Justine Wilson – Leading with Curiosity, Grounded in Kindness

Justine Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Curious and Kind Education, where she leads a growing movement centered on self-directed, relationship-based, and nature-immersive learning. With nearly two decades of experience as a global educator and school leader, she brings a rare alignment of expertise and humanity to her work. Justine is dedicated to building learning communities where belonging, trust, and curiosity shape both childhood and leadership.

The Moment Alignment Became Action

After nearly two decades in conventional education, serving as a teacher, literacy coach, and school principal across four countries, Justine Wilson reached a moment that many seasoned educators recognize but few pause long enough to honor. She had mastered the systems, carried responsibility with care, and led teams with integrity. Yet something essential felt misaligned. The work mattered deeply, but the structures often worked against the very children they were meant to serve.

Rather than pushing past that tension, Justine chose to listen to it. She gave herself the gift of reflection and allowed her professional expertise and personal values to finally meet. That alignment between head and heart became the catalyst for Curious and Kind Education, and for a broader vision of what learning, leadership, and community could become.

Nature, Trust, and Early Influence

Long before she held leadership titles, Justine learned her first lessons in a muddy creek near her childhood home. There were no lesson plans and no adult instructions, only neighborhood children collaborating, problem solving, and learning from the natural world around them. Those early experiences shaped a belief that learning thrives when curiosity leads and when children are trusted to explore.

This understanding of nature as a teacher stayed with her, quietly shaping her approach to education long before it had formal language attached to it.

Building Professional Roots Across Borders

Justine built her professional foundation through a wide range of roles that allowed her to see education from every angle. She worked as an outdoor science educator, taught early and upper elementary grades, coached literacy development, and eventually served as a principal leading pre kindergarten through fifth grade communities.

Her career spanned schools in multiple countries, exposing her to diverse cultures, languages, and educational systems. Across those settings, one truth remained consistent. Children flourish when relationships come first and learning is grounded in relevance, respect, and care.

Her academic path reinforced that perspective. She earned a Master of Education with a focus on integrated and place based learning from Antioch University New England, followed by an Education Specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Northern Colorado. She also holds principal and administrator credentials in Florida and Colorado.

Colleagues consistently recognized her leadership presence. One described her as “the epitome of student centered leadership, deeply invested in teacher growth and authentically concerned about outcomes for students, teachers, and parents.” Another noted her empathy and inclusive approach, highlighting her ability to collaborate across cultures and learning styles.

Questioning the System from Within

Despite professional success, Justine felt increasingly constrained by systems that prioritized compliance over curiosity and efficiency over connection. The deeper her leadership experience became, the more clearly she saw the limitations built into conventional structures.

She began asking questions that extended beyond curriculum and policy. What if school could feel more like life. What if learning honored emotional well being, autonomy, and belonging as much as academic outcomes. These questions marked a quiet but decisive turning point.

Creating Curious and Kind Education

In Sarasota, Florida, Justine founded Curious and Kind Education as a response to those questions. Designed as a self-directed and nature-immersive Agile Learning Community, Curious and Kind Education serves children from early childhood through adolescence. Grounded in forest school principles and Agile Learning Community philosophy, the program is intentionally structured to honor curiosity, autonomy, and relationship-based learning. Rather than managing learning through rigid systems, Curious and Kind creates conditions where learning remains alive, responsive, and deeply connected to children’s lived experiences.

The model is grounded in trust. Children are supported in guiding their own learning journeys, with nature serving as a co teacher and relationships serving as the foundation. Confidence, self awareness, and belonging are not byproducts of the program. They are central outcomes.

Justine’s leadership extends beyond vision into daily practice. She supports facilitators who share her values, invests deeply in families, and intentionally cultivates a culture where adults and children alike feel seen and valued.

Families consistently reflect this impact. One parent shared that “Curious and Kind is not just a learning center, it is a community rooted in respect, communication, and trust.” Another noted the joy children experience, explaining that they are often reluctant to leave at the end of the day.

Impact Beyond One School Community

While Curious and Kind Education remains at the heart of her work, Justine’s impact extends well beyond a single organization. She is deeply committed to sustaining and strengthening the programs she has built, ensuring that children, families, and team members continue to thrive.

At the same time, she has stepped into a broader leadership role within the growing movement for alternative and nature based education. She supports dreamers and early stage founders who are creating self directed learning environments of their own through executive style coaching, mentorship, professional learning courses, and speaking engagements.

Her guidance is rooted in lived experience. She understands the courage it takes to step outside established systems and the importance of finding community along the way.

The Curious and Kind Way: A Transferable Philosophy

This broader work is guided by what Justine calls The Curious and Kind Way, a philosophy that captures the values and practices behind her programs. It is intentionally designed to be shared and adapted.

Through reflective practice and impact reporting, Curious and Kind Education has documented growth in student belonging, emotional intelligence, self awareness, and confidence. Justine believes these outcomes should not be limited by geography or enrollment capacity. The Curious and Kind Way exists to support anyone working with children who wants to cultivate these outcomes within their own context.

Justine’s commitment to community extends beyond the daily work of Curious and Kind Education. Through meaningful initiatives such as her involvement with the Florida Freedom to Read Project, she has supported access to diverse literature and inclusive learning environments. She also co-leads Friends of a Curious and Kind, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing authentic play experiences to the wider community through pop-up play events. Together, these efforts reflect her belief that learning, play, and belonging should be accessible well beyond the walls of any one program.

Vision for the Future: Leadership Rooted in Humanity

Looking ahead, Justine remains focused on depth rather than scale for its own sake. She is committed to the long term health of Curious and Kind Education as a living community, while continuing to mentor educators and founders who are reimagining leadership and learning.

In her words, “All of my experience in conventional education and the alignment of my head and my heart led to this moment professionally.” That alignment continues to guide her leadership. She believes conflict can be a meaningful opportunity for growth, that adults deserve the same care offered to children, and that leadership is fundamentally relational.

Editorial Note

Justine Wilson’s journey invites educators, founders, and leaders to reflect on their own alignment. What becomes possible when trust deepens, curiosity is protected, and leadership is practiced with intention. Her work offers both inspiration and a grounded path forward for those building learning environments rooted in belonging, purpose, and humanity.