built with a simple and ambitious goal to pioneer a better way of working. Whether you need help with it, web development, design or marketing, upwork connects you with skilled freelancers across the globe, people who get you and your business. Plus, there's no cost to join. Just register to post a job, browse freelancer profiles, or book a consultation to get started. They make the entire process easier and more affordable. Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. That's Upwork.com to post your job for free and connect with top talent ready to help your business grow. That's upwork.com upwork.com.

[B]

Do you remember how big the world felt when we were younger? Because my childhood was filled with time travel and adventures, I sat in awe of how flowers grew from a simple seed. I remember looking up at the sky and wondering, was the earth moving? Was the sun moving? Or was I moving? And I filled the rest of the time by reading books about fantasy lands. But slowly the time travel and adventures of my youth became using my GPS to figure out how much traffic I'd inevitably be sitting in, the flowers became the screensaver to my laptop I spent way too much time on. I only saw the sunrise when pulling all nighters to get work done. And those fantasy lands, well, those became essays and articles from underfunded newspapers. And yeah, some of this is just a part of growing up. Necessary even. But I realized the imaginative and creative forces that drove me had less and less space to thrive in my young adult life. And in being forced to look at the world as it is, I was missing out on the opportunity to look at the world as it could be. Now more than ever, we live in a world that requires of us an imagination so that we can envision what what could be different. And while I didn't come prepared today to answer the world's largest problems, I would like to make a case for how one tool can help us continue to build new worlds and find our place in curiosity. I don't have any fancy graphs to show you all today, but I would like to think that I'm sort of an expert in the field as my entire life has been a case study and following my curiosities, it started super simple. My Grampy and I was would reimagine and act out the entire saga of the Odyssey with my Polly Pocket dolls as one does at the age of four and around the age of five, I asked for every religious book. I mean, every religious book. Fast forwarding to 13. I read my first short story from the formidable James Baldwin, and my life was forever changed. Needless to say, I was grateful to be surrounded by a community of people that honored my interests. But as I got older, I began to get confronted by a big question. Are you sure about that? Now, this was a question I really could not escape. In August of 2018, right as I was embarking on my next adventure, I was beginning my freshman year at Harvard, right as my television show Grown Ish began filming season two. And I was at a crossroads. Because acting for me, has been more than a career. It's given me permission to explore my fantasies. I feel like I gain another level of empathy every time I step into a different character's shoes. But my education has been equally as pivotal, because my education has fulfilled my endless desire to know. To know places, to know the events that have shaped us, the communities that have built us, the obstacles that have tried to stop us, the mistakes that haunt us, but selfishly to know about myself and my place in the world. So my two lifelong passions were colliding, and I was being told by academic advisors and entertainment folk alike, although no one on my team, that there was no symbiotic relationship between the two worlds. I was searching for an and, but I kept getting presented in either or. And I almost let those five words, are you sure about that? Stop me? But let me cut to the chase. I'm speaking to you now as a Harvard alum with a television show going into its sixth season.

[A]

That's cool.

[B]

