This week, Kyle Shannon and Anne Murphy bring past guests back to close out The AI Readiness Project together. No new topic, no single focus — just the people who shaped the show, in the same space one more time.

A few guests will share where they are now and what has shifted since we last talked. The rest will be the kind of conversation that happens when people who've been paying attention finally get to compare notes.

This is our last episode.

"𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵 — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩: 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘐-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵."

— Alice Bazdikian

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Most small business owners think AI is for big companies with big budgets. Alice Bazdikian has spent 20 years — and the last several of them training hundreds of entrepreneurs — proving that wrong. The real barrier isn't technology. It's mindset.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Alice Bazdikian built Small Business AI Coach on one core conviction: entrepreneurs deserve to reclaim their time. With 20 years of cross-functional experience and a track record training 300+ people on SaaS tools — including 100+ participants in Ontario small business accelerator programs — she's watched firsthand what happens when someone stops fighting AI and starts using it as their personal business strategist. A published author, self-described multipassionate, digital nomad who's traveled to 45 countries and speaks five languages, Alice brings a global perspective to a very local problem: too many entrepreneurs are buried in "make work" that AI could handle in minutes. Her current focus is showing small businesses exactly how Claude can function as their on-demand analyst and strategic advisor — and why that levels the playing field in ways that weren't possible even two years ago.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹-𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿 — Alice's framework starts with mindset, not software, because the right mental model determines whether AI saves you hours or wastes them.

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸" 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗜 — Not all tasks are created equal; learn to spot the ones eating your time and build simple AI workflows to eliminate them.

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 — Alice walks through how small businesses can leverage Claude to get strategic insights without hiring a consultant.

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 — AI tools like Cowork and Claude Code are changing what's possible for solo entrepreneurs and small teams.

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 — Practical steps for rewiring how you approach decisions, workflows, and growth using AI as a thinking partner.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: smallbusinessaicoach.com

• 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲'𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿: smallbusinessaicoach.com/webinar.html

• 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝘼𝙁 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 + 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼: https://a.co/d/05tywzAm

• 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻: linkedin.com/in/alice-bazdikian

• 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 / 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰: anthropic.com

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://thesalon.ai/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project Wednesdays at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘼𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆:

We're going live with Sumin Chou, Managing Partner at Schema — a research and design firm working at the intersection of data, technology, and human experience. Sumin has spent decades shaping digital products for The New York Times, Neiman Marcus, Victoria's Secret, CBS Interactive, and more. Now he's turning his attention to one of the most important questions in tech: as AI takes over execution, what becomes of design thinking?

In this conversation, Kyle Shannon and Anne Murphy dig into how AI is reshaping the role and value of design — and where designers have the greatest impact right now. Expect a grounded, thoughtful take from someone who's been at the forefront of digital product design for 25+ years.

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲:

• How AI is changing what "design work" actually means

• Where human design judgment is irreplaceable

• What organizations get wrong about AI and UX

• The difference between AI-generated interfaces and AI-augmented thinking

• What Sumin's current work at Schema reveals about where this is all heading

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁:

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘂 is a Managing Partner at Schema, a research and design firm that transforms complex information into clear, intelligent digital experiences. He previously co-founded Concentric, a creative studio whose clients included Neiman Marcus, West Elm, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Before that, Sumin served as Digital Design Director at The New York Times, leading creative for all of the company's online properties, and held senior roles at Time Inc. and multiple agencies. His work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, the Webby Awards, Communication Arts, and the Society of Publication Designers. He currently serves as an executive judge for the Webby Awards and is focused on how AI can augment human decision-making through thoughtful interface design, data visualization, and responsible product strategy.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽:

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 — without losing the human judgment that drives results

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗫 in a way that goes beyond "it generates images fast"

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜-𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 that keeps strategy, not tools, at the center

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 — what makes one responsible, useful, and actually human-centered

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 when generative tools are changing the baseline for execution

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁:

• 🔗 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: https://www.schemadesign.com/

• 🔗 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻: / sumin-chou

• 📄 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘂: / designing-what-comes-next-schemadesign-ajhqe

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://thesalon.ai/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project Wednesdays at 3pm (PDT), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

Why This Matters: Small businesses drown in disconnected tools — QuickBooks here, HubSpot there, Gmail somewhere else — and waste hours toggling between tabs instead of growing. Eugina Jordan built a patented platform to end that chaos and put real-time business intelligence into the hands of non-technical founders.

