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

This year's Super Bowl wasn't just about the game or Bad Bunny's halftime show. It was about AI companies spending roughly $80 million to tell you that AI is officially mainstream. At least 10 AI commercials aired, each one revealing something different about where we are culturally with this technology, and where it's headed.

From coding wars between OpenAI and Claude to business replication tools starring Kevin from The Office and Matthew Broderick, these ads showed us that AI is no longer a niche tech conversation. It's a cultural moment. But here's what matters most: we get to choose how we engage with it.

Key themes from the episode:

The philosophical battle between OpenAI's Codex and Claude's ethics-first approach

Business-focused AI tools targeting millennials and Gen X with familiar faces

Emotional AI applications from Google Gemini to Ring's Dog Finder (and the surveillance questions that raises)

Amazon Alexa acknowledging our AI anxiety through humor

Svedka's fully AI-generated commercial and what it means for the future of advertising

The mysterious ai.com launch that crashed from demand

The bottom line: AI is mainstream, but you don't have to let tech bros or big companies define what it means for your business. Stay critical. Stay curious. Stay grounded in your values.

Ready to implement AI strategically in your business? Follow AI Queens on Substack or connect with Erika on Instagram at @erikatheaiqueen

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/

We didn't get trained for this. Our generation grew up trusting the six o'clock news and checking out library books... and then social media exploded, AI-generated images flooded our feeds, and suddenly we can't tell what's real anymore. But here's the truth: you're not dumb for getting it wrong. You just didn't get the digital literacy training that kids today are learning in elementary school.

In this raw, fired-up minisode, Erika breaks down why propaganda isn't new (hello, wartime Looney Tunes cartoons), how AI has made misinformation faster and more convincing, and why official government channels posting fake images is eroding trust in everyone, including the real journalists doing actual work.

Key Points:

3 Quick AI Tools to Fight Misinformation:

The more of us who know how to spot the BS, the harder it becomes for them to get away with it. Share this episode with one friend who needs to hear it.

Related Episode: Go back and listen to Erika's earlier episode on using AI to spot misinformation in your feed for a deeper dive into these strategies.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/78euMAUeHyofnzXZ7aiQhg?si=ECnLW3e0Rq2RAT6xoweF0w

Join the AI Queens Society at AIQueens.com to keep building your AI confidence with a community that gets it.

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/

Meet Lauren Shaw and Lauren Capwell—the powerhouse duo known as "The Laurens"—who've spent three years building a high-ticket empire while traveling the world as full-time digital nomads. Lauren Capwell brings her Stanford aerospace engineering background (yes, she literally built and launched rockets), while Lauren Shaw closed over $5 million in high-ticket sales after building a global hula hoop empire. Together, they're using AI to help women entrepreneurs heal their relationship with sales, spot subconscious blocks, and close deals with confidence instead of cringe.

Big themes from this conversation:

This episode is for women entrepreneurs who know their offer works but struggle with confidence on sales calls, feel stuck around pricing conversations, or just wing it without a repeatable system. The Laurens are proving that when you combine emotional intelligence with strategic AI tools, sales can feel energizing instead of draining.

Ready to heal your relationship with sales? Get free access to The Laurens' Quantum Breakthrough GPT and see what subconscious blocks might be holding you back. Visit https://thelaurens.ai/ or connect with them on Instagram at @thelaurens.ai.

Here is the link for the GPT landing page: https://thelaurens.ai/quantum

And if they want more details about the Sales Call Makeover, they can view details and join the waitlist here.

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/

If you've been wondering whether creatives can use AI without compromising their integrity, this conversation with Angela Mondloch from Saffron Avenue will change everything. Angela is a brand designer with nearly 15 years in the industry, and she's not afraid to challenge the narrative that AI has no place in creative work. Instead, she's using it strategically to elevate her client work, streamline her processes, and even help potential clients understand exactly how to work with her.

In this episode, you'll discover:

Angela doesn't sugarcoat it: using AI well takes time, experimentation, and a willingness to iterate. But for creatives who are ready to work smarter and reclaim their time, the possibilities are extraordinary.

A huge thank you to Angela for sharing a bit of her miscarriage story. Read more about her here: https://saffronavenue.substack.com/

Ready to explore AI with other creative women? Join the waitlist for the AI Queens Society at AIQueensSociety.com and start building your AI confidence in a community that gets it.

Connect with Angela Mondloch:

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/

Happy New Year, Queens! While you were wrapping presents and eating cookies, the AI world didn't slow down. It accelerated. And if you're still using AI just to write Instagram captions in 2026, it's time for a serious shift.

This episode breaks down the major AI updates you might have missed over the holidays, from OpenAI's GPT 5.1 and 5.2 releases to Google's Gemini 3 and the wildly named Nano Banana Pro. But here's what really matters: we're witnessing a fundamental shift from "the model race" to "AI as infrastructure."

Think about it. Electricity isn't just a light bulb anymore. It powers everything. Websites went from "nice to have" to "your business doesn't exist without one." AI is making that same leap right now, except faster. The question is no longer "should I use AI?" or even "which model is best?" It's "how do I weave this into the foundation of how I work?"

Key themes from this episode:

Women entrepreneurs cannot afford to get left behind on this shift. If you're only using AI for content creation, you're missing the bigger transformation happening right now. The women who master AI infrastructure in 2026 are going to have a massive competitive advantage.

Don't wait until you're invisible. Learn more at AIQueens.com

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/

Earlier this year, I joined Sarah Heeter on her Big Brave Business podcast for a roundtable conversation about something that matters deeply to all of us: the ethics of AI usage in business.

