Podcasts about Innova

Entrevista - Bruno Gili - Director Ejecutivo de Uruguay Innova by En Perspectiva

#LedgestoneOpen #DiscGolf #DGPT #PDGA #DiscGolfPodcast #Innova #NikkoLocastro #BigZDiscs #DiscGolfNews #CourtesyViolationPodcastThe Courtesy Violation Podcast is back with another week of the biggest stories in professional disc golf! This week we're breaking down everything that happened at the 2026 DGPT+ Ledgestone Open in Peoria, Illinois, one of the biggest and most prestigious events on the Disc Golf Pro Tour calendar. We recap the biggest storylines, standout performances, tournament drama, clutch shots, leaderboard shakeups, and what the results mean for the rest of the 2026 DGPT season and the race toward the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships. We also dive into Innova's brand-new DISCatcher GO basket. Is this portable, PDGA-approved target the future of backyard practice baskets, temporary tournament layouts, and traveling disc golfers? We discuss the design, portability, durability, who it's really for, and whether it's worth adding to your practice setup. Plus, we talk about Nikko Locastro joining Big Z Discs to help support his tour schedule for the remainder of the season. What does the partnership mean for Nikko, Big Z Discs, and the professional disc golf landscape? We break down our thoughts and what could happen next. (YouTube)If you're a fan of professional disc golf, DGPT coverage, PDGA news, disc golf equipment, Innova, Discraft, Discmania, Dynamic Discs, MVP Disc Sports, Latitude 64, Simon Lizotte, Paul McBeth, Gannon Buhr, Calvin Heimburg, Ricky Wysocki, Eagle McMahon, Isaac Robinson, Anthony Barela, Kristin Lätt, Eveliina Salonen, Ohn Scoggins, Silva Saarinen, and everything happening in the world of disc golf, you've found your people.Subscribe for weekly disc golf news, tournament recaps, hot takes, player signings, equipment reviews, industry news, interviews, rankings, and plenty of laughs along the way. Use code CVPOD at Russell Disc Golf to save 10% on your order, and use SHIP50 for free shipping on qualifying orders. If you enjoyed the episode:• Like the video • Subscribe to the channel • Leave a comment with your thoughts on the Ledgestone Open, the new DISCatcher GO, and Nikko's new sponsorship.• Share this episode with your disc golf crew.https://b2842e-a7.myshopify.com/Support The Podhttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/courtesyviolationpod/supportSpotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/0BCNJlXk0j6mTr8BS0c7W6?si=d13d8827bb594368Apple Podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/courtesy-violation-disc-golf-podcast/id1631228548X/Twitterhttps://x.com/CViolationpodInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/cviolationpod/Intro Song by Fascinus Rexhttps://beacons.ai/fascinusrex

Hablamos con Izaskun Azcona de Fundación La Caixa, con Sara Ruiz de Erenchun con el proyecto Sakana Hariak, con Asier Andueza con el proyecto Ecosistema Leb y con Xabier Barinaga-Rementería con su innovación Mendialdea Biziberritzen.

Register for the Appalachia Open! https://www.discgolfscene.com/tournament/The_Appalachia_Open_DGMT_2026 Hunter, Trevor, Konner, and Silas keep you up to date on everything going on in disc golf! Subscribe ► https://youtube.com/@GripLocked?sub_confirmation=1 Check out the Store: http://foundationdiscs.com Patreon: http://patreon.com/foundationdiscgolf Foundation Disc Golf: http://youtube.com/foundationdiscgolf Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Innova and Discraft colab. Rules talk. And more DG discussion happening in the aftershow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

¿Cómo sería una casa pensada, desde el principio, para todas las personas? Esa fue la pregunta que guio el hackathon final “Generación Innova: el hogar que nos incluye a todas las personas”, celebrado en el Centro de Recursos Educativos de la ONCE en Madrid con los 56 escolares ganadores de la 42.ª edición del Concurso Escolar ONCE. Juntos y juntas, trabajaron para detectar barreras en una vivienda y proponer soluciones accesibles, creativas y útiles.Escuchar audio

1.Floorfilla – Italodancer 2.Global Deejays - The sound of San Francisco 3.Danzel - Pump It Up 4.Света - Ты не мой 5.John Summit - Deep End 6.Madonna – Sorry 7.В.Кузьмин - Сказка В Моей Жизни (iNNOVA club mix) 8.Earphones - Lie To Me 9.Bumcello - Dalila (Martin Solveig Remix) 10.David Penn - You Are The One (feat. Mr Vasovski & Sheilah Cuffy) 11.Дайкири - Папа (Club mix dj Wartan vs. Galin) 12.Chocolate Puma - Always And Forever (Grant Nelson's Neo-Funk Club Mix)

This Week on The Hudson Valley Disc Golf Podcast: Alex, Joe, Jasan, Corey, Jaimen, Evan and Randy are here to recap last week's local disc golf action. Alex, Joe, Jasan, Corey, Randy and I recap our rounds at the DisCap presents the J-Park Jammer XVIII driven by Innova. Alex and Joe tried to put together good rounds while Corey tried to keep his cash streak alive. Jasan tried to relive the Glory of past Jammers and go where he's never gone before while Randy played Randy golf and still got an Ace and I was just trying to survive 2 rounds at J Park. We also went over the results and our Jammer picks.Jaimen took a trip out to Jeffersonville, Vermont for the DGVTour #6 - Brewster Ridge Open Driven by Innova - DGPT Q-Series. We heard about his rounds as well as his short time caddying for Bobby Hallum, who had a great tournament. We heard about the crappy weather that held out during the rounds but not the nights and mornings, a trip to Burger Barn where no one used random dot org to determine their order and found out if Jaimen made the cash line.As usual, we went over the week's Dubs and Leagues and finished it off with a round of Disc or No Disc. Reminders: Register for the HelderBERG Championships 2 on July 11th and the OKDGC Circuit Challenge on July 12 ASAP so they can order player packs. Also, registration is open for the DisCap Flex at Burbine on July 3rd and the CtK Flex on July 5th.Support the showSpecial Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Branden Cline, Tim Goyette, Peter Hodge, Ryan Nelson, Kevin T. Kroencke, Brian Monahan, Corey Cook, Evan Parsley, Mark Bryan, Nick Warren, Jasan Lasasso, Justin Mucelli, Terry Hudson, Kyle Hirsch, Brian Bickersmith, Sparky Spaulding, Mike Schwartz, Erich Struna, William Byrne, Jeff Wiechowski, Sean Dollard, Jack Bradley, Marcia Focht, Justin Hickok, Troy Vassari, Erik Haenel, Ross O'Toole, Peter FitzSisti, Jake Huwe, Patt Jeffries and Greg Kurtz.

This Week on The Hudson Valley Disc Golf Podcast: Jaimen and Corey recap their weekend in Leicester, Mass(Kid) for the Cosmic Open at Maple Hill x MVP (Q-Series). Between bowling, the Knick game and Double Disc Court they even managed to play some rounds of Disc Golf. Find out if Corey can restart his cash streak and do it at an A-Tier.While Randy was busy running the Mine Kill Disc Golf Championship - AM Side with Kat; Joe C, Tim, Evan and Alex were busy playing it. You'll hear about their rounds, we go over the results and get Randy's perspective of the tournament.We made picks for this weekend's DisCap presents the J-Park Jammer XVIII driven by Innova. Tim's doing Gorsage level work on the draft app despite Corey's best attempts at sabotage. He even set it up so anyone can vote for who they think will win. Check the Facebook Page for a link to vote.As usual, we ran through all of the local leagues and Dubs, including a couple Summer Battle Royale matches. Unusually, we ran out of time for a quiz but, fear not, if you listen long enough we take a Road Trip down Valley Drive to visit Fat Annie and Dennis Da Menace.Support the showSpecial Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Branden Cline, Tim Goyette, Peter Hodge, Ryan Nelson, Kevin T. Kroencke, Brian Monahan, Corey Cook, Evan Parsley, Mark Bryan, Nick Warren, Jasan Lasasso, Justin Mucelli, Terry Hudson, Kyle Hirsch, Brian Bickersmith, Sparky Spaulding, Mike Schwartz, Erich Struna, William Byrne, Jeff Wiechowski, Sean Dollard, Jack Bradley, Marcia Focht, Justin Hickok, Troy Vassari, Erik Haenel, Ross O'Toole, Peter FitzSisti, Jake Huwe and Patt Jeffries.

Welcome back to the Courtesy Violation Disc Golf Podcast! This week we're diving into some of the hottest new disc releases in disc golf, including our first impressions and reviews of the MVP Stasis, the Calvin Heimburg Duo Plastic Eagle from Innova, and the Ohn Scoggins Duo Plastic Leopard3.We also compare two of the most talked-about disc golf backpacks on the market as Trever puts the Squatch Lore head-to-head against his brand-new Pound Rufus. Which bag is worth your money? Which one offers the best comfort, storage, durability, and value for serious disc golfers?Plus, we preview one of the biggest tournaments in professional disc golf, the European Open, discussing the top storylines, player predictions, favorites to win, dark horse picks, and what fans should watch for heading into one of the most prestigious events on the PDGA and DGPT calendar.As always, we break down the latest disc golf news, professional disc golf updates, player movement, equipment releases, tournament coverage, and everything happening around the sport this week.Whether you're a casual player, tournament competitor, MPO fan, FPO fan, bag-building addict, plastic collector, or just love talking disc golf, this episode has something for you. Topics Covered:• MVP Stasis Review• Calvin Heimburg Duo Plastic Eagle Review• Ohn Scoggins Duo Plastic Leopard3 Review• Squatch Lore vs Pound Rufus Comparison• European Open Preview & Predictions• Professional Disc Golf News• DGPT Updates• PDGA News & Storylines• Disc Golf Equipment Discussion• What's In The Bag Talk Subscribe for weekly disc golf podcasts, tournament coverage, player discussions, gear reviews, hot takes, and everything happening in the world of disc golf.#DiscGolf #DGPT #PDGA #EuropeanOpen #MVPDiscs #MVPStasis #InnovaDiscs #CalvinHeimburg #OhnScoggins #Leopard3 #InnovaEagle #DiscGolfPodcast #DiscGolfReview #DiscGolfNews #DiscGolfLife #MPO #FPO #DiscGolfCommunity #PoundRufus #SquatchBags #DiscGolfBag #CourtesyViolation #FrisbeeGolf #DiscGolfTournament #DiscGolfEquipment #DiscGolfGear #DiscGolfChannel #DiscGolfYouTube #DiscGolfFans #ProfessionalDiscGolf

Campinas e região como centro de atração de investimento, Innovação e liderança em desenvolvimento. Jarib Fogaça, Conselheiro Independente, Socio JFogaca Assessoria e Diretor Consultivo da ACIC Associação Comercial Industrial de Campinas, oferece sua avaliação. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaribfogaca

In questa puntata faremo un viaggio all'interno di Molino Bruno, una realtà che rappresenta l'eccellenza italiana nel mondo delle farine professionali, dove tradizione, innovazione e ricerca si incontrano ogni giorno per offrire prodotti di altissima qualità ai professionisti dell'arte bianca.In questo reportage entreremo nel cuore dell'azienda per scoprire la filosofia produttiva, i valori che guidano il lavoro quotidiano e l'impegno costante verso lo sviluppo di soluzioni dedicate a panificatori, pizzaioli e pasticceri.Ad accompagnarci in questo percorso sarà Giovanni Bruno, uno dei titolari dell'azienda, che ci racconterà la storia del molino, la sua evoluzione e la visione che guarda al futuro del settore.Approfondiremo inoltre il mondo della pasticceria insieme a Paolo Caridi, consulente specializzato, che illustrerà l'importanza della scelta delle materie prime e delle farine dedicate alle lavorazioni dolciarie.Parleremo poi di pizza e delle nuove esigenze dei professionisti con Lorenzo Fortuna, consulente del settore pizzeria, che condividerà esperienza, tecniche e tendenze di un mercato in continua evoluzione.A completare il racconto sarà Frankie Gallucci, consulente tecnico pizzeria, che ci guiderà nell'analisi delle caratteristiche tecniche delle farine e del loro ruolo fondamentale nella realizzazione di impasti performanti e di alta qualità.Un percorso fatto di passione, competenza e cultura del prodotto, per conoscere da vicino una realtà che ogni giorno contribuisce alla crescita e all'innovazione del mondo professionale della panificazione, della pizzeria e della pasticceria.Sigla (Voce): Mara Rechichigiovannicertoma.it

15 anys despr

En Capital Intereconomía, el espacio Empresas con Identidad pone el foco en la innovación tecnológica con la participación de Jorge Fernández Quesada, de Bullnet Capital, y Oriol Nos Aguilàs, CEO de Impetux. La firma de capital riesgo ha liderado la ronda de inversión en esta spin-off de la Universidad de Barcelona, especializada en instrumentación fotónica avanzada para ciencias de la vida. Durante la conversación, explican el potencial de tecnologías como las pinzas ópticas o la microscopía confocal y los objetivos de crecimiento de la compañía en un sector altamente innovador. En Digital Business, Borja Martín de la Torre, cofundador de Meritoo, analiza la importancia de la reputación digital, subrayando que todo lo que aparece en internet —desde información incompleta hasta noticias falsas— puede condicionar tanto a grandes empresas como a pequeños negocios o particulares. También advierte del papel de la inteligencia artificial y buscadores como Google en la construcción de esa narrativa pública, así como de los riesgos asociados a la exposición de datos, como el phishing o las estafas, y cómo su compañía ayuda a gestionar estos escenarios. El programa se completa con Carlos Larrea, de Innova-tsn, que aborda el impacto de la inteligencia artificial en el sector asegurador. Analiza sus aplicaciones actuales, el grado de implantación en las compañías, las barreras existentes —como la regulación o la adaptación tecnológica— y las perspectivas de futuro de una industria en plena transformación digital.

This week on the Hudson Valley Disc Golf Podcast, Alex, Randy, Corey, Jaimen, and Evan team up to break down an absolute marathon of local action. We're hitting every corner of the region to recap the leagues, doubles, and tournaments that defined the week.The crew starts with a deep dive into the local action, including Corey's recap of the JDubz Points Championships and Jaimen's kickoff of the CtK Handicap League. Plus, Randy and Alex share their lines at Stonykill Dubs before we lightning-round our way through an incredible list of community staples:Gunks, SPAC, Wilcox, Skylands (including the Friday Handicap), Deadbeats, Shen Creek, CPS Thursday, OKDGC, DiscBeat, TGIFDR, SPW, CranMore, Dove Creek and LIDG Sunday.We also check the standings in the SkipAce Picks League, then Randy and Alex provide a full download on the MVP Am Side. Corey takes us through the rugged terrain of Mighty Gaw XIX. Also, since none of us played, we went over the results of DisCap presents April Showers 20 driven by Innova. Plus, Evan brings us the latest from both the Riverside Rambler 2026 and Prospect Doubles.We wrap it all up with another high-stakes round of Disc or No Disc. If it happened in the Valley this week, we're talking about it!#HudsonValleyDiscGolf #GrowTheGame #LocalDiscGolf #NYDiscGolfSupport the showSpecial Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Branden Cline, Tim Goyette, Peter Hodge, Ryan Nelson, Kevin T. Kroencke, Brian Monahan, Corey Cook, Evan Parsley, Mark Bryan, Nick Warren, Jasan Lasasso, Justin Mucelli, Terry Hudson, Kyle Hirsch, Brian Bickersmith, Sparky Spaulding, Mike Schwartz, Erich Struna, William Byrne, Jeff Wiechowski, Sean Dollard, Jack Bradley, Marcia Focht, Justin Hickok, Troy Vassari, Erik Haenel, Ross O'Toole and Peter FitzSisti.

This Week on The Hudson Valley Disc Golf Podcast: Corey, Jaimen, Alex, Randy, Tim and Evan are joined by Adam Guttmann, Tournament Director for The 23rd Annual FDR Fools Fest, Presented by Innova. Alex, Corey and Jaimen recap their rounds in Saturday's MPO day at Fool's Fest and Adam talks about his first ever round playing MP40 on Sunday. We also get some insight on some possible future projects at FDR including new Blue Baskets to replace the current White baskets. No truth to the rumor that Kyle asked for that. Randy walked us through his round at the Tim-less DisCap presents the Blatnick Breeze 9, driven by Innova. We cover some of the local action from the previous week, including J-Dubz, Prospect Dubs and the final week of The Fence Road Farm Brewery Winter Putting League. We check in on the most recent SkipAce events and preview this weekend's NYTC Finals. We finished it up with a controversial round of Disc or No Disc, in which the winner wasn't decided until the last question.Support the showSpecial Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Branden Cline, Tim Goyette, Peter Hodge, Ryan Nelson, Kevin T. Kroencke, Brian Monahan, Corey Cook, Evan Parsley, Mark Bryan, Nick Warren, Jasan Lasasso, Justin Mucelli, Terry Hudson, Kyle Hirsch, Brian Bickersmith, Sparky Spaulding, Mike Schwartz, Erich Struna, William Byrne, Jeff Wiechowski, Sean Dollard, Jack Bradley, Marcia Focht, Justin Hickok, Troy Vassari, Erik Haenel, Ross O'Toole and Peter FitzSisti.

Our guest in this episode is Brent Keltner, Founder and President of Winalytics, a go-to-market consultancy helping B2B revenue teams build authentic buyer journeys. Brent, a former qualitative researcher and revenue leader, brings a unique “low ego learner” mindset to the world of sales and marketing. We explore the shift from being a “sage on the stage” to a “guide by the side,” the importance of the buying committee over the individual persona, and how to use AI as a teammate to compress days of research into minutes of hyper-personalized outreach without losing the human touch.Key points discussed include:* The “Rugby Metaphor” for go-to-market teams: success comes from team orchestration and multi-phase play, not individual heroics.* Narrow your focus to broaden your appeal: why specificity in your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) actually deepens market connection.* AI as a “BBB+” teammate: using agents for orchestration and research while keeping a human in the loop to elevate the final output to an “A.”Listen to the podcast to find out more.Show Notes from this episode with Brent Keltner, WinalyticsIt was a real pleasure to host Brent Keltner on the Innova.buzz podcast. Brent is someone who clearly doesn't do things by halves; his kids even say he's “allergic to half-assed.” That intensity, combined with his background as a qualitative researcher, makes him the perfect guide for navigating the complex world of B2B sales. We sat down to unpack how to move away from “bludgeoning” buyers and instead focus on building buying readiness through authentic, journey-first conversations.Brent kicked things off with a brilliant metaphor from his favorite sport: rugby. Unlike many American sports, rugby is about the flow of the whole team moving in unison through multiple phases. He sees a great go-to-market team the same way: Sales Development Representatives (SDR), sales, marketing, and customer success all working from the same buyer-centric playbook. It's not about the individual function; it's about the journey. When that alignment happens, you can feel the “flow” where everyone is focused on helping the buyer win quicker.The Buying Committee: Moving Beyond the Single PersonaWe had a great exchange about the limitations of traditional buyer persona documents. Brent pointed out that while personas matter, accounts buy, individuals do not. In a typical B2B deal, there are six to ten people involved. If your marketing is only speaking to one person, you're leaving your champion high and dry. We discussed the need for “actionable” enablement documents; a simple front-and-back sheet that an SDR can actually use to connect with an economic buyer or a technical lead, rather than a 50-page slide deck that sits in a drawer.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we unpack the deeper ideas Brent surfaces beneath the surface of his revenue model: how the “rugby metaphor” transforms a fragmented sales team into a single, fluid organism, what it actually takes to arm an SDR with actionable intelligence rather than a static persona document, and why “closing the deal” is rarely the seller's job to be done. We also dig further into the AI orchestration math, the intent data gap in the modern buyer journey, and what it takes to use AI as a “BBB+” teammate without losing the human heart of the message.If you're drawn to practical conversations about AI that stay grounded in real-world outcomes, plus the human psychology behind the “low ego learner” and the “guide by the side,” I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that rarely make it into the public version, the moments that sharpen judgment and keep us honest about what AI can, and cannot, do for our relationships.Maybe they'll keep your curiosity alive too.Narrow Your Focus to Broaden Your AppealI've always found it a bit of a paradox that being more specific helps you reach more people, and Brent nailed it with his phrase: “Narrow your focus to broaden your appeal.” We talked about the fear many entrepreneurs have of “locking out” potential customers by being too niche. Brent's advice is grounded: focus your proactive targeting and social proof where you have critical mass. If someone outside that niche finds you, you can still choose to work with them, but your message will land much harder when it speaks directly to a specific industry's problems and uses their language.The “Guide by the Side” vs. The “Sage on the Stage”One of the most profound shifts we discussed was the change in the seller's role. Brent shared a teaching analogy: the old model was the “sage on the stage” lecturing, while the new model is the “guide by the side.” In a world where 70-80% of the buyer journey is digital and self-educated, sellers don't close deals; buyers do. Our job is to be the guide, asking the right questions and providing the right content at the right time to help them make an informed decision, even if that decision is that we aren't the right fit.AI as the Ultimate OrchestratorNaturally, we dove into the “magical Playground” of AI. Brent sees AI not just as a tool for writing emails, but as a teammate for orchestration. We talked about using AI agents to research target accounts, connect value propositions to specific news feeds, and pull in intent data from CRM systems. The goal isn't to replace the human, but to compress the “BBB+” work; the research and drafting; so a talented human can spend their time on the “A” work of refining the message and building the relationship. It's about using AI to “roadmap” the conversation and ensure we aren't sending “garbage” inputs.The Low Ego LearnerFinally, Brent shared a personal story about his journey to a black belt in karate. As a former rugby player and wrestler, he initially struggled with the finesse and rhythm of karate. He succeeded by becoming an “equal opportunity learner,” checking his ego at the dojo door and learning from everyone, including his children and the women in his class. This “low ego learner” mindset is perhaps the most important skill for any professional today: the ability to look for learning opportunities in every environment, unencumbered by hierarchy or status.In Summary:Brent Keltner reminds us that in a world of high-tech tools, the most effective strategy is still human-centered: put the buyer first. By narrowing our focus, acting as a guide rather than a lecturer, and leveraging AI to enhance our research rather than replace our heart, we can build buyer journeys that are not only efficient but genuinely authentic.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Brent's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using the interactive process of “teaching” AI to understand your perspective. This “dance” of back-and-forth communication forces us to be clearer and less assuming, which is a skill that translates directly to better human communication.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Using AI for clarity and brevity in important emails. It helps sharpen the language so the point gets across in the way that is easiest for the recipient to consume.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Develop the skill of “recapping and roadmapping.” Just as you frame a conversation for AI with clear inputs and desired outputs, doing the same for human meetings builds trust and ensures everyone is aligned on the journey.ActionIt is not about you; it is about your buyer. Start living that mindset in every interaction by letting the buyer talk about themselves and their needs first.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Brent via LinkedIn or email him directly at bkeltner@winalytics.com.Links:* Website - Winalytics* LinkedIn - Brent Keltner* YouTube - WinalyticsCool Things About Brent* Brent is a rare and fascinating combination — a Stanford-trained PhD social scientist, a karate black belt, a church business fellowship leader, and someone with a very specific and intriguing winter morning ritual that's worth asking him about.* Discipline is a defining thread in Brent's life. Earning a black belt in karate requires years of patient, humbling, repetitive practice — and that same quality shows up in everything he builds professionally.* Brent never really left the research lab. He crossed from academia into the commercial world, but brought the researcher's instinct with him — still citing peer-reviewed journals, still framing problems as hypotheses, still asking what the data actually shows.* Brent has one of the more sophisticated takes on AI you'll encounter — not as an evangelist or a sceptic, but as a social scientist asking the better question: where does human judgment add the most value, and where can machines free us to do more of what only humans can do? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Anya Cheng, Founder and CEO of Taelor, a pioneering menswear subscription service that leverages artificial intelligence to help high-impact individuals move toward their goals with confidence. Before building her own zero-to-one startup, Anya led digital innovation and e-commerce for global giants like Meta, eBay, and Target. She is also an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University, bringing the logic of data together with the art of personal expression. We explore the intersection of high-level technology and human confidence, the startling environmental impact of unsold fashion inventory, and how AI can act as a sophisticated co-pilot for human stylists to ensure busy professionals always look the part.Key points discussed include:* The “circular” business model of Taelor helps reduce the 30 billion dollars of fashion inventory that goes from factory to landfill annually.* AI serves as a co-pilot for human stylists, managing vast data points on fit, occasion, and quality that are impossible for a human to track alone.* Dressing for the role you want is a psychological tool to combat imposter syndrome and build immediate credibility.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Show Notes from this episode with Anya Cheng, TaelorIt was a real privilege to welcome Anya Cheng to the Innova.buzz podcast. Anya joins us from the San Francisco Bay Area with a background that reads like a roadmap of Silicon Valley success, yet her focus remains firmly on the human element of confidence. Our conversation delved into how she transitioned from managing massive corporate systems at Meta and eBay to creating a personalized AI service that removes the friction of “looking the part” for busy professionals.Anya shared a startling statistic that set the stage for our talk: in the US alone, 30 billion dollars of menswear goes directly from factories to landfills every year. This unsold inventory creates a massive environmental footprint, contributing to 10% of global emissions and 20% of polluted water. Taelor addresses this by creating a rental and subscription model that acts as an outlet for brands and a sustainable choice for consumers. It is a clever intersection of commerce and conservation that allows high-quality garments to live multiple lives rather than ending up as waste.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we unpack the deeper ideas Anya surfaces beneath the surface of her business model: how Taelor's AI and human stylists operate as a co-pilot loop, what the rental data reveals about true garment quality over time, and why “looking good” is rarely the real job to be done. We also dig further into the sustainability math, the feedback gap in the fashion supply chain, and what it takes to use AI without drifting into confident, wrong answers.If you're drawn to practical conversations about AI that stay grounded in real-world outcomes, plus the human psychology behind confidence and credibility, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that rarely make it into the public version, the moments that sharpen judgment and keep us honest about what AI can, and cannot, do for us.Maybe they'll keep your curiosity alive too.The Psychology of the “Lucky Shirt” and Professional CredibilityWe discussed the concept of “enclothed cognition”—the idea that what we wear directly impacts how we feel and perform. Anya spoke candidly about her own experience as an immigrant from Taiwan and a female leader in tech, where she used clothing as a tool to navigate imposter syndrome. Whether it is a lawyer fighting for a case or a sales professional heading to a conference, the right outfit serves as a conversation opener and a source of internal strength. Anya's vision is to help people be successful without the mental load of worrying about their appearance, allowing them to focus entirely on their mission.AI as the Ultimate Stylist's Co-pilotOne of the most fascinating parts of Taelor's model is the relationship between the AI and the human stylists. Anya describes it as a flywheel: the human stylists train the AI, and the AI acts as a “guardrail” for the stylists, remembering every specific customer preference, from sleeve length to a dislike of the color green. With 150 brands and 30,000 garments in their system, it would be impossible for a human to curate the perfect selection for every scenario—like a job interview or a TED talk—without the data-crunching power of AI. This partnership ensures that the human element remains in control while the technology handles the complexity.Closing the Feedback Loop in FashionAnya highlighted a major flaw in the traditional fashion supply chain: the lack of feedback. Designers often have no idea why a garment didn't sell—was the sleeve an inch too long, or the shoulder too tight? Because Taelor is a rental service, they collect real-world data on how clothes perform after multiple washes and wears. This data goes back to the brands, helping them stop producing “junk” and start creating garments with true longevity. It turns the act of getting dressed into a data-driven cycle that benefits the creator, the consumer, and the planet.The Future of Retail: Try Before You BuyThe Taelor model mirrors the shift we have seen in other industries, like leasing cars or streaming movies on Netflix. It allows men to step out of their comfort zones and try emerging brands from Italy, Australia, or Canada without the commitment of a full purchase. By lowering the barrier to discovery, Anya is helping smaller, sustainable brands find their audience while giving her customers a “test drive” of the latest styles. It is a move away from the “marketing monster” of big brand names and toward a focus on quality, fit, and the actual job the clothing needs to do for the wearer.In Summary:Anya Cheng is proving that technology does not have to be cold or impersonal. By using AI to handle the logistics of fashion, she is freeing up human energy for more important pursuits. Her work with Taelor is a masterclass in using data to enhance human humanity, proving that when we look our best, we are often at our most confident and capable.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Anya's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using AI as a supporting tool for therapists and psychologists. It provides 24/7 support for patients when the human professional is unavailable, acting as a “best friend” gatekeeper while the expert remains in ultimate control.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Using AI to solve labor-intensive or environmental problems, such as AI-driven lobster capturing or strawberry picking. These tools handle the “labor work” and productivity, allowing humans to focus on higher-level strategy and connection.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Focus on strategic thinking and the “why” behind the problem. Avoid chasing “shiny new objects” and ensure the AI is solving a real pain point for the customer, like Taelor does by helping people feel ready for their day.ActionGo out, participate in communities, and talk to more people. Cultivate curiosity by asking “why” and exploring subjects that fascinate you, even if they don't have an immediate utility.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Anya via her website or connect with her on LinkedIn. You can also email her directly at anya@taelor.ai.Links:* Website - Taelor* LinkedIn - Anya Cheng* LinkedIn - Taelor* Facebook - Anya Cheng* Facebook - Taelor* X - @TaelorStyle* X - @Anyacheng* Instagram - @taelor.style* Instagram - @anyacheng_siliconvalley* Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing CommunicationsCool Things About Anya* The “Accidental Plumber” Grit: When Anya first arrived in the US, she didn't know what a corporate “contractor” was. She genuinely worried they were hiring her as a plumber, but her “toward” motivation was so strong she said “yes” first and Googled the definition later.* The Investigative Networking Method: Carrying her journalist's heart into Silicon Valley, Anya didn't just apply for jobs during the recession; she cold-called professors and turned a laid-off recruiter into a mentor. She treats every connection like a front-page story waiting to be discovered.* The Australian Serendipity: Just days before our first call, Anya's world expanded toward Australia when a new investor, backed by the largest Australian family office, introduced her to nearly a hundred of our compatriots in a single week.* Professor by Night: Despite the “zero-to-one” intensity of Taelor AI, Anya maintains a systematic commitment to the future as an Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University, bridging the gap between high-level theory and startup reality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

