Editor’s Note: The way we learn, work, and adapt is evolving rapidly, making curiosity and experimentation essential skills for success. At SXSW EDU 2025, Anne-Laure Le Cunff, neuroscientist and founder of Ness Labs, delivered a thought-provoking keynote on the power of an experimental mindset—one that prioritizes curiosity over certainty and learning over rigid success metrics. She challenged traditional notions of progress, arguing that iteration fuels both personal and professional growth. Following her keynote, behavioral investigator Vanessa Van Edwards moderated an engaging Q&A session, further exploring how individuals and organizations can embrace uncertainty, encourage innovation, and turn challenges into opportunities. This article unpacks their insights, providing a roadmap for integrating experimentation into learning, leadership, and everyday decision-making.
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Embracing the Experimental Mindset: How Curiosity Fuels Learning and Growth
ComplexDiscovery Staff
AUSTIN, Texas – Education is shifting beneath our feet. As technology reshapes classrooms and industries demand new skills at an unprecedented pace, adaptability has become a critical trait for success. At the SXSW EDU 2025 Opening Keynote, Anne-Laure Le Cunff, founder of Ness Labs and expert in neuroscience-backed learning strategies, introduced a compelling case for an experimental mindset that embraces curiosity over certainty and iteration over rigid success metrics.
From Google to Neuroscience: Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s Journey
Le Cunff is no stranger to the intersection of science and human behavior. A former Google employee turned entrepreneur, she pursued a Master’s in Neuroscience at King’s College London to explore how people can optimize learning, productivity, and mental well-being. Through Ness Labs, she has created a community focused on evidence-based approaches to thinking, learning, and creativity.
Her keynote, Rewiring How We Learn: The Power of an Experimental Mindset, challenged traditional definitions of success. She argued that an excessive focus on linear progress—such as achieving specific grades, promotions, or financial milestones—fails to prepare individuals for an unpredictable world. She contrasted this with the mindset of scientists, who do not treat unexpected outcomes as failures but as data points that refine future experiments. This approach, she suggested, should not be confined to the laboratory but applied to education, business, and personal growth.
Why We Stop Experimenting: The Shift from Curiosity to Performance
Le Cunff began by pointing to a pattern that appears early in life. Children are natural experimenters, constantly asking questions, testing ideas, and exploring the unknown. They are eager to see how things work, freely mixing colors, stacking blocks, and pressing buttons to observe the outcome. However, as they grow, this natural curiosity is often replaced by a focus on correctness and performance. Schools and workplaces reinforce this shift, conditioning individuals to prioritize certainty over exploration. By middle school, students begin to associate learning with the pressure of getting things right rather than the excitement of discovery.
She argued that this traditional approach is flawed because it assumes the world is linear. Many people set goals with the expectation that following a specific path will lead to a predictable outcome. But in reality, trends shift, technologies evolve, and industries transform at a rapid pace. When individuals try to operate with a rigid roadmap in an unpredictable environment, they often experience overwhelm and burnout. Instead of clinging to predefined success metrics, Le Cunff proposed an alternative: embracing an experimental mindset where learning takes precedence over fixed outcomes.
The Science of Experimentation: How Learning Actually Works
To integrate this approach, she introduced a structured model for experimentation. The process begins with observation—identifying a problem, pattern, or area of curiosity. Next comes the hypothesis stage, where an individual formulates a small, testable change to explore. The experiment itself follows, implemented in a controlled manner over a short period with minimal risk. Once the trial is complete, results are analyzed to determine what changed and what insights were gained. The final stage is iteration, where findings are used to refine future actions and adjustments. This model encourages continuous improvement without requiring drastic overhauls.
A key component of this approach is systematic curiosity, which involves questioning challenges and resistance instead of dismissing them as failures. Le Cunff described how common struggles, such as procrastination, often stem from misalignment rather than a lack of discipline. When individuals put off tasks, it is rarely due to laziness but because of an underlying issue. She encouraged diagnosing procrastination through three perspectives: logical misalignment, emotional resistance, and practical obstacles. If a task feels pointless or inefficient, the strategy should be reassessed. If it feels overwhelming or uninspiring, the experience should be restructured to make it more engaging. If practical barriers exist, such as a lack of resources or support, they should be identified and addressed. Viewing challenges through this lens transforms them from frustrating roadblocks into opportunities for exploration and problem-solving.