In this episode, Sarah and I are joined by AnnMarie Rose: three women who are navigating AI adoption while staying anchored in our core values. We talk openly about the ethical complications that come with generative AI, the questions that keep us thinking, and how we're using AI creatively in our businesses without compromising what we stand for.

This is the kind of conversation we need more of in the AI space: honest, values-driven, and focused on doing this work the right way.

Key themes we explored:

If you've been wrestling with how to use AI responsibly in your business, this conversation will give you a lot to think about.

Meet Today's Speakers:

Erika Stanley is a branding and AI strategist, the founder of Mile End Digital and the AI Queens Society. She helps brilliant, ambitious women entrepreneurs scale with smart AI systems and magnetic branding that attracts dream clients and builds authority.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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/

AnnMarie Rose is a Life-Proof Business Scaling Strategist with nearly a decade of experience helping coaches, consultants and service providers leverage their zone of genius to scale their businesses with clarity, confidence and strategic intention.

⁠annmarierose.com/everything⁠

⁠instagram.com/askannmarierose⁠

Sarah K. Heeter is the dynamic CEO of Podfox Media, the force behind 5,000+ episodes reaching millions across 100+ countries. With 15+ years in marketing and branding, she's catapulted numerous podcasts to become top performers worldwide. Host of the award-nominated Big Brave Business podcast, Sarah electrifies audiences speaking on podcasting strategy, ethical leadership, and inclusive entrepreneurship. She serves as the NAWBO Phoenix Director of Public Policy and teaches public policy at Arizona State University while championing integrity-driven business transformation.

Launch Your Own Podcast:

Podfox offers a 100% free, private strategy session for anyone thinking of starting a podcast.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://launchmyshow.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sarah Heeter & Big Brave Business:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sarahkheeter/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@sarahkheeter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bigbravebusiness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bigbravebusiness ⁠

Resources mentioned in this episode:

⁠https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/25/microsoft-cancels-some-of-its-ai-data-center-leases/⁠

In lieu of the study mentioned, which we couldn't easily find again, here is an alternative well-researched essay with cited sources: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beef-vs-bytes-real-climate-issue-isnt-genai-chris-vitale-usbae/⁠

What if AI could help you discover your artistic voice instead of stealing it? In this episode, Erika sits down with Marisol Rios—also known as The AI Witch—to bust the myth that AI is cheating or soulless. Marisol is a branding expert, AI educator, and creative visionary who guides neurodivergent, witchy women entrepreneurs to blend Mexican ancestral wisdom with cutting-edge tech. She shares how she went from thinking AI was "trash" to building her entire creative practice around it, discovering her unique artistic style through MidJourney, and even vibe-coding an app for her gorgeous affirmation card deck.

This conversation gets into the messy, magical intersection of creativity, spirituality, and AI—and why finding your people in this space changes everything.

Key themes and insights:

Resources mentioned:

Want to stop playing small and start amplifying your magic with AI? Find your community. Join women who are doing this work together—whether it's SheLeads AI, AI Queens Society, or Marisol's AI Coven. This tech is better when we learn it side by side.

Connect with Marisol:

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/

Holiday stress doesn't have to be part of the package. Whether you're hitting the road for Thanksgiving or prepping for any upcoming family gathering, AI can help you navigate travel chaos, dodge awkward dinner conversations, and actually enjoy your time off without losing your mind.

From smarter route planning to boundary-setting scripts to capturing meaningful family stories, these 12 practical AI hacks will help you show up more present for what actually matters. Think of AI as your behind-the-scenes strategist, handling the friction so you can focus on connection, rest, and maybe even some fun.

Key hacks include:

The goal isn't to automate your humanity. It's to reduce the overwhelm so you can actually be present for the moments that count. Pick your top 2-3 hacks, save the prompts, and head into the holidays like the strategic queen you are.

Ready to stress less and enjoy more? Join the AI Queens Society and learn how to use AI to work smarter, not harder, all year long.

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/

Ever wonder what happens when an AI strategist gets completely obsessed with building apps? This episode pulls back the curtain on exactly what Erika has been creating lately, from business tools that surprise and delight clients to a personal project that solves her book-hoarding problem.

In this behind-the-scenes episode, you'll discover:

This isn't about perfection. It's about experimentation, iteration, and blending AI with your own creativity and expertise to create solutions that actually save time and add value.

Ready to see AI in action?

Download the free AI CMO at AIQueens.com/CMO and get the prompt pack app (the CMO cheat codes) in your first follow-up email.

Book lovers can join the waitlist for Shelf Life at AIQueens.com/ShelfLife.

Links & Resources:

∙AI CMO (free custom GPT): AIQueens.com/CMO

∙Shelf Life waitlist: AIQueens.com/ShelfLife

∙AI Queens Society: AIQueens.com

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/

What if the income security you've been searching for isn't in a promotion or a raise, but in the skills you already have? In this powerful conversation, Erika sits down with Trudy-Anne Armand, small business AI strategist and creator of the 5 to 9 Freedom Framework, to explore how women entrepreneurs can use AI to identify and monetize hidden revenue streams without burning out.

Trudy-Anne challenges the myth that a stable job equals security and introduces her game-changing custom GPT, Reva, designed to help you discover your effortless expertise and turn it into sustainable income. From understanding your energy-ROI-sustainability balance to setting boundaries that protect your wellbeing, this episode is packed with tactical advice for women ready to future-proof their income.

Key Themes:

Ready to uncover your hidden revenue streams?

Visit Trudy-Anne at her-mine.ai to explore Her-mineAI and access Reva at her-mine.ai/reva. Connect with her on TikTok and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myhermine.ai/

And don't miss Erika's AI CMO custom GPT and strategic prompt pack at AIQueens.com/CMO to market those new income streams like a boss.

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/