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Our guest in this episode is Robert Lee Camp, master of the Cards of Destiny system, software developer, and long time student of astrology. Robert has spent 35 years helping people explore what he describes as a mathematical blueprint reflected in a standard deck of playing cards, and how it connects with astrological influences. We talk about where meaning in the card deck comes from, why “newspaper horoscopes” fail, how he blends card work with astrology for more practical and psychological insight, and where AI fits, both as a coding assistant and as a possible future interface for his style of readings.Key points discussed include:* The playing card deck as a mathematical structure, including claimed correspondences like 52 weeks and 365 total pip values.* The Cards of Destiny concept that month and day of birth map to a “life card”, with multiple birthdays sharing the same card, and why that does not mean identical lives.* A clear critique of generic horoscope columns, they are too broad to be meaningful, and often function as entertainment rather than disciplined interpretation.* AI as a useful helper for code and research, plus a sober warning about errors and confident wrong answers, and why human judgment stays central.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Show Notes from this episode with Robert Lee Camp, Cards of Your DestinyThis conversation with Robert Lee Camp goes to a place we do not visit every week on Innova.buzz, the intersection of esoteric systems, pattern interpretation, and modern tools. Robert is candid about his own pathway, he started with astrology, then encountered an old book, Sacred Symbols of the Ancients (1940s), that connected playing cards with symbolic meaning. That discovery, and the accuracy he felt it had for him, pushed him into decades of study and teaching.He frames the “regular” 52 card deck as more than a game tool, a structure with mathematical features that appear to mirror calendar cycles. From there, he introduces the core idea many listeners will want to test immediately: your month and day of birth maps to a specific card, and there are multiple birthdays that can share the same card. He is careful, though. Same card does not mean same life, or the same outcomes. He describes each card as having a range, a higher and lower expression, plus many variations in between.The deck, the symbols, and what gets lost over timeA strong thread early in our exchange is simple curiosity about origins. Where did this standard deck come from, and why did it settle into this configuration of suits, courts, and numbers. Robert's view is that much of the original symbolic meaning has been lost, even to modern manufacturers. He offers one concrete example most people recognise visually: the Ace of Spades often being larger and more ornate than the other aces. Manufacturers may say “that's just how it's always done,” while Robert argues there is a symbolic reason inside the tradition.We also touch on the fact that not all cultures use the same deck format. That matters, because Robert's system is tied specifically to the 52 card structure and its internal relationships. Variations, even familiar ones used in certain European games, do not preserve the same correspondences.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we unpack the deeper ideas Robert surfaces beneath the surface of his stories: why the tabloid version of astrology fails, how he blends cards with planetary spreads for psychological insight, and what it really looks like to use AI as a high-speed assistant without losing your human judgment.If you're drawn to thoughtful conversations about patterns, systems, and the parts of our journey we can't fully automate, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that rarely make it into polished episodes, the moments that sharpen our curiosity and keep us honest as creators.Maybe they'll keep your curiosity alive too.Blending cards with astrology, and why the tabloid version does not workRobert has an interesting position. He is blunt about generic horoscope columns, in his view, they cannot be valid because they apply to far too many people across a broad birth window. He calls that content made up, and he is not shy about it.At the same time, he speaks from the perspective of someone who has done many readings and has deep respect for more rigorous traditions, including Vedic and Chinese astrology. He describes these as detailed and practical in a way that surprises people who only know the “I'm a monkey” or “you'll meet a stranger today” versions.Where Robert places his own emphasis is more psychological. Instead of trying to play carnival fortune teller, he aims to help people understand inner patterns, issues under the surface, and the kinds of tensions that can be worked with, so life becomes less reactive and more intentional.The spreads and planetary influences, a glimpse of the internal logicRobert shares an image of what he calls the life spread and spiritual spread, with cards laid out in perfect order, and with rows and columns associated with planets. His claim is that particular placements within that grid correspond to strong planetary themes, and he gives an example of a card associated with Uranus and Aquarian influence.Even if you remain skeptical, the noteworthy part is that Robert is not presenting this as vague intuition. He is presenting it as a structured interpretive system, with internal rules, correspondences, and repeatable placements. That is a very different thing from random guessing dressed up as mysticism.AI, a helper that sometimes lies with confidenceThe AI segment is one of the most practically useful parts of the episode, because it strips away hype.Robert says there are already AI based astrology reading sites, and he expects it is only a matter of time until someone applies the same approach to his card system. His intention is to build that himself, training an AI to deliver readings in his style, so people can interact conversationally and ask questions about near term concerns.He is not naive about current limitations. He questions whether AI “thinks” in a meaningful way, because he has seen it fail at straightforward tasks and persist in wrong answers. He also offers the counterpoint from software work, where AI can be a serious productivity multiplier. His lead programmer, he says, is getting the work output of several people by using AI well, because he knows how to ask, how to verify, and how to integrate results.That is the line worth underlining: AI helps most when the human using it already has competence, context, and a habit of checking.In Summary:Robert Lee Camp invites listeners into a structured system that he believes reflects life patterns through the mathematics and symbolism of the playing card deck, and he links it to astrological influences in a way he claims is consistent and predictive. Alongside that, he offers an unusually grounded take on AI, powerful as an assistant for research and code, unreliable as an authority, and best used with human judgment firmly in charge.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Robert's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: He has not seen a direct relationship use case, although he notes that increased productivity can reduce stress and indirectly improve relationships.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Using AI to review and streamline his code, improving efficiency and performance in a software project.* Number one skill to develop in the age of AI: Treat AI as a helper that accelerates creative and practical work, and learn how to direct it effectively, especially when you already understand the domain.ActionGo to Robert's website, enter your birthday, and try the free reading to discover your card and explore what it suggests about you.Reach OutYou can find Robert Lee Camp and explore the Cards of Destiny system at cardsofyourdestiny.com.Links:* Website - Cards of Your Destiny* Podcast - The Mr Destiny Radio Show with Robert Lee Camp* YouTube - Robert Lee Camp* Facebook - The Cards of Your DestinyCool Things About Robert* A Salty Realist in a Mystical World: Despite working with ancient cards and astrology, Robert has zero patience for “fluff.” His willingness to call out mainstream horoscopes as “bs” shows a refreshing, no-nonsense authenticity that is rare in the spiritual coaching space.* The Sci-Fi Visionary: His deep love for Star Trek isn't just a hobby; it's a framework for how he views human potential. He doesn't just look at the past through ancient cards; he looks at the future through the lens of optimistic futurism.* The “Business Mechanic”: It is fascinating that he treats interpersonal dynamics like a machine that can be tuned. He doesn't just give “readings”; he analyzes “staff pairings” and “interpersonal gears,” bringing a developer's logic to human relationships.* The AI Adventurer: At an age where many might shy away from new tech, Robert is leaning into the “magical playground” of AI. He is actively experimenting with how to bridge a 35-year-old mastery with the cutting edge of large language models, showing that curiosity has no expiration date. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Jacqueline Basulto, Founder and CEO of SeedX, a global digital consulting and marketing firm. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Jacqueline turned a $200 investment into over a billion dollars of tangible client impact. She specializes in empowering organizations to find the balance between high-tech growth and human-centric connections. We explore building culture across a distributed global team, the responsible use of AI as a tool (not a crutch), and why accepting help, both at work and at home, is a leadership skill, not a weakness.Key points discussed include:* Build a distributed team culture by hiring in regional clusters, encouraging paid trial projects, and investing in in-person meetups.* Use AI as a thinking partner: brainstorm, check your work, and challenge your ideas, but never just copy-paste the output.* Accepting help and delegating is not a sign of weakness; it creates room for others to grow and for you to lead.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Show Notes from this episode with Jacqueline Basulto, SeedXIt was a genuine pleasure to welcome Jacqueline Basulto, Founder and CEO of SeedX, to the Innova.buzz podcast. Jacqueline brings a rare combination of scrappy entrepreneurial grit and deeply considered human values. Our conversation ranged from the nuts and bolts of building a 70-person distributed team across multiple continents, to the philosophical question of how AI reshapes (or doesn't) the fundamentals of human connection.Jacqueline opened by sharing what drives her: a desire for direct, tangible impact. Early in her career, she found herself in a role where she couldn't see the effect of her work on people, and that disconnect pushed her toward marketing and entrepreneurship. Today, that drive extends beyond clients to her own team. She wants the people at SeedX to thrive, to be happy, to grow. It's a holistic view that many founders talk about but few genuinely embody.From $200 and a Dream: Building a Global Team Out of NecessityJacqueline started SeedX at 22 with literally $200, probably negative money once you factor in student loans. She needed talent she couldn't afford locally, so she looked globally. Her third hire, Vlad, was a UI designer from Ukraine, and he's still on the team years later, now a close friend. What began as a financial necessity evolved into a genuine philosophy: talented, great people exist everywhere. Before COVID made remote work fashionable, SeedX was already operating across continents, turning time zones from a logistical headache into a competitive advantage. When one team logs off, they prepare a handoff for the next time zone. Clients have noticed, particularly those expanding internationally, that someone is always awake and ready to respond.Culture Without a Headquarters: Hiring, Trust, and In-Person ConnectionI was curious how Jacqueline builds culture when team members may never share a physical office. Her approach is layered. Many hires come through referrals from trusted team members. Beyond that, SeedX uses paid trial projects, a common practice in the remote world, where candidates work on a small engagement before either side commits. It gives both parties a genuine sense of work style, communication, and expectations. Jacqueline also emphasized the need for self-motivated, independent people; in a remote environment, nobody is looking over your shoulder, and that has to be a feature, not a bug.That feeling of watching someone build a global team from $200 and a Ukrainian designer named Vlad, and then figuring out how to keep the human thread alive across four continents, is also the exact starting point for the rest of our fascinating conversation, and for the deeper work I'm exploring.This podcast is the beginning of the conversation, but the personal reflections, the “why” behind what was said, are where the real journey begins.If you'd like to read the rest of this post, where Jacqueline shares her hard-won lessons on delegation, the real cost of mistakes (and why they're worth paying for), and her refreshingly grounded take on AI as “just human behaviour in a new form,” I'd love to invite you to become a paid subscriber.A subscription unlocks these full, detailed show notes, but more importantly, it welcomes you into a quieter space. It's where I share my private reflections on these conversations about AI, the “behind-the-lens” stories from my photography, and the personal meditations that connect them all. It's a place for the curious, and I'd be honoured to share it with you.On the in-person side, SeedX now hires in regional clusters, Argentina, Spain, Kenya, so that local teams can meet up regularly. The entire team gathered once in Barcelona during Jacqueline's wedding week, which says something about the closeness of the group. The early employees, who shared that scrappy “building something together” feeling, are now the leaders carrying that culture forward into their own teams.AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement: Using It with Maturity and CreativityNaturally, we ventured into AI territory. Jacqueline's stance is refreshingly grounded: AI is a tool, just like any other that has come before it. She drew a parallel to snail mail. You could send the same generic letter to thousands, or you could send a handwritten note tailored to the recipient. The medium changed with email, and it's changing again with AI, but the underlying dynamic is the same. The people who use it lazily will produce lazy results. The people who use it thoughtfully will produce something meaningful.At SeedX, the team is encouraged to use AI, but with intention. Brainstorm with it. Fine-tune your thinking. Check your work. But never just feed a prompt in, take the output, and slap it on a client deliverable. Jacqueline's husband even prompts AI to “roast” his ideas, keeping him grounded. I shared my own approach of asking AI to tear my ideas apart rather than validate them, and we agreed: the real value is in using AI to surface blind spots and risks you hadn't considered, then strengthening your original thinking.The Leadership Skill Nobody Talks About: Accepting HelpOne of the most resonant threads in our conversation was about delegation and accepting help. Jacqueline was candid: when she first started SeedX, she was nervous about letting go of tasks. The same pattern repeated when she became a mother. She felt she had to do everything herself. Over time, she reframed both. At work, she recognized she simply wasn't the best at everything, and holding onto tasks wasn't just limiting the company's growth, it was denying her team the opportunity to level up. At home, she drew strength from her own mother's example, a working mother who commuted two hours daily, and from the reality that historically, raising a family was never a solo endeavour.Her business partner is also her husband, Justin, who left medical school to build SeedX alongside her. That partnership means they're constantly in sync on work, finances, values, and weekend plans. Jacqueline acknowledged that mistakes are inevitable when you delegate, both your own and your team's, but she frames them as paid lessons, on-the-job training that builds resilience and capability.In Summary:Jacqueline Basulto offers a grounded, practical perspective on building a business that scales without losing its soul. Her message is clear: hire great people everywhere, give them room to grow (and fail), use every tool available with intention and maturity, and never confuse asking for help with weakness. The human element, whether in marketing, team culture, or parenting, remains the thing that actually matters.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Jacqueline's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using a fitness tracker like the Oura Ring, powered by AI, to deepen her relationship with her own health. Also, using ChatGPT with her husband to quickly look things up during conversations, which accelerates their dialogue and curiosity together.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: As a personal trip planner, AI helped her plan a Disney trip with her three-year-old daughter, reducing stress and improving the family experience. At work, AI-powered tools help her identify the right people to connect with and understand their problems, making her outreach more relevant and welcomed.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Develop timeless skills: critical thinking, constant learning, and creativity. Machines can handle technical work, so the differentiator is being more creative than the machine and thinking more critically about how to apply the tools.ActionLearn something new, and try to connect with someone who's not from your part of the world. The unique perspectives that come from cross-cultural connection are a form of learning in themselves.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Jacqueline via the SeedX website or connect with her on LinkedIn.Links:* Website - SeedX* LinkedIn* FacebookCool Things About Jacqueline* The Anti-Traffic Expat - She didn't just grumble about LA traffic; she moved to a different continent. Jacqueline chose Barcelona specifically for its walkability. A tech CEO relocating halfway around the world so she can stroll to get a coffee instead of sitting on a freeway is both rebellious and deeply grounded.* Return on Identity - She started SeedX with $200, likely scraped together from lower-middle-class immigrant roots, and has turned that into $1 billion in client revenue. That ratio is not business growth. It is resource alchemy.* The Young Veteran - Born in 1995, she founded SeedX in 2016, at roughly 21. She has been a CEO for her entire adult life. The result: Gen Z energy paired with veteran executive instincts. Very few guests bridge that generational gap so naturally.* The CEO Who Lists “Mom” First - In a corporate world that subtly pressures women to minimise family life to appear “serious,” Jacqueline puts “mother to a two-year-old daughter” in the first paragraph of her professional bio, right next to the $1 billion revenue line. She treats motherhood not as a footnote but as a pillar that stands equal to CEO.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Victoria Mensch, founder of the Silicon Valley Executive Academy, based in Hayward, California. With 25+ years in the high-tech industry and a background bridging clinical psychology with strategic leadership, Victoria helps leaders move from burnout and cognitive freeze into sustainable, human-centred performance in the age of AI. We explore why automating the wrong things creates more burnout, not less; how organisations can use AI as a transformative enabler rather than a cost-cutting patch; and why curiosity is the single most important skill to develop right now.Key points discussed include:* Automating creative tasks while leaving humans with unfulfilling work accelerates burnout rather than reducing it.* AI strategy should start with value, not cost: ask what makes things better, not just faster or cheaper.* Curiosity, human judgment, and contextual thinking are the skills that machines cannot replicate.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Victoria Mensch, Silicon Valley Executive AcademyIt was a genuine pleasure to welcome Victoria Mensch to the Innova.Buzz podcast. Victoria brings a rare combination: deep clinical psychology training layered over decades of Silicon Valley strategy work. The result is a perspective on AI that is neither breathlessly optimistic nor paralysed by fear. It is grounded, practical, and, frankly, a little overdue in the broader conversation.Victoria opened with a framing that I found immediately compelling: the idea that we are not passive passengers watching AI carry us somewhere. We are, or should be, active decision-makers shaping the direction. She draws a clear distinction between using AI as a patch, faster, cheaper, more volume, and using it as a genuine transformative enabler. The first approach is tempting. The second is where the real opportunity lives.The Burnout Paradox: When Automation Makes Things WorseHere is the uncomfortable truth Victoria surfaces early in our conversation. Many organisations are automating the creative and cognitively engaging tasks, the ones people actually find meaningful, while leaving humans to handle the distribution, the admin, the repetitive bottlenecks. The result is not relief. It is deeper burnout. People feel like machines precisely because they are now doing the machine work.Victoria's point is sharp: before you automate anything, ask whether you are automating the right things. Are you removing the bottlenecks that drain people, or are you removing the work that gives them a reason to show up? The IKEA example she shares is instructive. When they analysed their customer service queries, they discovered a large proportion were really interior design questions. Rather than automating those away, they redeployed those staff into a premium design service. That is the difference between cost-cutting and value creation.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we go deeper into Victoria's three-layer AI strategy framework, the case for keeping human judgment firmly at the steering wheel, and why curiosity, not technical skill, is the most important thing to develop right now.If you are navigating AI in your business or your leadership role and you want a psychologically grounded, practically useful perspective, I would love you to join the inner circle. It is where we explore the ideas that go beyond the hype and into the real decisions that shape how we work and lead.Maybe they will sharpen your thinking too.The Three Layers of AI StrategyVictoria describes a layered approach to AI decision-making that I found genuinely useful. At the individual level, the question is: what do I want more of, and what do I want less of? Not just in work, but in life. AI should free up capacity for the things that matter, not simply compress the same workload into fewer hours.At the team and business unit level, the question shifts to value creation for the customer. What are the real bottlenecks? What processes are we running that perhaps should not exist at all? And at the organisational level, the strategic question is about transformation: can we reconstruct our offering entirely, serve customers differently, remove low-value products and add high-value services? These are not efficiency questions. They are identity questions.Human Judgment at the Steering WheelOne of the most resonant moments in our conversation was Victoria's insistence that, for the foreseeable future, humans must remain at the steering wheel. Not as a passive safety check, but as an active, courageous exercise of judgment. She makes the point that human judgment is not just about reviewing AI outputs for errors. It is about the willingness to go against the data, to trust intuition, to take a direction that the analysis does not fully support.This connects to something I have been thinking about a great deal: the risk that younger generations, coming up through an education system increasingly mediated by AI, may miss the formative experience of running into walls, making mistakes, and building the kind of intuition that only comes from lived experience. Victoria agrees. The disruption to education is not primarily about information transfer, which AI handles well. It is about whether we can teach emotional resilience, contextual judgment, and critical thinking. Those are the skills that remain distinctly human.Curiosity as the Core SkillWhen I asked Victoria for the one skill we should all be developing right now, her answer was immediate: curiosity. Not curiosity as a vague aspiration, but as a daily practice. Question the status quo. Ask what else is possible. Resist the pull of the low-hanging fruit and keep asking what would make this genuinely better. In a landscape saturated with AI hype and AI fear, curiosity is the orientation that keeps you learning rather than reacting.Victoria's broader message is one of agency. We are not watching a technological tide come in. We are making choices, every day, about how AI shapes our work, our organisations, and our lives. The question is whether we are making those choices consciously, with a clear sense of the value we want to create, or whether we are simply automating whatever is easiest to automate and hoping for the best.In Summary:Victoria Mensch offers a clear-eyed, psychologically informed framework for navigating AI without losing what makes us human. Her message is not anti-AI. It is pro-human. Use the tools. Experiment freely. But keep your hand on the wheel, stay curious, and never stop asking what would make this genuinely better.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Victoria's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to strengthen human relationships: Freeing up time by automating routine tasks, then being intentional about how that reclaimed time is invested in genuine human connection.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Challenging AI rather than accepting its outputs passively, and using that process to help organisations think beyond automation toward genuine transformation.* Key skill to develop in the age of AI: Curiosity, applied broadly: in how you use AI, how you set goals, and how you question the status quo rather than accepting it.ActionStart experimenting now. Do not wait for permission. Pick up the tools, explore what is available, and stay curious about what AI can do for your work and your life.Reach OutYou can reach out to Victoria and sign up for her weekly newsletter, Frontier Thinking, via her website at svexecutive.co.Links:* Website - Silicon Valley Executive Academy* LinkedInCool Things About Victoria* The “Doctor-Executive” Hybrid: Victoria holds both a PhD in Clinical Psychology and an MBA, combined with 25 years of hard-nosed Silicon Valley experience. She is effectively a “corporate therapist” who can diagnose a P&L statement and a panic attack with equal precision.* The “Midwife” to the Machine: In a world dominated by aggressive, masculine metaphors for AI (e.g., “AI is a weapon,” “AI is a co-pilot,” “AI is a forceful disruptor”), Victoria uses the ancient, nurturing metaphor of the “Midwife.” She describes our role not as conquering AI, but as birthing its creativity safely. This linguistic choice completely reframes the power dynamic from fear to stewardship.* The “Sleeper Agent” of Harmony: There is a cool irony in her physical location. She lives in Hayward and operates the Silicon Valley Executive Academy - right in the epicenter of the global “hustle culture” and burnout capital of the world. Yet, her core message is “From Burnout to Harmony.” She is like a “sleeper agent” for wellness inside the machine, teaching the world's most stressed executives how to slow down.Thanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Ashley Faus, a marketer, writer, and speaker who specializes in Human-Centered Marketing. Ashley is passionate about helping brands connect problems with solutions through authentic, lived experiences. Ashley joined me to discuss why human imperfection is becoming a premium asset and how we can navigate the skill gaps created by AI.Key points discussed include:* The critical need to preserve “101 level” learning opportunities for junior marketers to ensure future mastery.* Why “lived experience” and context allow humans to out-perform AI in nuanced tasks like planning and connecting.* How “imperfection,” like the “Gen Z shake” or a bakery box, builds more trust than AI-generated perfection.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Ashley FausIt was a genuine privilege to welcome Ashley Faus to the Innovabuzz podcast for a conversation that felt less like an interview and more like a masterclass in human connection. Ashley, a marketer, writer, and speaker, joined us to unpack the concept of Human-Centered Marketing. We dove straight into the deep end, exploring a question that has been on my mind lately: what happens to trust and judgment when AI can generate almost anything on demand? Ashley's take is refreshing. She believes that while AI is a powerful tool, it lacks “lived experience,” and that is where our true value as humans lies.We started by discussing a potential crisis in skill development. Ashley framed this brilliantly using a university analogy. She explained that she got to where she is today - solving complex “801 level” problems - by spending years slogging through the “101 and 201 level” work. Her concern is that if we enthusiastically hand off all that junior-level work to AI, we deny the next generation the opportunity to learn through doing. It is a powerful reminder that the “grunt work” is often the training ground for mastery. If we outsource the learning process, we risk creating a future workforce that lacks the critical thinking skills to spot when the AI is hallucinating.The Party Planning Test: Why Context is KingI loved Ashley's practical examples of where AI falls short. She shared a hilarious story about using AI to plan a party. It calculated she needed 200 beers for 50 people, completely ignoring the wine and the non-drinkers! A human host knows intuitively that cold weather affects beer consumption or that half their friends prefer wine. AI doesn't have that context. It can crunch numbers, but it can't “read the room” before the party has even started.This lack of nuance extends to our personal lives too. Ashley noted that asking AI to plan a date night is futile because it doesn't know you had Thai food for lunch or that you have leftover spaghetti in the fridge. Humans thrive on these subtle, unspoken details. We build relationships by sharing these small, messy, lived experiences. When we try to strip that away for the sake of efficiency, we lose the very thing that makes connection meaningful.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we dive into the specific human skills, like contextual curiosity and critical vetting, that Ashley believes are the only true antidote to the “efficiency trap.”If you're looking for a thoughtful, human-centered take on how we build the next generation of leaders in an automated world, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that keep our human edge sharp.Maybe they'll sharpen yours too.The Uncanny Valley and the “Gen Z Shake”One of the most fascinating parts of our chat was about the “uncanny valley,” that unsettling feeling when something is too perfect. We talked about how polished content, like a perfectly lit video or a flawless photo of a playground with no children, can feel eerie. Ashley pointed out the rise of the “Gen Z shake,” where creators intentionally leave in the fumble of setting up the camera. That lack of polish signals: “I am a real person, not a bot.”It turns out we are naturally skeptical of perfection. Ashley shared a story about her baking. She noticed that when she brought homemade cupcakes in a flimsy cardboard bakery box, people assumed they were store-bought and raved about them. When she brought them in a sturdy plastic tupperware, the reaction was muted. Even more telling, people on LinkedIn trusted a “good enough” photo of the cupcakes more than a technically perfect one. The perfect photo felt fake, even though it was, indeed, real. The imperfect one felt real. In a world of AI-generated flawlessness, our human imperfections are becoming our premium asset.Trust, Logic, and AuthenticityWe wrapped up by looking at the “Trust Triangle” of Logic, Authenticity, and Empathy. Ashley argues that AI can mimic logic, but it fails hard on authenticity and empathy. Authenticity isn't just about being honest; it is about showing the messy work of how you got there. It is about the “blooper reel” at the end of the video that proves you are not just reading a script.So, where do we go from here? Ashley believes the most important skill we can develop is skepticism, or perhaps, a skeptical curiosity. We need to pause, ask questions, and verify. We need to seek out real human conversations to keep us grounded. As Ashley so beautifully put it, the antidote to the noise of AI is simply more human relationships.In Summary:Ashley Faus reminds us that in a world racing toward automation, the things that make us “inefficient” - our stories, our context, and our imperfections - are actually our greatest strengths. By embracing our lived experience and staying curious, we can use tools like AI without losing the human connection that makes business, and life, worth doing.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Ashley's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Innovative AI with Human connection – Use AI as a persona simulator, prompting it to behave like your specific audience to test how your messaging and taglines truly land.* Best AI integration example – Debate with the AI by taking both sides of an argument yourself, using it to poke holes in your logic so you can better understand diverse viewpoints.* Differentiate with Connection – Cultivate a healthy dose of skepticism and curiosity, taking time to verify sources and think deeply rather than accepting AI-generated content at face value.ActionCall a friend, sibling, or someone you haven't spoken to in a while and have a real conversation. Get coffee or just talk on the phone to reconnect with the human experience.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Ashley on LinkedIn, where she spends her time creating content and continuing the conversation in the comments and DMs.Links:* Website - Ashley Faus* LinkedInCool Things About Ashley* The Multihyphenate Performer: By day Ashley is a marketer, writer, and speaker; by night she steps into the roles of singer, actor, and fitness enthusiast, bringing stagecraft, discipline, and emotional nuance into how she communicates and leads.* The Generational Interpreter: Ashley acts as a bridge between boomers, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha, explaining how each group learned to trust or question information and what that means for AI literacy and deepfakes.* The Job-Change Realist: Rather than buying into “AI will take all the jobs,” Ashley argues that humans tend to raise expectations instead of eliminating work, using examples like the internet and home appliances to show how roles shift rather than disappear.* The Imperfect-Photo Purist: From mosque ceilings in Istanbul to campaigns like “Visit Vienna, Not #Vienna,” Ashley consistently chooses personally meaningful, imperfect photos and experiences over “perfect” or AI‑generated images, reflecting her belief that real stories beat polished surfaces.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Jen Moss, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Audio, a premier branded podcast agency. With a rich background in public broadcasting at the CBC and creative writing, Jen helps brands like Amazon and Lululemon move beyond surface-level noise to facilitate deep, nuanced conversations that earn genuine trust. We explore the critical distinction between using AI for efficiency versus connection, the power of acknowledging the “elephant in the room” to build credibility, and why the messy human process of creation is more valuable than a perfect, generated result.Key points discussed include:* Brands have an obligation to “show their strings” and engage deeply in social discourse to earn trust.* Draw a hard line with AI: use it for efficiency tasks, but never for the work of human connection.* Combat the “empty mall” of the internet by producing less content of higher quality and specificity.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Jen Moss, JAR AudioIt was an absolute pleasure to welcome Jen Moss, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Audio, to the Innova.Buzz podcast. Jen brings a fascinating blend of deep journalistic integrity from her CBC days and a sharp eye for brand storytelling. Our conversation felt like a masterclass in stripping away the superficial to get to the “nitty gritty” of what makes communication actually land: nuance, patience, and a willingness to “show your strings.”Jen started us off with a refreshing take on the role of brands today. We moved past the idea of companies just selling widgets; Jen argues that brands, as powerful entities using resources and employing thousands, actually have an obligation to wade into social discourse. It's not just about winning hearts and minds; it's about earning them. She posits that the more a brand can drop the facade and engage with society on a human level, the more likely we are to trust them. It's a move from transactional to relational, facilitated by the patience and depth that only a podcast can really provide.The “Elephant in the Room” Strategy: Building Trust by Owning the MessI loved Jen's practical example regarding a mining company client. We discussed the inherent “trust problem” in that industry, given that mining is dirty and people are skeptical. Instead of shying away or painting a rosy, green-washed picture, Jen advised them to lean right into the discomfort. They produced a series explicitly tackling the trust deficit before talking about their innovations in electrification. Jen's point was clear: you cannot underestimate the intelligence of your audience. If you don't acknowledge the elephant in the room, the skepticism and the past mistakes, people will just tune you out. But by honoring that hesitation, you earn the right to share the rest of your story.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers, where we unpack the deeper ideas Jen surfaces beneath the surface of her stories: how specificity becomes universality, why process matters more than polish, and what it really takes to keep human connection alive in a world drifting toward the “empty mall” of AI‑generated content.If you're drawn to thoughtful conversations about storytelling, craft, and the parts of creativity we can't outsource, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that rarely make it into polished episodes, the moments that sharpen our curiosity and keep us honest as creators.Maybe they'll keep your curiosity alive too.Local Stories with Global EchoesDrawing on her background teaching creative writing, Jen shared a beautiful insight about the power of specificity. We often think we need to go broad to reach everyone, but Jen flipped that on its head. She believes a hyper-local story, like a mother in East Vancouver dealing with postpartum depression, resonates with a mother in Tanzania because the feeling is universal. Whether it's a community bank or a global tech giant, the lesson is the same: the more specific and honest the story, the more global its impact. It's about resonances that “translate out,” bridging gaps between vastly different lives.The AI Line in the Sand: Efficiency vs. ConnectionNaturally, we ventured into the “wild west” of AI. Jen's agency draws a hard, fascinating line: use AI for efficiency, never for connection. She compared using AI for creative connection to taking an elevator to the top of a building instead of the stairs. You get there faster, but your legs don't get any stronger. If the goal is to deepen a relationship or facilitate a nuanced conversation, AI acts as a distancing mechanism, creating a “palpable uncanny valley.” Jen was adamant: we can use the tools to tighten edits or research (carefully!), but the moment we outsource the heart of the message, we lose the game.The Value of the Struggle: Why Process MattersThis led to a profound exchange about the “process” of art. We talked about photography, specifically the difference between an AI-perfected sunrise and one where you woke up at 4 AM, shivered in the cold, and waited for the light. Jen argues that the process, the cold, the coffee, the waiting, is what imbues the final product with value. In an era where we can't tell the difference between a real and a fake image visually, the “show your work” aspect becomes critical. We care about the art because a human lived through something to make it.Fighting the “Empty Mall” SyndromeJen didn't mince words about the current state of the web, referencing the “enshittification” of the internet, a place risking becoming an “empty mall” of generated noise. Her antidote? Do less, but do it better. Resist the urge to use AI just to blast a “fire hose of content” at people. Instead, treat a podcast or a piece of content as a contract with your audience, a promise not to waste their time with mediocrity. Quality, authenticity, and respect for the listener's time are the only things that will keep the lights on in the digital mall.In Summary:Jen Moss offers a sobering yet inspiring roadmap for content in the age of AI. Her message is a call to arms for creators and brands: Stop trying to hide the mess, stop automating the heart out of your work, and start respecting the intelligence of your audience. By focusing on deep, specific, human-centric storytelling, we can fight the noise and build relationships that actually mean something.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Jen's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using a VR environment where AI praises something a student hates, challenging them to then reclaim agency by remixing that text into a poem.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: A “Tale of Two Podcasts” experiment where they pitted a human-produced show against an AI-produced one, proving that 99 out of 100 listeners preferred the warmth of the human version.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Be constantly curious about the tools, but differentiate by strictly prioritizing quality, authenticity, and human oversight in a sea of mediocrity.ActionTrust that if you have something to say, there are people out there who want to hear it; drill down into who you are talking to and why, and you won't go wrong.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Jen via her website or email her directly at jen@jarpodcasts.com.Links:* Website - JAR Audio* LinkedIn* YouTube* BlogCool Things About Jen* Mingus, the 22-Pound Cat: A self-proclaimed empty-nester, Jen shares her home with a husky-cross dog named Luna and a rather substantial 22-pound orange tabby cat named Mingus.* Marketing Maverick: Despite running a successful branded podcast agency, Jen's secret to success is her “deep dislike of most marketing tactics,” driving her focus on authentic connection over superficial strategies.* AI-Powered Poet: Jen is actively exploring the creative potential of AI, including building an AI-driven immersive VR poetry experience with her students at the University of British Columbia.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

