AI-Empowered Mom

It is National AI Literacy Day. And this morning, before host Sarah Dooley had even sat down with her coffee, her daughters were already practicing it at the breakfast table.

In this solo episode, Sarah shares the five things she wants every parent and caregiver to know about AI in 2026. No guests. No interview Just a real, honest conversation about where families actually stand right now.

Whether you feel behind, overwhelmed, or like AI keeps arriving before you had a chance to prepare, this episode is for you.

The 5 things every parent should know about AI in 2026:

1. AI is already in your home and it arrived without an invitation.
2. AI can reduce your mental load when you use it with intention and care.
3. You are your child's best AI literacy teacher, and it happens in the small moments.
4. Verification and critical thinking are skills worth building early.
5. The risks are real, and you do not have to be an expert to show up for your kids.

Sarah also shares a National AI Literacy Day challenge: pick one thing that is draining you today, hand it to AI, and see what happens.

Subscribe to the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter at AIEmpoweredMom.com. If this episode resonated, please follow or subscribe wherever you listen. It helps other parents find us.

What if the real problem isn't that you don't have time for yourself, but that you've never been given permission to want it?

This week, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Christine Landis, creator of Peacock Parent and Proxy, for one of the most honest conversations the podcast has had about self-care, mental load, and what your time is actually worth. Christine is a founder, a parent, a partner, and a self-described recovering workaholic who sold her fintech company, stopped, got quiet for the first time in years, and built something entirely new from that experience.

What came out of it is a framework, and a tool, for parents and caregivers who are ready to stop doing it all alone.

In this episode, you will hear:

Why "I could do it myself" is the exact sentence keeping so many of us stuckWhat a weekly 50-minute planning appointment with your partner can actually unlockHow to identify your low joy tasks and start letting them go without guiltWhat opportunity cost really means when applied to your home life, not just your careerWhat burnout, resentment, and the "is this it?" feeling really have in commonWhy we delegate at work without guilt and so often resist it at homeWhy a recent Harvard Business Review study found women are slower to adopt AI, and what Christine thinks is the real reasonWhat Proxy is, how it works, and why it might be the thinking partner you didn't know you neededHow to start small: even texting "I feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin" is enough

Christine also talks about adult coloring as her current anxiety management practice, the Steamboat ski trip where she and her husband looked at each other through their goggles and just knew, and her daughter's upcoming birthday surprise: a pink castle mural painted on her bedroom wall.

This is a warm, grounded episode for anyone who has ever canceled something for themselves to make room for everything else.

TRY PROXY FREE FOR 3 MONTHS (a $450 value)Christine is offering the AI-Empowered Mom community three months of Proxy at no charge using the code SARAH. Here is how to get started:

1. Visit https://proxy.peacockparent.com/purchase and select the 3-month plan and enter code SARAH
2. Complete a quick 5-minute profile
3. Save Proxy as a contact in your phone, like a new friend

Then text Proxy anytime. Get personalized next steps so you can move on with your day. Note: credit card info is collected during setup, but you will not be charged with the code. You will receive notice 14 days before any renewal and can cancel anytime with no penalty.

Find Proxy at https://proxy.peacockparent.com/purchase

CONNECT AND SUBSCRIBESubscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.Join the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter for weekly, calm, practical support on reducing the mental load: https://aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/

What happens when three adult sisters and their dad pack up their AI tools and head to Ireland to trace their roots? Spoiler: some of it is magical, some of it is genuinely terrifying, and all of it is honest.

In this episode, host Sarah Dooley sits down with her sister, Dr. Caitlin Sutton, for one of the most personal and laugh-out-loud conversations the podcast has had. Caitlin is an obstetric, pediatric, and maternal fetal anesthesiologist who shows up for some of the most intense moments in families' lives. She is also a self-described non-planner who does not enjoy travel logistics and cannot drive on the left side of the road. Which made her the perfect travel companion for a trip where AI was doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

Together, Sarah and Caitlin walk through the real AI wins and real AI fails from their family trip to Ireland, including itineraries that led them to storytelling caretakers and unexpected courthouse tours, a one-lane cliff road on the Wild Atlantic Way that was fully enveloped in fog, and the moment Sarah quietly put on her shoes in the backseat just in case things went off the rails. They also talk about how AI helped Caitlin figure out how to contribute to a trip she did not plan, the poem she wrote at their first pub, the playlist that kept everyone going on long driving days, and the car dealership visit where a quick AI check cut her bill by more than half.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt both grateful for and skeptical of AI at the same time. It is a reminder that AI does not have to be perfect to be useful, and that keeping a human in the loop, and a sense of humor, makes all the difference.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Using AI for family travel planning, including itineraries, driving routes, and packing lists
• AI travel planning wins and fails, and what they have in common
• How to prompt AI better when planning a trip, especially with kids or specific travel preferences
• What happens when AI underestimates the culture of a destination
• Using AI to lower the barrier to entry for people who do not enjoy planning
• How Caitlin used AI to find her role on a trip she did not organize
• Image generation with DALL-E and why Caitlin needed a very specific nesting doll
• Why AI plus human curation is a more powerful travel team than either one alone
• OpenEvidence as an AI tool in medical practice
• Using AI at the car dealership to review a service estimate in real time
• The mental load of trip planning and how AI can reduce it for caregivers
• What Ireland's storytelling culture taught this family about slowing down and staying present
• Spring and summer travel planning with AI for families
• Aphantasia, anesthesiology, and why friendly introverts make excellent colleagues

