Tribute to a Life-Long Learner: Colin Dawson 🌟🌍

The Passion Project That Became His Legacy

If Col’s life had a through-line, it was learning. And if it had a climax, it was his startup Modlettes.

Modlettes was the culmination of his passion project — a platform that captured everything he believed about how learning should feel: human, agile, and accessible.

He didn’t set out to build another learning system. He set out to create something that made training friendlier, sharper, and more alive. Bite-sized. Mobile-ready. Designed for people in the real world, not the classroom.

This wasn’t business. This was Col’s calling.

Lessons From a Lifelong Learner

Col’s weekly blogs (he called them his “newsletters”), he wrote over 300 of them over the years, revealed the same principles he lived by — lessons that continue to shape my own work in innovation:

• Empathy is everything. Innovation starts when you see the world through someone else’s eyes.
• Clarity with warmth. Precision matters, but so does tone. Make learning simple, conversational, and clear.
• Surprise sparks memory. A twist of humour, a quirky analogy — these make ideas stick.

Accessibility by design. Real innovation invites people in. If it excludes, it fails.

His Book: Johnson’s Choice

Col’s short business book, Johnson’s Choice, was another window into his philosophy. At its core, it was about resilience, choice, and the human spirit. Just like Modlettes, it reminded us that growth comes not from what life hands us, but from the choices we make in response.

The Definition of a “100-Year Lifer”

Col was the inspiration for one of my favourite innovation projects - looking at the impact of changing demographics, as described in the book The 100 Year Life.

Col was the definition of a 100-year lifer.

Not because he lived to 100 (though I wish he had), but because he lived as if every year held 100 chances to learn, adapt, and grow. He wasn’t counting birthdays. He was counting opportunities to learn.

What It Means for Us

If you ask me what being a life-long learner in innovation looks like, I’d point to Col:

• Curious, always. Chase the next question, not just the next answer.
• Empathetic, always. Start with someone else in mind.
• Boldly creative. Don’t just deliver a message. Make it memorable.

Generous by design. Share knowledge in ways that lift others.

A Final Word

Colin Dawson was more than my stepdad and our family’s beloved “Popol”. To me, he was a friend, a mentor, a writer, an innovator, and a life-long learner.

His legacy from my perspective is simple, but profound: innovation isn’t about chasing shiny things — it’s about people. It’s about empathy, storytelling, and never letting the learning journey end.

So here’s to Col, Poppa Col, Popol — and to everyone who carries his legacy forward: don’t just live long. Live fully, curiously, and generously.

A tribute to Colin Dawson

Founder & CEO of Modlettes

Fellow and Life Member of the NZ Association of Training & Development

By Dr Anna Barlow, Partner, Food & Agri Innovation, Startupbootcamp