Mind the Machine

TikTok Shop is quickly becoming one of the most important platforms for consumer brands, but succeeding on it takes a lot more than simply posting videos.In this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl Goodman talks with Ali Mirzaei about the systems, strategy, and AI behind high-performing TikTok Shops. Ali shares the playbook behind the rapid growth of Final Boss Sour, which went from roughly $6,000 in TikTok Shop revenue to selling about $250,000 worth of product in less than two weeks and selling out across channels.They discuss why TikTok Shop is different from traditional social commerce, how brands should choose affiliates, the operational mistakes that can kill a shop's momentum, and how AI can automate many of the workflows required to run the platform successfully. Ali also explains why brands should focus on quality over quantity when choosing affiliates and why shop performance can matter just as much as marketing. If you're building a consumer brand, working in e-commerce, or trying to understand where social commerce is headed, this conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to win on TikTok Shop.Subscribe to Mind the Machine for more conversations about AI, technology, entrepreneurship, and the future of business.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

AI isn’t just changing the tools we use. It’s beginning to change how people discover businesses, content, events, and information online.In this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl Goodman explores the changing rules of the internet and what they could mean for businesses trying to be found in an AI-driven world. She breaks down the shift from traditional SEO toward AEO and AI-powered discovery, the rise of the “zero-click” internet, and why trust and authority are becoming increasingly important.Cheryl also explains some of the technology behind this transformation, including tokens, MCP, AI agents, vectors, and the way large language models interpret information. Plus, she shares practical ways businesses and event producers can improve how AI systems understand and discover them, including the importance of consistency across every place your brand appears online. As AI changes how search works, simply ranking on Google may no longer be enough. Businesses will increasingly need to think about whether AI systems understand who they are, trust the information surrounding them, and consider them authoritative enough to recommend.Want hands-on AI training geared toward event organizers? Visit https://events.com/aiFollow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

What separates a great brand from one that disappears in the age of AI?Ben Stubbington has spent 25 years helping build and shape major brands including Arc’teryx, Lululemon, and Theory. In this conversation, he explains why the future of branding depends on something AI can’t replicate: the soul of a brand. Ben shares how he helped transform Lululemon’s men’s business by identifying what male customers actually wanted instead of simply copying what was already working in the market. He explains why founders need to understand exactly what makes their company unique, how great brands create products that solve needs customers may not even realize they have, and why trying to be everything to everyone eventually leads to mediocrity. We also discuss how brands can stay relevant without chasing every trend, the importance of building a clear “brand bible,” why community is becoming more important than traditional marketing, and how AI can actually help companies focus more deeply on the things that make them human.Ben also shares lessons from his career in fashion and design, his approach to creativity, and how outside interests like art, music, film, and architecture continue to influence his work. Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Max Krueger, CEO of Backland Labs and Claude Ambassador, joins Mind the Machine to talk about what actually happens when businesses begin adopting AI.From AI agents and enterprise adoption to personal productivity and the future of work, Max explains why AI isn’t necessarily eliminating work. Instead, it’s moving the bottleneck. As AI takes over tasks like writing code or handling repetitive administrative work, humans shift toward reviewing, planning, managing, and solving bigger problems.Max also shares what he’s learned from building San Diego’s AI community, running Claude Impact Labs with nonprofits, and helping organizations move beyond the hype to find practical, useful applications for AI.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Stephen Vigilante, OLIPOP’s first employee and one of the marketers behind its rapid growth, joins Cheryl to explain how the company evolved from an emerging soda startup into a business exceeding half a billion dollars in revenue.Stephen shares OLIPOP’s early bets on influencer marketing, podcasts, and TikTok; the science behind the product; its expansion into entertainment and licensing; and how AI is changing product discovery. He also explores the next wave of creator marketing and why speed remains one of the greatest advantages an emerging brand can have.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Welcome to Season 2 of Mind the Machine!This season shifts from talking about AI in theory to showing how businesses are actually using it today.In this kickoff episode, Cheryl Goodman introduces the 4 T’s of AI:• Tools – Choosing the right AI platforms for your business• Tips – Building repeatable AI workflows that evolve over time• Tokens – Understanding the real cost of AI implementation• Time Saved – Measuring the productivity gains that actually matterYou’ll also learn:* What it means to become an AI Native company* Cheryl’s concept of AI Actualization* Why small and medium-sized businesses may benefit the most from AI adoption* How Events.com is integrating AI into customer experience and operations* How AI hardware and digital memory tools are changing personal productivityIf you’re a business owner, executive, entrepreneur, or simply curious about where AI is headed, this episode is packed with practical ideas you can start applying today.👍 Like the video, subscribe, and let us know in the comments:Which of the 4 T’s do you think will have the biggest impact on your business?Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

In this episode of the Mind the Machine Podcast, Cheryl Goodman talks with Dr. Aadeel Akhtar, founder and CEO of Psyonic, about the company’s groundbreaking Ability Hand, a bionic prosthetic hand designed to restore dexterity, strength, and touch feedback for people with limb differences.

