A good question is one that leads to more questions

Ruth, you write "What should I do, I wonder?" and I know you are not expecting to find a ready made answer.
And I know too you are not looking for one from me.
I realise, through experiencing it first hand, that there is a big disconnect between understanding and articulating the theory behind change and effectively effecting change:
I adhere fully to the statement that students learn best when they are in control of their learning. Yet not being in the classroom and not inquiring into my practice,  do I know how to effectively "engineer a learning experience that maneuvers the student in the drivers' seat?",  to effectively be a "leader of learning?". Does this make me a sideliner, a passenger, on for the intellectual ride, or a fraud even? I' d like to think not...

At Ignition-Emerging leaders, some participants describe environments which were not necessarily supportive. Autonomy and mastery, and how much they felt they had was discussed. I got the sense that their strong sense of purpose, the relationship they built with their students, the enhanced learning experience their students derived from their sense of direction drove their motivation regardless. I can portray you there.

For several years I have been my own agent, musing and discovering and having time, working on developing some skills I chose or needed to work on there and then, connecting ideas and connecting people, collaborating and initiating a range of projects. I might not be too wrong to say that your previous position allowed you a fair bit of this also. I have learnt considerable amount from digging dip in the intentions and vision of the NZC and I have this strong conviction that this learning can be made sense of applied in the world post school. This is what is driving me.
Being autonomous though has actually resulted in heightening my sense of responsibility and accountability for whatever I contribute to.  That is driving me also.

Along the way (the drive LOL!) I am learning heaps, and I have finally learnt enough about learning to learn that I can make sense of design thinking to try to create something tangible for the greater good, not mine necessarily. That is not going to be effective in schools directly. I have to look around this, with life long learning firmly in mind.   My rather unique pathways are not employable (no one has come and poached me yet :-)), so I am currently working very hard at identifying why I am passionate about everyone realising their potential. That may give me a tangible solution for what I can offer concretely that will fill a gap, a solution that has not been thought of before!
What I am trying to say by writing this "me story" is that you have choices: you have a strong sense of self, you have creativity, knowledge, interests, resources, a support network. Swimming against the current is not sustainable, and you are not a fitness fanatic!  What were the contexts in which you have been employed that allowed you to be in "your Ken Robinson element"? How long ago? Would that still apply now? How do you offer to effect change? How much do we have to take into account the people (this may interest you) ? How do you describe your attributes for being a "leader of learning?"  What is your why?

Your questions led to plenty more questions back. It was not so hard to put some here: they are the very one I am considering at the moment also.

PS: A while ago I read that to attend an often over subscribed TEDx event, you need to apply stating what you hope to get out of it and how you are trying to change the world. Start applying now for your chance to see Sir Ken next time!