The Story: After 24 years in telecom — where she created a new market category called Open RAN and rose to Chief Marketing Officer — Eugina Jordan became an empty nester and decided she had one more startup in her. She co-founded YOUnifiedAI with her former colleague, combining enterprise-grade integration patterns with a conversational AI layer so small business owners can simply ask their business how it's doing. The platform, built on five patented integration patterns, launches at Startup Grind this spring.

Your Readiness Roadmap:

• How to stop drowning in tabs by unifying your business tools into a single conversational interface

• How to assess your own AI readiness by starting with curiosity rather than credentials

• How to build a company in three months by leveraging AI tools and trusted relationships

• How to hire for the AI era by prioritizing curiosity over technical checklists

• How to turn telecom-grade thinking into small business advantage by abstracting complexity the way carriers unify 2G through 5G

Inside the Conversation:

• [00:00] Open — The AI adoption gap and why now is the second-best time to start

• [00:10] The content overload problem and why human connection beats artifacts

• [00:17] Multiple businesses, one orchestration layer — the future of solopreneurship

• [00:28] Meet Eugina Jordan — from telecom veteran to AI startup CEO

• [00:33] How YOUnifiedAI unifies disconnected business tools with patented tech

• [00:39] Eugina's AI journey — from predictive AI in telecom to generative AI startup

• [00:45] Launching at Startup Grind, pitching at Venture Summit, and listening to users

• [00:49] Eugina's TEDx talk — technology giving ordinary people superpowers

• [00:57] AI Readiness = being curious, not being afraid, and just starting

The Toolkit:

• YOUnifiedAI — Eugina's patented platform unifying business tools for SMBs

• Eugina Jordan on LinkedIn

• Claude Code — terminal-based AI development environment

• Google Gemini / NotebookLM — AI workspace and research tools

• The AI Salon — community of 4,000+ exploring AI

• She Leads AI — women's AI education and community

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrT7MsGbUKA

Connect with the AI Readiness Project:

• The AI Salon

• She Leads AI

• Wednesday LIVE — 3pm PT / 6pm ET

Most conversations about AI and education ask how traditional institutions can adapt. Sasha Thackaberry asked a different question: what if you didn't start with the old system at all? As Founder and President of Newstate University — the nation's first AI-founded, AI-focused university — she's not retrofitting a legacy model. She built something new from the ground up, and the architecture itself is the argument.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Sasha spent decades inside some of higher education's most respected institutions — LSU, SNHU — leading digital transformation and watching the same patterns repeat: slow curriculum cycles, credential debt that outpaced career payoff, and a growing gap between what learners needed and what institutions could deliver in time to matter. When AI started reshaping the job market faster than any traditional university could respond, she stopped trying to fix the old system and started building a new one. Newstate University launched as a fully competency-based, self-paced, stackable institution where learners can apply, enroll, and start a credit-bearing course the same day — for $300 a month, no textbook fees, no waiting for "next semester."

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: Why stackable certificates let you solve an immediate career problem now and build toward a full degree when you're ready

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁: The skills and frameworks Newstate builds around so learners stay relevant through multiple role shifts

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳: From AI coaches inside courses to LinkedIn-based communities replacing traditional discussion boards

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲: What the "New State" of education looks like for the professional who feels behind

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: Why competency-based, no-elective, prescribed progressions reduce friction for learners who need outcomes, not options

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: https://newstateu.com/

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨: https://newstateu.com/about-the-professional-development-studio-at-newstate-university

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://thesalon.ai/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

"𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨." — Niki Weiss, Digital Thanatologist & Founder of ENDevo

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:

We're all building companies, accumulating data, and leaving digital trails — but 70% of Americans have no end-of-life plan at all. Not a will. Not a legacy contact on their phone. Nothing. In a world where AI can replicate your likeness after you're gone, that's a problem worth solving now.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆:

Anne sits down with Niki Weiss — hospice clinician turned project manager turned Digital Thanatologist and founder of ENDevo — to talk about the part of AI readiness nobody's discussing: what happens to everything you've built when you're no longer here to manage it. Niki lost both parents by the time she was an adult, spent years doing bedside hospice work, and now helps individuals and companies get their legal, financial, physical, and digital affairs in order before crisis hits. This episode goes from surprisingly practical (yes, you can set up your iPhone Legacy Contact in about 90 seconds) to genuinely philosophical — and Anne does both live, on air.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽:

