Katie Trowbridge
CEO at Curiosity 2 Create
Innovation
Education: Southern Illinois University - Northeastern University
St. Augustine, FL, USA
Biography
Katie Trowbridge is an award-winning educator, best-selling author, and TEDx speaker with over two decades of experience helping teachers and leaders transform the way we think about learning. As the creator of the CREATE Method and founder of Curiosity 2 Create, Katie empowers educators and organizations to infuse curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking into everyday practice, making learning more meaningful, relevant, and future-ready.
Holding dual master’s degrees in Teaching and Educational Administration and currently pursuing her Ed.D., Katie blends research-backed strategies with real-world classroom insight. She has delivered keynotes, workshops, and professional development nationwide, known for her energy, storytelling, and practical tools that spark real change.
Katie’s mission is simple but bold: cultivating classrooms—and workplaces—where curiosity is celebrated, risk-taking is safe, and deeper thinking becomes the norm. She champions a human-centered approach to learning that prepares people to think boldly and thrive in a complex world.
Passion
My passion lies in reimagining education and leadership by igniting fearless curiosity, creative and critical thinking, and meaningful connection. I believe that the future depends on thinkers who are not only bold and innovative, but also deeply human.
As a former educator and now speaker, author, and change advocate, I help audiences break free from passive learning and reactive leadership. Through storytelling, strategy, and a spark of humor, I show how curiosity and connection are the foundation for deeper thinking, empowered learning, and transformational leadership. When people feel safe to ask bold questions, take risks, and connect with others, they begin to thrive as individuals and as communities.
Because when we teach people how to think, connect, and create—not just what to do—we don’t just prepare them for the future. We help them shape it with purpose.
Best Story
I grew up in a conservative, evangelical home. Shorts had to meet a “proper” length, music had to pass the “appropriate” test, and questioning authority? That was a big no. But here’s the thing, according to my dad, I was the brat. So on my cassette tape labeled Amy Grant (a wholesome Christian artist), you’d actually find Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer. My backpack? It had a pair of “too short” shorts stashed away for school. And in eighth grade, I’ll never forget the nuns pulling me into the hallway to say, “Stop asking so many questions in class.”
When my dad told me to believe one thing, I was that kid who argued the opposite at the dinner table, just to see what would happen. My mom often threw up her hands, walking away with a sigh: “All you two do is rant and rave.” My father says that “one person’s ranting and raving is another person’s interesting conversation!” Fast-forward a few decades, and I’m an educator with over 25 years of experience. Now, I’m the one fielding the dinner table questions—well, technically, the Uber driver questions, the grocery line questions—basically, anyone who finds out that I am an educator has the same question.“What’s with kids these days?”
It’s an age-old complaint. Generations have been asking it forever. But this particular Uber driver went on: “Back in the day, we’d go outside, be gone all day, and just figure things out on our own. Now? These kids are glued to their phones. They don’t even know how to communicate, how to solve a problem without Google - basically, how to think for themselves. What is going on?”
Great question - let’s see if we can “rant and rave’ about it for the next few minutes.
Origin Story
Katie Trowbridge’s journey began in the corporate world of marketing and public relations. Despite mentors urging her to pursue education, she resisted, determined to protect her love of writing from what she imagined would be the chaos of a classroom. But everything changed one afternoon when she received a company-wide email announcing a new mission: “to earn the shareholders a greater profit.” That single sentence forced her to pause and ask a deeper question—was this really her purpose?
On the train ride home from Chicago, she reflected on what truly mattered to her: people, growth, and meaningful impact. She thought back to her childhood, where she was always leading and organizing youth programs, running summer camps, and creating safe spaces for others to belong. That was her true calling. Soon after, she left the corporate world, earned her Master’s in Teaching, and spent the next 25 years transforming classrooms into spaces of curiosity, creativity, and courageous thinking.
What started as a personal pivot became a movement. Today, Katie is the founder of The Deeper Thinking Advantage and CEO of Curiosity 2 Create. She helps leaders and teams rethink how they work, lead, and live by infusing curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking into every layer of culture. Her origin isn’t just about career change—it’s about returning to what mattered most all along: purpose, people, and the power of deeper thinking.
Example talks
Purpose-Driven Leadership: Reignite Engagement, Belonging, and Bold Thinking
In an era where burnout is high and connection is low, leaders face a pivotal question: How do we move beyond survival and reignite a sense of meaning, momentum, and motivation?
This keynote explores the transformative power of purpose-driven leadership—a leadership style grounded not in authority, but in authenticity, empathy, and shared mission. When people feel like they belong—when their work is tied to something greater than a to-do list—they show up differently. They think more creatively, solve problems collaboratively, and invest more deeply.
