Get Intentional with Mary

Send us Fan Mail

Christopher Carter found this podcast the same way most of you did: by listening.

He heard the episode about Anthropic and the Pentagon, reached out, and what followed was one of the most honest and wide-ranging conversations I have had on this show.

Before Christopher was the Chairman and CEO of Approyo, a global technology company managing over a thousand SAP environments worldwide, before he was a four-time bestselling author with 17 published books, before he was the 2026 Top Tech CEO of the Year, he was a six-year-old boy couch surfing across eleven different homes with his brother, not knowing where the next meal was coming from or which school he would walk into next.

He did not just survive that year. He let it build him.

In this conversation we go deep on what that kind of beginning does to a person, and what it takes to turn uncertainty into a compass for everything you build after.

In this episode:

→ How Christopher went from couch surfing at age six to building multimillion-dollar technology companies

→ The story of how he built the first SAP cloud in 2005 before SAP had officially signed the agreement to allow it, and what happened when the executives came downstairs

→ Why AI is not here to replace you, and exactly what leveling up actually means right now

→ The cloud tools every entrepreneur and solopreneur needs to start and run a business today

→ What the next three to five years of AI looks like for real people and real businesses

→ Why most people get AI wrong and how to build a relationship with it that actually works

→ What Christopher looks for in the people he hires and mentors, and how to stand out in any room

→ The macrame friend, the sixteen-year-old cold caller, and why finding your passion is still the most powerful strategy

→ What it really means to reach your hand back and help someone up the ladder

There is a moment near the end of this conversation that stopped me completely. I am not going to tell you what it is. You will know it when you get there.

Connect with Christopher Carter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-carter-885159 

Approyo: approyo.com 

Resources mentioned in this episode: GoHighLevel: gohighlevel.com Lovable: lovable.dev Google AI Studio: aistudio.google.com Whisperflow: whisperflow.app Claude: claude.ai Shopify: shopify.com

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gAeZ4T0v5jY?si=90FiaUpE16W6uhoW

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

You can batch your content, set up your prompts, and feel like you've finally got a system. But if you skip the edit, you might be publishing content that sounds like everyone else. In Part 4 of The Aligned AI Method, I'm teaching you the Realness Test: five checkpoints I run on every piece of AI-assisted content to make sure it still sounds like me. Because it's not enough to create fast. It has to sound like you.

In this episode:

• The caption story: what happened when I let AI get too polished with my voice
• Why AI content drifts even when you've done the setup work — and the research name for it
• Four patterns that show up in unedited AI content: the Confidence Hedge, the List Reflex, the Vocabulary Upgrade, and the Missing Story
• The Realness Test: five checkpoints, about ten minutes, every time
• Why owning the close is the most important thing you can do for your content
• What's coming in Part 5: the full system walkthrough plus a published AI expert joining as a guest

The Realness Test — Five Checkpoints:

1. Read it out loud
2. Find the sentence that sounds most like you
3. Fix the vocabulary upgrades
4. Add the specific details
5. Own the close

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Free Realness Test Checklist: [CLICK HERE]
• The Aligned AI Collective: www.marymassey.com/collective-enrollment
• 1:1 Coaching with Mary: Click here to apply
• YouTube walkthrough coming soon — subscribe so you don't miss it

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

You had a great idea in the shower. By Wednesday it was gone. Sound familiar? That's not a creativity problem. It's a system problem. And this episode fixes it.

In part three of The Aligned AI Method, Mary walks you through how to take one idea and turn it into a full week of content in a single Claude session. No starting from scratch. No decision fatigue. Just one focused hour that actually moves your business forward.

IN THIS EPISODE

•  Why most solopreneurs are creating content the hard way without realizing it

•  What decision fatigue actually is and how it's draining your content creativity

•  Why batching content with Claude is different from just using AI to write captions

•  The exact 5-step batching process, start to finish

•  How to go from one specific idea to five pieces of content in one conversation

•  The difference between a vague content idea and one that actually gives Claude something to work with

•  A preview of the realness edit coming in episode four

•  How to use Claude with Google Drive to keep everything organized

Download the Google Doc with the full prompt template: Click here

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

The Aligned AI Method — Episode 2 of 5

Still getting generic AI content no matter how many times you tweak the prompt? The problem isn't the tool. It's the brief. In episode two of The Aligned AI Method, Mary Massey breaks down exactly what prompt engineering actually means, why vague prompts produce vague results, and how a simple 3-part content brief transforms your Claude or ChatGPT output from meh to on-brand every single time.