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 — and why skipping this means your family may need a court order to access your data

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 — passwords, social accounts, and everything living in the cloud

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝗼𝗳-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 — with checklists, accountability, and a realistic timeline (Niki's clients have a complete plan within 100 days)

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 — so your company doesn't collapse if something happens to you

• 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 — because most people aren't avoiding the plan, they're avoiding the discomfort

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟬𝟬] Intro & this week's format — Kyle's traveling, Anne's flying solo

• [𝟬𝟰:𝟬𝟬] Anne on "Claudifying" She Leads AI — building AI agents, compound engineering, and what she learned from Beth Lyons and Sebastian Chedal

• [𝟭𝟯:𝟬𝟬] Building Sheila: Anne's AI Chief of Staff and how her agentic executive leadership team works

• [𝟮𝟭:𝟬𝟬] Introducing Niki Weiss — Digital Thanatologist, what that means, and why Thanos is actually the Greek god of death (not a Marvel villain)

• [𝟮𝟳:𝟬𝟬] Niki's origin story — hospice work, losing both parents early, and how a will update changed everything

• [𝟯𝟬:𝟬𝟬] 70% of Americans have no end-of-life plan — and the data on your phone is the new conversation starter

• [𝟯𝟮:𝟬𝟬] Live demo: Anne sets up her iPhone Legacy Contact in real time

• [𝟯𝟳:𝟬𝟬] Niki's program 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 and ENDevo's employee wellness model for end-of-life planning

• [𝟰𝟭:𝟬𝟬] AI, grief bots, Facebook's ghost platform, and what it means to not own your digital afterlife

• [𝟰𝟳:𝟬𝟬] Can AI replace the grief process? Downloading consciousness, and what it means to be human right now

• [𝟱𝟯:𝟬𝟬] Niki's definition of AI readiness — and why this is "the next level of adulting"

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• Final Playbook / ENDevo: www.finalplaybook.com

• Niki Weiss on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nikiweiss

• She Leads AI: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• The AI Salon: https://thesalon.ai/

• The AI Readiness Program: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

Sebastian Chedal has spent 25 years guiding organizations through digital transformation. These days, the question at the center of his work is one every executive is starting to ask: how do you minimize the risks of your AI system so you can actually trust it?

This week, Kyle and Anne dig into AI testing, implementation risk, and what it takes to build systems you can stand behind.'

Sebastian is the CEO of Fountain City, where he leads AI transformation and digital implementation engagements, and co-founder of TestFox.ai, a platform built specifically for AI testing. Over his career he has guided organizations including Heineken, Sony, Nike, and MITCO Tires through technology strategies that produce measurable outcomes.

If you're an executive or team lead who's been handed an AI initiative and told to figure it out, this conversation gives you a grounded way to think about risk, reliability, and what responsible AI implementation looks like in practice.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽:

• How to evaluate whether your AI system is ready to trust before it touches your operations

• How to approach AI testing so you're not discovering problems after launch

• How to reduce liability exposure without slowing down your AI adoption

• How to distinguish between AI that sounds promising and AI that performs

• How to build a case for leadership when the question is "how do we know this is safe?"

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁:

• 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆: https://fountaincity.tech/

• 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺: https://testfox.ai/

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://aisalon.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

In a world saturated with content, the difference between a global hit and a digital ghost is creative that's backed by data. We sit down with Ben Jones to explore how AI doesn’t replace the "soul" of an ad but finally gives us the tools to measure why it works.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀, the Founder and CEO of 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀, is leading a shift in how brands think about creative. With a background that spans global leadership for brands like Apple and Disney, Ben now focuses on the intersection of human artistry and machine precision. Through Sundogs, he’s helping brands like L’Oréal and Google unlearn traditional advertising to embrace a creator-first model. By using AI-driven diagnostics to score video content, Ben is proving that the future of work isn't about human vs. machine—it’s about how machines can help us understand what makes us human.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹: Combine raw human creativity with AI diagnostic scoring to reduce risk in creative decisions

• 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀: Find out why the biggest brands are moving away from "polished" ads toward high-performing creator content.

• 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹: Use AI to analyze thousands of creative variables without stripping away the authentic voice of the creator.

• 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: Shift your focus from "did this work?" to "why did this work?" using Sundogs' AI-driven insights.

