The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani

In this episode of The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, Founding Partner of Educating Potential and author of The Future of Smart. Ulcca describes herself as a third culture kid and a futurist, and brings a background that spans elementary classroom teaching, a doctorate from Oxford, a law degree, and more than a decade of consulting work with school...

In this episode of The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Tim Jackson, CEO of Shad Canada. Tim was an accountant by profession who spent years in venture capital and technology before taking on the leadership of Shad, the national nonprofit that brings high school students from across the country together each summer at university campuses. He talks candidly about scaling a d...

In this episode of The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Jennifer Reid, Head of Junior School at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. Jennifer started as a Phys Ed teacher in the Junior School, moved into student academic support, and now leads the school her younger self walked into. This conversation traces what that arc has taught her about middle schoolers, pare...

The LearnIt Podcast - Deirdre Timusk The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani Featuring Deirdre Timusk In this episode of The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School at Havergal College. After 19 years at Upper Canada College, including roles as math department chair, senior house adviser, and assistant head, Deirdre crossed Toronto to lead...

The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani In this episode, we sit down with Curtis Ennis, Director of Education and CEO of the Halton District School Board. Born in Jamaica and raised by a mother who never went to school herself, Curtis spent years in banking before walking away from a promotion to become a teacher. Today, as Director, he leads one of Ontario's largest school systems through...

In this episode of The LearnIt Podcast with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Adam Hurley, the Inaugural Principal of HTS Global Online Campus, part of the Holy Trinity School network in Richmond Hill. From teaching student athletes at the Canadian International Hockey Academy to founding Blyth Academy's Downsview Park campus, Adam has spent about a decade as a school principal learning how...

In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with Kim Williams, Superintendent of Learning at Trillium Lakelands District School Board. From teaching water babies to swim in small-town Ontario to overseeing curriculum and technology for an entire school board, Kim's journey is proof that sometimes, the people who never wanted to leave the classroom end up making the biggest impact far b...

In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with Lam Nguyen, the inaugural Dean of Academics at Havergal College. From coding software in Winnipeg to overseeing a K–12 academic program in Toronto, Lam's journey shows how small moments can redirect an entire career. In this conversation, he shares: "Why Am I Talking So Much?" Lam used to lose his voice every fall from lecturin...

LearnIt Podcast Episode – DSB1 Leaders LearnIt Podcast: Leading Education in Northeastern Ontario In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with two leaders from the District School Board Ontario North East (DSB1): Lesleigh Dye, Director of Education, and Chad Mowbray, Superintendent of Education. Together, they share what it takes to lead schools across Northeastern Ontario, where the c...

SPECIAL EPISODE: OCEA 50th Anniversary Spring Conference The Ontario Cooperative Education Association (OCEA) was founded to support and strengthen cooperative education across Ontario. The association brought educators together and organized its first provincial conference in 1976, building momentum for experience-based learning across the province. Over the past 50 years, OCEA has grown into the...

LearnIt Podcast EpisodeLearnIt Podcast: Rachel Marks In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with Rachel Marks, Deputy Head of School at Lauremont School. From debating between law school and teaching to being captivated by a Montessori classroom, Rachel shares what it means to bridge the independence of Montessori with the rigor of the IB. She explains why leadership is a mindset rath...

In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with Giles Pinto, Middle and Upper Loop Leader at VERSO International School in Bangkok. From growing up as a third culture kid in international schools to coaching middle school basketball in Japan to leading secondary education at one of Southeast Asia's most innovative schools, Giles shares what it really means to design learning around th...

🎧 New Episode is Live! In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, we sit down with Lisa Davis, co-founder of STEM Collegiate and the STEM Innovation Academy. From a frustrated parent advocating for better math instruction to an elected trustee and now a charter school founder, Lisa shares her fearless journey of disrupting the status quo to build a new model of education in Alberta. In this powerful...