If you've ever typed 'write me a caption' and felt underwhelmed by what came back, this episode is your fix.

IN THIS EPISODE

•  What prompt engineering actually is (and why it's a communication skill, not a tech skill)

•  Whether you need to tell Claude to 'think like a marketer' (the real answer)

•  Why the AI-assisted content approach outperforms both human-only and unedited AI content

•  The carousel example: what most people get wrong even after setting up a Claude Project

•  The 3-part content brief framework: what it is, why it works, and how to use it for any type of content

•  A side-by-side comparison: generic prompt vs. full brief, same topic, completely different results

•  Bonus tip: how to feed your edits back to Claude so it learns and improves over time

DOWNLOAD THE CONTENT BRIEF TEMPLATE

The full blank template is available as a Google Doc so you can save a copy and fill it in every time you create content. Click here.

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

If your AI content has been coming back a little too polished, a little too perfect, and a lot like everyone else's, this episode is for you. In part one of The Aligned AI Method, I'm breaking down the four patterns that make AI content sound like AI content, what researchers are calling the AI stink, and the exact steps to set up Claude so it learns your voice before you type a single prompt.

This is episode one of a five-part series. Each episode gives you one thing to actually do. By episode five, you'll have a complete content system that sounds like you and saves you serious time.

• The four AI tell-tale patterns and how to spot them in your own content
• What AI stink is and the data behind why it's hurting engagement
• Why your voice is a business strategy, not just a stylistic preference
• How to set up a Claude Project so it remembers who you are permanently
• The exact instruction template to paste into your Project Settings
• What to do with old emails and newsletters to teach Claude your writing style
• Whether you actually need to tell Claude to think like a marketer (and the real answer)

How to Set Up Your Claude Project (Step by Step)

Copy and paste the template below, then fill it in with your own details:

Part 2 builds directly on this. Come ready.

Join the Aligned AI Collective: www.marymassey.com/collective-enrollment

Learn about 1:1 coaching: www.marymassey.com

Book a call: calendar.marymassey.com

The Aligned AI Collective: every month we have a 90-minute live workshop on Zoom where we build things together in real time. Our next workshop is May 14th. When you join, the first thing you get is a one-on-one strategy session with me.

• Core membership: $67/month
• VIP membership: $127/month — includes quarterly one-on-one sessions

Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. And if this was helpful, share it with a solopreneur who needs it.

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

Someone called me predatory for teaching AI. Another person asked to be on my show because of it. This episode is about what's actually happening between those two extremes and the three things I do to stay in my own voice no matter what tools I'm using.

The fear is real on both sides. Some people are convinced AI will erase everything that makes their content human. Others are so deep in the tools they couldn't explain their own framework without opening an app.

This episode is for everyone in the middle the ones already using AI who just want to make sure it still sounds like them.

I open this episode with a real DM exchange from. Word for word. Someone who called my outreach predatory for mentioning AI. I'm not sharing it to make a point about her I'm sharing it because her reaction tells us something true about where a lot of people are right now. And it's worth understanding.

I also talk about the AI expert who reached out the same week, wanting to be interviewed on this show. Both things happened. Both are data.

In this episode:

• Why the people burning out on AI tools are often the biggest adopters, not the skeptics
• The research behind why your voice matters more than your output volume
• How I actually use AI: organizing thoughts, researching trends, budgeting, launch planning, even vacations
• The early mistake I made that cost me engagement and what I changed
• 3 things I do every time to make sure AI-assisted content still sounds like me

THE 3-PART VOICE PROTECTION SYSTEM

Part 1: Input before output

Give AI your raw material first. Your actual opinion. Your real story. Your messy brain dump.

Part 2: The read-aloud test

Before you publish anything AI touched, read it out loud. Not in your head. If you stumble, something's off.

Part 3: Own your frameworks

If you can't explain your signature process in plain language without opening a single app, it's not really yours yet. Build the thinking first. Let AI help you teach it at scale.

THE ALIGNED AI COLLECTIVE

If this episode resonated and you're ready to stop figuring this out alone, the Aligned AI Collective is where we do this work together.

