Radical Curiosity: One Man’s Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life

Kenneth Dychtwald, Ph. D

“A modern-day Siddhartha story.” — Michael Murphy, best-selling author of 'The Life We Are Given'

Dr. Ken Dychtwald has dedicated a renowned career to envisioning our potential as we grow up and grow older. Through his books and teaching, he has helped millions of people make sense of today’s longevity bonus. Now, in an entirely different kind of book, Dychtwald dives deep to examine his own life in the context of his work, passions, and incredible breadth of experience to show readers his key to a meaningful, masterful and purposeful life: a cyclical process of reflecting, learning and teaching — that never ends, no matter what stage of life one is at. The result? An approach to taking on challenges, facing frightening moments, soaring to new heights and cultivating personal growth that Dychtwald calls Radical Curiosity.  

Using memoir and storytelling to illustrate a process that is both ambitious and humble, Dychtwald shares experiences not just of success and failure, but of the nuanced spaces between. From his working class roots in New Jersey to the cliffs of Big Sur and the pinnacles of the human potential movement; from launching his company Age Wave and collaborating with presidents to accepting profound personal loss and coming to terms with his own experience with aging, Ken Dychtwald’s Radical Curiosity is both a glimpse into a visionary's extraordinary world, and a guide for claiming a powerful vision of one’s own. Ultimately, Radical Curiosity is a call to action: asking that we add more purpose, service and empathy to our lives, regardless of age.

Praise for Radical Curiosity: One Man’s Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life

"I have been learning from Ken Dychtwald for years and am convinced that he is today’s most innovative and original thinkers on this important subject."
—President Jimmy Carter,

"A masterful storyteller, Ken Dychtwald takes us on the wild, grand adventure of his self-examined life. This is truly a hero's journey, populated with hippies and presidents, psychology and celebrity, success and failure, and the wisest of lessons."
—Lisa Genova, Ph. D. Neuroscientist, Best-selling author of 'Still Alice'

"This book soars somewhere between Forrest Gump and Jack Kerouac. It’s part intimate autobiography, part rollicking adventure story, part cultural anthropology. Through his remarkable encounters and unusual cast of characters, Dychtwald gives us a unique window into the spiritual aspirations, moral conflicts, vocational dilemmas, and ups and downs of the pursuit of consciousness expansion and mindful adulthood over the last half century. This is a modern-day Siddhartha story. What a ride! I love this book."
—Michael Murphy, Founder and Chairman of the Esalen Institute, Best-selling author of 'Golf in the Kingdom' and 'The Life We Are Given'