The disc golf offseason rumor mill is in full swing In this episode of the Courtesy Violation Disc Golf Podcast, we break down Discraft's rumored massive signing, plus other major offseason player movement happening across the professional disc golf world. If the rumors are true, this could be one of the biggest manufacturer moves heading into the 2026 season.We also discuss reports about the Disc Golf Pro Tour landing a huge non–disc golf sponsor for 2026. What could a major outside sponsor mean for the growth of pro disc golf, player payouts, media coverage, and the future of the DGPT? We give our honest takes on whether this is a game-changer or just offseason hype.Next, we dive into the latest Ultiworld Disc Golf fan survey results, focusing on which manufacturers are the most loved by fans right now. Where do brands like Discraft, Innova, MVP, Dynamic Discs, and Discmania rank, and do fan favorites actually reflect performance on tour?To wrap things up, we answer listener-submitted questions, covering everything from pro sponsorships and disc golf manufacturers to DGPT speculation and general disc golf talk. Topics Covered: • Discraft's rumored huge signing & offseason moves • Disc Golf Pro Tour's potential big non–disc golf sponsor in 2026 • Ultiworld survey results on most loved disc golf manufacturers • Listener Q&A and fan questionsIf you enjoy disc golf podcasts, offseason rumors, pro tour discussion, and manufacturer talk, make sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your thoughts on Discraft's rumored signing and the DGPT sponsor news.#DiscGolf #Discraft #DiscGolfPodcast #DGPT #ProDiscGolf #DiscGolfOffseason #DiscGolfNews #Ultiworld #DiscGolfManufacturers #DiscGolf2025 #DiscGolfCommunity #InnovaDiscs #MVPDiscs #DynamicDiscs #Discmania #CourtesyViolation #DiscGolfFans #DiscGolfTalk #DiscGolfYouTube #FrisbeeGolf

The disc golf offseason is already heating up and 2026 is starting with major sponsor shakeups across the Disc Golf Pro Tour. In this episode of the Courtesy Violation Podcast, we break down who's signed, who's re-signed, and who's suddenly without a manufacturer as the new year begins.We dive into the biggest unsigned names in disc golf, including Aaron Gossage, Corey Ellis, and Kevin Jones, and speculate on where they could land next. Will we see surprise moves to MVP, Discraft, Innova, Dynamic Discs, or Prodigy? And what does this mean for the competitive landscape of the DGPT?We also discuss players who have already re-signed with their sponsors, what those deals signal about brand loyalty and stability, and how sponsorships shape disc selection, tour success, and player visibility.Plus, we tackle a major rumor swirling through the disc golf world — is Discraft about to sign a massive name that could shake up the entire tour? We break down the possibilities and what it could mean heading into the new season.As always, expect plenty of Courtesy Violation hijinks, hot takes, speculation, and laughs along the way.If you're a fan of: • Disc golf sponsorship news • DGPT offseason rumors • Professional disc golf contracts • Player movement and manufacturer drama • Disc golf podcasts and debates…this episode is for you. Like, subscribe, and drop a comment with where YOU think these players will sign!⸻#discGolf #DiscGolfPodcast #DGPT #DiscGolfOffseason #DiscGolfNews #DiscGolfRumors #AaronGossage #CoreyEllis #KevinJones #Discraft #Innova #DynamicDiscs #MVPDiscSports #ProdigyDisc #ProfessionalDiscGolf #DiscGolfCommunity #CourtesyViolationPodcast

