In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares her first experience building apps with Lovable — starting from a moment of complete creative paralysis during a hands-on workshop and ending with multiple working apps built in under ten minutes.

What began as an experiment in AI-powered app creation quickly became a broader reflection on workflows, creativity, and how non-coders can now prototype ideas faster than ever before. From redesigning field data collection processes at the charity to building spelling and football apps with her son at the kitchen table, Sara explores how tools like Lovable are changing the relationship between ideas and execution.

Along the way, she shares lessons about process redesign, prompting, experimentation, and why simple apps can sometimes create the biggest mindset shifts. Whether you are curious about AI tools, overwhelmed with ideas, or convinced app-building is only for developers, this episode may change how you think about creating with technology.

n this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how one AI tool—Claude for Excel—made her rethink what her first job would look like today.

By bringing AI directly into spreadsheets, Claude doesn't just assist with analysis—it can fix formulas, rebuild models, validate data, and even create full dashboards from scratch. Through real examples, from debugging complex files to building a 2026 reporting dashboard, Sara explores how tasks that once defined entry-level analyst roles can now be done in minutes.

But beyond productivity, this raises a bigger question: if AI can do the work that used to teach us how to think, analyse, and problem-solve… how do people develop those skills in the first place?

A practical and thought-provoking episode for anyone working with data, managing teams, or thinking about the future of work.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto explores how a simple shift in using AI transformed a moment of overwhelm into real learning. What started as a frustrating biology revision session became a powerful experiment in focus, using Google Notebook LLM to ground AI in specific materials. The result? Greater clarity, confidence, and a completely different learning experience. This episode unpacks why AI often creates noise instead of value—and how narrowing its scope can turn it into a true learning partner, both at home and in business.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto explores what really happens after a networking event, and why so much potential gets lost in the follow-up. Using AI as a personal secretary, she shares how a simple voice interaction turned scattered thoughts into structured, actionable next steps.

From capturing conversations in real time to identifying opportunities and prioritising actions, this episode shows how AI can go beyond note-taking to become a true thinking partner. If you've ever left an event feeling energised but overwhelmed, this practical experiment will show you how to turn conversations into meaningful outcomes.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara shares how she used AI to automate a monthly accounting process—and why it completely failed the first time.

What started as a straightforward automation attempt quickly turned into a deeper exercise in structuring data, defining rules, and debugging with AI. Using Claude, Sara didn't just build a macro—she uncovered hidden issues, refined her system, and improved the accuracy of the process.

This episode is a candid look at what using AI in real life actually involves: iteration, failure, and small technical details that make all the difference.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares a simple workflow that helped her capture a blog idea while driving and turn it into a usable draft. Starting with a quick voice note recorded in the car, she used Descript to generate a transcript and ChatGPT to clean it up into a structured first version. The result? A low-friction way to capture ideas anywhere and turn messy thoughts into something ready to build on. If you've ever struggled to find time to write or wished you could capture ideas on the go, this experiment shows how combining a few AI tools can make the process much easier.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto explores what happens when you stop relying on just one AI tool and start combining them intentionally. After drafting a company briefing with ChatGPT, she decided to test something different — using Perplexity to verify sources, challenge assumptions, and strengthen the final output.

The result? A powerful distinction between AI writing and AI research — and a practical workflow that brings both together. If you've ever wondered whether you should trust what AI produces, this episode offers a simple experiment you can try yourself.

Tune in to learn how combining AI tools can turn a good draft into a more grounded, verified and confident piece of work.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares a practical story of using AI to introduce automation into a system that already worked: a long-standing Excel file used for monthly accounting and reconciliation. Starting with a small but meaningful problem — converting numbers into text in Portuguese using a custom macro — Sara reflects on what it really means to automate responsibly. Along the way, she explores the value of iteration, error-finding, and adding "memory" to systems without breaking what already functions. A grounded episode for business owners and operators curious about where to start with automation — without replacing judgement or rebuilding everything from scratch.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how she used AI to plan and pack for a last-minute family holiday to Sal, Cape Verde — without the usual stress. From creating a personalised packing list to understanding hotel activities, local excursions, and weather conditions, AI became her on-the-go travel assistant.

This episode explores how conversational AI can reduce mental load, bring structure to everyday chaos, and help families feel more prepared before they even board the plane. If holiday planning usually overwhelms you, this experiment might change how you approach it next time.

In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how AI helped her transform a complex, overwhelming field report from a nine-day trip to Mozambique into a structured set of actions, insights, and strategic directions. Instead of getting stuck in the mental load of hundreds of notes, scattered observations, and project details, Sara used AI to extract actions, identify themes, build analyses, and even generate tools she can reuse in the future. Through hits, misses, iterations, and a few unexpected bugs, this episode reveals how AI can lighten cognitive load, accelerate clarity, and turn "I don't know where to start" into meaningful progress. Listeners will walk away with practical ideas for using AI to break down big tasks, reduce procrastination, and move from overwhelm to organisation.