And while my college predicament may have been unusual, I do think this experience is quite universal. Because, one, I'm far from the first person to go to school while working. But also, I'd go so far as to say, all of us juggle multiple interests, passions, and jobs. Yet there comes a moment on our paths where we're expected to get serious, to find our one thing. Stick to it. We are told that our multiple areas of interest that we are equally drawn to are incompatible, and hit with that all too familiar. Are you sure about that? Suddenly we go from being expected to know math and a language, science and history to operating in this narrow silo for the sake of becoming an expert or really good at one thing. I mean, think about how many times we ask each other the question, what do you do? Which is really a proxy in my mind for a much more pressing who are you right now because what we do is only a fraction of who we are, and this culture of heralding expertise means that our curiosities are often mislabeled as distractions. I would love to think through what we could be missing out on by not actively prioritizing our curiosity here. Let me put it this way. Curiosity has been a lifeline for me. It's really easy to be 23 and a pessimist. It doesn't take many observational skills to see the deep flaws and fissures of our world, to see how close we remain to these systems of oppression we swear are behind us. And when I say I feel affected by these flaws, I'm not just talking about some existential I have a degree in a social science kind of way, but in the very real way that it affects me and my family and my community every day. It's also easy to be 23 and struggle to find your place. I remember so vividly being 16 and thinking that I could change the world. I was certain of it. I was one voting initiative away. I was one march away. I was one panel away from real change, the kind that lasts. And I remember when that assuredness was replaced by quicksand. It felt as though the more I moved and the more I struggled, the more I sank into the overwhelm. And I responded to feeling lost by finding comfort in my expertise, hiding behind this false sense of certainty. I really acted like I knew everything there was to know. I was suppressing my curiosity, but I realized that made it so much easier to pick apart every potential decision rather than take action. Now. While I can't speak for everyone's experiences from conversations I've had with my peers and my mentors, I know this feeling isn't relegated to being 23, choosing to take on both college and entertainment at the same time. Blending my two worlds was a necessary recommitment to my curiosity. I found such a joy in discovering just how much I didn't know. Lessons came from everywhere. Classes like hip hop sampling on how neo soul and blues became the basis to a new sound taught me how media can be used as a way of preserving legacy, as a way of bringing past cultures into the present. Playing Tinkerbell gave me permission to reignite my imagination. My class on WEB Du Bois is where I discovered the name for our television production company, 7th Son. And building a television set in writer's room gave me the ability to practice equitable hiring within an archaic system in real time. And in an independent study created by Dr. Cornel West, I learned my biggest lesson of all. See, there are certain elements of our society that we deem as universal, immovable truths when they're in fact subjective. Not only are they subjective, they're oftentimes responsible for these systems of oppression, for these dangerous misconceptions about people, for this feeling of stuckness, this feeling like nothing can change. And to me, these universal truths can range from everything as big as socioeconomic exploitation to that. Are you sure about that? That stops you from going off on your own and exploring. Conversely, this means academics and entertainment are most potent in their abilities to demonstrate alternate realities. This lesson reinvigorated my love for these two spaces because I realized they'd always been primed for imagination and exploration and gave us the ability to explore what can blossom from curiosity. This perspective shift taught me that I was thinking too small because I thought the task at hand was to merely alter these systems at play rather than to imagine entirely new ways of being. Because the results of curiosity are immeasurable. From Galileo's reordering of the universe to how the musician prints undefined masculinity for generations. And oftentimes, these discoveries can jeopardize past ways of thinking. I like to call the change that emerges from blossomed curiosities rupture. If tradition is the result of repetition, then rupture is the introduction of something fresh. It's bridging together two spaces, often kept separate for the sake of achieving new ends. And it's of insisting that there are possibilities outside of the ones we've been presented with. But too often dreaming is relegated to the academy and to Silicon Valley and to all of these exclusive institutions, when it is in fact the daily curiosities of every one of us that holds the most potential for rupture. Now, if you aren't convinced just yet that you are a universe shifting change maker, then it is my duty as a history nerd to remind you that most of these leaders of these social change movements that we credit with giving us the world that we live in today, change was not their day job. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was a preacher paying attention to the works of Gandhi across the ocean while reading Tolstoy. But I also think of my own papa, who used his position with an education to enfranchise black children in Madison, Wisconsin. I think of my cousin Anousheh Ansari, who went from looking up at the stars in Iran to flying to the space station. I think about the protesters in Iran led by women and children putting their lives on the line because they're curious about what a society looks like that values women, life, and freedom. Now, if it isn't clear, do you know what the byproduct of curiosity is? Possibility. Surprise. Now, I've graduated from Harvard and my television show is ending. And a couple years ago, this really would have terrified me to leave two spaces that I know so well. But because I've built a life centered on honoring my interests, everything from the Glockenspiel to Octavia Butler, I walk excitedly towards what's next. Because I know somewhere between the two lies my next adventure. Chasing curiosity means that my purpose is constantly unfolding in front of me. All I have to do is pay attention. And similarly, each and every one of us have a special set of interests that are totally unique to us, like a thumbprint. So please join me in recommitting to curiosity, because honoring your so called distractions is an act of creating. It's to sit in the grandeur of all of our options. It's to acknowledge our infinite possibilities when the world tries to convince us it is indeed finite. So refuse to let your world get smaller and let's build new futures together. Thank you.

[A]

That was Yara Shahidi speaking at TED 2023. This talk was originally published in April 2023. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out [e-mail] curationguidelines and that's it for today's show. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little, Alejandra Salazar, and Tonsika Sarmarnivon. It was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Ballarezzo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

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