Catherine Fraise is the founder of Workspace Education (workspaceeducation.org) and 100 Roads (100roads.org). We discuss Catherine’s background as a Montessori educator, the pivotal trip to Japan she took as a 12-year-old, the Workspace co-learning and co-working center she created in Connecticut, and her newest venture, WorkspaceSky Teens: an online community for teenage self-directed learners. We touch on the trade-off between virtual and in-person communities, the logistical and financial challenges faced by would-be founders of alternative schools, and how the pandemic was a blessing in disguise for Catherine’s trajectory as an innovator. She also pitches me on joining the WorkspaceSky team, right here on my own podcast :D