Dr. Akhtar shares the personal story that inspired him to pursue bionic limbs, the powerful moment that led him to commercialize the technology, and how Psyonic’s human prosthetic users are helping train robots to perform real-world tasks. The conversation covers touch sensors, nerve interfaces, industrial robotics, ABB and NVIDIA partnerships, physical AI, generative AI, and the future of human augmentation.

They also discuss how robotics may change the labor market, why dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs are likely to be automated first, and how future robots may become a normal part of everyday life.

Subscribe to Mind the Machine for more conversations about AI, robotics, innovation, and the people building what comes next.

Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman

Liquid Death is one of the most talked-about brands in the world.In this conversation, Cheryl sits down with SVP of Marketing Daniel Murphy to learn how Liquid Death built a brand that people actually pay attention to — from using comedy as their core strategy, to creating marketing that goes viral.You’ll hear how they think about brand identity, attention, partnerships… and why most companies waste money on marketing that doesn’t work.Follow Mind the Machine:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindthemachinepodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindthemachinepodcastWebsite: https://findgood.tech/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/findgood-tech/Book Cheryl to speak at your company or community, she’s trained executives at Fortune 100 companies and has taught practical AI courses at 7 universities and has led a series of Hack-a thons for all levels of learners. You can submit a booking inquiry through FindGood.tech speaking contact page to discuss keynotes, panels, or corporate events. https://findgood.tech/speaking/AAE Speakers Bureau: You can check her availability and request fee information through All American Entertainment (AAE). They handle logistics, offer negotiations, and contractual assistance.Direct Contact: For general inquiries, her team can be reached at [email protected] or via her LinkedIn profile. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckgoodman00:00 What “brand” actually is00:24 Show intro00:54 Founder background and early failures02:21 What makes Liquid Death different02:46 Entertainment-first marketing strategy03:28 Why comedy is their North Star04:00 Building a brand people share05:30 Product positioning and packaging strategy07:01 The cultural trends driving growth08:55 Creating conversation and social impact09:16 Why most marketing fails today10:40 Attention economy and entertainment vs ads12:00 Measuring success with shares12:27 AI and why it’s not the answer (yet)15:29 Left brain vs right brain marketing18:02 Why most companies kill bold ideas18:42 The real risk in marketing19:47 Leveraging partnerships and collaborations21:36 The hardest part of building a brand24:22 What makes a great CMO26:49 Origin of Liquid Death28:11 Marketing across the entire funnel31:24 How they approach partnerships32:48 Why brand matters more than product34:16 Final thoughts

What if you could clone yourself… digitally?

In this episode of Mind the Machine, Cheryl Goodman breaks down how to build your own AI-powered digital twin — a system that can think, write, and communicate like you.

You’ll learn what a digital twin actually is, how it’s different from tools like ChatGPT, and the exact steps to create one using tools available today.

More importantly, Cheryl walks through the most critical part of the process — how to structure your data, define your thinking, and train your AI so it actually reflects you.

If you’re a founder, creator, or professional looking to scale your time and output, this is one of the most practical applications of AI you can start using right now.

00:00 What is a Digital Twin?

00:53 Welcome + Episode Overview

01:46 What You’ll Learn

02:05 What is a Digital Twin? (Definition)

03:01 Operational vs Personal Twins

04:39 Step 1: Gather Your Data

06:13 Decision Framework

07:57 Organizing Your Data

08:20 Step 2: Choose Your Platform (Claude, GPT)

09:02 Starter vs Advanced Twins

11:36 Step 3: System Prompt (Most Important Step)

13:07 How to Think Like Your Twin

13:57 Iteration & Testing

14:18 Step 4: Upload & Organize Data

15:27 Maintenance + Updates

15:52 Privacy & Security

16:19 Step 5: Testing Your Twin

17:23 How to Use Your Twin

18:52 Why This Is Different From ChatGPT

19:43 Treat It Like a Living Asset

20:02 Common Mistakes to Avoid

21:42 Final Thoughts

22:06 Recap 

22:28 The Bigger Opportunity

23:11 Outro

What does AI actually change about how businesses operate?

In this conversation, Wiley Jones (co-founder and CEO of Doss) breaks down the real shift happening right now — and why most people are thinking about it the wrong way.

From the evolution of computing (mainframes → cloud → AI) to the rise of “AI-native” companies, this episode explores how work is being redefined… and what actually matters if you want to build something that lasts.

This isn’t about tools. It’s about how you think.

The IQ Era: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/recap-mwc-final-day-iq-era-cheryl-k-goodman-tsuic/

00:00 Opening: “You can’t escape who you are”

00:13 Intro to Wiley Jones and Doss  

01:06 What Doss does (explained simply)  

03:00 The architecture shift behind AI  

05:50 Should companies rebuild everything for AI?  

08:02 What actually matters in an AI-driven world  

10:06 What machines vs humans should focus on  

11:54 Why understanding your business matters more than AI  

13:30 Wiley’s path and early lessons  

15:17 Why great products still fail  

21:15 Finding your “thing” (the constellation idea)  

23:00 Why conviction matters in building anything  

25:08 The myth of “AI magic”  

28:10 How to actually start using AI today  

32:09 The truth about hallucinations and limitations  

37:54 The future of AI and society  

41:52 What Doss is building and who it’s for