You'll learn to use AI in a way that actually sounds like you, build real content workflows, create content that converts, and stay in the driver's seat the whole time.

• Core membership: $67/month — includes a 30-minute strategy session + monthly 90-minute hands-on workshops
• VIP membership: $127/month — includes a 60-minute strategy session at enrollment, quarterly 1:1 hourly sessions with Mary, plus monthly workshops

➡️ www.marymassey.com/collective-enrollment

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

You've got the idea, the plan, and the ability. So why does it feel like the right time to start is always just a little bit further away? In this episode, I'm breaking down the real reason capable entrepreneurs stay stuck, and giving you three questions that will help you move before the confidence ever shows up.

Let me ask you something, and I want you to actually sit with it.

What are you waiting for?

Not your workload, not your budget, not the version of your business that's finally "ready." I mean the thing you keep saying you're going to do when you feel a little more prepared. A little more sure. A little more like someone who knows what they're doing.

Because here's what I've had to learn the hard way more than once: waiting to feel ready is one of the most expensive things you can do in your business. And in this episode, we're talking about why your brain loves that waiting loop, what it's actually costing you (yes, in real money), and how to start moving even when the readiness feeling hasn't showed up yet.

This one is personal. And I think it's going to land.

In this episode:

• Why "I'll start when I'm ready" is your brain doing exactly what it was designed to do (just at a really inconvenient time)
• The confidence myth that has most entrepreneurs doing things in the wrong order
• The things I almost didn't do, including this podcast, my business, and the membership I'm launching right now
• What waiting is actually costing you: money, momentum, and the people you're meant to serve
• Three questions to break out of the readiness loop, no pep talk required

The Three Questions (write these down):

1. Am I waiting for information, or am I waiting for courage?
2. What's the smallest version of this I could actually do in the next 48 hours?
3. If I already knew this was going to work out, what would I do differently?

Resources + Links:

• Join the Aligned AI Collective (founding rate closes April 11): www.marymassey.com/collective-enrollment
• Book a 1:1 coaching call: calendar.marymassey.com

✨ Aligned AI Collective: Founding Member Enrollment Is Open

The Aligned AI Collective is a monthly membership for coaches, consultants, and service-based entrepreneurs who are done creating content the hard way. We use AI to build in your voice, simplify your systems, and grow your business without burning out.

Founding members lock in at $47/month permanently. Enrollment closes April 11th and that rate is gone for good.

➡️ Join before doors close: www.marymassey.com/collective-enrollment

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

I'm launching the biggest thing I've ever built, and I'm doing it afraid. In this episode, I'm getting honest about fear, faith, and what it actually looks like to move forward when nothing feels certain yet.

Most people wait until they have a neat story with a bow on it before they share it. This is not that episode.

I'm recording this in real time: a surgery on the calendar, a membership launch about to open, and a season of letting go that has been anything but easy. And I'm sharing all of it because I think the most honest thing I can do for you is stop waiting until it's cleaned up.

This episode covers the neuroscience of fear, a personal faith story, and a practical framework to help you take the next step, even when fear is still sitting right there with you.

In this episode:

• What's actually happening in your brain when fear shows up (and why you're not weak for feeling it)
• The amygdala and why your nervous system can't tell the difference between a predator and a pivot
• Why uncertainty feels worse than bad news, and what the research actually says about that
• My real-time story: launching the Aligned AI Collective while navigating surgery and a major business pivot
• What I've had to release to get here, and why letting go of safe is one of the hardest things in business
• A faith reflection on Proverbs 3:5-6 and what "lean not on your own understanding" actually means for entrepreneurs
• Three questions to ask yourself when fear shows up before a big move
• Why you don't need to be fearless. You just need to be willing to take the next micro step

The Three Questions for Fear and Forward Motion:

1. Is this my nervous system responding to uncertainty, or is this a real signal I need to listen to?
2. What would I do if I knew the fear was going to stay?
3. What is the smallest possible next move I can make right now?

Resources + Links:

• Learn about the Aligned AI Collective: www.marymassey.com/collective-waitlist
• Book a private strategy call: calendar.marymassey.com

The Aligned AI Collective: Founding Member Enrollment is Open

Enrollment opens April 1st and closes April 13th. This is the lowest rate this membership will ever be offered, starting at $47/month. I'm building it live with the people who are brave enough to be in the room first. If today's episode made you feel less alone in what you're building, I want you in.

