Start with Questions

AI-generated deepfakes are becoming easier to create, and increasingly difficult to recognize. Evan Harris explores the risks synthetic media poses to students and school communities, why detection tools alone are not enough, and how educators can strengthen awareness, policies, and response plans while preserving trust in an AI-powered world.

In this episode of Start With Questions, Kristy Lundstrom is joined by Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, senior research scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of The Creativity Choice, and Jared Colley, Chief Innovation Officer at Mount Vernon, for a conversation that inverts what most of us were taught about creativity. Creativity, Pringle argues, is not a trait you're born with and not primarily about solving problems — it's a decision, and its real engine is problem finding: noticing what others overlook, and framing and reframing the question itself. Colley picks up that thread to ask what happens to school when agentic AI makes answers cheap and framing scarce. Together they take on the uncomfortable stuff: why eliminating uncertainty eliminates creativity, why anxious students reach for the formula, what we lose when AI removes productive friction, and why the counterintuitive path to more creative thinking runs through more constraint, not less. Whether you're a school leader, educator, or lifelong learner, this episode will change what you think a good assignment looks like.

In this episode of Start With Questions, Kristy Lundstrom is joined by Vriti Saraf, co-founder and CEO of Ed3, and Jared Colley, Chief Innovation Officer at Mount Vernon, to explore the skill shifts reshaping education in the age of agentic AI. Together, they unpack what happens when AI can execute, produce, and iterate — and human value moves upstream toward framing, judgment, and question design. From Vriti's Portrait of an Educator project to Jared's research on cognitive debt and question architecture, this conversation cuts through the hype to ask the questions that matter most: What kinds of minds must we form when execution is abundant and framing is scarce? Whether you're a school leader, educator, or lifelong learner, this episode will challenge your assumptions and inspire your next move.

Curiosity isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s the skill that makes learning, leadership, and decision-making work in a world that moves at lightning speed. In this episode, Kristy Lundstrom is joined by Nicole Martin, Mount Vernon Ventures, and Trevor MacKenzie, global inquiry guru and educator extraordinaire, to unpack why inquiry-based learning is more vital than ever.
In just 30 minutes, you’ll hear real stories, explore practical tools, and discover how inquiry transforms classrooms, organizations, and leadership itself. Whether you’re an educator, a leader, or anyone passionate about learning, this conversation will give you actionable insights to start asking better questions, modeling curiosity, and designing learning that matters.
Don’t miss this opportunity to rethink how you learn, lead, and engage with the world.
Click on the button and hear what inquiry looks like in action.

In this thought-provoking episode of Start With Questions, Kristy Lundstrom, CEO of The Mount Vernon Organization, is joined by Jared Colley of Mount Vernon Ventures, Meera Shah of Trey Education, and Patrick Schuermann from Strategic Compensation and Coaching Partners to unpack Mount Vernon Ventures’ latest R&D Report: The Flow of Perpetual Learning.

Together, they explore how organizations can cultivate a mindset of ongoing growth, experimentation, and renewal—where learning never stops. The report is anchored by the driving question: How might we design and deploy performance management systems that promote and reinforce both individual growth and organizational progress such that personalized goals and institutional strategic initiatives remain coherently aligned?

• It’s about collective commitments that meet the mission.
• It’s about alignment through relationships.
• And it’s about leadership through learning.

From “inherited habits” to intentionally designing cultures that listen for and act on feedback and signals, the conversation blends real-world insights with bold, human-centered ideas drawn from research across the education ecosystem.

Whether you’re a school leader, innovator, or lifelong learner, this episode will challenge your assumptions, spark your curiosity, and inspire your next step toward Perpetual Learning at your learning organization.

Listen, reflect, and design for what’s next.

In the first episode of the new season of Start With Questions, Kristy Lundstrom, CEO of the Mount Vernon Organization in Atlanta, and Sandra Nagy, Managing Director of the Future Design School in Canada, kick things off with a thought-provoking conversation about the bold ideas shaping the future of learning.

Together, they connect insights from two groundbreaking reports:

• Imagine Then, Act Now: Futures Literacy for Learning Organizations — by Mount Vernon Ventures
• The Future of Education 2025 — by Future Design School

 Tune in as they explore futures literacy, design-based learning, and the importance of human-centered education in an AI-driven world. Whether you’re a school leader, teacher, or innovator, this episode will spark your imagination — and inspire your next move.

Key Themes:

• Futures Literacy
• Student Agency
• School as R&D Lab
• AI — Content, Context, and Care

In this episode of Start With Questions, host Ann Marsh Rutledge welcomes Peter Baron, founder of Moonshot OS, to discuss how schools can move from strategic planning to strategic execution. Together, they unpack the concept of a "school operating system," a framework that helps schools align people, processes, and tools to bring ambitious goals to life. From building strong meeting rhythms to tracking meaningful data, this conversation explores into how thoughtful systems can empower educators, break down silos, and ultimately drive transformational change across an entire school community.

Bonus: The Business Competency Self-Assessment for Independent School Leaders can be found here: https://www.moonshotos.com/independent-school-business-competency-self-assessment

In this episode of Start With Questions, host Ann Marsh Rutledge sits down with Nicole Wortham, a Maker Design teacher at The Mount Vernon School, to explore how schools can be more intentional about shaping the future of their maker programs. From fostering student agency to building sustainable innovation practices, this conversation dives deep into what it means to empower learners now for the challenges of tomorrow.

In this episode of Start with Questions, host Ann Marsh Rutledge welcomes Chris Pryor, founder of Lead Team Partners, to discuss the critical role of external partnerships in supporting and empowering school leaders. The conversation delves into Lead Team Partners' origin, its mission to bridge the gap between school leaders and external consultants, and the innovative ways it fosters community and collaboration within the education sector.

In this episode of Start with Questions, host Ann Marsh Rutledge interviews Lily Catano, a teacher at The Mount Vernon School, about her transformative use of design thinking in language education. Lily shares how she integrates "Pequeños Aprendices con Grandes Ideas," the Spanish version of the "Little Learners with Big Ideas" field guide, to enhance her Spanish classes for young learners. This guide was inspired by the Compass Field Guide and adapted using age-appropriate language and images for our littlest learners. Through culturally rich expeditions, such as trips to Hispanic markets and virtual tours of Colombian wildlife, Lily Catano encourages her students to apply language skills in real-world contexts. She emphasizes that design thinking fosters empathy, creativity, and a love for learning, preparing students to become thoughtful, engaged global citizens.