You’ll discover how purpose isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a powerful leadership tool for unlocking bold thinking and lasting engagement. Through powerful storytelling and research-backed insights, we’ll examine how to build cultures where individuals feel seen, valued, and empowered to contribute in meaningful ways.
We’ll also dive into the intersection of purpose and creative problem-solving—how aligning personal values with team goals sparks innovation, strengthens commitment, and transforms passive employees into passionate collaborators.
Learning Outcomes:
Learn how to activate team engagement and long-term retention by connecting daily work to shared purpose, values, and meaning.
Discover team-building strategies that foster belonging, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving in diverse, multigenerational teams.
Explore how purpose-driven leadership creates space for bold thinking, risk-taking, and innovation through trust and psychological safety.
The Thinking Advantage: Unlocking Curiosity, Confidence, and Innovation
In today’s leadership landscape, speed and efficiency often drown out what teams need most: space to think. The Thinking Advantage invites leaders to shift from reaction to reflection—to lead not with certainty, but with curiosity. In this session, you’ll explore how fostering open-mindedness, encouraging productive struggle, and modeling confident humility can spark innovation and trust across your organization. You’ll dive into the power of asking tough, strategic questions, practicing deep listening, and slowing down to think with clarity and intention. Through real-world examples and practical frameworks, this session equips you with thinking habits that unlock creativity, build team resilience, and drive bold, thoughtful leadership.
Learning Outcomes:
Discover how to embed curiosity, reflection, and inquiry into your leadership to drive long-term innovation and problem-solving.
Learn how to create psychologically safe environments where productive struggle builds confidence and adaptability.
Explore actionable listening strategies that foster trust, unlock insight, and promote a culture of psychological safety and shared ownership.
Reimagining Education: Cultivating Curiosity, Creativity, and Courageous Thinking Across the Curriculum
Today’s students don’t just need content; they need the thinking skills, courage, and curiosity to make sense of it. In this dynamic, hands-on workshop, we’ll explore how to reimagine your classroom as a launchpad for deeper thinking, authentic engagement, and meaningful collaboration. Grounded in the CREATE MethodTM (Curiosity, Risk-taking, Experience, Attitude, Teamwork, and Evaluation), this session will offer concrete strategies to infuse creative and critical thinking into any subject or grade level, without having to rewrite your entire curriculum.
Through interactive activities, real-world examples, and classroom-ready tools, you’ll learn how to:
Spark fearless curiosity through purposeful questioning and curiosity-driven units.
Encourage productive struggle and risk-taking as key parts of the learning journey.
Use collaborative learning structures that move students from passive receivers to active thinkers and problem solvers.
Embed reflection, creativity, and critical thinking into your existing lessons and units in manageable and energizing ways, without overwhelming.
Shift classroom culture to one where failure is reframed as learning, and curiosity is the engine of growth.
Whether you’re new to this approach or looking to reignite your practice, this session will equip you with inspiration and a toolkit to create learning experiences that are not only rigorous and relevant but unforgettable.
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Best Story
I grew up in a conservative, evangelical home. Shorts had to meet a “proper” length, music had to pass the “appropriate” test, and questioning authority? That was a big no. But here’s the thing, according to my dad, I was the brat. So on my cassette tape labeled Amy Grant (a wholesome Christian artist), you’d actually find Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer. My backpack? It had a pair of “too short” shorts stashed away for school. And in eighth grade, I’ll never forget the nuns pulling me into the hallway to say, “Stop asking so many questions in class.”
When my dad told me to believe one thing, I was that kid who argued the opposite at the dinner table, just to see what would happen. My mom often threw up her hands, walking away with a sigh: “All you two do is rant and rave.” My father says that “one person’s ranting and raving is another person’s interesting conversation!” Fast-forward a few decades, and I’m an educator with over 25 years of experience. Now, I’m the one fielding the dinner table questions—well, technically, the Uber driver questions, the grocery line questions—basically, anyone who finds out that I am an educator has the same question.“What’s with kids these days?”
It’s an age-old complaint. Generations have been asking it forever. But this particular Uber driver went on: “Back in the day, we’d go outside, be gone all day, and just figure things out on our own. Now? These kids are glued to their phones. They don’t even know how to communicate, how to solve a problem without Google - basically, how to think for themselves. What is going on?”
Great question - let’s see if we can “rant and rave’ about it for the next few minutes.