We're asking too much of teachers. And they're drowning. In this episode of LearnIt podcast we sit down with two powerhouses in education leadership: Usha James (The Critical Thinking Consortium) and Dr. Elisabeth Rees-Johnstone (OISE) . They take us deep into the layers of the education system, challenging the narrative of individual burnout and offering a powerful new vision for critical...

SPECIAL EPISODE: Behind the Chalkboard x CIS Ontario UNCONFERENCE 2026 This week, we're bringing you something different. We partner with CIS Ontario to explore one of the most pressing questions in education today: how do we reclaim the human future of learning in an AI-shaped world? Our Guests Sarah Craig Executive Director, CIS Ontario: The Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Garth...

This week we sat down with Wes Hahn , Director of Education at Trillium Lakelands District School Board. From studying physical education at McMaster to leading one of Ontario's most dynamic school boards, Wes shares a career built on gratitude, authentic relationships, and the courage to seek uncomfortable truths. In this conversation, Wes shares: The McMaster foundation: How a top-tier kines...

In this episode of LearnIt: Behind the Chalkboard, we sit down with Richard Prosser, a veteran educator and Deputy Head at Crescent School. Richard takes us behind the scenes of an all-boys education environment, challenging the misconceptions about masculinity and sharing deep insights on leading with the heart. In this episode you will discover: The Power of "Messy" Learning: Why chaos...

What if school moved beyond “bells and cells” and became a place where kids do meaningful, rigorous work that actually matters? In this conversation, Dr. Cinde Lock breaks down CAP(Connections, Academics, Purpose)and shows how students can learn deeply, reduce stress, and build real-world portfolios that universities value. Parents will hear practical steps schools can take Monday morning, why few...

🎧 New Episode is Live! In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast: Behind the Chalkboard, we sits down with Paula Mann, Director of Education at Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. From student to teacher to director, Paula shares her 27-year journey through the same Catholic system that shaped her calling to education. In this powerful conversation, Paula shares: - The call to retu...

In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast, host Dhiraj Hariramani sits down with Naheed Bardai, Principal of UWC Atlantic in Wales. With a diverse leadership journey spanning Kenya, Canada, and the UK, Naheed is at the forefront of one of the most significant educational innovations in recent history. In this conversation, Naheed shares: The pivot to impact:  Why he left a promising business career t...

In this episode of LearnIt: Behind the Chalkboard, we sit down with Afzal Shaikh, the Director of Information Technology at The York School. But Afzal isn’t just managing devices; he is managing culture. He shares his philosophy on why technology is only as good as the people using it, and why "failing" might be the most important part of innovation. In this episode you will discover: -...

What happens when a music teacher steps up to lead the future of a school? How does a background in the arts shape the way we think about leadership and student resilience? In this episode of LearnIt: Behind the Chalkboard, we sit down with Dr. Sarah Morrison, the Assistant Head of School for Innovation and Research at Appleby College. Sarah shares her journey from the vocal classroom to the admin...

What if we could do more than just accommodate a struggling student? What if we could fundamentally repair the source of the struggle? In this episode of LearnIt: Behind the Chalkboard, we sit down with Shelley Woon, the passionate Head of School for the Arrowsmith school in Toronto. Driven by a deeply personal mission. In this episode you will discover:- Beyond Accommodations: Why the Arrowsmith...

In this episode of the LearnIt Podcast: Behind the Chalkboard, host Dhiraj Hariramani sits down with Alison Gaymes San Vicente, Associate Director at Waterloo Region DSB. As a key advocate for educational equity and destreaming, Alison shares her journey from a classroom teacher to a system leader and her unwavering commitment to building a truly equitable education system. In this conversation, A...

In this episode, LearnIt Podcast Behind the Chalkboard with Dhiraj Hariramani, we sit down with Emily, Head of Junior School at Branksome Hall. From China to Singapore, Australia to Canada, Emily shares a global view of what future ready learning looks like in the IB PYP and how foundations built in junior school last a lifetime. In this conversation, Emily shares:Inquiry as the engine: student cu...