Molly Hudson Joins Oprah and Adam Grant

When a producer from Harpo Productions called Molly Hudson, Head of Lower School, to ask if she’d like to be a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s new podcast with Adam Grant, she didn’t believe it was real.

It was.

The episode, which was just released this morning goes in depth behind Grant’s book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. The episode is a discussion between Oprah and Grant and features three guests, and our very own Molly Hudson is one of them! Grant’s book is a mirror of Mount Vernon’s approach to teaching and learning and so much of what we do at Mount Vernon reflects the very research Grant explores.

A Schoolwide Read, A Shared Mindset

Long before producers called Molly, Kristy Lundstrom, Head of School, led the entire Mount Vernon faculty and staff in an all-school read of Hidden Potential over the summer. Preparing for the 2025-26 school year, teachers reflected on what it means to unlock potential in their students and in themselves.

Faculty and staff immediately connected Grant’s findings to Mount Vernon’s mission as a school of inquiry, innovation, and impact:

• Developing prosocial behaviors by starting with questions, beginning in preschool.
• Creating a culture of innovation through feedback, where teachers, families, and students actively shape one another’s growth.
• Fostering joy and fun as an essential element to cultivating a lifelong love of learning.

“At Mount Vernon, we don’t just read Hidden Potential, we live it,” says Hudson. “Every day, we see students learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and discovering what they’re capable of.”

Learning in Action

Across the Lower School, teachers designed experiences that help children practice perseverance, curiosity, and courage.

Earlier this year, in Grade 1, students studying the Human Body interviewed professionals including dentists, orthopedic surgeons, and even the Head Varsity Football Coach, armed with sticky notes full of their own questions.

In Preschool Tinker Time, students start their mornings building, creating, and redesigning with loose parts. Towers fall, ideas flop, and collaboration flourishes.

“We design opportunities for kids to try and try again,” says Hudson. “Mistakes fuel learning. Feedback fuels next steps.”

These early experiences mirror what happens later in Mount Vernon’s Innovation Diploma program, where Upper School students partner with major corporations to solve real-world challenges.

Extending It to Families

The Hidden Potential conversation didn’t stop with faculty. Over the summer, a Mount Vernon parent, unaware it was the school’s all-faculty read, emailed Molly to share how meaningful the book had been for their family.

That moment sparked the Lower School Parent Book Club, bringing together 25 parents this fall to explore ideas like:

• Progress is not linear—it loops.
• Growth comes from discomfort.
• Character is how you show up on a hard day.

“As parents and educators, we know hard days will happen,” says Hudson. “Our role isn’t to clear the hard—it’s to give kids the tools to handle it.”

Unlocking Potential, Together

From faculty reflections to family conversations, Hidden Potential has become a shared language at Mount Vernon—one rooted in curiosity, feedback, and growth.

“I love that our educators and parents are aligned around a common goal,” Hudson reflects. “To see and unlock the hidden potential in ourselves, in one another, and especially in the children in our care.”

🎧 Listen to the episode: Molly Hudson joins Oprah Winfrey and Adam Grant on Oprah’s new podcast — “What Is Your Full Potential”