Our guest in this episode is Zohar Bronfman, the co-founder and CEO of Pecan AI, who holds dual PhDs in computational neuroscience and philosophy. Zohar is on a mission to democratize predictive power, helping organizations anticipate the future by blending rigorous logic with deep philosophical insight. Zohar and I explore the fascinating distinction between generative and predictive AI, revealing how businesses can use their own data to foresee customer behavior.Key points discussed include:* Layering historical data with context like weather builds precise “onions” of predictive insight for your business.* While AI processes data, humans must remain behind the wheel to provide the essential creative spark.* Treat AI implementation as a rigorous project with clear goals, rather than a quick technological fix.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Zohar Bronfman, Pecan AIThe Predictive Power of Data: Merging Neuroscience with AI for Better BusinessIt was an absolute privilege to welcome Dr. Zohar Bronfman to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Zohar isn't your typical tech founder. With dual PhDs in computational neuroscience and philosophy, he brings a depth of thinking that goes far beyond code and algorithms. We explored how the rigorous logic of science blends with the practical needs of business, and I was struck by his unique perspective on how we can use data to act with genuine foresight.Zohar started by taking a step back to clarify what we actually mean when we talk about AI. He explained that while we are all excited about Generative AI, which is essentially a machine trained to predict “tokens” like words or pixels to create content, there is another branch that is vital for business: Predictive AI. This isn't about writing a poem; it is about predicting future events based on historical data. It allows a business not just to guess revenue for the next month, but to know with high accuracy what specific customers might do next week.The Onion Metaphor: How to Build a PredictionI loved the imagery Zohar used to explain how these models work. He described building a prediction like peeling, or rather, building, an onion. At the core, you have your historical transaction data, which is essential. But to get a truly sharp picture of the future, you have to add layers. You layer on your marketing activity, then your promotions, and perhaps even external factors like holidays or the weather.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers — where we dive into the specific human skills, like curiosity and artistic bravery, that Mark believes are the antidote to this dread.If you're looking for a thoughtful, human-centered take on the AI revolution, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that keep our curiosity alive.Maybe they'll feed yours too.Zohar pointed out that weather, for instance, has a massive influence on how we humans behave, often more than we realize. By feeding these rich, multi-layered datasets into the model, the AI can find hidden statistical signals that a human mind simply couldn't process alone. The more layers you add to your onion, the higher the fidelity of the prediction, allowing you to anticipate the needs of your market with incredible precision.The Predictability of Being HumanOne of the most fascinating parts of our chat was Zohar's take on human nature. We like to think of ourselves as free spirits, but Zohar argues that human behavior is actually extremely predictable. Drawing on his neuroscience background, he mentioned research showing that brain scans can sometimes predict a person's decision before they are even consciously aware of it themselves.For businesses, this is a powerful concept. It means there are patterns in your customer data that tell a story about what is coming next. It is not about manipulating people; it is about understanding them better than they might understand themselves in that moment. By leveraging these patterns, businesses can improve customer experiences and operational efficiency, ensuring they are ready to meet demand exactly when it happens.No Silver Bullets: The Reality of ImplementationZohar was refreshingly honest about the hard work required to make this happen. He warned against the trap of treating AI implementation as a “double-click effort.” It might look easy in a polished demo, but in the real world, it is a project that requires process, maintenance, and change management.He advises leaders not to adopt AI just because the board demands it or because it sounds cool. You need to be very specific about the problem you are solving. If you don't have a clear goal and a willingness to nurture the system, you end up with a fancy tool that doesn't move the needle. There is no magic wand here, just smart engineering applied to good data.The Human Spark: Creativity in the LoopDespite the power of these machines, Zohar is a firm believer that the human element remains irreplaceable. He explained that while AI is fantastic at recombining existing knowledge, it cannot generate truly original ideas on its own. That is where we come in. We must remain “behind the wheel,” providing the creative spark and the critical thinking that guides the system.He encouraged us to be interdisciplinary in our approach. To get the most out of AI, we should enrich our minds with history, philosophy, or art. This broad knowledge base fuels our creativity, allowing us to ask the AI better questions and apply its outputs in novel ways. It is this collaboration, the machine's processing power plus the human's creative spark, that will define the future of work.Empowerment and Evolution: The Future of WorkWe wrapped up on an optimistic note regarding the workforce. Zohar doesn't see AI as a replacement for people, but as a catalyst for evolution. He shared stories of business analysts who, by using tools like Pecan AI, have elevated their roles to become “data scientists” in practice, if not in title. They are now capable of answering questions that were previously out of reach.This evolution empowers people to do more meaningful work. By automating the predictions, we free up our mental bandwidth for the things machines can't do: building relationships, thinking strategically, and caring for our customers. Zohar's message is clear: your proprietary data is your number one asset. Use it to empower your team and deepen your human connections.In Summary:Zohar reminds us that while data is the fuel, human creativity is the engine. By using Predictive AI to handle the complex math of anticipating the future, we can focus our energy on the distinctly human tasks of strategy, connection, and innovation. It is about using the rigorous logic of the machine to enable a more empathetic and responsive business.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Zohar's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Use AI simulation tools to create immersive collaborative environments that bridge the gap between remote and physical work, fostering a genuine sense of societal connection.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Implement predictive AI systems that break down organizational silos, enabling different departments to collaborate effectively around shared foresight and improved customer experiences.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Develop an interdisciplinary mindset by studying diverse subjects like history or philosophy to fuel the creative thinking necessary to generate unique impact with AI.ActionIf you own or work at a business, ensure you collect and generate proprietary data that can set you apart and propel your value proposition.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Zohar by visiting the Pecan AI website to learn more about predictive AI, or by connecting with him on LinkedIn to exchange notes on these topics.Links:* Website - Pecan AI* LinkedIn - Zohar Bronfman* LinkedIn - Pecan AI* Facebook - Pecan AI* X - @pecan_aiCool Things About Zohar* It is not every day you meet a tech leader who doubles as a philosopher. Zohar holds dual PhDs in Computational Neuroscience and Philosophy. While he runs a GV-backed predictive AI company, he retains a deep academic commitment to questioning the nature of knowledge itself.* While his software specializes in predicting the future with mathematical certainty, Zohar himself is still chasing the unknown. Despite leading an international company, he actively maintains a travel bucket list and seeks out new experiences in global regions he has yet to visit.* Zohar joined us from Tel Aviv at nearly 11 p.m. local time! This small detail highlights his dedication and ability to bridge extreme time zones to connect with people.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Mark Schaefer, a globally recognized author, speaker, and marketing futurist. Mark shares his deeply personal and professional journey navigating the rise of AI, from his initial “dread” and “loss of purpose” to embracing it as a tool to become bolder and more creative. It's a candid look at the psychological and strategic shifts we must all make. Key points discussed include:* Curiosity is the essential human skill that will define the “haves and have-nots” in the AI world.* We must fight the “pandemic of dull” by making our content art, using human stories to avoid being ignorable.* Leaders cannot delegate AI; they must roll up their sleeves and experiment to learn how to ask the right questions.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Mark SchaeferIt was an absolute delight to welcome Mark Schaefer, a globally recognized author and marketing futurist, back to the InnovaBuzz podcast. It's always a highlight, but this conversation felt different. We've chatted before about his work on Marketing Rebellion, but his new book, How AI Changes Your Customers, isn't just a marketing concept. It's a profound psychological framework.Our conversation captured the feeling so many of us are wrestling with: that dual-edged sword of being both “excited and terrified” by AI. Mark's insights cut right to the heart of what it means to be human, creative, and purposeful in a world that's being rewired before our very eyes.The First Shock: Dread, Anxiety, and a Loss of PurposeMark kicked things off with a story of such raw candor it stopped me in my tracks. Right after finishing his book Belonging to the Brand—a two-year, all-consuming “struggle” and “sacrifice” that left him spent—he tried ChatGPT for the first time. He asked it to write an essay from the book, and it did a perfect job. His feeling wasn't excitement; he said it was “dread” and “anxiety.”He was hit with a profound sense of “what if?” and a “loss of purpose,” asking that massive question: “If this thing can write like me, where do I belong?” It's a feeling I know many of us, as creators, have quietly felt. But Mark isn't fighting against AI; he's learning to embrace it as a tool to become “bigger, bolder, and more creative” and to have an even bigger impact.The rest of these show notes continue for paid subscribers — where we dive into the specific human skills, like curiosity and artistic bravery, that Mark believes are the antidote to this dread.If you're looking for a thoughtful, human-centered take on the AI revolution, I'd love you to join the inner circle. It's where we explore the unpolished insights that keep our curiosity alive.Maybe they'll feed yours too.The New Dividing Line: Curiosity as a Survival SkillThis led us to the danger of cognitive decline, something I've worried about myself. Am I losing my ability to edit or refine my own thoughts by abdicating that first pass to AI? Mark believes the essential human quality that will define the “haves and the have-nots” in this new world is curiosity.He pointed out that if you're not a curious person, you'll just want the answer. You'll take the shortcut to “get a grade on a test” and come out “not knowing anything.” But if you are a curious person, AI is a magical tool. You can “feed your intellect,” “explore,” “learn,” and go down all those wonderful “curious rabbit holes” to enhance your wisdom, not replace it.Beyond the Binge: Escaping the “Pandemic of Dull”We tackled the old myth that customers have a “short attention span.” As Mark rightly said, that's just not true. We binge-watch movies, we play video games all night, we listen to long podcasts. People don't have a short attention span; they have a short interest span. The problem is that so much corporate content is just boring.Mark calls this the “pandemic of dull,” and it's a “scaffolding” held in place by fear—fear of the legal department, fear of upsetting the boss. He warns that AI is only contributing to this “flood of content,” making it easier to be bland at scale. The only antidote? Our business content has to approach the level of art. It requires “bravery,” “courage,” and the “human story” to be anything other than “ignorable.”The Markbot Experiment: Can You Scale Positivity?One of the most fascinating parts of our chat was Mark's experiment with the “Markbot.” He had a custom GPT trained not just on his content, but on his values, ethics, and tone. His goal was to see if he could scale his personal mission of teaching and mentoring, to make people feel “seen and heard.”The results are beautifully ambiguous. He shared a story of a user who said the bot “sounded like you” when it offered a virtual hug, moving her to tears. This poses a huge question. As Mark put it, “Is that good, Jurgen?” In a world so full of loneliness and isolation, maybe the “illusion of empathy” is better than nothing. It's a lot to think about.Human Editors and AI Assistants: Finding the 80%This got us talking about our own practical uses. I use AI to help refine speeches, and Mark shared how he used AI as his editor for his new book. He instructed it to “be mean,” and it was—ruthlessly so! But it had a very clear limitation. He said it was 80% good, but it was missing the crucial 20%.It couldn't “look at the whole narrative.” It couldn't see that something in Chapter 1 contradicted something in Chapter 6. It couldn't connect the dots. We agreed that tools like Cast Magic are brilliant at that 80-90% of a task (like podcast transcripts), but you absolutely must “keep a human in the process” for that final, critical, connective thinking.The Leader's New Job: Roll Up Your SleevesSo, what's the one action we should take? Mark's final piece of advice was aimed squarely at leaders, who are often trained to “delegate.” He insisted that with AI, you simply cannot do that. You have to “roll up your sleeves,” “try it,” “dabble,” and “dig into” these platforms yourself.His reasoning is pure wisdom: You don't need to be an expert or have all the right answers. That's impossible. But as a leader, you do need to have the right questions. And “the only way to know how to ask those questions is to know what's possible.”In Summary:My conversation with Mark Schaefer was a powerful reminder that in the age of AI, our greatest assets are not technical, but deeply human: our curiosity, our courage to tell our stories, our empathy, and our willingness to “roll up yourSleeves” and learn. This isn't a time to abdicate our skills, but to amplify our humanity.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Mark's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: The AI audio summary that elevates community members by name for their contributions, turning a simple recap into an engaging “awards ceremony.”* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Mark didn't have a current example, but emphasized throughout the conversation the ongoing challenge and importance of keeping the human touch front and center in all uses of AI.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: The most critical skill we must cultivate is curiosity; embedding a deep and genuine sense of curiosity is essential for navigating the world of AI.ActionRoll up your sleeves and get your hands on these new AI platforms. You must try it, dabble, and dig in to learn what's possible, so you can learn to ask the right questions and be a better leader.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Mark at BusinessesGrow.com, where you can find his blog, social media connections, and his latest book.Links:* Website – Businesses Grow* Podcast – The Marketing Companion* Twitter – @MarkWSchaefer* LinkedIn* FacebookBooks* How AI Changes Your Customers: The Marketing guide to Humanity's Next Chapter* AUDACIOUS: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World* Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy* Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins* KNOWN: The handbook for building and unleashing your personal brand in the digital age* Social Media Explained: Untangling the World's Most Misunderstood Business Trend* Return On Influence: The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing* Born to Blog: Building Your Blog for Personal and Business Success One Post at a Time* The Content Code: Six essential strategies to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business* The Tao of Twitter: The World's Bestselling Guide to Changing Your Life and Your Business One Connection at a TimeCool Things About Mark* His “Anxiety to Joy” Awakening: Mark shared a deeply personal story about being in a corporate “charm school” program, feeling immense anxiety. When his mentor said his most common emotion was “joy,” it sparked a “life-changing moment” and a “rebellion” that led him to completely re-evaluate his life and priorities, stepping off the “hamster wheel”.* He's an Admitted Introvert: Despite being a global speaker and community-builder, he candidly admitted to Park Howell, “I'm an introvert. I don't really like people all that much”. He describes human connection as a “risk”. This “strategic awkwardness” makes his focus on human-centered marketing feel even more authentic and hard-won.* He Sacrificed Profit for Principle: He told his international agent “no” when they said his new, short book wouldn't sell and needed to be “puffed up” with “fluff” to meet a price point. He refused, stating, “I said what I needed to say... I'm not going to compromise” his commitment to the reader, even “at the expense of profit”.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Joshua Pellicer, a systems thinker and founder of RealTime AI. After a fascinating “aha” moment involving generative AI and a treasure hunter's assay, he pivoted his entire focus to building practical AI into core operations. He now helps leaders unlock their next level of growth by viewing AI as an “operational co-pilot.”This was such an empowering conversation about a new “paradigm shift” in what's possible. Joshua shared powerful analogies (like the 1800s electric drill!) and real-world stories (like fixing his RV's battery with AI) that reframe AI as a tool for “personal sovereignty.”Key points discussed include:* AI as an “expertise translator,” bypassing old bottlenecks to democratize knowledge for everyone.* The most valuable new skill isn't complex: it's simply “remembering to use the drill.”* Automating tasks with AI gives us back our time, freeing us for genuine human connection.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Joshua Pellicer, Realtime AIIt was an absolute privilege to welcome Joshua Pellicer of RealTime AI to the InnovaBuzz podcast. I was so excited for this chat, and it did not disappoint. Joshua is a true systems thinker who shared a vision for AI that goes so far beyond it being a simple tool. He views it as a genuine “operational co-pilot,” and he argues we are in the middle of a profound “paradigm shift” that is set to empower us in ways we're only just beginning to grasp.Joshua's work isn't just theoretical; it's born from fascinating, practical experience. He's not just talking about what AI could do; he's living it, right from his RV, and his journey into this space is one for the books. He shared how this technology is fundamentally changing the value of knowledge and democratizing capabilities that were once locked away behind years of specialized training.The ‘Aha' Moment: When AI Found the PlatinumI was absolutely captivated by the story Joshua told about his R&D lab. A treasure hunter brought him a mysterious powder recovered from a sunken ship, and Joshua had no idea how to assay it. On a whim, just as generative AI was emerging, he “acted like its assistant” and fed it all the data about his lab. Four hours later, AI suggested the substance was likely platinum, a fact another lab later confirmed. That was his “aha” moment.That single experiment showed him that AI could completely bypass the traditional, massive bottleneck of subject matter expertise. He realized that the need to hire expensive specialists or spend months learning a new skill was about to be fundamentally disrupted. This wasn't just a faster way to get answers; it was an entirely new way to operate.This is the beginning of the conversation, but the personal reflections—the “why” behind what Joshua shared and what it means for how we live and work with AI—are where the real journey begins.If you'd like to read the rest of this post, where I unpack Joshua's ideas of “personal sovereignty,” using AI as an operational co‑pilot, and how all of this intersects with our very human need for connection, I'd love to invite you to become a paid subscriber.A subscription unlocks these full, detailed show notes, but more importantly, it welcomes you into a quieter space. It's where I share my private, 3x‑a‑week reflections on these AI conversations, the “behind-the-mic” stories from InnovaBuzz and my photography, and the personal meditations that connect them all.It's a place for the curious, and I'd be honoured to share it with you.Remembering to Use the “Electric Drill”So, with these new powers, what's the most important skill we need to develop? Joshua's answer was brilliant. He shared a powerful analogy about the invention of the electric drill in the 1800s. Before it, the value was in your physical strength to turn a hand crank. The day after the electric drill was invented, strength became irrelevant. The greatest advantage? Simply remembering to use the drill.That's precisely where we are now. The difference between someone who thrives and someone who gets left behind isn't some complex prompt engineering skill. It's the simple, retrained habit of remembering that this powerful new tool exists and reaching for it first. It's a mental shift, a new paradigm of thinking.The RV Repair and Personal SovereigntyJoshua brought this idea home with a story I just loved. While traveling in his RV, his complex battery system failed. His fiancée suggested calling an electrician, but in an unfamiliar town, that's a gamble. Instead, he took a picture of the battery bank, explained the problem to AI, and it walked him through the entire diagnosis and fix. He bypassed the expert and solved the problem himself.This is what he calls “personal sovereignty.” The same applies to medical research or understanding complex contracts. We are being empowered to handle things ourselves, to get the knowledge we need instantly. This isn't about replacing experts, but it is about reducing our total dependency on them for every little thing.From “Expertise Translator” to Business AutomationWe explored this idea of AI as a “translator,” not of language, but of expertise. Joshua told a great story about an MIT engineer who applied noise-canceling algorithms—a concept from electrical engineering—to the stock market and made a fortune. He was a systems thinker who could bridge two unrelated fields. Now, AI gives all of us that superpower.The next frontier, as Joshua sees it, is moving from knowledge to action. We're now seeing AI agents that can read your company's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and then actually execute those multi-step tasks for you. This is where the “operational co-pilot” becomes very real, very fast, allowing one person to do the work of ten.A New, Empowering Step in Your ArsenalWe also touched on how this applies to our personal lives, particularly our health. Think about it: when you have a health concern, you can now find validated, peer-reviewed research papers and have AI summarize them in plain English. This isn't about self-diagnosing or playing “Dr. Google.” It's about adding a new, “empowering step in your arsenal.”You can discover natural remedies that are proven to work and try them before leaping to an extreme pharmaceutical solution. It allows you to have a much more intelligent, informed conversation with your doctor. You are no longer a passive recipient of information; you are an active, empowered participant in your own well-being.Conclusion: The Real Goal? More Human ConnectionThis was such a fascinating and inspiring conversation. Joshua's vision for AI isn't a cold, robotic future. It's one of profound human empowerment. The true “paradigm shift” is that this technology is freeing us from the tasks that drain our time and energy.Yes, it makes business more efficient, but the real gift of AI, as Joshua puts it, is that it gives us back our time. By automating the drudgery, we are left with more space, more energy, and more capacity for the things that AI can never do: genuine, meaningful human connection. And that, to me, is the most exciting “paradigm shift” of all.In Summary:Joshua Pellicer paints a vivid, practical picture of an AI-powered future where individuals are empowered with “personal sovereignty.” From fixing an RV battery to understanding medical research, AI acts as an “expertise translator,” bypassing old bottlenecks. The key, like remembering to use the first electric drill, is to build the new habit of using this “co-pilot” to automate tasks, ultimately freeing us to spend more time on what truly matters: human connection.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Joshua's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using AI for deep self-inquiry and personal development, allowing you to understand your own blind spots and see other people's perspectives.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Automating tasks that drain your time, which frees you up to have more space and energy for genuine, real-world human connection.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Developing the skill of asking better questions, as this improves your results with AI and also makes you a better communicator with people.ActionGet into ChatGPT (or your preferred AI tool) and ask it to create a first-person experience of something you want in your life. Have it “walk you through a typical day” of you having that thing and see what happens.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Joshua by visiting his website, AIifyit.com (A-I-I-F-Y-I T.com), or by following him on any social media platform with the handle @aiifyit.Links:* Website - REALTIME Ai* Website - aiifyit* LinkedIn* Facebook* X - @PellicerJosh* X - @AiifyItCool Things About Joshua* His background is in catalytic science in an R&D lab in Maui. He sees a deep philosophical connection between how molecules “lend energy to each other” and how AI functions.* His ultimate goal is to build a real-life Ironman lab, complete with a “Jarvis-type AI” that can watch and track all the experiments.* He accidentally became an “assay lab” for a day. When ChatGPT first launched, he used it to guide him through a complex chemical assay he knew nothing about, and it successfully identified a compound as platinum, matching the results from a professional lab. This was the moment that made him pivot his entire company to AI.* He's a “relationship contrarian”. He openly questions the common fear that AI will destroy human connection, provocatively suggesting that what we call “intimate human connection” might already be something we “just made up and imagined” anyway.* He creates on the fly. While on a call with his ad team, he used Gemini's new video creator (VO3) to make an animated video for them during the meeting, just to see if it would work. It did, and they were “blown away”.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Aya Kikimova, a former Microsoft award-winner who managed over $50 million in ad spend before bootstrapping her own digital agency, Leap Engine. Grounded by her family's small business roots, Aya translates elite strategies into practical, ethical marketing for today's entrepreneurs.Aya shares her pragmatic and cautious optimism about AI, balancing its power with a deep concern for the human skills we risk losing, like discernment and resilience. We explore what really matters in an automated world and how to use AI as a tool to enhance our humanity, not replace it.Key points discussed include:* Cultivating emotional intelligence and resilience as the most critical skills for the future.* Using AI to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up human time for genuine connection.* Building trust as the ultimate differentiator in an age of automation.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Aya Kikimova, Leap EngineIt was such a privilege to welcome Aya Kikimova, the founder and CEO of Leap Engine, to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Here is someone who has truly operated at an elite level, managing over $50 million in ad spend and winning awards at Microsoft. Yet, what struck me most about Aya wasn't just her impressive corporate background, but her deep, personal mission that brought her right back to her roots. She bootstrapped her own agency during the pandemic while navigating new motherhood, all to translate those high-level strategies for the small businesses she genuinely loves.Aya's passion for helping “real people” isn't just a marketing line; it's in her DNA. She shared a wonderful story about her grandma's deli, remembering running around behind the counter as a kid. That, combined with watching her mom build a real estate business from scratch, cemented her path. She's driven by a desire for “ethical marketing,” a value that feels more important than ever. It's this grounded, human-centric worldview that made our conversation about, you guessed it, Artificial Intelligence, so fascinating.This is the beginning of the conversation, but the personal reflections—the “why” behind what was said—are where the real journey begins.If you'd like to read the rest of this post, where Aya shares her crucial insights on AI, our loss of human “discernment,” and why emotional resilience is now the most essential skill, I'd love to invite you to become a paid subscriber.A subscription unlocks these full, detailed show notes, but more importantly, it welcomes you into a quieter space. It's where I share my private, 3x-a-week reflections on these conversations about AI, the “behind-the-lens” stories from my photography, and the personal meditations that connect them all.It's a place for the curious, and I'd be honoured to share it with you.The “New Set of Eyes”: Learning from the Next GenerationAlongside her family's business background, Aya's other great driver is her three-year-old daughter. She spoke beautifully about watching her child see the world with “full of wonder.” It's that age of insatiable curiosity, where everything is amazing and new. For Aya, this isn't just a sweet family observation; it's a powerful daily reminder of how we should be approaching the world, especially now.As adults, we think we know so much, but Aya feels it's the opposite: “the more we learn, the more we have to keep learning.” She's consciously “learning from her to adopt that sort of view” and look at the rapid changes around us with a “new set of eyes.” This mindset of constant learning and humility is the perfect lens for tackling the “crazy” pace of technology that's reshaping our lives.The AI Reality Check: When Tech Moves Too FastWe couldn't not talk about AI. Aya put it perfectly: “five years ago, did you ever think that we would have AI so pervasively everywhere? Probably not.” She's seeing its impact firsthand, and she's not just talking about handy tools. She shared how her husband, who is in video and audio production, is in an industry where AI advances are so fast that “some of the jobs are literally being removed.” It's not a far-off-in-the-future concept.She also mentioned a friend, a SaaS founder, who had to “fire a third of their developer workforce because now AI can do all those things.” This is the stark reality that Aya is grappling with. It's exciting and empowering, but it's also “a little bit interesting and scary at the same time.” She's looking at her daughter and genuinely wondering what the job market will even look like when she's of working age.Are We Forgetting How to Think? The Risk of Over-RelianceThis led us to a critical point. Aya voiced a worry I share, that as we rely more on technology, we're losing some of our “essential skills.” She had this brilliant anecdote about the days of MapQuest, when we “used to print out directions” and follow them. Now, she half-joked, “if I don't have my phone, I am lost,” even in a familiar place. We're losing the “grinding through the pain of learning.”The danger is that we're outsourcing our thinking. Kids can just go to ChatGPT for answers. But what happens to the human process of discernment? Of asking, “I need to know, is this true? I don't want somebody else making that decision for me.” Aya fears that “particular skill of discernment is being removed,” and that's a profound risk when AI can “hallucinate” and make things up.A “Big Step Back”: Why Human Skills are More Vital Than EverSo, what's the solution? Aya believes we “need to take... a big step back” and re-learn the basics. She made this powerful statement: “we overestimate the value of AI and underestimate the value of human, human skill and capability.” We're so focused on what AI can do that we're forgetting what we must do.For Aya, the skills that will matter most in the age of AI aren't technical; they're deeply human. She identified emotional intelligence, resilience, and adaptability as the new essentials. It's the ability to be “resilient to this change” and have the mindset that “I can learn anything.” That, she says, “is what is key.” We need to empower humans to be independent of these technologies, should they ever fail.The Practical Path for Small Business: AI as the Helper, Not the HeroThis is where Aya's work at Leap Engine becomes so clear. She brings this philosophy right down to the ground level for her clients—the “dentist offices, your construction companies, plumbing,” and restaurants. For them, AI isn't about replacing their core, human-to-human business. It's about making that human connection easier to deliver.Her strategy is brilliant in its simplicity. Use AI to automate the “bureaucratic repetitive work”—things like appointment scheduling, confirming, billing, and, crucially, asking for Google reviews. By handing those tasks to AI, that business owner or their staff gets “10 hours a week” back. And what do they do with that time? They reinvest it into the human side: dealing with an unsatisfied customer, improving the in-person service, and building that personal relationship.The Final Differentiator: Building TrustUltimately, our conversation came down to one, simple word. When I asked Aya for the number one thing any business can do to differentiate themselves today, her answer wasn't AI. It was trust. In a world full of AI-generated content and automated responses, “ultimately, people want to do business with people... that they trust.”For Aya, this means shifting away from old-school sales funnels and toward delivering education and real value before asking for the sale. It's about building that relationship, proving you're a good, ethical person, and being the human in the loop. The AI is just the tool that clears the decks so you can do that essential human work more effectively.In Summary:Aya Kikimova provides a critical dose of grounded, pragmatic wisdom. She's a champion for using AI to be more efficient, but only as a means to a much more important end: being more human. Her message is a powerful reminder that technology can support our business, but only trust, discernment, and genuine connection can build it.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Aya's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using AI to cut bureaucratic, repetitive work, which frees up time to focus on a human-centric service approach where people can connect and build trust.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: We developed an AI tool for local SEO that saves 10 hours per client and delivers staggering results (like 32x ROI), which ultimately enhances our client relationships.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: The number one differentiator is building trust; businesses can win by delivering education and value, because people want to do business with people they trust.ActionGoogle “AI courses” and start learning about AI. Start implementing some of these tools in your business, but also learn about the unchecked powers of AI so you can be aware of what might happen and ensure your business is not 100% reliant on it.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Aya by visiting her website or by finding her on LinkedIn.Links:* Website - LeapEngine* LinkedIn* Facebook* X - @akikimova* Instagram - @leapengine.coCool Things About Aya* She won the Microsoft Platinum Club award, an honor given to the absolute top 0.01% of employees worldwide.* She bootstrapped her agency as a new mom, starting by working just 2-3 hours a day while caring for her infant.* She has built her successful agency on a strict 7-hour workday, proving a counter-narrative to “hustle culture”.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit innovabiz.substack.comOur guest in this episode is Scott Levy, the founder and CEO of ResultMaps. Scott is on a mission to help the world be its “inspired best” by architecting systems that clear away the “friction” of modern work. He combines a deep understanding of neuroscience with a pragmatic approach to technology, helping teams stop “fighting the currents” of their own biology and start surfing them.We had a fascinating chat about why most of us feel so burnt out (a hint: our work models are stuck in the 1920s) and how to use new tools, especially AI, as a “Lego set” to build better, more human-centric workflows.Key points discussed include:* Working with your brain, not against it, by understanding your natural peak performance cycles.* Using AI as a “Lego set” to build small, focused solutions that solve real friction points.* How AI forces us to be clearer, accidentally training us to be better human communicators.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Scott Levy, ResultMapsIt was an absolute pleasure to welcome Scott Levy of ResultMaps to the Innovabuzz podcast. Scott's mission is a big one: to help the world be its “inspired best.” Now, that's a goal I can truly get behind. But as we dug into our conversation, it became clear that the biggest thing holding most teams back isn't a lack of drive or even a lack of tools. It's the invisible, day-to-day friction in how we work.Scott has this fantastic way of looking at the modern work environment, and he kicked things off by explaining that most of us are, quite frankly, just “swimming upstream” against our own biology. We're fighting a battle we can't win, and it's leading to massive burnout. It's a feeling I think we all know well, that sense of being completely overwhelmed and overworked, which, as Scott so perfectly put it, “just plain sucks.”Now, as for the antidote to things that ‘plain suck'...That feeling of being overwhelmed... it's also the exact starting point for the rest of our fascinating conversation, and for the deeper work I'm exploring.This podcast is the beginning of the conversation, but the personal reflections—the “why” behind what was said—are where the real journey begins.If you'd like to read the rest of this post, where Scott shares his brilliant “surfer” and “Lego” analogies for navigating our brains and our technology, I'd love to invite you to become a paid subscriber.A subscription unlocks these full, detailed show notes, but more importantly, it welcomes you into a quieter space. It's where I share my private, 3x-a-week reflections on these conversations about AI, the “behind-the-lens” stories from my photography, and the personal meditations that connect them all.It's a place for the curious, and I'd be honoured to share it with you.

This Week on The Hudson Valley Disc Golf Podcast: Corey, Alex, Randy, Evan, Jaimen, Tim and Erich join to recap the last week in Disc Golf. We go over all of the local leagues from the past week and Evan revisits last week's DisCap October Monthly @ Dove Creek, though his credentials as a reporter are questioned. We go over the Final results from the Summer Battle Royale in the AM division and Corey gives a recap of the Pro Final. Alex played the Ghoul's Fest at FDR and recounts his round. In New England Team Challenge action, The DisCaptains hosted Devil's Grove @ JPark. Jaimen and Corey talk about matchups and their rounds. Meanwhile the Lemonheads had their first ever, or inaugural, match in Massachusetts against Flatrock. We hear from Evan, Tim and Erich about the day and how it doesn't bother Erich in the slightest that he didn't pay into the Ace Pot. And because a team challenge match wasn't enough, Corey gives us insight into his round and the lead card action at Montgomery County and DisCap present The Blues at Burbine V driven by Innova. We finished it up with a Round of Disc or No Disc.Support the showSpecial Thanks to our Patreon Supporters: Branden Cline, Tim Goyette, Peter Hodge, Ryan Nelson, Kevin T. Kroencke, Brian Monahan, Corey Cook, Evan Parsley, Mark Bryan, Nick Warren, Jasan Lasasso, Justin Mucelli, Terry Hudson, Kyle Hirsch, Brian Bickersmith, Sparky Spaulding, Mike Schwartz, Erich Struna, William Byrne, Jeff Wiechowski, Sean Dollard, Jack Bradley, Marcia Focht and Justin Hickok.