• 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁: See why the most human content often requires the most sophisticated AI to optimize at scale.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗴𝘀: https://sundogs.io/

• 𝗖𝗼𝗻n𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗻: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iambenjones/

• 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲: Forbes: How L’Oréal Unlearned Advertising (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiegut...)

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://aisalon.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.

"𝘐𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦'𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘴." That's by Derek Sivers. This speaks to where we're at right now and how knowledge and information have zero value. It is all very much how we get creative and what we do with that information. - 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

We are currently drowning in AI "news," but starving for AI 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Most professionals are stuck in a cycle of random experimentation that leads to "shadow AI" and organizational risk. Kate Marshall joins us to explain why the secret to AI readiness isn't more data—it's better systems.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Kate Marshall, Founder of 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶 (pronounced "The Gray"), spent 20 years in the high-stakes world of cybersecurity training at the SANS Institute. She’s seen how people react to emerging threats, and she’s applying those lessons to the AI revolution. Whether she’s writing children’s books to simplify complex tech or 3D printing her own household items, Kate is obsessed with the bridge between the machine and the human. Her new book, 𝘈𝘐 𝘢𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬, is the result of that obsession—a step-by-step guide for the non-technical professional who is ready to move past the hype and start building.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁: Stop looking for magic words and start building repeatable workflows that actually save time.

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁: Accept that knowing things is no longer a competitive advantage; doing things with AI is the new gold standard.

• 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆: Use Kate’s cybersecurity-first lens to implement AI without exposing your company to unnecessary risk.

• 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: Don't buy the software until you’ve identified the specific low-joy task it’s meant to replace.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗘𝗿𝗮: Why thinking about 3D printed shoes and household robots helps you develop the mental flexibility needed for the next 5 years of work.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶: https://thegr.ai/

• 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸): https://www.amazon.com/Work-Step-Step...

• 𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗜: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻: https://aisalon.mn.co/

• 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://ruready4ai.com/

"AI readiness in my book is a set of principles, and those principles are pretty simple. One, you are now in a world where you can be a doer, not a talker." — 𝗡𝗼𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

As automation strips away the tasks of our jobs, we are entering a Great Repurpose where our value shifts from what we 𝘥𝘰 to who we 𝘢𝘳𝘦. Noelle Russell shows us how to use AI not just as a tool, but as an amplifier for our unique human lived experiences.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

Noelle Russell was there at the start of Alexa, as one of the first ten employees on the Amazon team helping bring it to life. Motivated by a desire to create a kinder world for her son, who was born with Down Syndrome, Noelle has spent 25 years at tech giants like AWS and Microsoft. Today, she runs the 𝗔𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, where she champions responsible AI and helps individuals become single-person unicorns by amplifying their work through intelligent agents.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽

• 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆: Decouple your self-worth from your daily tasks; when AI automates the doing, your value lies in your integrity, critical thinking, and empathy.

• 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁" 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲: Before consuming content (doom-scrolling), commit to producing something that educates, informs, or entertains.

• 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹: Use AI to handle the bane of your existence (like scheduling and inboxes) so you can focus on the high-value work only you can do.

• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Your history as a caregiver, parent, or divergent thinker is a superpower; it allows you to guide AI models with more patience and better questions.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 "𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹": Don't just talk about AI; build a prototype. Use tools to visualize the backlog of ideas you once thought were impossible.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟬𝟭:𝟬𝟬] The Crisis of Meaning: Tying work to worth in the age of automation.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟬𝟱:𝟬𝟬] The Great Repurpose: Rediscovering who you are outside of your job description.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟮𝟱:𝟬𝟬] Crafting a Career: How Noelle’s journey as a caregiver shaped her approach to tech.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟯𝟯:𝟬𝟬] Baby Tiger Mode: The danger of falling in love with AI models without leadership.

• [𝟬𝟬:𝟱𝟰:𝟬𝟬] Single-Person Unicorns: How Noelle uses 32 agents to amplify her business.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁

• AI Leadership Institute: https://aileadershipinstitute.com/

• I Love AI: https://www.skool.com/iloveai/about

• The AI Salon: https://aisalon.mn.co/

• She Leads AI: https://she-leads-ai.mn.co/

𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲

Catch a new episode of The AI Readiness Project every Wednesday at 3pm (PST), co-hosted by Anne Murphy of She Leads AI and Kyle Shannon of The AI Salon. Want to meet others navigating this new terrain with humor and humanity? Visit The AI Salon or She Leads AI to find your people.