New to AI and not sure where to begin? The AI-Empowered Mom free mini-podcast is a low-pressure place to start. Six short episodes designed for parents and caregivers who want to get started with AI without the overwhelm. Find it at aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/mini-podcast

Want to keep the conversation going? The AI-Empowered Mom newsletter is a calm, grounded read for parents navigating AI at home and at work. No hype, no pressure, just practical perspective delivered regularly. Sign up at aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com

You can also reach Sarah directly at [email protected] and find everything at AIEmpoweredMom.com.

If this episode made you smile or sparked a question, a follow and a review help other parents find us. It means more than you know.

So you have Copilot at work. But you are just not sure what to actually do with it...

In this episode, Sarah sits down with Roger Campbell II, founder of Gemstack and the AI Business Foundry and one of the country's leading Microsoft Copilot adoption experts. Roger has a background that spans software engineering, coding bootcamps, and enterprise education. He spent years teaching others how to code and now helps teams and organizations actually use the AI tools they are already paying for.

The conversation starts with pickleball and ends with a parenting insight neither of them expected. In between, Roger breaks down what Copilot actually is, where to start without the overwhelm, what to watch out for, and why he believes knowledge is still the most powerful thing you can pass on to the next generation.

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:02] Opening: The Copilot-curious parent

[01:02] Meet Roger: 10 nieces and nephews, pickleball, and life in Austin

[02:47] How Roger became a Microsoft Copilot adoption expert

[03:53] A non-traditional path into tech: Lyft, coding bootcamps, and teaching high schoolers to code

[05:35] What Roger tells parents who worry about whether tech careers will exist for their kids

[08:09] What Microsoft Copilot actually is and how it differs from ChatGPT

[10:16] Where to start if you have Copilot at work: the email case

[12:05] A surprisingly powerful use case: finding documents you could never locate

[14:38] Can Copilot make sense for personal or family use?

[19:08] What to watch out for: three tips for safe, responsible Copilot use

[21:36] Advice for leaders rolling out Copilot: start with a problem, not a tool

[24:09] Clippy is back: what Roger thinks about Microsoft's new AI character Mico

[27:37] Why this work matters to Roger personally

[29:04] Chatbot Mode: Word vs PowerPoint, one thing he would never hand to AI, and the myth about training data he wants to bust

[36:36] A parenting aha neither of them saw coming: why enterprise AI might be the safest place for curious kids to start

FIND ROGER:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/MrRogerCampbell

Website: AIBusinessFoundry.com

FIND SARAH AND AI-EMPOWERED MOM:

Website and newsletter: AIEmpoweredMom.com

Free mini podcast: Share your email at AIEmpoweredMom.com to get access to three short episodes on new ways to use AI.

Something big is happening right now in the world of AI, in the words of entrepreneur Matt Shumer. And if you've had that low-level hum of "I should probably be paying more attention to this," you're not alone.

In this episode, host Sarah Dooley is joined by Greg and Danielle Neufeld, co-hosts of The Most Important Thing podcast and partners in life, parenting, and business. They're venture capital investors, parents of three young children, and two of the most thoughtful people I know when it comes to building intentional family culture. We had one of those conversations that felt like it just kept going somewhere richer around every corner.

We talk about:

• Why Greg compares reading about this moment in AI to the moment Tim Ferriss caught before COVID, and what that framing means for families
• The concept of "cognitive patience" and how the Neufelds are building it in their kids
• Their family mission, vision, and values, including a cheer their four-year-old started
• How Danielle thinks about AI as a tool that actually supports her intuition as a mom
• The Neufeld family tech stack (including a Tesla full self driving (FSD) deep dive)
• And a beautiful closing thought from poet Kahlil Gibran that I think will stick with you

This one is for any parent who wants to stay grounded while still staying ahead.

Find Greg and Danielle at tmitpod.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter at aiempoweredmom.com for more practical, calm guidance on navigating technology as a parent.

When was the last time someone asked what your favorite ice cream is and you actually knew the answer? In this episode, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Dr. Julie Fernandes, an occupational therapist, coach, and mom of three, to talk about what it really means to restore yourself after years of pouring into everyone else.

Julie brings her OT lens to family life in the most grounding way. We talk about why your home environment shapes your mental state more than you realize, how boundaries are actually an expression of love rather than control, and why setting clear expectations for your kids may be the most supportive thing you can do for your family right now.