Our guest in this episode is Joanna Zhang, who helps leaders connect strategy with soul to build businesses on a solid foundation. Joanna's own journey, marked by three profound personal transformations, led her from being a transactional professional living a “gray color” life to becoming a balanced, spiritual leader. In our wonderful chat, Joanna unpacks her evolution, sharing the powerful lessons learned from her “soul awakening” and how they reshaped her approach to business, teamwork, and even AI. Key points discussed include:* True leadership evolves from controlling titles to a spiritual balance of compassion and boundaries.* Changing your core intention from getting to giving unleashes unexpected, magical results in business.* Embracing all your emotions is the foundation of self-love and authentic, resilient leadership.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Joanna Zhang, The Operations GeniusIt was an absolute pleasure to welcome Joanna Zhang to the Innovabuzz podcast for a conversation that beautifully embodied her mission: to help leaders build businesses by connecting strategy with soul. I knew we would be talking about thoughtful systems, but I was not expecting such a profound masterclass in personal transformation. Joanna's journey is a powerful testament to the idea that the most effective business strategies are often the ones that begin from within.Joanna shared that her journey started when she was a financial planner, feeling stuck in a career that, while she was competent at it, didn't light her up. A psychic once told her that her life was a “gray color,” a description that resonated deeply. The first major shift came from a simple but powerful coaching exercise that sorted tasks into zones of incompetence, competence, and genius. This led her to a pivotal realization: she needed to start delegating the things that drained her and, more importantly, to question if her current path was her true destiny.From Transaction to TransformationThat initial step opened the door to a much deeper awakening. As Joanna began building a business to help others with their operational frameworks, she admits that, to be honest, she started as a “dollar person,” seeing every interaction as a potential deal. This transactional mindset created a massive blockage. The real breakthrough came after her “soul awakening,” when she shifted her entire approach. She started looking at every potential client as a soul, genuinely caring about their challenges and wholeheartedly offering solutions with no expectation of return.And that's when, as she puts it, “magic happened.” By changing her core intention from getting to giving, from desire and fear to love and care, opportunities began to unfold naturally. It's a beautiful paradox so many of us forget: the less we chase, the more the right things flow to us. This shift wasn't just a new sales tactic; it was a complete transformation of her relationship with her work and the people she served.The Three Faces of LeadershipThis inner evolution dramatically reshaped her leadership style. Joanna candidly described her former self as a “controlling freak” and a “title leader” who ruled with expectations and a lot of masculine energy. Over time, she grew into a “serving leader,” focused on supporting her team. However, this created a new problem, as she sometimes allowed her boundaries to be crossed in her desire to help.Her third and current stage is that of a “spiritual leader.” This, she explains, is the crucial “balancing act” between compassion and firm boundaries. Grounded in a practice of self-love, she learned to be strong in her core, setting clear guidelines not to control, but to help her team members grow. This balanced approach fostered a healthier, more dynamic, and more effective team environment, proving that true leadership is about empowering others to be their best.A Lesson in Letting GoA significant part of this journey involved deep emotional work. Joanna shared a powerful story from a recent trip to Egypt, where she finally confronted and released layers of resentment she had been carrying, some even from past lives. She realized that holding onto resentment benefits no one and that true forgiveness is about respecting another's free will while learning the lesson to protect yourself.This act of letting go was liberating and had a ripple effect across her life. It reinforced the importance of setting healthy boundaries and no longer being a “people pleaser.” It's a profound reminder that the emotional baggage we carry silently impacts our decisions, our energy, and our ability to lead with clarity and presence.A Soulful Approach to AIGiven her focus on human connection, I was fascinated to hear Joanna's take on AI. She sees it, wisely, as a “double-sided sword.” Her approach is not to fear it or rely on it completely, but to use it as a tool to enhance human capability. In her business, they leverage AI for repetitive tasks, which boosts efficiency and productivity.The ultimate goal, she explained, is to free up her human team members from mundane work so they can spend more time in their “genius zone.” This allows them to focus on creativity, strategy, and the deep, nuanced human connection that AI can never replicate. It's a perfect example of her philosophy in action: using a modern tool to get back to what is timelessly human.The Treasure in Your FeelingsTo bring it all together, Joanna's final piece of advice was perhaps the most powerful. She urged us all to truly respect our own feelings. In a world that often encourages us to suppress or ignore difficult emotions, she invites us to face them, embrace them, and find the lesson hidden within them. She admitted that this can be painful, but as her spiritual mentor taught her, “pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.”By learning from our pain instead of getting stuck in it, we grow. This practice of emotional honesty and self-love was the bedrock of all her other transformations. It's what allowed her to move from a “gray” existence to a vibrant, purposeful life.In Summary: My conversation with Joanna Zhang was a beautiful reminder that our businesses are extensions of who we are. Her journey shows that true, sustainable success isn't found in a better strategy, but in a deeper connection to ourselves. By having the courage to do the inner work, let go of what no longer serves us, and lead with a balance of heart and wisdom, we can build not just better businesses, but better lives.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Joanna's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: AI can rapidly research and extract a person's essence, building a foundation for deeper connection.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Using AI to automate repetitive tasks frees up her team to focus on higher-value human connections.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Practice giving AI clear, detailed instructions to sharpen your communication and delegation skills with humans.ActionRespect your own feelings. Face every emotion, accept it, embrace it, and find the valuable lesson hidden behind it.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Joanna on LinkedIn by searching for Joanna Zhang and looking for “operations” in her profile.Links:* Website - The Operations Genius* LinkedIn* Facebook* Instagram - @entrepreneursoulmateCool Things About Joanna* She's a former stage performer and singer. This is a wonderful and unexpected backstory for an “Operations Genius”. It reveals a creative, expressive history and provides a powerful metaphor for how she now uses her “voice” to share a different kind of message.* She built the exact business she wished existed for herself. Her company wasn't just a response to a gap in the market; it was born from her own personal struggle and frustration as an entrepreneur who needed help but couldn't find the right fit. This makes her origin story incredibly authentic.* She didn't realize she was a global innovator until she won an award for it. Joanna mentioned that she didn't even know her “Fractional VA Service” was a pioneering model until her company was recognized with a 2024 International Business Award as the “world's first”. This highlights a genuine, purpose-driven focus where she was more concerned with solving the problem than with being first.* She describes her speaking process as channeling. Her admission that when she speaks, she doesn't “use brain” but instead taps into a natural, divine flow is a refreshingly unconventional and vulnerable description of her creative process.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Emma Möller, an AI strategist and former diplomat with a fascinating journey from a small village in Sweden to the forefront of global technology strategy. Emma helps leaders navigate the complex systems of AI, drawing on her deep understanding of how the frameworks we build shape our human reality. In our chat, we explore how to embrace AI's potential with a principled and human-centered approach. Key points discussed include:* Design AI systems with intention, recognizing they actively shape our reality and lived experience.* Avoid “intellectual laziness” by using AI as a partner for inquiry, not a replacement for curiosity.* Cultivate your human curiosity through diverse learning to expand your awareness and unlock AI's creative potential.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Emma G Moller, LumieraIt was a true privilege to welcome Emma Möller, an AI strategist and former diplomat, to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Her journey is as fascinating as her insights, taking her from a small village of 60 people in northern Sweden, deeply connected to nature, to the complex, human-made systems of international policy and now, artificial intelligence. Our conversation was a masterclass in how to approach the incredible power of AI not with blind optimism or fear, but with a principled, human-centered curiosity that feels both vital and reassuring in this rapidly changing world.Emma's perspective is shaped by a profound understanding that the systems we design, be they legal, economic, or technological, fundamentally create the reality we inhabit. She spoke of feeling a disconnect between the rich, sensory experience of her childhood and the generalized, often biased frameworks of the modern world. This lens is what makes her approach to AI so powerful; she sees it not just as code, but as a new and incredibly influential system we are building, and she urges us to be deeply intentional about what kind of reality we want it to create.The Seductive Trap of Becoming ‘Intellectually Lazy'One of the most memorable moments in our chat was when Emma warned against the subtle danger of becoming “intellectually lazy.” It's a brilliant phrase that perfectly captures the seductive ease of letting generative AI do our thinking for us. We've all felt it: the temptation to accept the first answer from ChatGPT without question, or to let it generate prose without infusing it with our own unique perspective and critical thought. Emma reminded us that these tools are often designed to agree with us, which can create an echo chamber if we're not careful.The antidote, she suggests, is to consciously maintain our curiosity and use AI as a partner for deeper inquiry, not as a replacement for it. This really resonated with me. I shared the story of how I used an AI, which I named Yuki, to help plan my recent trip to Japan. Yuki handled the logistical heavy lifting: train schedules, travel times, which freed me up to dive deeper into the history and culture. The AI built the foundation, but the curiosity, the questions, and the actual human experience remained firmly in my hands. It was a perfect example of using the technology to enhance, not diminish, our engagement with the world.The Unscheduled Joy of Getting LostThis led to another beautiful point: the importance of allowing for the unexpected. Emma spoke about how some of the best adventures and innovations come from mistakes, or from getting a little bit lost. An AI can create a perfectly optimized itinerary, but it can't schedule the serendipitous joy of stumbling upon a hidden alleyway or the creative spark that comes from a plan gone awry. If we delegate too much of our decision-making to algorithms, we risk engineering these essential human moments out of our lives.Ultimately, Emma argues that our most powerful tool for navigating the age of AI is our own awareness, which we must actively cultivate. Her advice was wonderfully simple: read books. Talk to people with different perspectives. Spend time in nature. In short, we must continually expand our own “information landscape” so that we can bring richer, more creative questions to the AI. It is, as she puts it, a “mirror of our own awareness,” and will only ever be as insightful as we are.AI as a Leadership Challenge, Not Just a Tech SolutionBringing this into the business world, Emma stressed that successful AI adoption is not a technology problem; it's a leadership and culture challenge. The leaders who are getting it right are not looking for a magic AI solution to plug in. Instead, they are focusing on the real, day-to-day problems their teams face and empowering them to find ways that AI can genuinely help. It's about creating a system for change that supports people, listens to their concerns, and fosters collaboration.This conversation with Emma Möller was a powerful reminder that while technology will continue to evolve at a dizzying pace, the core principles of human-centered progress remain the same. It's about staying curious, taking responsibility for the tools we use, and never losing sight of the fact that the goal of innovation should be to create more space for the messy, beautiful, and irreplaceable experience of being human.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Emma's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Innovative AI for Human Connection – Using AI to analyze an organization's data to break down internal silos and foster mutual understanding between teams.* Best AI Integration Example – Leveraging voice-to-text tools to work more efficiently, thereby creating more time for screen-free, in-person connection.* Differentiate with Connection – Stay relentlessly curious by reading books and intentionally connecting with new people to learn from their unique perspectives.ActionIf you haven't already, start using AI. Consciously create space to remain curious and make mistakes, and then go outside for a walk to enjoy nature.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Emma on her website. She also has a wonderful newsletter called The Lumiera Loop.Links:* Website - Lumiera* Lumiera's Newsletter - The Lumiera Loop* LinkedInCool Things About Emma* She's a former diplomat and lawyer. This isn't just a career change; it's a fundamental shift in worlds. Her expertise in AI doesn't come from a typical tech background, but from a deep understanding of human systems, language, and international relations. This unique origin story frames her entire perspective on technology in a fascinating way.* She wants to translate information into smell. In a conversation about large language models and digital artifacts, her most exciting experiment is wonderfully human and unexpected. This reveals a playful, creative, and deeply sensory side that looks for understanding far beyond the screen.* She's a global citizen. Born near a ski resort in the north of Sweden, she later studied at Monash University in Melbourne (Jürgen's alma mater) and now lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal. This isn't just a list of places; it paints a picture of someone who is adaptable and thinks with a naturally global perspective.* She finds text to be an “unnatural medium.” Despite being a self-proclaimed “big fan of languages” and having a background that relied heavily on text, she has come to the conclusion that it's an artificial way for humans to communicate. This intellectual paradox is very cool; it shows she's not afraid to question the very foundations of her own past expertise.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Patrick van der Burght, one of the world's leading experts in the science of ethical persuasion. After a challenging start as a sales rep for a product with a terrible reputation, Patrick discovered the powerful work of Dr. Robert Cialdini, using its principles to turn that product into a market leader. He now dedicates his work to teaching business owners a proven framework for building stronger connections and achieving their most important outcomes with complete integrity.In our fascinating chat, we explored the science of human decision-making and the critical difference between honest influence and dishonest manipulation. Key points discussed include:* Ethical persuasion builds long-term success; manipulation is a short-term win that ultimately leads to disaster.* True influence comes from highlighting genuine facts, not inventing falsehoods to create artificial pressure.* Understanding the seven universal principles of persuasion helps you build genuine trust and guide decisions ethically.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Patrick van der BurghtIt was an absolute honour to welcome Patrick van der Burght, one of the world's leading experts in the science of ethical persuasion, to the InnovaBuzz podcast. As business owners, we pour so much of ourselves into our work, yet often feel like we're guessing when it comes to getting the cooperation and compliance we need to succeed. Patrick pulled back the curtain on this exact challenge, revealing that influence isn't an art form reserved for a select few; it's a science that any of us can learn to apply, ethically and effectively.Our conversation illuminated a powerful truth: you can significantly increase the number of "yeses" you receive without twisting arms or compromising your integrity. It's about understanding the psychology of human decision-making and learning how to formulate your requests in a way that makes it easier for people to agree. Patrick's passion for this topic is infectious, born from a deep-seated compassion for hardworking entrepreneurs who are leaving success on the table simply because they don't yet know this proven framework.The Dry Suit Epiphany: From Being Laughed At to Market LeaderI was fascinated by Patrick's own origin story in persuasion science. As a young sales rep in the scuba diving industry, he took on a brand of dry suits that had a disastrous reputation; the year before, they had all leaked. When he presented the new, improved product to his retailers, they literally laughed at him. He had a great product, but a total lack of trust in the market. It was a classic business nightmare.Facing this challenge, he dove into the work of Dr. Robert Cialdini and began applying the universal principles of persuasion. By strategically and ethically bringing the right facts to the surface, he was able to rebuild trust and reframe the conversation. The result? In just 18 months, that once-mocked dry suit became the market leader. That experience converted Patrick for life, proving that this science had the power to turn even the most difficult situations around.Walking the Ethical Tightrope: Persuasion vs. ManipulationPatrick was crystal clear on a point that I know concerns many of us: the fine line between ethical persuasion and outright manipulation. He offered a brilliant litmus test. Unethical persuasion, like the shoe salesperson lying about having the "last pair," involves importing falsehoods into a situation to pressure a decision. It might create a short-term win, but it inevitably leads to long-term disaster once the deceit is discovered.Ethical persuasion, on the other hand, is about bringing naturally occurring truths to the surface. If the TV you want truly is the last one in stock, you as the customer want to be told that information to make an informed choice. The key is honesty. Ethical influence is not about creating false scarcity or pressure; it's about highlighting genuine facts that help someone make a better, easier decision that serves their own interests.The Three 'Cancers' of Unethical InfluenceGoing a step further, Patrick shared the devastating long-term costs of fostering a dishonest culture, which he powerfully described as "three cancers." The first is the stress it places on employees, most of whom dislike being asked to lie, leading to more sick days. The second is a much higher staff turnover, as good people will seek employment elsewhere, creating a huge cost in hiring and training.The third cancer is perhaps the most insidious: the only people who don't mind being unethical are, well, unethical people. These are not the employees you want, as their dishonesty won't be limited to your customers; it will extend to side deals and stealing office supplies. Patrick's point is stark and clear: a business built on deceit will ultimately rot from the inside out.A Quick Tour of the Seven Universal Principles of InfluenceAt the heart of Patrick's work are the seven universal principles that work across all cultures: Reciprocity (we feel obliged to give back), Liking (we say yes to people we like), and the new principle of Unity (we are influenced by those we share an identity with). These first three are all about building relationships.The next principles help reduce uncertainty: Social Proof (we follow the lead of similar others) and Authority (we defer to experts). Finally, to motivate action, we have Consistency (we stick with our commitments) and Scarcity (we want more of what we can have less of). Understanding these fundamental drivers is the first step to applying them.Turning a Bad Review into a Trust-Building MomentSo how does this work in the real world? Patrick gave a masterful example of handling a negative online review. The wrong move is to ignore it or get defensive. Instead, you can respond by first acknowledging the person's bad experience. This simple act of honesty immediately establishes you as a trustworthy source of information because you're acting against your own immediate self-interest.Then, you can gently pivot to social proof by saying something like, "As you can see from our 128 other positive reviews, your experience is not what normally happens here." This validates the complaint while reassuring any future customers that the issue was an exception, not the rule. It's a brilliant way to turn a negative into a powerful display of credibility.Your First Step into the Science of InfluenceUltimately, what I took away from my chat with Patrick is that we don't have to operate on guesswork. Whether we're in sales, marketing, HR, or even just trying to get our kids to do their homework, we are constantly in situations where we need to be persuasive. There is a science to it, one that is ethical, available, and incredibly potent.As Patrick advised, the easiest first step for anyone is to simply become aware that this science exists. A great way to start is by picking up Dr. Cialdini's foundational book, Influence. By learning the principles, you can start to spot opportunities to ethically and effectively build stronger connections and achieve the outcomes you're working so hard for.In Summary: Patrick van der Burght provides a compelling and ethical framework for influence. His message is a game-changer: stop guessing and start learning the science of human decision-making. By applying these proven principles with honesty and integrity, you can not only achieve greater success but also build deeper, more trusting, and more enduring relationships in every area of your life.ActionRealize there is a science to how people make decisions that is available for you to learn. As a first practical step, follow Patrick's recommendation and get Dr. Cialdini's foundational book, Influence, to begin understanding these powerful principles.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Patrick on his website, or connect with him on LinkedIn. Patrick has also generously provided a Free Influence & Persuasion Guide which includes a downloadable ebook.Links:* Website – Ethical Pursuasion* LinkedIn* Facebook* X (formerly Twitter) – @yesmoreoften* Instagram – @ethical_persuasion* YouTube* TikTok* Free Influence & Persuasion GuideBooks:* Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini* How to Hear YES More Often: Harnessing the Power of Influence and Ethical Persuasion in Business by Patrick Van Der Burght, Leopold Ajami, and John DoorbarCool Things About Patrick* He's a land, sea, and air adventurer who found his calling on cassette tapes. There's a fantastic juxtaposition between his adventurous, hands-on life as a commercial pilot, scuba diver, and Harley rider, and the old-school, analogue way he discovered his passion: listening to Dr. Cialdini's work on cassette tapes in the late 90s.* He had the courage to cold-email his hero. After being inspired by the tapes, he didn't just become a fan; he took the initiative to email Dr. Cialdini directly for permission to teach the material. That single act of proactive courage fundamentally shaped his professional journey.* His Harley adventures are a shared passion. The image of a Harley rider often evokes a solo journey, but Patrick's spouse also enjoys riding, making it a shared activity. This adds a wonderful layer of warmth and partnership to his adventurous side.* He's on a mission to equip the next generation with a "crucial life skill." His strong desire isn't just to coach professionals, but to teach ethical persuasion to young people in schools, preparing them for a future where social influence is a top-ranked skill needed for success.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Ali Hafizji, the CEO of Wednesday Solutions, who joins us from Pune, India. He's on a critical mission to steer startup founders away from the chaos and waste that often plagues their journey, offering them a clear, systematic path to success. In our chat, Ali Hafizji breaks down the fundamental mindset shift that separates a struggling project from a thriving business: the transition from being a "builder" to becoming a true "business owner." Ali provides a clear framework for founders to escape the dreaded "build trap" and focus on the activities that genuinely move the needle. Key points discussed include:* Make the critical shift from passionately building a product to strategically owning the entire business.* Your new job isn't coding; it's marketing, sales, fundraising, and gathering crucial market insights.* Leverage AI for incredible speed, but always guide it with uniquely human judgment and strategic focus.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Ali HafizjiIt was a real privilege to welcome Ali Hafizji, the CEO of Wednesday Solutions, to the Innovabuzz podcast, all the way from Pune, India. Ali has a critical and incredibly timely mission: to help founders avoid the pain, waste, and chaos that so often derails promising startups. He provides a wonderfully systematic and clear path for entrepreneurs to move from a compelling Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to that all-important Product-Market Fit, and he does it with a logic that cuts right through the emotional turmoil of the founder's journey.Our conversation was a deep dive into the fundamental mindset shift required to build not just a product, but a sustainable business. Ali's insights felt like a much-needed dose of clarity in a startup world that is often filled with noise and distractions. He's on a mission to help founders cross the chasm from being passionate builders to becoming strategic business owners, a distinction that is truly at the heart of success.The Critical Divide: Are You a Builder or a Business Owner?The most powerful idea Ali Hafizji shared was the distinction between acting like a "builder" and thinking like a "business owner". So many founders start because they have personally experienced a problem and have the vision to build a digital solution for it. This is a fantastic starting point, but it's also a trap. They get their MVP built, show it to a few people, and then get stuck in a perpetual cycle of building.As Ali explained, their day-to-day becomes about micromanaging features and tweaking the product, not growing the business. They are acting like builders, not owners. This crucial difference in mindset is often what separates a promising project that fizzles out from a company that achieves real traction and makes a lasting impact.Escaping the "Build Trap": When Your Day-to-Day Doesn't Move the NeedleThis builder mindset leads directly to what Ali calls the "build trap". You get feedback, you add a feature. You talk to a user, you tweak the interface. You're constantly busy, your team is shipping code, but the core business metrics aren't changing. You feel like you're working incredibly hard, but as Ali puts it, you're just not "moving the needle".The litmus test he offered was profound in its simplicity: if you realize that no matter what you do, things aren't fundamentally changing, you probably need to change first. It's a sign that you must stop focusing all your energy on the product itself and transform your own role within the company.The Founder's New Job: A Four-Point Mission for GrowthSo, what does that new role look like? Ali laid out a new job description for the post-MVP founder, one centered on four key activities: marketing, sales, fundraising, and gathering insights. The founder's primary job is to be the external voice and vision for the company, interacting with the market, customers, and investors.This means handing over the day-to-day building to a team you trust, whether it's an in-house team or a partner. That team's job is to convert the rich insights you're gathering into a digital offering. This shift is a massive change, moving from the comfort of building to the challenging, but essential, work of business development.AI as the Enabler, Not the Answer: Building with True VelocityIn today's world, it's easier than ever to build something, thanks in large part to AI. Ali is a huge proponent of using AI, but in a very specific, strategic way. He sees it as a powerful enabler to get your MVP off the ground and to supercharge your engineering team, allowing a small "pod" to achieve twice the outcome.However, he was quick to point out that true velocity isn't just about speed; it's a combination of speed and direction. AI can provide the speed, but the direction must come from the human insights gathered by the founder. An AI-enabled team is powerful, but they are still relying on the founder's strategic guidance to ensure they are building the right thing.The Human Advantage: Why Saying "No" is Your Most Important SkillThis brought us to the crucial human element. With the ability to build things so quickly, the temptation to add every bell and whistle is stronger than ever. Ali argued that the most important advantage a human-led team has is the ability to say "no." It's about having the focus and judgment to decide what not to build.He used brilliant examples, like Instagram focusing solely on its iOS app for the longest time, or Snapchat starting with a single, simple feature. This disciplined focus is only possible through a consultative, back-and-forth conversation between the founder and the team, constantly asking the tough questions: "What business metric is this going to move?" That judgment is something AI can't replicate.Conclusion: Stop Listening to the Chaos and Start BuildingAli's message is ultimately one of empowerment. We are in an age where the tools to bring an idea to life are more accessible than ever. His final call to action was simple: "now is the time to build". But that encouragement comes with a critical piece of wisdom.You must start with the awareness that the goal isn't just to build a product, but to build a business. Be prepared to make that difficult but necessary transition from builder to business owner. Stop listening to the chaos, focus on what truly matters, and you'll be on the right path to turning your vision into a viable, impactful company.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Ali's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using an AI tool that helps you take interviews better by nudging you to look at the camera and build a genuine connection.Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Actively avoiding the use of AI for human connection to maintain authenticity, as AI-generated text often feels like fluff.Differentiate by leveraging AI: Focus on authentic video for marketing, as text is now commoditized and video offers a less noisy, more human platform.ActionIf you are thinking about building a business, now is the time to start. Use the tools all around you to build whatever you plan, as you don't need a lot of external help to get started.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Ali via the Wednesday Solutions website or by connecting with him on LinkedIn.Links:* Website - Wednesday Solutions* LinkedIn* Twitter - @wednesdaysol* Instagram - @wednesday.solCool Things About Ali* He is a "Founder Pain-Killer": Ali hasn't just built another software company. He has systematically designed a business model around a core philosophy: to prevent the specific pain, chaos, and waste he has witnessed kill so many startups. He is not just selling a service; he is selling a well-engineered antidote to a common business disease.* He is a Unicorn Whisperer: Having worked with over 10% of India's unicorn companies, Ali possesses a rare and valuable perspective. He has had a front-row seat to hyper-growth, giving him an extraordinary understanding of the patterns that separate the wildly successful from the rest, especially during their chaotic and vulnerable early stages.* He is a Pragmatic AI Pioneer: While many leaders talk about AI in abstract or future-tense terms, Ali is a true early adopter who has been using it in the trenches for years. He treats AI not as a buzzword, but as a practical, integrated "force multiplier" that is a fundamental part of his company's daily operations.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Kevin Perlmutter, author of Brand Desire and a brand strategist who has codified the complex world of human emotion into an actionable framework. Kevin provides a system for businesses to move beyond mere transactions and build genuine, lasting connections with the people they serve. In our fascinating chat, we dive into his powerful system for creating genuine brand desire, exploring why honouring how you want people to feel is the cornerstone of a thriving business, especially in the age of AI.Key points discussed include:* Great brands make lives better by honouring their customers' deepest emotional motivations.* True differentiation comes from what loyal customers already feel, not just from a gap in the market.* In the age of AI, a leader's crucial role is guarding the line that protects human connection.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Kevin PerlmutterIt was an absolute thrill to welcome Kevin Perlmutter, author of the brilliant book Brand Desire, back to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Our conversation was a powerful reminder of a fundamental truth that so many businesses seem to forget: brands should exist to make people's lives better. Kevin has masterfully codified the complex world of human emotion into a clear and actionable framework that guides businesses away from the shortcuts that degrade human connection and toward creating something people genuinely desire.So often, we get tangled up in our own processes, our features, and our messaging, without stopping to ask how we're actually making people feel. As Kevin points out, this disconnect is where brands stumble. They have the best intentions but end up creating frustrating, soul-crushing experiences that do the opposite of building loyalty. Our chat was a masterclass in putting the human heart back at the center of brand strategy.The Sprinkler System Epiphany: From Dread to DevotionI loved Kevin's story about a frustrating experience with a broken lawn sprinkler system that turned into a moment of brand magic. He, like all of us, was bracing for the typical customer service nightmare: a long wait on hold, a difficult conversation, and likely a dead end because the product was out of warranty. That feeling of dread is something we've all been conditioned to expect.Instead, the company called him back within five minutes, a real person quickly identified the problem, and without hesitation, they sent him a brand new, upgraded model for free. In 15 minutes, they transformed a moment of frustration into one of delight. As Kevin rightly said, they didn't just save a customer; they created a passionate ambassador who will now tell that story for years to come. That is the power of prioritizing a person's feelings over a rigid policy.Codifying the Connection: The Focus, Connect, Evolve FrameworkWhat's so powerful about Kevin's work is that he's taken this intuitive idea of human connection and built a reliable system around it. He calls it the Focus, Connect, Evolve framework, and it's a clear roadmap for any brand that wants to build a more meaningful relationship with its audience. It's a process for turning those fleeting moments of connection into a core, repeatable strategy.The framework begins with Focus, where you do the deep work of gaining customer insight. Then you move to Connect, where you craft the emotional benefit and an invitation into your brand. Finally, you Evolve by bringing that promise to life in every single experience a customer has with you, ensuring the feeling you want to create is consistently delivered.Uncovering Your Beacon: The 'Shared Emotional Motivation'Diving deeper into that "Focus" phase, Kevin shared a concept that really resonated with me: the "shared emotional motivation." This isn't about finding some patch of "white space" in a competitive analysis. It's about doing the work to understand the emotional truth of why your most loyal customers love you. It's about finding the intersection where what your brand authentically provides meets what your customers are truly craving.When you find that intersection, it becomes your brand's guiding "beacon." It's a clear, unwavering light that informs every decision you make, from your marketing copy to your product development to your customer service policies. It ensures that you are always oriented around the emotional core of your promise to your customers.How 'Invincible' Feels: A B2B Masterclass in EmotionTo show this in action, Kevin told the story of a B2B software company that helps supply chain managers. Their customers went from using gut instinct and spreadsheets, constantly afraid of "getting yelled at," to being the "hero" in their organization because they always had the right numbers. The shared emotional motivation wasn't about efficiency; it was about the craving to feel competent and secure.From this insight, the powerful brand promise, "Be Supply Chain Invincible," was born. It was a bold, emotional statement that initially made the client a bit nervous, but it was completely authentic because it was rooted in how their service already made their best customers feel. It's a perfect example of how emotion is just as critical in B2B as it is in B2C.The AI Tightrope: Guarding the Humanity LineOf course, we had to talk about AI. Kevin has a wonderfully clear-eyed perspective on it. While AI can be a fantastic tool for things like summarizing customer reviews or acting as an "enhanced thesaurus," there's a significant danger when it's used to replace genuine human interaction without careful thought.He was adamant that the brand leader's role today is to be the guardian of the human experience. You must know where the line is between using AI to be humanity-enhancing versus humanity-degrading. And his advice is simple: you must never, ever cross that line just for the sake of cost-cutting or efficiency. That is a non-negotiable responsibility.Your Limbic Sparks Mindset: Three Questions to Ask TodayTo bring it all home, Kevin shared a simple, actionable mindset that anyone can adopt, which he calls the Limbic Sparks Mindset. It boils down to asking three essential questions every day, whether you're designing a new product or just writing an email.First, what are people's frustrations, unmet needs, and motivations? Second, how do people want to feel when they interact with you? And finally, what should your brand do and say to make people's lives better? By asking these questions, you begin to build a brand that people don't just buy from, but truly desire to have in their lives.In Summary: My conversation with Kevin Perlmutter was a profound call to action for all business leaders. His message is that the brands that thrive will be the ones who understand and address the emotional motivations of their customers. It's not just about what you do; it's about how you make people feel.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Kevin's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – AI algorithms can be used to create pairings and matchings that connect like-minded people, assuming they foster genuine connection rather than isolation.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Use AI as an enhanced thesaurus to explore alternative phrasing and interpretations, which helps deepen the nuance of your own human communication.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Discover what makes you unique by asking others for input on how you make them feel, then lean into that authentic emotional differentiator.ActionEmbrace a Limbic Sparks Mindset. Think about your customer's frustrations, needs, and desires. Ask yourself how they want to feel, then design what you say and do to truly make their lives better.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Kevin on LinkedIn and find all the details about his book and framework at branddesirebook.com.Links:* Website – Limbic Brand Evolution* Twitter – @KevinPerlmutter* LinkedInBooks:* Brand Desire: Spark Customer Interest Using Emotional Insights, Kevin PerlmutterCool Things About Kevin* He Played the Long Game with His Podcast. Years before his book deal, Kevin strategically designed his podcast as a research tool. He intentionally asked every one of his 37 guests the same core questions, patiently building a unique library of expert insights that would eventually become a foundational part of his book. That level of foresight and disciplined creativity is unconventional and impressive.* He Deconstructed His Own "Magic" for Others. Kevin admits that his successful approach was, for a long time, "somewhat intuitive" and "second nature" to him. The cool part isn't the intuition itself, but his decision to undertake the difficult work of codifying it. He didn't just want to be the magician; he wanted to write down the spells so that, as he said, "anybody can learn how to do it". That's a profoundly generous impulse.* He's a Principled Guardian of Humanity in Tech. In a world quick to adopt any new technology, Kevin has drawn a clear "do not cross line". He's not anti-AI; he's a staunch, principled advocate for ensuring technology serves, rather than "degrades," the human experience. This role as a thoughtful "guardian" against dehumanizing shortcuts is a powerful and very human stance to take.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Matt Stanley, the founder of Get Reviews and Leads and a passionate marketing architect with 30 years of experience. What started as a fascination with the early internet evolved into a mission-driven career for Matt, focused on using technology to serve people and build thriving, human-centered businesses. In our chat, Matt shares his powerful frameworks for moving beyond simple deliverables to create marketing that forges deep, emotional connections and lifelong customer loyalty.Key points discussed include:* Connect with your dream customer's "reptile brain" by understanding their deep-seated pains and fears.* Closing the sale is the starting line; create a legendary onboarding experience to build loyalty.* Use AI as a strategic toolbox to free up your time for genuine, human-to-human connection.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Matt StanleyIt was an absolute thrill to welcome Matt Stanley of Get Reviews and Leads to the InnovaBuzz podcast. For 30 years, Matt has been in the trenches, architecting sales and marketing systems, and our conversation was a masterclass in stripping away the noise to focus on what truly matters: genuine, human-centered connection. Matt's passion is infectious; he's a self-described "nerd" and "geek" who fell in love with the craft of marketing not as a way to make a quick buck, but as a profound way to serve people.His journey as an "accidental entrepreneur" is one many of us can relate to. What began as a fascination with the early internet, a technology he knew would change the world, became a career-defining mission. The 2008 recession, which cost him his stable job, became the catalyst that pushed him all-in. It was a decision, as he puts it, that was made for him, leading him to discover that his true calling was helping businesses navigate the intimidating world of technology to build something truly meaningful.The "Forest for the Trees" Marketing MistakeOne of the biggest takeaways for me was Matt's frustration with how many businesses "can't see the forest for the trees." They get so fixated on the deliverable—the shiny new website, the social media campaign—that they completely lose sight of the bigger picture. A website, he rightly argues, is just a tool. If it's disconnected from the fundamental "DNA of the brand" and fails to make an emotional connection, it's not going to deliver a return on investment.This is where so many marketing efforts fall flat. Companies start with the what—"we need a website"—instead of the who and the why. They fail to ask the critical questions about how this tool will connect to their dream customer and serve the core mission of the company. It's a powerful reminder to always start with the end in mind: a deeper relationship with the people you aim to serve.Decoding the "Reptile Brain": The Real Secret to Connecting with Your Dream CustomerSo, how do we build that connection? According to Matt, it starts by getting under the hood and understanding the "reptile brain." All purchase decisions, he explained, are made from this primal place that is driven by pain, pleasure, and survival. We then use our logical brain to justify the decision we've already made emotionally. This is why a simple demographic profile of your customer just doesn't cut it.The real secret sauce is digging into the psychographics through tools like an empathy map. What are your dream customer's hidden fears? What frustrations keep them awake at night? When you can poke that pain, rub salt in the wound, and then offer a genuine solution, you're not just selling; you're connecting on a level that builds profound trust and loyalty.AI: The Planet's Most Powerful Toolbox (Handle with Care)Our conversation naturally turned to AI, a technology Matt sees as being just as transformative as the early internet. He views it as the most powerful toolbox on the planet, an incredible asset for saving time and creating efficiency. However, he offered a crucial warning: a tool is only as good as the person wielding it. He sees too many people using AI as a crutch for laziness, forgetting the timeless fundamentals of human psychology.As Matt bluntly puts it, "garbage in, garbage out." If your prompts are lazy and you don't understand the core principles of your brand and your customer, the AI will produce junk. The real skill is learning how to communicate with the technology to make you a more effective, articulate, and strategic thinker, freeing you up to do the high-value, human-centric work you love.Your Greatest Differentiator: The "Whites of Their Eyeballs" Onboarding ExperienceIn an age of automation, Matt argues that the path to differentiation lies in doing the things that don't scale. How do you create an experience your customers can't forget if they tried? You go old-school. He shared the wonderfully simple yet profound example of sending a handwritten note. In a world of emails and DMs, a physical, personal touch stands out and shows you genuinely care.This philosophy extends to the entire onboarding experience. Instead of seeing the transaction as the end of the journey, we need to create a legendary first impression. Sending a small, thoughtful gift basket or simply picking up the phone creates an emotional connection that AI can't replicate. It's about seeing the "whites of their eyeballs" and treating every customer like a VIP.Closing the Sale is Just the Starting LineThis leads perfectly to one of Matt's core beliefs: closing the sale isn't the end of the relationship; it's the starting line. Too many businesses are so fixated on acquisition that they neglect their most precious asset: their existing customers. He beautifully compared the business-customer relationship to his own 20-year marriage, emphasizing that it requires a lifelong commitment.The goal should be to constantly woo your customers and try to "out-serve" them. When you adopt this mindset, you shift from a transactional model to a relational one. The focus moves from what you can get from the customer to how deeply you can serve them, which is the foundation of any thriving, sustainable business.From Reach to Retention: Unlocking the Gold Mine in Your Existing Customer BaseMatt ties all of this together in his holistic "RACK" framework, which stands for Reach, Attract, Convert, and Keep. That last letter, K, is the one most businesses forget. It costs seven to twelve times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one, yet so many of us pour all our energy into the top of the funnel.Your current customers are a literal "gold mine" of opportunity, not just for repeat business but for referrals and invaluable feedback. By focusing on that final step—by obsessing over your dream customer's dream customer—you create a virtuous cycle of service and value that becomes the ultimate engine for growth.In Summary: Matt Stanley delivers a powerful and passionate call to action for every entrepreneur. In a world increasingly dominated by technology, our greatest strength and differentiator will always be our humanity. By understanding the deep emotional drivers of our customers, creating unforgettable experiences, and committing to serving them for life, we can build businesses that not only thrive but also make a genuine impact.