Beyond Education: Applying an Experimental Mindset in the Workplace
Le Cunff extended these principles to the corporate world, where rigid performance metrics can sometimes hinder true progress. Many workplaces emphasize competition and short-term results, leading to environments where employees prioritize perception over actual contribution. Fear of failure often leads to risk aversion, with teams defaulting to safe choices rather than pursuing innovative solutions. Office politics can amplify this issue, as employees focus on positioning themselves favorably rather than sharing insights and collaborating openly.
She proposed that an experimental mindset offers a way to counter these inefficiencies. Organizations that encourage iterative learning over rigid performance expectations can create cultures where employees feel safe to test new ideas and adapt based on results. Instead of waiting for lengthy approval processes, teams can run small pilot programs to test initiatives on a smaller scale before committing to larger changes. Leadership teams that embrace transparency about their own failed experiments foster psychological safety, encouraging employees to share insights and iterate on strategies without fear of judgment.
Rethinking Performance: Learning as a Competitive Advantage
Reframing workplace culture in this way does not mean abandoning performance goals. Instead, it means recognizing that real success is not about avoiding failure but about the speed and quality of learning. Companies that integrate structured experimentation into their objectives remain agile in the face of uncertainty. By rewarding insight and iteration rather than rigid adherence to predefined goals, businesses can cultivate an environment where innovation thrives.
Le Cunff emphasized that structured learning should not be an afterthought but a core part of business strategy. Organizations that shift their focus from perfection to progress will have a greater capacity to navigate uncertainty. Instead of designing rigid performance evaluations, businesses can integrate flexible OKRs that include structured learning. Encouraging micro-initiatives—such as testing new work structures on a small scale before implementing them company-wide—can also help maintain agility.
Rather than celebrating only results, businesses that recognize and reward employees for well-designed experiments, even those that do not succeed, foster a culture where people are more willing to explore bold ideas. This shift does not reduce performance; instead, it strengthens resilience and adaptability, ensuring that employees and organizations remain future-ready.
Insights from the Q&A with Vanessa Van Edwards
Following the keynote, behavioral investigator and author Vanessa Van Edwards moderated a Q&A session that further explored the practical implications of an experimental mindset. The discussion covered how individuals can become more comfortable with uncertainty, how to encourage buy-in from colleagues and leadership, and how experimentation can serve as a confidence-building tool.
Le Cunff reflected on her personal journey, sharing how she moved from a rigid, linear career mindset to embracing uncertainty after a health scare during her time at Google. She emphasized that experimentation does not require grand changes; it can begin with small steps, such as testing a new habit for a short period or shifting how meetings are structured to improve engagement.
The conversation also highlighted the role of social flow—the concept that groups, not just individuals, can enter a state of creative and productive immersion. Le Cunff and Van Edwards discussed how teams that experiment together develop stronger collaboration, generate more innovative ideas, and foster a culture where learning is valued as much as outcomes.
The session closed with a reflection on curiosity as a leadership trait, with Le Cunff encouraging attendees to model curiosity within their organizations. By leading with questions rather than rigid directives, leaders can create environments where employees feel safe to take intellectual risks and explore new possibilities.
A Call to Experiment: What Comes Next?
Le Cunff concluded her keynote with a challenge: What will be your first tiny experiment? She urged attendees to rethink how they approach learning, problem-solving, and success—both in their personal and professional lives. Whether it involves testing a new leadership style, restructuring workflows, or simply reconnecting with curiosity, the power of experimentation lies in its ability to turn uncertainty into opportunity.
In a world that refuses to stand still, those who dare to experiment will be the ones who thrive.
News Sources
- Le Cunff, A. (2025, March 3). Rewiring how we learn: The power of an experimental mindset [Keynote address]. SXSW EDU Conference, Austin, TX, United States.
- SXSW EDU 2025: Learning on the Edge of Change
- SXSW EDU Conference & Festival | March 3-6, 2025 | Austin, TX
Assisted by GAI and LLM Technologies
Additional Reading
- Estonia’s AI Leap in Education: A Model for Future Learning
- From Longbows To AI: Lessons In Embracing Technology
- The Silent Power of Stillness: Pelicans and Organizational Efficiency
Source: ComplexDiscovery OÜ