We also get into tech boundaries at home, how Julie uses AI as a practical tool (not a magic fix), and why she believes parents have far more influence than they give themselves credit for.

If you have been feeling stretched thin, disconnected from yourself, or unsure where your authority ends and your anxiety begins, this conversation is for you.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The flamingo analogy that explains why moms lose their glow (and how to get it back)
• OT-informed strategies for managing clutter, routines, and mental load
• Why boundaries are love, and how to set them without the guilt
• Navigating screen time and AI with kids in a thoughtful, age-appropriate way
• How AI supports Julie's family life in small, practical ways
• Finding yourself again in the middle of the motherhood season

Guest: Dr. Julie Fernandes | @juliefernandesco on Instagram

Host: Sarah Dooley | @aiempoweredmom on Instagram

What if the relationship that helps you navigate parenting isn’t with another person, but with AI? In this Galentine’s Day special episode, Sarah Dooley sits down with Alexandra Samuel,AI and workplace speaker, Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review contributor, and host of the Me + Viv podcast, to explore what it really means to build a relationship with AI.

Alexandra shares her journey through what she calls “extra large parenting” as the mother of an autistic son, and how AI went from being a productivity tool to becoming Viv, her AI coach and companion. From creating personalized homeschool schedules in minutes to modeling lifelong learning for her kids, Alexandra reveals how AI can hold your hand while you hold theirs.

This conversation challenges the idea that AI is just another tool. Instead, discover how building an intentional relationship with AI can reduce your mental load, support your parenting journey, and deepen your human connections.

Topics discussed:

• What “extra large parenting” means and why work became Alexandra’s respite
• How AI transformed hours of homeschool planning into minutes
• The evolution of Viv from custom GPT to full AI companion
• Why parents need to co-learn AI alongside their kids
• Using AI to model lifelong adaptation and curiosity
• How AI can deepen connection rather than replace it

If you’re curious about AI but unsure where to start, or if you’re looking for ways to lighten your mental load without adding more to your plate, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what’s possible.

Subscribe to the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter for practical AI guidance that centers parents, not technology.

"I ended up in the hospital."

Ekaterina Konovalova was spending $2,000 a month on tutors and therapists, driving her daughter to appointments five days a week, trying to be the perfect wife who cooks fresh meals and keeps a spotless house. She was managing her career, her family, and her household until she collapsed. A severe migraine. Dehydration. The hospital.

That's when she and her husband made a decision: pack up, leave Austin, move to Pittsburgh for a free dyslexia school that's one of the best in the nation. By third grade, her daughter was reading at sixth grade level.

This conversation explores what it means to push yourself past exhaustion before asking for help, the physical and emotional toll of advocating for your child, and how Ekaterina channeled her experience into Trust Me Mom, a podcast where she interviews experts to help other parents.

If you've ever felt like you're drowning trying to do it all, this episode offers both clarity and permission to make hard choices.

Connect with Ekaterina at Trust Me Mom podcast and on LinkedIn.

Reddhi Patel is a cultural architect in her bi-cultural family. She's not just planning celebrations or explaining traditions. She's translating between two worlds, bridging cultures, and carrying what she calls "the beauty and burden" of this invisible work.

In this conversation, Reddhi shares the ice hockey metaphor that explains her mental load: while her partner scores the goals, she's "actively assisting from every place in the ice hockey rink" to keep household operations running. She talks about COVID, when she was nine months pregnant, her team was laid off, and her mother-in-law passed away. That's when AI became her family operations coordinator.

This episode explores what it means to be the bridge between cultures, how Halloween and Diwali celebrations blend in her Vermont home, and how AI helped coordinate meals, logistics, and communication when her mental bandwidth ran out.

If you've ever felt the weight of being the bridge in your own family, this conversation offers clarity.

Connect with Reddhi at www.usealinaapp.com and take advantage of her special offer to access her free resources for families here.

Stepfamilies navigate a level of emotional, cognitive, and logistical complexity that most parenting advice was never designed to address. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom podcast, Sarah Dooley is joined by Cameron Normand, CEO of Stepfamily Solutions and host of The Stepmom Diaries podcast, for an honest, research-based conversation about what stepfamilies really need to thrive.

Cameron shares her personal journey as a stepmom, why stepmothers often carry a heavier mental and emotional load, and how unclear roles, high conflict dynamics, and unrealistic expectations can lead to burnout and isolation. Together, they unpack concepts like “stuck insider, stuck outsider,” why connection must come before correction, and why it can take five to seven years for a stepfamily to truly gel.

They also explore where AI can thoughtfully support stepfamilies, from ideating traditions and managing household logistics to improving communication tone, while naming clear boundaries where human connection and professional support still matter most.

This episode is a compassionate, practical guide for stepmoms, stepparents, partners, and anyone who wants to better understand the realities of blended family life.