What if technology didn’t replace our humanity—but helped us deepen it? In this episode, Eric Rodriguez—engineer, keynote speaker, and facilitator of the AMS Innovation Think Tank—shares how a formative experience in his Montessori-inspired childhood sparked a lifelong passion for technology, ultimately shaping his mission to create a more human-centered digital future.

Hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman explore with Eric:

• How a seventh-grade encounter with a school computer lab in Ecuador ignited his path into engineering and digital innovation
• Lessons from his work in the energy and tech industries, and how they shaped his understanding of technology as a tool for empathy and inclusion
• Why the distinction between a “job” and your “work” can transform your purpose
• His role in shaping AMS’s Innovation Think Tank and the importance of Montessori’s continued evolution
• AI as a “curiosity companion”—and how it can support educators, learners, and communities
• What it means to design tools that extend, rather than replace, our humanity

With warmth, insight, and vision, Eric offers a compelling reminder that even in an age of algorithms, empathy, agency, and human connection matter most.

Eric Rodriguez is a speaker with the goal to help audiences navigate and thrive in the digital era, championing a future where technology amplifies our human experience.

https://ericjrodriguez.com/

Contact Us: humanpotential@amshq.org

Educating the Human Potential is a podcast about optimizing education for a better society, through a Montessori lens. Hosts Nicole Coman, a licensed educational psychologist specializing in school psychology and child development -- and a "Montessori mom" -- and Biff Maier, an American Montessori Society Living Legacy with decades of experience as a Montessori educator and school leader, engage with experts, educators, parents, and students. Each episode explores strategies to unlock human potential, offering thought-provoking conversations on learning, child development, and the evolving landscape of education. This podcast is presented by AMS, the American Montessori Society.

For more information about Montessori education, visit https://amshq.org/about-montessori/

And consider this AMS course for families interested in incorporating the Montessori philosophy into their day-to-day lives and parenting approach:
https://learn.amshq.org/parent-course-early-childhood

Contact us: humanpotential@amshq.org