Host Leah Cottham sits down with Marissa Goldberg, founder of Remote Work Prep, to explore how AI is reshaping remote team management without replacing human workers. Marissa brings years of experience building AI powered operational solutions for distributed teams and shares practical insights from her journey since 2015. The conversation tackles common misconceptions about remote work productivity and reveals how overwork is actually more prevalent than underwork in remote environments.

Marissa breaks down her human centered approach to AI adoption, emphasizing the importance of starting with problems rather than tools. She shares specific examples like automated Slack thread summarization and performance review tracking that help teams work more efficiently. The discussion covers transparent AI interfaces, human in the loop safeguards, and practical tips for leaders looking to implement AI without creating fear among team members.

Key topics covered:

[00:00] Intro

[01:37] Remote work misconceptions and overwork reality

[03:06] Biggest misconception about remote workers

[06:23] AI tools transforming remote team management

[08:09] Starting with problems not tools

[09:24] People first approach to AI adoption

[12:07] Human centered AI in practice

[14:24] Documentation automation for remote teams

[18:02] Slack emoji automation for decisions

[21:51] Performance review tracking made easy

[25:12] Human in the loop safeguards explained

[29:13] Leadership mistakes in AI adoption

[31:43] Personal AI productivity tools

[34:38] Advice for AI hesitant workers

[36:25] AI reducing context switching strategies

[41:34] Future of async first remote work

[45:00] Risks without human centered approach

[47:11] Balancing technology with team culture

This episode offers actionable strategies for remote leaders ready to leverage AI while protecting team culture and human strengths.