AI Queens: Smart AF AI Tools, Automation, & Business Tips with Erika Stanley

Everybody wants you to pick a team. You're either all in on AI, building bots before breakfast, or you're all out, swearing a robot will never touch your emails. In this episode, Erika hands you a third option: the grey area. Yes, Erika runs an AI consultancy and uses these tools every single day. And she still thinks your skepticism is valid, smart, and necessary. She walks through the loudest criticisms of AI, validates the ones that deserve it, and shows you how to draw your own lines on purpose instead of letting the internet pick a side for you.

What we cover:

You don't have to be all in and you don't have to be all out. You just have to decide for yourself, tool by tool, line by line. That's what critical thinking actually looks like, Queens.

Ready to figure out where your lines are? Let's map out the AI processes actually worth building in your business (and name the ones that give you the ick) inside the Brand-to-Bot Blueprint: https://www.aiqueens.com/blueprint

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Queens, this one is all about getting your whole day sorted before you even roll out of bed. Fresh off the Buildathon, Erika walks you through the Claude Command Center she built using Claude co-work. It's one central spot that pulls in everything coming at you, your email, calendar, Slack, Notion, all of it, and uses AI to prioritize your day so you know exactly what to tackle first. If you have a neuro-spicy brain that freezes up when the to-do list gets long, this one's for you.

This is the quick and dirty version of what went down at the Buildathon, plus a free resource so you can build your own.

What we cover:

The whole point is to set it up once and let it run without you. Dip your toes in with something this simple and you'll start seeing all the other ways you can put AI to work for you. Give it a try this week.

Ready to build your own? Grab the same quick start guide and workbook Erika gave away at the Buildathon, then keep reigning with AI.

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Queens, I just spent 10 days in New York City, and AI was not just in my phone like usual. It was on every billboard, in every subway car, in the shop windows, and even at the brunch table next to me. The whole trip I kept bouncing between two feelings: is this all hype, or is there real hope here? I think it's both right now, exciting and uncertain at the same time, and I have a feeling I'm not the only one who feels that way.

It started at a tiny restaurant on my last day, where I overheard a woman talk about dropping a slow research department's report into AI and getting her answers in minutes. That little moment stuck with me the entire trip, because it's a window into how fast the future of work is shifting and who gets to thrive in it.

Here's what stood out:

The wave is coming, and you get to choose whether you watch it roll toward you or learn to ride it. You don't have to wait for someone else to build the tools you need. The barrier is so much lower than you think, and you can start this month, this week, today.

Want to actually build something with me? Join the free live AI Queens Buildathon on June 24th at 1pm Eastern. We'll build a Claude Command Center together, step by step, no coding required. Don't be the one in danger. Be the one who builds. Grab your spot at aiqueens.com/build.

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Last week you built your AI COO. Now it's time to meet the other half of your executive team. In part two of this series, originally recorded for Jordan Gill's Systems Saved Me podcast, Erika walks you through building your AI Chief Marketing Officer. Think of her as a marketing powerhouse with decades of experience who just walked in on day one. She knows marketing cold, but she doesn't know you yet. So Erika shows you exactly how to brief her so the advice you get back is strategic and tailored, not generic.

Here's what we cover:

This is the big mindset shift: AI is a strategic partner, not a slot machine you pull for a caption a few times a week..Get in, brief your CMO, and watch what happens. Then keep building, because we believe every woman can be making custom solutions herself.

Want a head start on part two? Grab Erika's free AI CMO custom GPT at ⁠aiqueens.com/cmo⁠.

Ready to stop overthinking and start building? Sign up for our next AI Queens Buildathon at ⁠⁠aiqueens.com/build⁠⁠.

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You know you need systems. You've maybe even built a few SOPs. But what if you had a team member who actually ran those systems for you, handled the backend chaos, and never asked for a break?

That's exactly what Erika is building in this episode, originally recorded for Jordan Gill's Systems Saved Me podcast. It's part one of a two-part series on turning AI from a scary tech tool (or a glorified intern) into your strategic AI C-suite. This week is all about your AI Chief Operating Officer.

Here's what we get into:

This isn't about working harder. It's about getting hours of your life back so you can focus on the work that grows your business, or honestly, just spend more time with the people you love. Try the project manager prompt right now, then come back next week when Erika builds out your AI CMO.

Want a head start on part two? Grab Erika's free AI CMO custom GPT at aiqueens.com/cmo.

Ready to stop overthinking and start building? Sign up for our next AI Queens Buildathon at ⁠aiqueens.com/build⁠.