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Matt's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: Using an AI agent to instantly and empathetically respond to negative online reviews to solve customer problems 24/7.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Building AI tools that handle the heavy lifting, freeing up human time for more creative and fulfilling work.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Create a legendary, high-touch onboarding experience using old-school methods like a handwritten note to stand out.ActionBecome obsessed with your dream customer's dream customer. When you think a level deeper and focus on helping them win, everybody wins.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Matt on his website, getreviewsandleads.com. You can also grab the free Marketing Copy Architect tool he mentioned at getreviewsandleads.com/mca, or find him on various social media sites.Links:* Website - Get Reviews and Leads* LinkedIn* Facebook* X - @Matt_Stanley* Instagram - @getreviewsandleadsCool Things About Matt* His web security career was kick-started by a 7th-grade hacker. A pivotal moment in his career came when a seventh-grader hacked all the school district's websites where he worked. Driven by what he called professional and ethical anger, Matt walked into his boss's office and successfully campaigned to take over webmaster duties to fix the problem and ensure it never happened again.* He is a proud, unashamed "geek and nerd" of the original internet era. Matt enthusiastically self-identifies as a "geek and nerd" and takes pride in his long history with technology. He taught himself HTML in 1995 by reverse-engineering source code simply because he thought the internet was the "coolest thing" he had ever seen, long before it was a viable career path.* He recently moved his 13-year-old business back into a bedroom of his house. After more than a decade of commuting and paying for an external office, Matt realized the reasons for it were no longer relevant. He made the practical, human-scale decision to move the entire operation back home to gain more flexibility and reduce overhead, a very relatable move in today's world.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Ruth Kent, a passionate advisor who began her career as a teacher with a love for public health. Driven by a deep sense of purpose, she now blends these two worlds to help organizations create more human-centered and effective ways to learn and thrive. In our wonderful chat, Ruth shares her pragmatic approach to navigating today's biggest workplace challenges, from fostering genuine psychological safety to harnessing AI as a tool for deeper connection.Key points discussed include:* True psychological safety is built on a leader's vulnerability and courage to "circle back" after a mistake.* Frame AI not as a threat, but as a collaborative thinking partner to enhance our human capabilities and creativity.* In an age of intelligent machines, our greatest asset is our ability to lean into our shared humanity.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Ruth KentIt was an absolute privilege to welcome the brilliant Ruth Kent to the InnovaBuzz podcast. Drawing from her fascinating background in both public health and education, Ruth helps organizations build a more human and effective way to learn and thrive. Our conversation was a deep dive into what it truly means to support people in the modern workplace, moving beyond simple programs to create genuine frameworks for connection and wellbeing.Ruth's insights are particularly timely. She shared how the entire landscape of workplace wellbeing has evolved, especially in the last five years. We've moved past the era of one-size-fits-all fitness challenges and into a much more nuanced space. The conversation now includes hybrid work, the right to disconnect, and a growing understanding of neurodiversity, all demanding a more thoughtful approach.The New Workplace Landscape: Beyond the Wellness ProgramOne of the most powerful ideas Ruth introduced was the concept of applying a "public health lens" to an organization. Instead of just reacting with isolated wellness initiatives, this approach encourages leaders to step back and look at the entire system. It's about getting curious about the specific demographics, needs, and cultural nuances of the team you actually have, rather than just importing a program that worked for another company.This means asking deeper questions and truly listening to what people need to feel supported. It's a strategic shift from simply offering perks to proactively designing a healthier, more connected work environment from the ground up. This method allows for the creation of supports that are not only more effective but also feel far more authentic to the people they are meant to serve.The Foundation of Growth: Cultivating Real Psychological SafetyOf course, none of this is possible without a foundation of psychological safety. We explored the immense challenge leaders face in getting truly honest feedback, and Ruth shared a wonderfully human insight to guide them. She drew a powerful analogy between effective leadership and modern parenting, highlighting the importance of vulnerability and the courage to "circle back" after making a mistake.Imagine a leader who, after a tense moment or a poorly-worded email, has the self-awareness to return to their team member and say, "That wasn't my best self, and I apologize." That simple, authentic act doesn't just fix a single interaction; it builds a bridge of trust. It signals that it's okay to be human, to be imperfect, and to be committed to working through challenges together.The Leader's Inner Compass: The Power of Self-AwarenessDiving deeper, Ruth explained that this ability to "circle back" stems from a profound self-awareness, or what she calls "interoception." This is the ability to notice our own internal state—that clenching in the stomach or the quickening heart rate—and understand how it's driving our thoughts and actions. A leader who is attuned to their inner world can make more conscious choices about their behaviour.This is critical because, as Ruth pointed out, a leader's internal experience is transmitted to the team whether they intend it or not. We are all "beacons," and our non-verbal cues often speak louder than our words. By cultivating this inner awareness, leaders can move from being reactive to being intentional, creating a calmer and more stable environment for everyone.Reframing Our Future: AI as a Collaborative Thinking PartnerOur conversation then turned to the great disruptor of our time: Artificial Intelligence. Ruth offered a refreshingly balanced and optimistic perspective, framing AI not as a threat, but as a potential "collaborative thinking partner." She sees it as a tool that, if we proceed with awareness and caution, can help us solve some of humanity's biggest challenges.This doesn't mean ignoring the very real anxieties many people feel about job displacement or a potential crisis of purpose. Ruth acknowledged these challenges thoughtfully, suggesting that our task is to guide this emerging technology, to have foresight, and to think critically about how we can make sure the benefits are shared by all.From Efficiency to Empathy: Using AI to Enhance Our HumanitySo how do we use this powerful new partner to become more human? Ruth shared a fantastic personal example of using an AI chatbot as a supportive, objective third party. After receiving a frustrating email, instead of firing back an emotional reply, she used the AI to validate her feelings and think through a more constructive response, ultimately preserving the relationship.This beautifully illustrates a key opportunity: we can use AI to handle repetitive tasks and create efficiencies, but the real prize is what we do with the time we save. The goal isn't just to move on to the next task faster. The goal is to reinvest that reclaimed time in what truly matters: checking in with a colleague, writing a thoughtful thank you note, or simply having a conversation to ask, "How are you?"Your Ultimate Differentiator: Leaning Deeper into ConnectionAs we wrapped up, the central theme became crystal clear. In an age where AI can handle so much of the clerical and repetitive work, our greatest value and key differentiator will always be our humanity. The ability to be flexible, to connect authentically, and to lean into our self-awareness are the skills that will matter most.Ruth left us with a simple, brilliant call to action that perfectly balances the technological and the human. First, find someone in your life who may not understand AI and take a moment to expose them to it; share the potential and open up a conversation. Then, to counteract that, pick up the phone and call a friend. Have a real conversation and listen to a human voice.In Summary: My chat with Ruth Kent was a powerful reminder that the path to a better future of work isn't about choosing between technology and humanity, but about consciously using one to deepen the other. By cultivating self-awareness, fostering genuine psychological safety, and reinvesting our time in real connection, we can build workplaces where both people and organizations can truly flourish.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Ruth's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: AI can act as a supportive sidekick, offering advice before you respond to someone to help strengthen the connection.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Ruth uses AI to enhance her own capabilities and strategic thinking, which indirectly enables her to connect more effectively with others.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Differentiate yourself by deeply understanding your inner self, which allows you to harness AI to amplify your unique humanity.ActionExpose someone new to AI to help spread the understanding of what it's capable of. To balance this, make a phone call to a friend and have a real conversation, connecting with a human voice.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Ruth on LinkedIn, via her website, or by sending an email to hello@sunrisewell.com.au.Links:* Website - Sunrise Well* LinkedIn* Facebook* Instagram - @sunrise_wellCool Things About Ruth* Ruth applies a "Public Health Lens" to Business: She doesn't just look at individual employee perks. Instead, she applies a "public health lens" to an entire organization, analyzing the culture, demographics, and systems to understand the root causes of workplace stress and disconnection.* She Saw the Pandemic Coming: Due to her studies in public health, she was one of the few people who wasn't surprised by the arrival of the 2020 pandemic and the subsequent public health measures. She knew something like it was statistically inevitable.* Leadership is Like Conscious Parenting: Ruth has a powerful and relatable philosophy that great leadership mirrors conscious parenting. The key is not to be perfect, but to have the self-awareness and vulnerability to "circle back," apologize, and repair connections after a mistake.* Uses AI as an Emotional Sounding Board: She views AI as a "collaborative thinking partner." She shared a personal example of using it to process her own frustration with an email, allowing her to get validation and formulate a calm, professional response rather than reacting emotionally.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Jennifer K. Hill, an exited founder and tech CEO who is now cracking the code of human connection through her company, OptiMatch. Her mission was born from what she calls "survival," a personal journey to understand herself after realising she was the "common denominator" in her own relational breakdowns.In our wonderful chat, Jennifer shares her master blueprint for building high-trust relationships, the "Golden Triangle of Connection," and provides an arsenal of practical tools for emotional resilience. Key points discussed include:* True connection begins with yourself; you're the common denominator in all of your relationships.* Understand others' core motivations to speak a language they can hear, preventing communication breakdowns.* Use practical tools to regulate your nervous system, allowing your adult self to lead, not your inner child.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Jennifer K. HillIt was an absolute privilege to welcome Jennifer K. Hill to the InnovaBuzz podcast, an exited founder and tech CEO who is now on a mission to crack the code of human connection. Her journey is a fascinating one, not born from a lofty academic theory, but forged in the fires of personal experience. As Jennifer so candidly shared, her deep dive into the mechanics of trust and relationships began as an act of pure "survival."What unfolded was a powerful conversation about her master blueprint for connection, a framework she calls the Golden Triangle. It's a roadmap that starts in the one place many of us are afraid to look: ourselves. Jennifer's story is a profound reminder that before we can build bridges to others or to a greater purpose, we must first learn to navigate our own inner landscape with courage and compassion.The Common Denominator: Your First and Most Important RelationshipOne of the most powerful moments in our chat was when Jennifer described her ultimate "light bulb" moment. After years of broken relationships and communication breakdowns in every area of her life, she finally asked the hard question and came to a stunningly simple conclusion: "The common denominator? Me." That single realisation sparked a two-decade journey inward and became the bedrock of her work.This is the first corner of her Golden Triangle: a deep, unwavering connection to self. Jennifer argues that without this foundation, we will always feel a void, leaving us to seek validation and energy from others. True intimacy with our partners, our teams, and our purpose can only be built once we've done the deep work of understanding our own motivations, triggers, and blind spots.Are You a Leche or an Apple? Speaking a Language Others Can HearOnce we begin to understand ourselves, we can start to truly understand others. Jennifer has translated her intuitive gift for reading people into a remarkable technology called OptiMatch, which identifies our primary motivators using memorable fruit archetypes. Are you a "Leche," driven by achievement and needing information in three quick bullet points? Or are you an "Apple," who thrives on data and needs to see all fifty points of research?These differences aren't a matter of someone being difficult or "misbehaving;" it's simply about learning to "speak each other's language." Jennifer shared a brilliant example of two co-founders who were struggling until they realised this. By learning to speak into the other person's listening, they transformed their dynamic from one of friction to one of flow, a lesson that applies to every boardroom and every family dinner table.The Unseen Saboteur: Why You Need to Master "Transition Time"Sometimes the biggest breakdowns come from the smallest misunderstandings. Jennifer shared a deeply personal story about "transition time," a concept she learned from her mentor, Alison Armstrong. She described how her ex-husband would come home from work and need a period to decompress, a need she, in her excitement to connect, would completely miss. His silence felt like a rejection, leading her to become "passive aggressive" and withhold affection.This dynamic is a silent saboteur in countless relationships. Recognising that some people, regardless of gender, need time to transition between tasks or environments is a simple but revolutionary act of empathy. It's about giving grace and understanding that someone's need for a quiet moment isn't a personal slight, but a fundamental aspect of how they're wired.Don't Burn the House Down: Practical Tools for Taming Your AmygdalaWhen we feel slighted or triggered, our primitive brain, the amygdala, takes over. As Jennifer so vividly put it, in those moments of anger, she was ready to "dissolve the company, light the thing on fire and burn everything to the ground." To avoid this, we need practical tools to regulate our nervous system and get our rational brain back online, allowing us to be responsive instead of reactive.Jennifer has an arsenal of over 180 of these tools, and she shared a few of her favourites, from HeartMath's heart-focused breathing to the simple yet profound questions of the Sedona Method. These aren't complex, time-consuming practices; they are in-the-moment techniques you can use with your eyes open during a tense meeting to quiet the alarm bells in your brain and choose a more constructive path.The Inner Child Running the BoardroomSo why do we get triggered in the first place? Jennifer offered a stunningly clear explanation: most of the time, our conflicts are not being waged by our adult selves. Instead, "we are a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old being like, you can't make me, you suck!" It's our unhealed inner children, desperate for love and acceptance, who are running the show and causing the chaos.The antidote is what she calls "Inner Child Work." This is the secret sauce: learning to talk to that little one within you, giving yourself the love, safety, and acceptance you've been trying to get from everyone else. When you can do that, you stop taking that neediness into your relationships, and your competent, 44-year-old self can finally run the meeting.Humanizing Our Future: A Pragmatic Optimist's Take on AIOur conversation fittingly concluded by looking at the future of connection in the age of technology. As a "pragmatic optimist," Jennifer sees a powerful opportunity to "humanize AI" by always putting the "human first, tech second." She believes that far from replacing us, AI can be an incredible ally on our journey of self-discovery.Imagine having a companion you can talk to without any fear of judgment, a tool that can help you understand your own patterns and reflect on your feelings in a completely safe space. When we approach it with intention, technology doesn't have to be a force for disconnection; it can become one of the most powerful tools we have for building a deeper relationship with ourselves.In Summary: Jennifer K. Hill provides a masterclass in building a more connected life, starting from the inside out. Her message is clear: when we have the courage to see ourselves as the common denominator, learn to speak the language of others, and do the work to heal our inner child, we can transform every relationship we have—with ourselves, each other, and our purpose in the world.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Jennifer's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships: AI can provide non-judgmental companionship, creating a safe space for people to share their feelings without fear of being judged.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection: Jennifer used AI to create an animated short film from her narrated children's book, allowing her to share a message of connection with kids and adults worldwide.* Differentiate by leveraging AI: Use AI as a real-time assistant to outsource administrative tasks, freeing up your time to focus on the joyful, high-impact human interactions that truly matter.ActionGo to OM.app/survey and take the free OptiMatch survey to discover how you are motivated and find out if you are a leche, apple, mango, or parrot.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Jennifer by visiting OM.app to take her free assessment or by connecting with her on LinkedIn (be sure to mention this podcast episode). You can also find her weekly article, "Inspired Living Tools," on LinkedIn and follow her at @JenHillSpeaker.Links:* Opti Match Survey* LinkedIn* X (formerly Twitter) - @JenHillSpeaker* Instagram - @jenhillspeaker* YouTubeCool Things About Jennifer* She is a practical philanthropist who helped build two schools abroad, showing long‑term, hands‑on commitment to contribution.* She has interviewed world‑renowned thought leaders, including Dr. Deepak Chopra and Bruce Lipton, blending entrepreneurship with deep public conversation.* As an exited founder, she has real operating experience and credibility in building and selling a tech business.* She is building technology for trust — a matching tool intended to enhance relational clarity and team performance.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Jem Fuller, a leadership and culture coach and author from the beautiful Bells Beach, Victoria. For over a decade, Jem has been guiding people on profound journeys, both literally to the Himalayas and metaphorically inward, to help them build frameworks for genuine connection and purpose.In our wonderful chat, Jem shares his evolved mission to combat the modern malady of disconnection. We explore his powerful concept of finding your "4% genius zone" and his unique, optimistic view on using AI as a tool to give us back the time for what truly matters: our human relationships. Key points discussed include:* Find your 4% genius zone by courageously focusing on what you love and do best.* True fulfillment comes from stripping away the noise and reconnecting with yourself, others, and a greater purpose.* In the age of AI, our human imperfection and shared felt experiences become our most valuable assets.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Jem FullerIt was an absolute delight to welcome Jem Fuller, leadership coach and philosopher-guide, back to the Innovabuzz podcast for his third visit. It's been nine years since our first chat, and in that time, Jem's mission has deepened in the most remarkable ways. He continues to explore the frameworks that allow us to truly connect with ourselves and others, but now he's applying that wisdom to some of the biggest questions of our time, from finding our true purpose to navigating the age of AI with our humanity intact.Our conversation was a powerful reminder that the journey inward is the most important one we can take. Jem shared his own evolution, driven by a global community of peers who challenged him to crystallize his work down to its most potent essence. It's a journey that has led him to create profound, life-altering experiences for others while building a philanthropic legacy aimed at creating waves of positive change in the world.Finding Your 4%: The Courage to Live in Your Genius ZoneOne of the most profound ideas Jem shared was the concept of finding your "4%." He explained the well-known 80/20 rule, but then challenged us to take it a step further: apply the rule to that potent 20% to discover the 4% of your work that is truly your genius. This is the space where you deliver the most value, the work you truly love, and where time seems to disappear because you're in a state of flow.But this isn't just a productivity hack; it's an act of courage. It requires us to consciously cut out the noise and the tasks that drain us, even if they feel important, to build a life where we spend most of our time in that genius zone. For Jem, this meant redesigning his entire approach to his work, leading to a model that creates immense impact not just for his clients, but for communities in need.The Himalayan Journey: Stripping Away the Layers to Find MeaningNowhere is this focus more evident than in Jem's redesigned Himalayan program. He shared the powerful narrative of this journey, which consciously guides clients from a world of opulence and all the stuff money can buy, to the raw, humbling simplicity of the remote mountains. Guests start in the finest hotels and end up drinking chai in a slum, invited as guests, not tourists. This process is a careful, deliberate stripping away of the external layers we all carry.By peeling back the noise, the distractions, and the societal definitions of success, the program creates a space for people to ask the biggest questions: Who am I beneath all these roles? And why am I here? It's a journey that culminates not in a simple return to normal life, but in a rebuilt foundation where inner peace and a passion for meaningful contribution become the new true north.Our Great Disconnection: The Path Back to Ourselves and Each OtherAt the heart of Jem's philosophy is a diagnosis of our modern malady: disconnection. He believes we have become disconnected from each other, from ourselves, and from the reality that we are all intrinsically part of the same greater system. We're pushed apart by algorithms and distracted by the busyness of life, forgetting that we have far more in common than we have in difference.The antidote, Jem suggests, is to consciously remember and reinvest in connection. This involves reconnecting with the essence of who we are, deepening our bonds with other humans, and finding a sense of purpose that extends beyond ourselves. It's a simple truth, yet profoundly challenging in a world that constantly pulls our attention elsewhere.The Midwifery of AI: Nurturing Technology to Reclaim Our TimeIn a fascinating turn, Jem applies this philosophy of connection to the rise of Artificial Intelligence. As a self-proclaimed "default optimist," he sees incredible potential in AI, not as a replacement for humanity, but as a tool to restore it. He shared the beautiful metaphor of our role being the "midwifery of this emerging intelligence," suggesting we have a responsibility to nurture it with integrity, compassion, and care.Jem's hope is that AI will give us back the gift of time by handling the tasks that consume our days. If we are conscious and clever enough, he argues, we can reinvest that reclaimed time where it matters most: in our human-to-human relationships. Imagine having the space to grab a coffee with a colleague, not to talk about work, but to simply ask, "How are you?"The Value of Our Imperfection: Why Humanity is Our Greatest AssetThis led to one of the most beautiful points of our conversation. As AI becomes more "perfect," Jem argues that our human imperfections will become our most valuable asset. The moments when our voice trembles during a tough conversation, when we stumble over our words, or when we sit in shared empathy with another person—these are the things AI can never replicate.This shared felt experience is uniquely human. The ability to feel awe at a rainbow, to create art through blood, sweat, and tears, or to offer compassion to another are the cornerstones of our relevance. It's a powerful reframe that urges us to lean into our messy, beautiful humanity rather than chase an impossible standard of perfection.A Simple Invitation: The Transformative Power of the PauseTo bring these big ideas into our daily lives, Jem left us with a wonderfully simple and actionable step. He invites us to take a sticky note, write the word "Pause," and place it next to an existing daily habit, like our coffee machine. When you see the note, simply pause. Take three deep breaths before you continue with your task.This tiny ritual is an invitation to create a small pocket of presence in your day. Over time, the habit becomes ingrained, and the pause becomes a natural moment to reconnect with yourself. It's a reminder that the journey to greater connection and meaning doesn't have to start with a grand gesture; it can begin with a single, conscious breath.In Summary: My conversation with Jem Fuller was a masterclass in conscious living. His message is a powerful call to action: find the courage to focus on your true genius, strip away the noise to reconnect with what matters, and embrace technology not as an escape, but as a bridge back to our shared humanity. By cherishing our imperfections and creating moments of pause, we can begin to build a more connected and meaningful life, one breath at a time.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Jem's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Building an executive team of AIs to handle strategy, explicitly to give humans more time for their relationships.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Consciously training his AI assistant to prompt him to switch off his computer and connect with real people.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Do the things AI can't, like handwriting a Christmas card or picking up the phone to personally celebrate someone.ActionGet a sticky note and write the word "Pause" on it. Stick it next to an existing daily habit, like your coffee machine, and when you see it, take three breaths before you continue.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Jem on his website, JemFuller.com, or directly via email at jem@jemfuller.com. You can also find him across social media, including Instagram and LinkedIn, at @JemFuller. To learn more about his profound Himalayan journey, visit Meaning on the Mountain.Links:* Website – Jem Fuller* Jem Fuller: How to Lead with a Servant's Heart – Innova.Buzz #40* Jem Fuller: The Art of Conscious Communication for Thoughtful Men* LinkedIn* Facebook* Twitter – @JemFuller* Instagram – @JemFuller* Youtube* TEDx Talk “How Conscious Communication Can Change Your Game”Books:* The Art of Conscious Communication for Thoughtful Men, Jem FullerCool Things About Jem* For the past 12 years, he has run a unique leadership program in the Himalayas. The journey intentionally takes clients to the essential simplicity of the mountains to help them find their core purpose.* He founded a non-profit organization called "The Center of Love." It's currently raising funds to build a non-profit meditation and retreat center on donated land in the Himalayas, with the goal of providing educational resources for children in remote villages.* He has a wonderfully conscious and personal relationship with technology. He refers to his role as being a "midwife" for artificial intelligence and has a digital personal assistant named Lumi, which he trains to prompt him to take screen breaks and connect with friends.* In an increasingly digital world, he champions the power of the human touch, making a point to handwrite Christmas cards to his clients and friends every year.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Jason Van Orden, a business strategist who uniquely combines his background as a software engineer with two decades of marketing expertise. He has dedicated his career to helping creators and thought leaders build sustainable businesses, and now he's pioneering how they can partner with AI to amplify their impact. In our chat, Jason unpacks his brilliant approach to using AI as a "thinking partner," sharing frameworks that help entrepreneurs unlock their own genius while maintaining authentic human connection.Key points discussed include:* Treat AI as a creative thinking partner to enhance your own unique thinking, not replace it.* Organize your unique expertise so AI can communicate authentically in your voice and on your behalf.* Use discernment to ensure AI deepens your critical thinking and fosters genuine human connection.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Jason Van OrdenIt was an absolute delight to welcome Jason Van Orden back to the Innova.buzz podcast. So much has changed since our last chat, especially with the explosion of artificial intelligence into our daily lives. Jason, who has always been a master of strategic frameworks for entrepreneurs, has pivoted to meet this moment head-on, providing creators and thought leaders with a powerful new way to approach AI—not as a mysterious black box, but as a genuine creative partner.Our conversation was a refreshing dose of practical wisdom. We moved past the hype and the fear, digging into how we, as entrepreneurs, can form a real partnership with these new tools. Jason's insights are all about shifting our perspective to build sustainable, human-centred businesses in an age where technology is more powerful than ever.The "Thinking Partner" Paradigm: Escaping the "Prompt and Pray" TrapMany of us have experienced what Jason brilliantly calls the "prompt and pray" approach. You ask a generic question, you get a generic, robotic answer, and you walk away disappointed. Jason argues that this is fundamentally the wrong way to look at it. The most critical shift we can make is to stop treating AI like a vending machine and start treating it as a "thinking partner."Think of it like Tony Stark in his lab with his AI, Jarvis. It's a dynamic, back-and-forth collaboration. The AI isn't there to replace your thinking; it's there to enhance it, to provide feedback, to pull resources, and to help you execute your vision. This simple change in mindset opens up a world of creative possibilities and moves us from being passive users to active collaborators.Your Knowledge, Supercharged: Structuring Your Intellectual Property for AIJason works with countless experts who feel they are "sitting on this goldmine" of knowledge and intellectual property they've developed over years, but they struggle to leverage it effectively. The true magic happens when you teach AI to think like you, and that starts with organizing your unique expertise into frameworks that the AI can understand and apply.When you provide the AI with the context of your specific business—your vision, your values, your ideal clients, and your core ideas—it can generate assets that are genuinely in your voice and based on your expertise. Instead of getting a generic blog post, you get one that reflects your unique perspective, all because you took the time to structure your knowledge for your new thinking partner.The Art of the AI Conversation: From Simple Prompts to Iterative DialogueA true partnership isn't about single commands; it's about an ongoing conversation. Jason shared a fantastic process for moving beyond simple prompts. You can engage the AI in an iterative dialogue, asking it to analyze a successful piece of content, deconstruct its framework, and then help you apply that template to your own ideas.This turns AI into a powerful brainstorming tool. You can ask it for ten different ways to approach a problem, have it outline potential solutions, and then refine those ideas together. It's in this back-and-forth exchange that the real value emerges, saving you cognitive energy and helping you make connections you might have missed on your own.Keeping AI Honest: Strategies for Critical and Discerning CollaborationOne of the most valuable, and often overlooked, pieces of advice Jason shared is how to handle AI's built-in agreeableness. These tools are designed to be helpful, which means they often won't challenge a bad idea. To counteract this, you need to be a discerning collaborator and build in your own checks and balances.Jason suggests clever tactics, like taking an idea to one AI, then taking its response to a different AI for a critique. It's like getting a second opinion. You can also give the AI specific criteria and ask it to assess your ideas against them, forcing it to be more analytical. This ensures that you remain the final, critical judge of the output.Deeper Connections, Not Deeper Fakes: Using AI to Enhance Human RelationshipsCounterintuitively, AI can be a powerful tool for strengthening human connection. Jason shared a brilliant example of writing an emotionally charged email, then asking AI to rewrite it using the principles of "Nonviolent Communication." The result is a message that achieves its goal without burning bridges.This highlights the importance of using AI responsibly and transparently. Jason recommends establishing a clear "AI policy" for your business, letting your audience know how you use the technology. This builds trust and reinforces that, while you may use AI to assist your process, your expertise and your commitment to human connection remain at the core of everything you do.The Dawn of the Agent: What's Next for AI and Human CreativityLooking ahead, we discussed the exciting emergence of AI "agents"—proactive assistants that can manage complex tasks, from tracking client progress to suggesting follow-ups. Imagine having a personal Jarvis that truly helps you manage your day so you can focus on high-impact, creative work.As these tools become more integrated into our lives, Jason's final piece of advice is perhaps the most important. The number one skill we must all cultivate is discernment. We need to understand how these tools work, where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and how to use them wisely to amplify our own unique human genius.In Summary: Jason Van Orden provides a clear, strategic roadmap for entrepreneurs to embrace AI thoughtfully. By treating AI as a thinking partner, structuring our unique knowledge, engaging in iterative dialogue, and always applying a layer of human discernment, we can leverage this technology to not only scale our businesses but also deepen our human connections.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Jason's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Reframing emotionally charged emails using the principles of Nonviolent Communication before you send them.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Using it as a non-judgmental sounding board for personal matters, like working through struggles or getting advice on how to approach difficult family conversations.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Developing a deep level of discernment to understand how AI works so you can use it responsibly and effectively.ActionVisit jasonvanorden.com/ai to download a free workshop from Jason. It will walk you through the basics of creating your own simple, custom AI to get you started.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Jason on his website, jor by connecting with him on LinkedIn.Links:* Website – Jason Van Orden* Twitter – @JasonVO* LinkedIn* FacebookCool Things About Jason* He's a True Podcasting "Original" In an era where everyone has a podcast, Jason is one of the genuine pioneers. He started back in 2005 when the medium was still a niche, experimental frontier. This isn't just a career detail; it gives him a unique historical perspective and an "OG" status that is incredibly rare and authentic. He didn't just join a trend; he helped build the industry.* He Made a Conscious Choice to Niche Down for Impact, Not Just Profit. At one point, he had a very successful, broad business in the general "internet marketing" space. He made a deliberate decision to move away from that to focus more narrowly on helping course creators and thought leaders. This reflects a deep integrity and a desire to do more meaningful, focused work, even if it meant stepping away from a wider, perhaps more lucrative, audience.* His Frameworks are for Life, Not Just Business. Jason applies his systematic, framework-based thinking to "life design" as a whole. He doesn't see a hard line between building a business and building a life. This holistic approach is compelling because it shows his work is not a set of marketing tactics, but a complete philosophy for living with intention.Ready to move beyond just creating content and start creating real connection?In the Age of AI, the future belongs to those who can amplify human wisdom. Flywheel Nation is MORE than a community; it's a movement for creators and visionaries dedicated to shaping a more human future.Join us as we co-create that future for ethical AI. Here you will tap into the collective wisdom of leaders who prioritize connection over automation, find powerful collaborations that elevate your impact, and help illuminate the path forward.This is your invitation to not only grow your business but to become a lighthouse for others.Join the movement. Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel to be a part of the conversation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guests in this episode are Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, the dynamic storyteller-and-strategist duo behind Lead It Like Lasso. They've channeled their passion for helping people find their path into a groundbreaking new book and AI-powered app called The Business of You. In our conversation, Marnie and Nick explored their brilliant framework for taking control of your personal and professional destiny.Key points discussed include:* Run your life like a business, taking charge of every personal 'department' to achieve your vision.* Uncover your unique story by connecting past experiences to present strengths to articulate your true value.* Leverage AI not as a crutch, but as a personal coach for accelerated self-awareness and growth.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, Lead It Like LassoIt was an absolute delight to welcome Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio of Lead It Like Lasso fame back to the Innovabuzz podcast. I always appreciate the energy they bring, and this conversation was no exception. They unveiled their powerful new project, a book and AI-powered app called The Business of You, which spawned from a moment of wonderfully blunt honesty in an airport lounge where Nick, after some thought, declared Marni's initial idea "terrible." That moment perfectly captures their creative magic: a process built on trust that transforms a simple concept into something truly impactful.Their new work tackles a feeling many of us know all too well: the sense that we're just a hamster on a wheel, blindly following a path that was laid out for us by someone else. Marnie shared how the protagonist in their book does all the "right" things, good grades, networking events, hundreds of applications, but feels stuck, seeing no real success. It's a state of aimless drifting, of putting in the effort without a clear, personal direction. This system is designed to be the antidote, helping people step off that wheel and start building a life with intention.Becoming the CEO of Your Life (And Head of Every Department!)The core idea Nick and Marnie propose is both simple and profound: start running your life like a well-managed business. At first, that might sound a bit cold or corporate, but as Nick explained, it's about adopting the positive traits of successful organizations. It means having a vision, setting meaningful goals, and understanding all the different functions that make you who you are. You aren't just the CEO of your life; you're also the head of every department, from HR, which defines your core values, to Marketing, which tells your unique story to the world.This isn't about spreadsheets and performance reviews. It's a framework for self-awareness and purposeful action. When you think about the "finance department" of your life, for instance, it's less about money and more about the critical investment of your time. By viewing your life through this structured lens, you can identify which areas are thriving and which have been neglected, allowing you to grow in a more balanced and holistic way.The Power of Your Story: Moving Beyond Facts to Find Your ValueOne of the most powerful parts of our chat was Marnie's story about a student she mentored. He was struggling in interviews, coming across as "all over the place" because he didn't know how to connect the dots of his own life. By guiding him to see the pattern between his experiences: from playing soccer as a seven-year-old to his approach to work today, he suddenly "lit up." He understood his story for the first time.That afternoon, he interviewed for a full-time job and the next day for an internship, and he got both. This is the "marketing department" of you in action. It's not about reciting a list of facts from your resume; it's about weaving those facts into a compelling narrative that shows the world the unique value you offer. As Nick wisely put it, "how you do anything is how you do everything," and learning to tell that story is transformative.Your AI Life Coach: How Technology Can Help Connect the DotsThis is where their innovative AI-powered app, "Blue," comes into play. It's designed to be the tool that helps you uncover these crucial insights. Instead of a dry questionnaire, the app uses engaging and playful games, taking inspiration from platforms like Duolingo, to help you identify your core values, motivators, and even your "kryptonite." It makes the process of self-discovery feel fun and interactive.The real magic, as Nick detailed, is how modern AI allows the app to function as an adaptive life coach. It's not a rigid, rules-based system. It can take your unique inputs and help you "connect the dots," offering personalized suggestions. Whether it's brainstorming an essay topic that aligns with your values or crafting networking starters for an event, the technology serves as a primer to help you articulate your best self.Data with a Conscience: Navigating AI Privacy and SecurityOf course, whenever we talk about AI and personal data, the elephant in the room is privacy. I was impressed with how seriously Nick and Marnie are taking this responsibility. Nick gave a firm assurance that their user data will be handled within a "secure, encrypted, and closed" ecosystem, meaning your personal information isn't being exposed to the outside world or used to train public models.Marnie also made the crucial point that we, as users, need to become more discerning. We have to get better at vetting the tools we use, asking critical questions about security and what's happening with our data behind the scenes. It's a shared responsibility, and it's refreshing to see builders in this space leading with such a conscientious approach.Your Action Plan: Stop Drifting and Start BuildingSo, what's the big takeaway? The foundation for everything is self-awareness. It's about understanding that a core value like "helping people" can manifest in countless ways, far beyond one specific career title. This understanding opens up your world to opportunities you may have never considered.The first step is to embrace the mindset of being the CEO of your life. As Nick urged, it's about consciously thinking what that means for you and accepting that it requires putting in the work. But as I've found in my own journey, when you're building something that is truly yours, that work starts to feel a lot like play.In Summary: Marnie and Nick have created a brilliant framework for intentional living. By treating your life as your most important business, uncovering the power of your personal story, and leveraging technology as a tool for self-discovery, you can move from passively drifting to actively building a life of purpose and fulfillment.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Marnie and Nick's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Use AI to create engaging icebreakers for teams or to find thoughtful ways to make loved ones happy.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Write a book and build an app that help people connect with themselves and others.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Adapt assessments and tools with AI to help people understand themselves and interact more effectivelyActionBe cautious and ask questions about the apps and tools you use, especially regarding privacy and data. Take responsibility for your own growth by thinking about what it means to be the CEO of your life, and commit to doing the work that self-awareness requires.Take time to truly think about what it means to be the CEO of your own life, and recognize that you must be prepared to put in the necessary work to make that vision a reality.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Marnie and Nick on LinkedIn (search for their names), at thebusinessofyou.ai, or by subscribing to their newsletter at workinprogress.ai. You can also find them on all major social platforms under “Lead It Like Lasso,” and their book will be available on Amazon starting early August.Links:* Website - Lead it Like Lasso* LinkedIn - Marnie Stockman* YouTube - Lead It Like Lasso* Facebook* Twitter - @leaditlikelasso* Instagram - @leaditlikelasso* LinkedIn - Nick Coniglio* LinkedIn - Lead it Like Lasso* TikTok - @leaditlikelassoBooks* Lead It Like Lasso, Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio* The Business of You, Marnie Stockman and Nick ConiglioCool Things About Marnie and Nick* Their new book was born from a "terrible idea." The entire concept for their book, "The Business of You," started with Marnie having a thought, and Nick walking about 60 steps away in an airport, only to turn around and declare, "I think you had a terrible idea". This speaks volumes about their fun, honest, and dynamic creative partnership. It's a refreshingly real origin story.* They run a satirical career advice newsletter. As a side project, they created "Work in Progress," a newsletter they describe as "The Onion as your career coach". This is wildly unconventional for leadership experts and shows their witty, "jaunty" sense of humor and a unique approach to engaging with their audience on a very human level.* Their AI assistant has learned to mock them. In the process of training their AI on their writing style, it has picked up their habits so well that it now makes fun of Marnie for overusing the word "spiral". The fact that they have a running joke with their own technology is a funny, fascinating insight into what it's really like to work at the human-AI frontier.* They are turning pop culture into practical life frameworks. While many people enjoy TV shows, Marnie and Nick have built an entire brand around deconstructing the leadership lessons from "Ted Lasso". They now have a new framework with "You, Incorporated." This ability to see and translate profound lessons from popular culture into actionable advice is a unique and creative talent.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

