Founder’s Story Ep 317: “He Got Thrown Out of School, Went to Clown School, and Ended Up at Harvard Medical School”

Guest: John Glaser
Host: IBH Media
Date: March 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Founder's Story, John Glaser shares his remarkable life journey: from growing up unorthodox and rebellious, being expelled from his Jesuit high school, hitchhiking across the world, attending clown school, and eventually rising to serve as Executive in Residence at Harvard Medical School. The conversation is a deep dive into resilience, unconventional choices, life lessons, balancing ambition with personal values, and the wisdom gained from a life lived curiously and courageously.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life and Rebellion (00:50–04:26)

• Unconventional upbringing: John describes a childhood influenced by frequent moves, a "very eclectic and unorthodox" mother, and education that encouraged questioning received wisdom, culminating in a rebellious spirit.
  • “The willingness to be unorthodox and to try things that are not conventional, it's not really risky... but nonetheless, things that are a little bit different.” (01:25, A)
• Expulsion from Jesuit high school: John wrote an underground paper with friends, got caught, and while his peers apologized, he openly confronted the Jesuit tribunal with harsh criticism of the Catholic Church.
  • “I said, I'm not sorry at all. As far as I'm concerned, the Catholic Church is a criminal organization... I was proud of what I had done and I hoped it would be the first in a long series of criminal activity on my part in keeping with the tradition of the Catholic Church.” (03:34, A)
• Result: Expelled midway through junior year, choosing to go straight to college rather than transferring.

Adventures & Finding Purpose (04:47–11:07)

• College years and wanderlust: John attended Duke as a math major, but lacked a clear life direction upon graduating.
  • He took every grad school exam possible, worked at Pizza Hut, then in a salmon cannery in Alaska, before hitchhiking from Fairbanks to the Panama Canal.
  • “I hitchhiked from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Panama Canal through North Carolina. It took me six months... And while messing around looking for a job, I said, I'll go to clown school.” (04:57, A)
• Clown school: Attended mostly for novelty and curiosity, gained practical performance skills.
• Lessons from hitchhiking:
  • Practical advice: Avoid hitchhiking at night or near big cities; tailor your approach to the person.
    • “Never hitchhike at night... Never hitchhike within 30 miles of a big city... You want long rides, you want 400 mile rides, not 10 miles down the road.” (07:41, A)
  • Perspective gained: Met people from all walks of life, learned from farmers, mechanics, and hairdressers, and witnessed severe poverty and prejudice in Central America.
    • “I had never been on the receiving end of hatred because of the color of my skin and where I was from. And wow, I didn't like that at all. And I can imagine people who that's their daily reality.” (09:58, A)

Education, Thinking Differently, and Career (11:07–14:33)

• Unorthodox paths in higher ed:
  • John praises higher education’s capacity for accommodating unconventional interests—at Duke, University of Minnesota (for a sociology PhD in a technical program), and ultimately as a leader in medical informatics.
    • “I was interested… the hard part of getting this technology to be used by doctors and nurses was not the technology, but was managing people and managing change... Very unusual for someone in [the] program to be a sociologist, but they were willing to accommodate that.” (11:56, A)
  • Life experience & teamwork: Beyond book learning, learning to be flexible, adaptable, and collaborative—much of which is fostered through team sports and family.

Balance, Relationships, and Leadership (15:37–18:30)

• Long, enduring marriage and family balance:
  • John discusses meeting his wife at Duke (together over 51 years), and the continual trade-offs and negotiations required to balance a demanding career and family life.
  • “It's not possible to do it all, you know, not as well as you would like. There are trade offs along the way. So it's this constant sort of low grade anxiety: am I at the right balance?” (16:08, A)
  • The solution: open family communication, seeking feedback, and mutual respect.
    • “You try as best you can to balance knowing it's highly imperfect and you will do it again... bring them in as part of the solution and as part of the balancing act, and you ask for honest feedback.” (16:38, A)
  • “Communication and I think the other is mutual respect... and the willingness to give in and to say, I know it's important to you, so we will go do this.” (17:49, A)

Writing, Reflection & Legacy (19:14–24:52)

• Why write books?
  • John enjoys writing and sees it as a way to fill gaps in his professional field and to pass wisdom/memories to his family.
  • Notable works include a widely-used health IT textbook, compilations of letters to his children (“Father’s Collage”), and books based on thought-provoking questions.
    • “I wrote a textbook… I thought there's a generation of leaders... that just doesn't really know how to do this technology well… There was one book… pulled together columns I had written… a book on AI, a book on strategy... And then I’ve written a letter to my family every week for 35 years… and created a book called the Father's Collage… it's kind of a written photo album.” (19:14, A)
• Memorable questions & stories:
  • Scariest professional moment:
    • “We had one day where the systems went down... I was getting scared because somebody was going to get hurt. You know, a doctor or a nurse was going to make a mistake because they couldn't get a test result… And my chief smart guy… didn't know what's going on.” (21:29, A)
  • Achievements vs. fulfillment:
    • “You accomplish things and you feel great about it… but as cool as those are, the feeling is fleeting, you know, because you then move on to now what.” (24:34, A)
  • “It's the journey… that is the treasure, not the arrival.” (25:43, A)

Teaching & Wisdom from Harvard Experience (28:05–30:55)

• What makes Harvard special: The remarkable students and their impact projects.

  • “I'll give you two examples: one is a physician from India… to reduce the teenage suicide rate in India… another is a scientist in China… to create access to medication for rare genetic disorders at a fraction of US costs. What makes this place special is it can draw that talent in.” (28:17, A)

• Advice and pearls of wisdom:

  • Leadership is granted, not imposed.
    • “Leadership is… people give you permission to lead them. You cannot impose leadership on people… So just remember: leadership is a voluntary act on their part.” (30:41, A)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “As far as I'm concerned, the Catholic Church is a criminal organization. I said, for thousands of years you've suppressed science, conducted unjust wars. And I think… the position on birth control is killing millions of women and children.” – John Glaser (03:34)
• “I hitchhiked from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Panama Canal through North Carolina. It took me six months.” – John Glaser (04:57)
• “There are trade offs along the way. So it's this constant sort of low grade anxiety... am I at the right balance?” – John Glaser (16:08)
• “You accomplish things and you feel great about it… but as cool as those are, the feeling is fleeting.” – John Glaser (24:34)
• “Leadership is… people give you permission to lead them. You cannot impose leadership on people.” – John Glaser (30:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Early rebellion & expulsion story (03:00–04:26)
• Clown school & hitchhiking adventure (04:47–06:52)
• Lessons from the road & meeting different people (08:56–10:34)
• On poverty, prejudice, and life lessons from travel (09:50–10:34)
• How education accommodates unorthodox paths (11:47–12:53)
• Balancing high-level careers with family (15:37–18:30)
• Purpose and fleeting nature of achievement (24:34–25:43)
• Pearls of wisdom on leadership (30:41–30:55)

Final Takeaways

• John Glaser’s journey is a masterclass in making unconventional choices, learning constantly, and balancing ambition with reflection and love.
• The most meaningful experiences are often found in everyday life, not in achievement or recognition.
• Leadership, love, and fulfillment require communication, openness, and humility.
• The path to true impact is rarely straight or traditional.
• Thought-provoking questions—about fear, achievement, and love—can unlock profound insights in ourselves and others.

For more from John Glaser:
Find his books at Books by John Glaser (website), or connect on Facebook for weekly insights and reflections. His books are also on Amazon.

Host's closing challenge:
“I'm going to ask these questions—what's the scariest time of your life, what's the hardest thing you've ever done, and what does love mean to you—to everyone I interview from now on.”