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Queens, my guest today is Blume Bauer, a fine arts illustrator, creative business educator, and founder of The Yellow Studio, where she's spent 30 years teaching artists how to turn their craft into real income. Her whole vibe is slow living and big money, and she came in ready to challenge some of the things you might believe about AI and art.

Here's the part that got me. Blume teaches artists to use AI for all the non-art stuff that running a business requires, the artist statements, the captions, the SEO, the product mock-ups, so they can get back in the studio and make the thing they love. And she makes a bold case that handmade art gets more valuable as AI grows, not less.

Here's what we get into:

Here's what I want you to take away: AI doesn't replace your skill or your story. There's still a human in the loop, and that human is you. If you've been holding back because you think tech and creativity don't mix, consider this your nudge to just get in there and try it.

Ready to stop overthinking and start building? Sign up for our next AI Queens Buildathon at aiqueens.com/build.

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If you've made the jump from ChatGPT to Claude and keep slamming into the token wall mid-project, you are not alone. It's the conversation Erika keeps having at AI Business World, after workshops, and in networking event side chats. Claude is genuinely one of the most powerful AI tools out there right now, but if you don't know how it actually uses tokens under the hood, you'll burn through your usage way faster than you expect.

In this episode, Erika breaks down what tokens really are (think fuel in a gas tank), why long conversations compound against you, and 12 habits you can start stacking today so you can stay in Claude and actually get your work done without bouncing back and forth like a pinball between Claude and other LLMs.

What we cover:

If you can just do a few of these, it's going to make a huge difference. Once they click and become part of your routine, Claude stops feeling like it's fighting you and starts working like the strategic partner it's actually meant to be.

Mentioned in this episode:

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This week, Erika sits down with Jasmine Schwarz, founder of Schwarz Strategic Services and an AI stewardship consultant who helps nonprofits adopt technology responsibly, ethically, and without losing sight of the people they serve. Jasmine came to AI through sociology, healthcare, finance, and nonprofits, and she brings a perspective that cuts straight through the influencer noise.

The two of them get into the BS being sold by AI influencers, what governance actually means (hint: it's not just regulation), why AI amplifies whatever you already have going on, and how to start adopting AI in a way that protects the people you're trying to serve.

What we cover

If you've been hesitant to adopt AI because it feels icky, overwhelming, or like one more thing on the pile, this conversation is going to give you a grounded, human-first way back in. Start with your people, clean up your documentation, and find a community where you can be the fifth grader to someone else's fourth grader.

Ready to start exploring AI in a hype-free space? Join the AI Queens Society at AIQueens.com and learn alongside other women who are figuring this out together.

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Fresh off the stage at Social Media Marketing World and AI Business World in Southern California, Erika is bringing you straight to the conference floor. In this episode, she sits down with a handful of attendees to ask the one question that matters most: what is the real problem you're most excited to solve with AI when you get back to work?

From a restaurant marketer using AI as a strategic sounding board, to a nonprofit marketing director ready to ditch the copy-paste chaos, to an AI operator cleaning up her skills library — the answers are as varied as they are inspiring. Plus, Erika wraps up with a longer conversation with her friend and colleague Rhiannon Frans about automation, solopreneur autonomy, and why the people with the most freedom to experiment with AI might not be who you think.

If you've been waiting for permission to point AI at a real problem in your business, this episode is it.

Links mentioned in this episode:

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If your AI outputs feel generic, off-brand, or just not quite you, the problem probably isn't the tool. It's the foundation underneath it. In this solo episode, Erika walks through the Brand to Bot Blueprint, the exact framework she runs every single client through before touching a single automation, custom GPT, or content system.

Recorded fresh off Social Media Marketing World and AI Business World, this one is your "okay, what do I actually do next" episode. Erika breaks down why most people are using AI like an intern when it could be working as a full-on CMO, and shares a real client story (Little River Fishing Fleet in Myrtle Beach) to show how the blueprint plays out in practice.

What we cover

The biggest takeaway: your AI is only as good as what you feed it. Start with brand, then build the systems, then amplify what you're already creating. That's the order. That's the blueprint.

Ready to do this work with Erika? Book a 90-minute Brand to Bot Blueprint deep dive ($850, applied toward any larger package). You'll walk away with your full brand, internal, and external plan, plus your first custom-trained brand bot. Head to AIQueens.com or DM Erika on Instagram or LinkedIn to get started.

Connect with Erika:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/erikatheaiqueen/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Erika's AI Consultancy: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.aiqueens.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Erika's Branding & Web Agency: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mileenddigital.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join the AI Queens Society: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://aiqueens.substack.com/