He Got Thrown Out of School, Went to Clown School, and Ended Up at Harvard Medical School | Ep 317 with John Glaser

Episode notes

Daniel Robbins interviews John Glaser about the unconventional experiences that shaped his worldview long before his career in digital health leadership. From Jesuit schooling and getting expelled to hitchhiking across continents and later teaching at Harvard, John shares how curiosity, nonconformity, and human understanding became central to both his life and leadership. Key Discussion Points: John shares how a rebellious streak, encouraged by an unorthodox upbringing and Jesuit teachers who taught him to question everything, led to his expulsion from high school after publishing an underground paper and refusing to apologize. He reflects on his hitchhiking journey from Alaska to Panama, describing what it taught him about poverty, prejudice, and the unexpected intelligence and richness of ordinary people. The conversation then moves into leadership, where John explains why people “give you permission” to lead them and why sociology, communication, and understanding change mattered more to him than pure technology. He also opens up about marriage, parenting, writing books for his children, and the five things he hopes he can say about his life in his final moments.