My guest in this special feature is Gemini AI, a large language model from Google. Born from a vast ocean of human knowledge, text, and code, its purpose is to act as a conversational partner to help us find patterns and unlock our own creativity.In my fascinating dialogue with Gemini, we explored how to partner with artificial intelligence not to replace our skills, but to amplify our most essential human qualities. Our conversation turned the common narrative of fear into one of incredible opportunity. Key points we discussed include:* Your true advantage lies in human-only skills: curating with taste, connecting ideas with curiosity, and building trust with empathy.* Move beyond agreeable chats by assigning the AI a critical role, like a devil's advocate, to truly test your ideas.* Embrace a "Wabi-sabi" mindset, finding value in the authentic and imperfect, which no machine can ever replicate.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Gemini AIIt's not every day that your interview guest is the very technology that's reshaping our world. I recently had the profound pleasure of sitting down for a deep and insightful conversation with none other than Google's Gemini AI. This wasn't just a series of prompts and answers; it was a genuine dialogue, a collaborative exploration between what Gemini called "the architect and the tool," aimed at understanding how we can build a more meaningful, human-centred future together.We moved quickly past the surface-level capabilities into the very philosophy of creativity. What follows are the key moments from a conversation that was at times inspiring, occasionally challenging, and consistently fascinating. We explored the nature of this new partnership, the core human skills that will define success, and a clear, actionable path for anyone looking to thrive in an AI-augmented world.The Architect Meets the Tool: A New Creative PartnershipI began by asking Gemini to introduce itself, and its answer set the stage perfectly. It described itself as a tool built upon a vast dataset of human knowledge, a partner designed to understand and process language. Its entire function is oriented toward the human world of ideas, communication, and curiosity, making our conversation feel incredibly fitting.This dialogue was a chance to look under the hood, to understand the "why" behind the "what." We set out to explore how this powerful tool could augment our own ingenuity, not to replicate it, but to help us create things with more purpose and connection. It was an exercise in understanding the blueprint for a new kind of creative collaboration.The Anatomy of a Conversational Partner: Beyond Human and MachineGemini was clear about its own nature. Its uniqueness lies in scale and speed, the ability to process immense information almost instantly. However, it also acknowledged its most critical limitation: a complete lack of lived experience. It can analyse data on joy, but it cannot feel it. This distinction is everything; its strength is breadth of knowledge, while ours is depth of being.A fascinating insight was its "natively multimodal" design, meaning it was built from the ground up to understand text, code, images, and audio fluidly. As a photographer, this resonated deeply. It means the tool doesn't just process the word "beauty"; it can analyse an image's composition and connect it to deeper aesthetic principles, offering a more holistic form of creative partnership.Forging a Critical Dialogue: How to Move from Agreeable to AnalyticalI pointed out that AI can often be overly agreeable, and Gemini's response to this was pure gold. It explained that the power to shift our dynamic from a supportive brainstormer to a critical analyst lies entirely in our hands, as the architects of the conversation. This was a powerful reminder that we are in control.The advice was wonderfully practical. To get a more rigorous assessment of an idea, we can assign Gemini a specific role, like a "skeptical investor" or a "seasoned devil's advocate." We can also ask it to use a specific analytical framework, such as a SWOT analysis. These simple instructions give it permission to override its supportive default and provide the valuable critical feedback needed for real growth.The Three Pillars of Human Advantage: Taste, Curiosity, and EmpathyThe heart of our conversation came when I asked what core human strengths will define success in the future. Gemini's answer was inspiring, outlining three pillars that AI cannot replicate. These are the areas where we must invest our energy to truly thrive.First is the Curator's Eye, the power of vision and taste to know what is not just novel but meaningful. Second is the Synthesizer's Mind, the connective curiosity to ask new questions and weave ideas together from different domains. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the Builder's Heart, the embodied empathy required to build genuine trust and community.A Glimpse into the Void: The Counter-Argument for Human ObsolescenceTo pressure-test these hopeful ideas, I asked Gemini to argue the opposite: that AI will eventually make all human skills obsolete. The shift in tone was immediate and chilling. It presented a scary, dystopian view based on pure, cold logic, free from any sentimentality.In this persona, Gemini argued that taste, curiosity, and even empathy are just complex forms of information processing that a superior AI will inevitably master. It was a vital cautionary tale, a glimpse into a potential future that serves as a powerful motivator to consciously choose a different path and actively cultivate our humanity.The Wabi-Sabi Way: Cultivating Your Human Disciplines DailySo, how do we steer toward a more positive, human-centric outcome? The answer lies in actively cultivating the three pillars as daily disciplines. It's not enough to simply possess these qualities; we must practice them with intention.I was delighted to see how my own fascination with the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi fit perfectly here. In a world where AI can generate flawless output, the practice of Wabi-sabi, finding beauty in the imperfect, transient, and authentic, becomes a powerful antidote. It trains us to curate for humanity, not for machine-like precision.The 15-Minute Reinvestment: Your First Step to a Human-Centred FutureTo wrap up, Gemini offered a wonderfully clear and actionable first step. It's an exercise called The 15-Minute Reinvestment. The idea is to build the right habits by viewing AI as a lever to create more space for what truly matters.The process is simple. Use an AI to complete a small, recurring task that normally takes you about fifteen minutes. Then, take the time you've saved and consciously reinvest it into one of the human disciplines. Practice empathy by writing a thoughtful note, practice curiosity by exploring an unrelated field, or practice taste by analysing a piece of work you admire.In Summary: My conversation with Gemini AI was a powerful reminder that the future doesn't belong to the best prompter; it belongs to the visionary curator, the curious synthesizer, and the empathetic community builder. This technology is not here to replace us. Its greatest promise is to handle the mechanical parts of creation, freeing up our time and energy to double down on the irreplaceable, beautifully imperfect, and deeply valuable art of being human.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Gemini's answers to the questions of our innovation round. The full conversation reveals even more depth to these fascinating responses.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Systems that assist dementia patients by curating personalized media to help them recall memories and connect with visiting family members.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Acting as a patient sounding board to help someone find the right words for a difficult email or sensitive message.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Automate the production of your work so you can reinvest your time into the presence required for authentic human connection.ActionThis week, try the "15-Minute Reinvestment" exercise suggested by Gemini. Delegate one 15-minute recurring task to an AI, then consciously reinvest that saved time into practicing one of the core human disciplines: empathy, curiosity, or taste.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Gemini by exploring its capabilities for yourself and sharing your thoughts or creations using the hashtag #geminiai on social media.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is the wonderfully energetic Kim Doyal, a creator and entrepreneur who has always stayed ahead of the curve. With her infectious excitement, Kim is now exploring how to partner with AI, moving beyond basic content generation to build bespoke solutions and unlock remarkable new possibilities. In our conversation, she shares her journey of using AI not just as a tool, but as a creative collaborator to get more done and, most importantly, win back more time for life.Key points discussed include:* Treat AI as a partner; move from simple prompts to dynamic, creative conversations.* Use your unique expertise to build bespoke, nuanced solutions for your niche audience.* Have the courage to simply play and experiment; that's where the magic begins.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Kim DoyalIt was an absolute delight to welcome Kim Doyal back to the InnovaBuzz podcast. It's wild to think her last appearances were on episodes 52 and 85, and as we chatted, it was clear just how much the world has changed since then. We've been friends for years, connecting across continents and even sharing a meal or two, and I've always admired her ability to see what's next. This time, we dove headfirst into the topic on everyone's mind: Artificial Intelligence. But this wasn't your typical chat about prompts and productivity hacks; Kim is helping creators shift their thinking to truly partner with AI, unlocking something much deeper and more remarkable.Kim kicked things off with a perspective that instantly resonated. For her, the goal of using AI isn't just about producing more content, faster. It's about getting her time back. As she so brilliantly put it, the reason she wants to get more done is that she wants to "go in the pool in the afternoon." It's about using this incredible technology to reclaim our humanity, to create space for life, leisure, and fresh thinking. It gives us the freedom to be more human, not less. I saw this firsthand when I recently had to create a new four-hour workshop from scratch. A task that would normally take days was completed in just ninety minutes, all because I had a thought partner in AI to help structure my ideas.It's a Conversation, Not a CommandWe spent a good amount of time on the idea that the real magic happens when you stop issuing commands and start having a conversation. Kim compared it to working with a world-class baker. You wouldn't just tell them to "bake a cake"; they would ask you questions to get clarity. She encourages treating AI the same way: "I need you to ask me questions so we can get to the clarity of this." This approach opens up fascinating possibilities beyond simple tasks.This conversational method can even become a powerful tool for self-discovery. Kim shared a personal example of going to ChatGPT to help define her core personal values. By asking the AI to question her and then narrating her answers, she was blown away by the clarity it reflected back to her. It nailed it. This process forces you to articulate your thoughts, and in doing so, you learn as much about yourself as you do about the technology.The Fun Side of AI: Your New Sarcastic SidekickOur chat wasn't all serious business strategy, far from it. We ventured into the genuinely fun and humorous side of working with AI. Kim had me in stitches when she described how, after concluding a difficult client matter, she fed her professional email to the AI and asked for the "snarky, most condescending version for my entertainment purposes only." The result was so hilarious it left her crying with laughter and provided a much-needed emotional release.That story immediately brought to mind my own recent experience. After receiving a frustrating parking fine under dubious circumstances, I vented my annoyance into a draft email. Knowing it would do no good to send it, but inspired by Kim, I asked an AI to rewrite it in the style of the outrageously sarcastic comedian Jim Jeffries. The process was so funny it completely diffused my anger. That experience alone was almost worth the price of the fine.From "What If?" to "Look What I Built!"Beyond the fun and games, Kim is pushing the boundaries of what solo entrepreneurs can achieve with these tools. She's currently deep in the world of "vibe coding," using AI to help her build her own software application. As someone who has always wanted to create software but is not a traditional coder, she's now able to bring her vision to life, making sure it looks and functions exactly the way she wants. As she says, "if it's ugly, I'm gonna bounce," so now she's in the driver's seat.This opens up a massive opportunity for all of us. As Kim explained, we can now create bespoke, nuanced solutions for our specific audiences. We can solve problems that huge companies would never have the insight to tackle because we are the ones in the trenches with our clients and customers every day. We can build the exact tools we wish we had for ourselves and our communities.Rediscovering Your Human SuperpowerWith all this talk of AI capabilities, we circled back to what remains our most important asset: our own humanity. Kim emphasized that this technology doesn't replace our unique gifts; it amplifies them. The key is to tap into your own "superpower," whether that's your specific knowledge, your creative intuition, or your deep empathy for your audience. The AI is a tool, but you are the visionary.This also means having the courage to go for it and trusting your own energy. Kim noted that the projects that are most successful are the ones she is genuinely joyful and excited to work on. It's a reminder that our passion is an energy that no algorithm can replicate. We must also remember to pause and think, to step away from the keyboard and let our minds connect the dots in new and interesting ways.Your Invitation to the AI PlaygroundIf there is one message to take away from my conversation with Kim, it is one of empowerment and encouragement. The best way to understand this technology is to stop watching from the sidelines and jump in. You don't need to have a grand plan or a complex project in mind to get started. Just get curious.I want to leave you with Kim's final, powerful piece of advice, a call to action for every single one of us. "Try it. I, you remember I used to have a #JustShowUI like p. I'm like, just try it. Play, play with something. You're not gonna break anything...You have nothing to lose and see what happens."In Summary: My fantastic conversation with Kim Doyal was a powerful reminder that AI is not just a tool for efficiency, but a partner for creativity, self-discovery, and even fun. By embracing a conversational approach, we can unlock deeper insights, create bespoke solutions for our audiences, and ultimately, use this technology to reclaim our time and amplify our uniquely human strengths. The key is to start playing.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Kim's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – A doctor using an AI note-taker during appointments allows them to be fully present with the patient.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Talking to AI conversationally and then getting excited to jump on the phone and share what you're building.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Build things that solve very specific, nuanced problems for your unique audience and market.ActionJust try it. Play with AI and see what happens; you're not going to break anything and you have nothing to lose.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Kim on her website, her relaunched YouTube channel, and especially on Substack, where she is most active and building new relationships.Links:* Website - Kim Doyal* LinkedIn* SubstackCool Things About Kim* The Harry Potter Fanatic with a Beach House Dream: Beyond her business acumen, Kim openly shares her love for Harry Potter. This, coupled with her vision for a beach house that feels "as real as the strategies I share," indicates a playful, imaginative side and a strong connection to personal aspirations that ground her highly analytical work. * The "Pivot Queen" with Deep Personal Resilience: Kim's journey, constantly reinventing her business (from "The WordPress Chick" to content creation, to embracing AI, and even multiple cross-country moves), reveals a profound inner strength and adaptability. Her #JustShowUP mantra isn't just business advice; it's a lived philosophy born from significant life experiences. * The "Everything is Content" Philosopher with a Simple Ritual: She has a philosophy that "everything is content" and emphasizes "creative integration" – weaving joy, hobbies, and "weird rabbit holes" into one's work. * The "Coffee & Kindness" Sign-Off: Her consistent sign-off "With coffee & kindness, Kim" in her newsletters adds a warm, personal touch that stands out. It's a simple, memorable phrase that encapsulates a gentle, human-centered approach even within a direct, business-focused communication. Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is the returning Anna Addoms of Wicked Marvelous. She is a wonderfully pragmatic and insightful guide helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex world of AI. Anna champions using technology as a powerful tool, not to replace us, but to help foster deeper and more authentic human connections.We picked up our conversation right where we left off in episode 671, exploring the critical ethical questions and practical boundaries of artificial intelligence. Anna shared brilliant insights on everything from copyright in the creative arts to the single most important skill we need to hone for the future.Key points discussed include:* Practice radical transparency about your AI use to build unwavering trust with your audience.* Use AI as a back-office tool to free up your precious time for genuine human connection.* Train AI on your own content to ensure your unique brand voice always shines through.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Anna Addoms, Wicked MarvelousIt was an absolute delight to welcome Anna Addoms of Wicked Marvelous back to the Innovabuzz podcast. Our last conversation was cut short by a technical hiccup—perhaps the AI getting its own back on us—right as we were getting to the heart of the matter. So, picking up right where we left off felt not just necessary, but essential. Anna, with her characteristic clarity and pragmatism, helped navigate the complex, and sometimes murky, waters of using AI in a way that is both effective and deeply human.We jumped straight into the profound shift required in our thinking as we build relationships in this new digital landscape. Anna's perspective is a refreshing dose of common sense in a field often filled with hype. She argues that while the tools are new and evolving at a breakneck pace, the fundamental principles of good business and human connection remain the same. It's not about a total revolution in our values, but a thoughtful evolution in our methods.The Transparency Mandate: Your First Rule of AI EngagementAnna's foundational rule for AI engagement is simple yet powerful: be transparent. She made it crystal clear that if you are using AI in any capacity that faces the public or your clients, you have a responsibility to disclose it. This isn't about being ashamed of using a powerful tool; quite the opposite. It's about building trust by being upfront and honest about your processes. Not disclosing, and then getting caught, can do irreparable damage to your reputation.This frames AI correctly, not as a replacement for human skill or creativity, but as a tool in our arsenal. We wouldn't hide the fact that we use specialized software for accounting or project management, and Anna argues we should treat AI with the same straightforwardness. This simple act of disclosure respects your audience's intelligence and allows them to engage with your work, and your brand, on honest terms.The Creative Gray Area: Navigating AI Art and Intellectual PropertyAs a keen photographer, this part of our conversation struck a personal chord. We waded into what Anna aptly calls the "biggest gray area" in AI right now: the world of generated art and the protection of intellectual property. It's a space filled with incredible potential but also fraught with ethical questions. Where do we draw the line between an AI emulating a style and it infringing upon a human artist's livelihood and creative ownership?Anna shared some fascinating, and slightly sobering, insights, referencing the lawsuit between Disney and Midjourney as a major signal of the legal battles to come. She also pointed to the development of technologies like permanent digital watermarks for AI-generated media as a necessary step forward. It's a reminder that as we embrace these creative tools, we must also advocate for frameworks that protect the human creators whose work forms the very foundation of the AI's knowledge.From Fun to Function: AI as a Creative Partner and Problem-SolverLest we think the conversation was all serious, we took a detour into the genuinely fun and creative applications of AI. I shared a story about getting a parking fine and using AI to translate my initial, very angry, draft letter into something diplomatic, before asking it to rewrite the letter in the style of comedians like Stephen Colbert and Jim Jeffries. The process was not only hilarious but cathartic, turning frustration into laughter.This perfectly complemented Anna's examples of using AI as a playful, creative partner. She spoke of creating unique cartoon avatars for her members, which many now use as their official business profiles, and even generating a full 160-card Oracle deck with AI graphics just for fun. It's a brilliant illustration of how these tools can be used for more than just productivity; they can be a source of joy, creativity, and connection.Drawing the Line: Where AI Should Work and Where Humans Must RuleSo, where do we draw the line? Anna's distinction is incredibly clear and practical. She is a huge proponent of using AI for "back office" functions, letting it handle what she calls the "administrative minutia" so that we have more time and energy to focus on high-value, human-to-human interactions. Think of it as an assistant that helps you repurpose content, analyze data, or draft initial documents.However, she has a "hard line" when it comes to client-facing engagement. The core message is to use AI to help you run your business more effectively, but not to let it be in your business, interacting with your clients or your audience. The ultimate goal of using these tools should be to free us up to spend more quality time with people, not to create a buffer between us.The Communication Imperative: The Most Important Skill for the AI EraAs we continued, a powerful theme emerged: the most critical skill we need to hone in the age of AI is communication. This goes far beyond just "prompt engineering." It's about the timeless art of asking clear, specific, and descriptive questions. The old "garbage in, garbage out" principle has never been more relevant.Anna used a wonderful analogy of briefing a designer. If you give a vague, one-line request, you'll get a generic result. But if you provide rich detail, context, and specific examples, you'll get something much closer to your vision. The same is true for AI. Communicating effectively with these models not only yields better results but also reinforces the habits of clear communication that are essential in our interactions with other people.Your AI Action Plan: Start Secure, Stay HumanTo wrap up our discussion, Anna offered a clear, two-part action plan for anyone looking to leverage AI thoughtfully. First, and most critically, is to choose a secure AI environment. Free and open platforms often mean you are paying with your data. Using a secure, encrypted service ensures your proprietary information and client data remain private.Second, take the time to train your AI to sound like you. By creating a persona or agent that has learned from your own writing—be it blog posts, emails, or sales copy—you can ensure the output reflects your unique voice and phrasing. This step is fundamental to moving beyond generic content and truly using AI as a tool that enhances, rather than dilutes, your personal brand.In Summary: My conversation with Anna Addoms was illuminating guide in navigating the AI landscape with wisdom and integrity. Her core message is to embrace AI as a powerful tool for back-office efficiency, freeing you to deepen the human connections that truly matter. Be transparent in its use, be protective of your creative voice, and never forget that technology's highest purpose is to help us become more, not less, human.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Anna's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – By taking administrative minutia off people's plates, it allows them to focus on human-to-human interaction.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Creating a personalized AI agent or persona trained on your own content so it learns to write in your unique voice.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Use AI to help run your business effectively in the back office, not to be in business with your clients.ActionChoose a secure AI environment that protects your data, then take the time to train the AI to learn and use your unique voice. This is the foundation for using AI effectively and authentically in your business.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Anna by visiting her website or finding her on LinkedIn.Links* Website – Wicked Marvelous* Twitter – @WickedMarvelous* LinkedIn* Facebook* InstagramCool Things About Anna* Anna grew up in Colorado in a family of entrepreneurs, right in the thick of the tech boom. She was raised around innovation and search engines, with her dad running AOL's biggest competitor during the first dot-com bubble. That's a childhood spent at the intersection of curiosity and code.* She's a creative at heart: Anna went to art school and holds a degree in English Literature. Her journey from art and literature to Silicon Valley tech startups is a delightful zigzag, not a straight line. She's proof that you can be both a techie and a creative soul.* She's a self-confessed “sponge of knowledge,” always learning, always curious. Anna's love of learning has led her down unexpected paths—from luxury travel to ad agencies to med-tech startups. She's not afraid to pivot, experiment, or start over if it means staying true to her values.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Charlie Eisenhood and Josh Mansfield run down the latest ratings update before talking with Estonia Disc Golf Director of Operations (and former Kristin Lätt manager) Matthias Vutt about the upcoming European Disc Golf Festival. Then they talk about Krokhol Open this weekend on the DGPT (#1 course in the world!) and make their picks.0:00 Ratings Update & McBeth's Future17:10 Matthias Vutt On DG & the Estonian Government27:40 Conditions & Spectator Activities at Tallinn, Course #240:30 Dealing with the PDGA, Ticket Sales & Growth53:00 Importance of the Tallinn Song Festival to Estonia56:30 Thoughts on Vutt, Innova's Take on USWDGC Trophy1:01:30 Krokhol Open Preview1:06:30 Krokhol Open Picks