➡️ Founding member info and waitlist: www.marymassey.com/collective-waitlist

Ready to work together 1:1?

If you're a service-based entrepreneur who's ready for a real private strategy conversation about your business and where it's going, I work with a small number of 1:1 clients.

➡️ Book a call: calendar.marymassey.com

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

You've been putting in the work. You're showing up, creating content, taking calls, building things. So why does it feel like nothing is actually moving?

In this episode I'm going to tell you something that might sting a little. The reason your business isn't growing probably has nothing to do with your strategy, your niche, or how hard you're working. It goes deeper than that. And once you see it, you can't unsee it.

=======

Most solopreneurs aren't struggling because they don't know enough. They're struggling because they're solving the wrong problem.

I've spent over 20 years coaching and building businesses, and the pattern I see over and over again is smart, capable people working incredibly hard inside a system that isn't working. Not because they're doing the wrong things, but because fear is driving the bus without them even realizing it.

In this episode we dig into the real reasons your business might be stalling, including the neuroscience behind why hustle backfires, what invisible action actually looks like, and the readiness trap that keeps talented people stuck in learning mode instead of execution mode.

I also walk you through a three-question audit you can do right now to figure out exactly where you're stuck. No fluff, just honest answers.

If you've been spinning your wheels and wondering what you're missing, this one's for you.

What we cover:

• The hamster wheel pattern and why adding more makes it worse
• Cognitive tunneling: what happens to your brain when fear is running things
• The difference between motion and progress
• What a primary offer actually is and why most solopreneurs don't have one
• Invisible action: the comfortable work that keeps you busy but doesn't build your business
• The readiness trap and why confidence comes after action, not before it
• A three-question audit to diagnose exactly what's keeping you stuck

Resources and links:

• Join the Aligned AI Collective founding waitlist: marymassey.com/collective-waitlist
• Founding membership: $47 a month, locks in permanently
• Enrollment opens March 24 and closes April 11

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com

Send us Fan Mail

One of the biggest AI companies in the world just got cut off by the U.S. government and the internet had a LOT to say about it. In this episode, I’m breaking down the full AI landscape: who the major players are, what they’ve built, and the breaking story that’s sending millions of people from ChatGPT straight to Claude.

We’re going deep this episode and I mean deep. This one covers the entire AI landscape: who’s building it, what’s at stake, and why a showdown between a $380 billion AI company and the Pentagon matters to every single person using these tools to run their business.

Plus: I walk you through the simplest way to transfer your data from ChatGPT to Claude in two prompts and five minutes. And I’ve got something big coming this March that you’re going to want to be part of.

In this episode:

• The moment that changed everything — ChatGPT’s launch in 2022 and what happened next
• The 5 major AI players: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, xAI, and Meta — the good, the bad, and what you need to know about each one
• How these tools have evolved from novelty to real business infrastructure
• The Anthropic vs. Pentagon standoff — the full story, why it escalated, and what happened after
• The mass migration: why 1.5 million people cancelled ChatGPT and what that means
• How to move your data from ChatGPT to Claude in two prompts (no tech skills required)

The Two Transfer Prompts (copy these):

STEP 1 — Paste this into ChatGPT:

Based on our conversation history and anything you know about me, summarize my key preferences, my communication style, what I do for work, the topics I care most about, and how I like to use AI. Format it as a clean, organized list I can save and use elsewhere.

STEP 2 — Paste this into Claude at claude.ai (then paste your ChatGPT summary below it):

Here’s some context I’d like you to remember about me. Please save this to your memory so you know who I am and how I work going forward:

✨ Claude Workshop — March 2026

I’m running a live Claude workshop this March and the waitlist is open now. We’re going hands-on together setting up Claude the right way, building real workflows, and creating content in your voice. Spots are limited.

➡️  Join the waitlist: www.marymassey.com/waitlist

Ready to work together 1:1?

If you’re a service-based entrepreneur or coach who’s ready to simplify your business, clarify your message, and build with AI in a way that actually fits you — let’s talk.

➡️  Learn about 1:1 coaching: calendar.marymassey.com 

Support the show

Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Find out more about Mary on the following social media platforms:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marymassey.official
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marymassey/
• Schedule a Discovery call for coaching or interviews or speaking inquiries: calendar.marymassey.com
• Music by Stockaudios and Lesfm at Pixabay.com