Origin Story
Katie Trowbridge’s journey began in the corporate world of marketing and public relations. Despite mentors urging her to pursue education, she resisted, determined to protect her love of writing from what she imagined would be the chaos of a classroom. But everything changed one afternoon when she received a company-wide email announcing a new mission: “to earn the shareholders a greater profit.” That single sentence forced her to pause and ask a deeper question—was this really her purpose?
On the train ride home from Chicago, she reflected on what truly mattered to her: people, growth, and meaningful impact. She thought back to her childhood, where she was always leading and organizing youth programs, running summer camps, and creating safe spaces for others to belong. That was her true calling. Soon after, she left the corporate world, earned her Master’s in Teaching, and spent the next 25 years transforming classrooms into spaces of curiosity, creativity, and courageous thinking.
What started as a personal pivot became a movement. Today, Katie is the founder of The Deeper Thinking Advantage and CEO of Curiosity 2 Create. She helps leaders and teams rethink how they work, lead, and live by infusing curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking into every layer of culture. Her origin isn’t just about career change—it’s about returning to what mattered most all along: purpose, people, and the power of deeper thinking.
Example talks
Purpose-Driven Leadership: Reignite Engagement, Belonging, and Bold Thinking
In an era where burnout is high and connection is low, leaders face a pivotal question: How do we move beyond survival and reignite a sense of meaning, momentum, and motivation?
This keynote explores the transformative power of purpose-driven leadership—a leadership style grounded not in authority, but in authenticity, empathy, and shared mission. When people feel like they belong—when their work is tied to something greater than a to-do list—they show up differently. They think more creatively, solve problems collaboratively, and invest more deeply.
You’ll discover how purpose isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a powerful leadership tool for unlocking bold thinking and lasting engagement. Through powerful storytelling and research-backed insights, we’ll examine how to build cultures where individuals feel seen, valued, and empowered to contribute in meaningful ways.
We’ll also dive into the intersection of purpose and creative problem-solving—how aligning personal values with team goals sparks innovation, strengthens commitment, and transforms passive employees into passionate collaborators.
Learning Outcomes:
Learn how to activate team engagement and long-term retention by connecting daily work to shared purpose, values, and meaning.
Discover team-building strategies that foster belonging, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving in diverse, multigenerational teams.
Explore how purpose-driven leadership creates space for bold thinking, risk-taking, and innovation through trust and psychological safety.
The Thinking Advantage: Unlocking Curiosity, Confidence, and Innovation
In today’s leadership landscape, speed and efficiency often drown out what teams need most: space to think. The Thinking Advantage invites leaders to shift from reaction to reflection—to lead not with certainty, but with curiosity. In this session, you’ll explore how fostering open-mindedness, encouraging productive struggle, and modeling confident humility can spark innovation and trust across your organization. You’ll dive into the power of asking tough, strategic questions, practicing deep listening, and slowing down to think with clarity and intention. Through real-world examples and practical frameworks, this session equips you with thinking habits that unlock creativity, build team resilience, and drive bold, thoughtful leadership.
Learning Outcomes:
Discover how to embed curiosity, reflection, and inquiry into your leadership to drive long-term innovation and problem-solving.
Learn how to create psychologically safe environments where productive struggle builds confidence and adaptability.
Explore actionable listening strategies that foster trust, unlock insight, and promote a culture of psychological safety and shared ownership.
Reimagining Education: Cultivating Curiosity, Creativity, and Courageous Thinking Across the Curriculum
Today’s students don’t just need content; they need the thinking skills, courage, and curiosity to make sense of it. In this dynamic, hands-on workshop, we’ll explore how to reimagine your classroom as a launchpad for deeper thinking, authentic engagement, and meaningful collaboration. Grounded in the CREATE MethodTM (Curiosity, Risk-taking, Experience, Attitude, Teamwork, and Evaluation), this session will offer concrete strategies to infuse creative and critical thinking into any subject or grade level, without having to rewrite your entire curriculum.
Through interactive activities, real-world examples, and classroom-ready tools, you’ll learn how to:
Spark fearless curiosity through purposeful questioning and curiosity-driven units.
Encourage productive struggle and risk-taking as key parts of the learning journey.
Use collaborative learning structures that move students from passive receivers to active thinkers and problem solvers.
Embed reflection, creativity, and critical thinking into your existing lessons and units in manageable and energizing ways, without overwhelming.
Shift classroom culture to one where failure is reframed as learning, and curiosity is the engine of growth.
Whether you’re new to this approach or looking to reignite your practice, this session will equip you with inspiration and a toolkit to create learning experiences that are not only rigorous and relevant but unforgettable.