Episode Keywords

Education • Innovation • Leadership • Learning • Professional Growth • Storytelling • Educators • Curiosity • Meaningful Experiences • Community

Summary

In this episode of Lassoing Leadership, Jason Rogers and Garth Nichols zoom out—and then right back in—on why education remains one of the most exciting, challenging, and hopeful industries around. Drawing inspiration from George Couros’ work, including The Innovator’s Mindset and Forward Together, the conversation explores what it really means to build learner-centred schools in a world that keeps changing the rules.

Jason and Garth unpack innovation not as a buzzword, but as a posture—one rooted in curiosity, relationships, and the courage to keep things fresh. From professional learning that actually energizes educators, to the power of networks beyond our own schools, this episode is a reminder that meaningful growth happens when we stay open, tell better stories, and refuse to get too comfortable with “the way it’s always been done.”

Take Aways

• Education is evolving—and that’s what makes it thrilling if we lean into it.

• Learner-centred schools don’t happen by accident; they’re built intentionally.

• Innovation isn’t a program—it’s a habit we practice together.

• Great professional development should spark curiosity, not compliance.

• Meaningful experiences matter just as much for adults as they do for students.

• Growth accelerates when we learn with and from people beyond our own buildings.

• Change doesn’t arrive on its own—we have to go after it.

• Schools innovate best when communities are part of the story.

• Capturing mantras, moments, and stories keeps learning human.

• Staying fresh requires noticing when the “smell” has changed—and responding.

• “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

• “Don’t get used to the smell.”

• “Kids these days… kids these days.”

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to Lassoing Leadership
04:28 – Rethinking Innovation and the Innovator’s Mindset
08:15 – What Educators Owe Learners in a Changing World
12:15 – Culture, Curiosity, and Continuous Learning
13:59 – Forward Together and Paying Attention to New Smells
18:05 – Learning Beyond Education and the Power of Networks
20:50 – What’s Ahead: Guests, Ideas, and Staying Curious