Why Curiosity Wins Every Time: Mark J. Carter on Networking With Successful People Artwork

Here's What We Know

Authentic Conversations. Intriguing Guests. Time Well Spent. Gary Scott Thomas’ “Here’s What We Know” podcast will entertain you, enlighten you, and even possibly inspire you! Listen each week as Gary Scott Thomas engages guests in unscripted conversations where he’ll be just as surprised as you will be with how the talk turns out. So, join him each week and be privy to the captivating conversations that are sure to ensue.

Conversations include interviews with Country Music artists, professionals, professional athletes, authors and more.

All Episodes

Here's What We Know

Why Curiosity Wins Every Time: Mark J. Carter on Networking With Successful People

August 19, 2026 • Gary Scott Thomas • Season 1 • Episode 303

0:00 | 34:24

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever wanted to reach out to someone you admire but talked yourself out of asking?

This week on Here’s What We Know, Mark J. Carter has been asking people for their time since he was in college, when he started tracking down CEOs, authors, and other successful people simply because he wanted to learn from them. That curiosity eventually led to his work as an interviewer, the Idea Climbing podcast, and conversations with people like Bo Jackson.

Mark shares what he has learned from years of interviewing successful people, including the two questions that can help an interviewer when they don't know what to ask next: How? And why? We also talk about networking, asking for help, finding your personal superpower, building a brand, and figuring out how to turn a big idea into something that can actually make money.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

How Mark started reaching out to successful people before social media changed networking
Why asking for someone's time can be much easier than we make it
The importance of genuine curiosity
Mark's "How and Why" approach to interviewing
What he learned from interviewing Bo Jackson
How to find your personal superpower
Why everyone has a personal brand
How to ask for help without feeling like you're imposing
Turning a big idea into a business
Why successful entrepreneurs keep looking for the next challenge
How Mark uses interviews to help coaches, consultants, and speakers tell better stories

This episode is sponsored by:

Dignity Memorial

Sterling Oak Cabinetry

Bio:

Mark J. Carter is the founder and host of the Idea Climbing podcast, as well as an interviewer, speaker, author, and entrepreneur. For more than 27 years, his curiosity about how successful people think, solve problems, and turn ideas into action has led him to conversations with entrepreneurs, authors, athletes, and other accomplished people. He is the author of Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea, and his upcoming book, Idea Scaling: How to Monetize Your Next Big Idea With Passion and Purpose, draws on interviews with six-, seven-, and eight-figure business owners to offer practical guidance for entrepreneurs. Mark also brings his experience as an improv practitioner to his interviews and presentations, creating conversations that are curious, collaborative and spontaneous.

Website: https://www.markjcarter.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjcarter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markjcarter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjcarter/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkJCarter

Connect with Gary:

Thank you for listening. Let us know what you think about this episode. Leave us a review!