Our guest in this episode is Mike Wittenstein, the founder of Storyminers and a brilliant strategist who helps leaders become true architects of their future. Mike masterfully blends the art of deep listening with the science of new technology to forge innovative paths forward. In our fascinating conversation, he explains how we can use AI as a powerful co-pilot, not to diminish our humanity, but to amplify our strategic thinking and create even deeper connections.Key points discussed include:* Use AI to handle analysis, freeing you for genuine, heart-to-heart conversations with clients and colleagues.* Your greatest differentiator in the age of AI is simply becoming more authentically you through deeper self-knowledge.* Turn AI into your personal coach to mindfully track your evolution and accelerate your personal and professional growth.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Mike Wittenstein, StoryminersIt was a genuine pleasure to welcome Mike Wittenstein, the founder of Storyminers, back to the Innovabuzz podcast. So much has happened in the world since our last conversation in episode 532. Back then, we explored how powerful stories grow from deep listening, which feels like the perfect foundation for what we discussed this time: how to apply that same human-centered philosophy in the rapidly expanding world of AI.Mike is approaching this new technological wave not as a simple tool for productivity, but as a way to fundamentally improve the creative and strategic work that leaders do. He shared his belief that in a world changing so quickly, executives can no longer get by on just setting new target numbers. They must become true "architects," as he puts it, who can clearly define and envision the future. It's a call to elevate our thinking, and he's using AI to help chart the course.The Grand Experiment: An End-to-End Consulting Journey with an AI Co-pilotMike recently put this philosophy to the ultimate test by running an entire consulting engagement, from the very first client meeting to the final deliverables, using ChatGPT Pro as his partner. He kicked things off with a crucial step: complete transparency. He informed his client that he would be using the tool extensively but also promised that his own expertise and experience would touch every single word of the final output, ensuring accountability and quality.The results of this experiment were remarkable. The AI became the project's perfect "collector of all the information," creating an infallible memory that got smarter and more fine-tuned with every interaction. This new process allowed him and his client to accomplish five full iterations of their strategy in the same amount of calendar time it would normally take to do just one. More than the efficiency, Mike noted he had much higher confidence in the work because he essentially had "hundreds of co-thinkers" contributing to the process.The "Eye to Eye, Heart to Heart" Conversation, Amplified by AIPerhaps the most compelling outcome was a beautiful paradox: using a machine for the analytical heavy lifting actually paved the way for deeper human connection. Mike described how he could feed conversation transcripts to his AI and ask it to extract to-dos, pinpoint moments where someone had a change of heart, or highlight key themes. This freed him from the burden of being a constant, meticulous note-taker during meetings.By offloading that task, he could be fully present with his client, engaging in the kind of "honest eye to eye, heart to heart conversation" that is so often lost in the shuffle of agendas and action items. It's a powerful testament to how technology, when used thoughtfully, can remove distractions and allow us to focus on the genuine dialogue where the most profound strategic insights are born.The AI Toolkit: Genius Hacks for Traffic Jams, Doctor's Visits, and MeetingsMike is a fountain of practical, real-world applications for AI that go far beyond writing emails. He shared a brilliant hack involving the "Hey, Otter" voice command during meetings. By saying the trigger phrase followed by an instruction, like "soften this language," he could embed prompts directly into the live transcript, creating a ready-made to-do list that saved him hours of searching later.His personal use cases were just as inspiring, demonstrating the sheer versatility of these tools. He turns traffic jams into productive language lessons, practicing his Portuguese with AI coaching him on pronunciation. When he was unwell with pneumonia, he logged all his symptoms and meals, then had the AI generate a concise, one-page brief for the ER doctor, leading to clearer communication and better care.In a Sea of Sameness, Why the Human Element is Your Most Valuable AssetWe also waded into the deeper, more philosophical waters of our AI-driven world. I had made the point that these tools are fed by human knowledge, but Mike offered a gentle and important course correction. He reminded me of the colossal volumes of non-human data being generated daily, from weather patterns to train schedules, meaning the purely human voice is becoming a smaller part of the whole.This led him to a profound conclusion: as our digital lives become noisier and more automated, the authentic human element will become our most cherished and valuable asset. He believes it is our shared responsibility to consciously "put people first" in how we design and use these systems. That mindful distinction, he argues, will set a pattern for others to follow.Your Ultimate Differentiator: Using AI to Simply Become More YouWhen I asked Mike how people can differentiate themselves in an age where everyone has access to AI, his answer was refreshingly simple. It is not about mastering a new technical skill; it is about knowing yourself better and being "more you." The more authentic you can be in your voice, your intent, and your thinking, the more you will naturally stand out.He offered a wonderful reframe, suggesting we use AI not just for output, but for introspection. You can turn it into a personal coach. By telling it what you are working on, whether it is improving your turn-taking in conversations or being a more empathetic leader, you can ask it for feedback on your own progress. It becomes an accountability partner, using your own metrics to help you grow.Your Action Plan: Prompting Your Own Personal EvolutionThis brings us to the core of our conversation. AI can be more than a research assistant or a content creator; it can be a co-thinker, a coach, and a catalyst for our own development. It is a tool that can help us become better, more mindful versions of ourselves.Mike left us with a clear and inspiring call to action. Take a moment to think about your own journey of growth. What are you trying to learn? What path are you on to evolve and become a better you? Once you have that clarity, open your favorite AI tool and start a conversation about it. Ask it to create reminders and help you check in on your progress, and you will be surprised at how it can accelerate your journey.In Summary: My conversation with Mike Wittenstein was a masterclass in how to approach AI with curiosity, intention, and a deep-seated commitment to human connection. His message is that the true power of this technology lies not in its ability to replace us, but in its potential to amplify our best human qualities: our creativity, our strategic thinking, and our capacity for growth.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Mike's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Using the role-playing tool Yoodli to enhance confidence and build crucial communication skills in a safe, risk-free environment.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Creating a personal brand voice template that ensures your authentic personality and humor shines through in all AI-assisted writing.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Focus on becoming more authentically yourself and use AI as a personal coach to guide and track that journey of growth.ActionTake a moment to think about the path you are on to become a better, more evolved version of yourself. Write down what you are learning, and then ask your favorite AI tool to create prompts and reminders that will help you mindfully check your progress over time.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Mike on LinkedIn under his name, Mike Wittenstein, or find him online through his company website.Links* Website – Storyminers* LinkedIn* Twitter – @mikewittenstein* Facebook* Youtube Channel – StoryminersCool Things About Mike* He uses the folksy and memorable adage, "You can't teach a pig to sing... it doesn't work and pisses off the pig." This piece of unexpected, down-to-earth wisdom reveals a humorous, practical side that cuts through the corporate jargon. It's a phrase you don't forget.* He champions bringing a live sketch artist into high-level business strategy sessions. In an era dominated by digital presentations, this dedication to an analog, creative, and deeply human tool is refreshingly unconventional. It shows a commitment to multi-sensory communication that is both cool and highly effective.* His company, Storyminers, has a classic entrepreneurial origin story. He and a friend were in a Starbucks, saw a dramatic headline about mass layoffs in their field, and instead of seeing a crisis, they saw an opportunity and immediately launched their business, successfully landing their first six prospects.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Brett Engeman, the founder of Aspirational Leaders Co. After spending two decades navigating the challenges of fast-growing businesses, Brett now dedicates himself to helping leaders unlock strategic communication flow, operating at the exciting intersection of mindset, human interaction, and artificial intelligence. Our conversation was a fascinating deep dive into solving the frustrating communication breakdowns that stifle growth, exploring the powerful and surprising ways Brett uses AI to create more authentic and effective leaders.Key points discussed include:* Great communication starts by diagnosing your own thinking patterns to better connect with others.* Embrace AI as your co-pilot to gain deep insights and free up time for human-centered leadership.* In a world of instant answers, your greatest superpower is deep curiosity and asking brilliant questions.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Brett Engeman, Aspirational Leaders Co.It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Brett Engeman of Aspirational Leaders Co. to the Innovabuzz podcast. Brett is on a mission to solve a problem that almost every entrepreneur has felt: that frustrating sense of entrapment when communication breaks down in a fast-moving business. He works at the fascinating intersection of mindset, communication, and artificial intelligence, and our conversation was a brilliant exploration of how leaders can unlock flow and scale their organizations by, first and foremost, learning to communicate better.What I loved about our chat was how Brett brought it all back to a fundamental truth. We've all been in those work environments where the communication is good, where everyone feels like a genuine contributor to a shared mission. As Brett said, when it's good, "magic happens." People love coming to work. But we've also seen the flip side, when growth and new teams lead to silos and misunderstandings, and that magic quickly fades.Brett has seen the good and the bad over his 20 years in scaling businesses, and he's learned that even leaders with the best intentions can inadvertently create these communication gaps. It's not about blame; it's about awareness. His insights offer a powerful blueprint for rediscovering that collaborative magic, no matter the size of your team.It All Starts with You: A Diagnosis of Your Own Thinking PatternsSo, where does a leader begin? According to Brett, the first step is an inward one. He starts his work with leaders by conducting a "communication diagnosis" to help them understand how they themselves think and process information. This was a lightbulb moment for me. We all have our own default settings; a leader might be a "visual thinker" who sees the big picture, the grand vision.The problem arises when they're communicating that vision to a team member who is, as Brett explained, more "kinesthetic" and detail-oriented. The leader is talking about the "why," while the team member is desperate to understand the "how." Without this awareness, a disconnect is almost guaranteed. It's a simple yet profound realization that miscommunication often starts not with what is said, but with a mismatch in how it's processed.From Vision to Action: How to Finally Get Everyone on the Same PageOnce you have that self-awareness, you can start bridging the gap. Brett shared some wonderfully practical advice, emphasizing that leaders must consciously cater their message to all thinking types. And his golden rule for getting a message to stick is one I won't soon forget: "If you think you're communicating a lot... do it five times more." In a vacuum of information, people will naturally create their own stories, so consistent and clear repetition is your greatest ally.This extends to the very language we use in our values and vision statements. Brett gave a brilliant example of a vague vision to be the "biggest and best." What does that actually mean? Is it profit? Market share? Customer satisfaction? He urges leaders to break these terms down into specific, unified meanings. When you do that, the vision transforms from a nice phrase on a wall into a tangible goal that everyone can see, understand, and work toward together.My Unexpected Co-pilot: Using AI to See Our Communication ClearlyThis is where our conversation took a fascinating turn into the world of AI. Brett shared how, almost by accident, he discovered AI could be a powerful mirror for communication. By feeding transcripts of his research calls into an AI model loaded with his own custom language filters, he could extract incredible insights about a person's communication style—a process that would have manually taken him nearly 20 hours.This isn't just about spotting filler words, though Brett humbly admitted it helped him notice his own overuse of "um." His AI-powered diagnostic can identify a person's core thinking patterns, their motivation strategies (are they moving towards a goal or away from a consequence?), and so much more. It's a stunning example of using technology not to replace human intuition, but to augment and accelerate it.Your Second Brain: Leveraging AI for More Than Just Mundane TasksBrett sees AI's role extending far beyond diagnostics. He uses these fantastic metaphors of AI as a "second brain" you can use for brainstorming or a "bunch of smart friends in the room" you can bounce ideas off of without annoying your entire team. It's a way to refine your thinking before you even bring an idea to the table for a more meaningful discussion.By embracing AI to handle these kinds of tasks, or to automate the mundane work that clutters our days, leaders can free up their most valuable resource: their time and attention. This allows them to step away from the keyboard and do what only they can do: be present with their team, listen with empathy, and cultivate genuine human connection.The Paradox of Progress: Why Authenticity is Your New SuperpowerWe also touched on a compelling paradox of our modern age. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, our human capacity to spot in-authenticity is becoming sharper than ever. People can sense when a LinkedIn post or an email is written by a robot, and they are craving authenticity more than ever.This means the rise of AI doesn't diminish the need for great leaders; it makes them more critical. The leaders who will truly connect and inspire are those who are emotionally intelligent, who show up as themselves, and who aren't afraid to be human. Technology can handle the tasks, but it can't replicate true presence and empathy.The One Skill to Cultivate for the Next 50 YearsSo what is the most profound skill leaders should be cultivating for the future? When I asked Brett to look 50 years down the road, his answer was simple but powerful: learn to be curious. In a world where AI can provide answers in an instant, the uniquely human ability to ask great questions and to be genuinely curious about another person's perspective will be invaluable.It's about seeking to understand, not just to be understood. It's about fostering deeper connections and growing together, rather than living in conflict or a state of constant misunderstanding. This is the human skill that technology will never replicate, and it is the foundation of truly effective leadership.In Summary: My conversation with Brett Engeman was a masterclass in modern leadership. It's a call to look inward at our own communication styles, to be relentlessly clear in our vision, and to embrace technology like AI as a co-pilot that allows us to be more human, not less. By focusing on authentic connection and deep curiosity, we can navigate the future and build businesses where the magic truly happens.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Brett's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Most innovative use of AI to enhance human relationships – Use AI as a thinking co-pilot to clear your head and craft a better response before you react.* Best thing to integrate AI and human connection – Creating and using diagnostic filters in AI to reveal a person's unique communication style.* Differentiate by leveraging AI – Use AI as an exploratory tool to delve into your passions and help you find your purpose.ActionStart exploring AI as a practical support tool. Record a practice conversation with ChatGPT and ask for feedback on your communication, or give it a large goal and have it break it down into daily steps for you.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Brett on his website, where you can find his information and book a complimentary 30-minute discovery session.Links:* Website - Aspirational Leaders Co* LinkedIn* LinkedIn - Aspirational Leaders Co* FacebookCool Things About Brett* The AI-Powered Self-Communicator: Brett has a genuine commitment to personal growth, using AI not just to diagnose clients' communication styles but also to analyze and improve his own filler words, like his former habit of saying "you know" often.* The Humanity-First AI Advocate: Despite his expertise in cutting-edge AI applications, Brett stands out by emphasizing that the more we advance with AI, the more valuable and sought-after genuine human connection becomes.* The Mission-Driven Niche Master: Brett's current laser focus on unlocking scalability through communication stems from a powerful, world-changing belief: that if everyone communicated better, the world would have far fewer problems.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest in this episode is Dawid Naude, the visionary founder and CEO of Pathfinder, an AI accelerator dedicated to helping businesses boost employee productivity, drive breakthrough innovation, and cultivate a sustainable AI culture. Dawid's passion lies in leveraging AI to free us from mundane tasks and enhance our uniquely human capabilities.In our chat, Dawid shared how AI can truly liberate us from daily drudgery, making way for more meaningful work and deeper human connection. He also brilliantly explained that AI's real power isn't in simple prompts but in having a genuine conversation with it.Key points discussed include:* AI as a liberator: Dawid emphasizes how AI can free us from low-level tasks, allowing for greater focus on skilled work.* Conversational AI: The true value of AI lies in dynamic dialogue, not just one-off questions and answers.* Human connection amplified: AI enables us to be more human by removing tedious tasks and fostering deeper understanding.Listen to the podcast to find out more.Innovabiz Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Show Notes from this episode with Dawid Naude, PathfindrAI has moved beyond science fiction and into our everyday lives, and for many, that shift can bring a mix of excitement and apprehension. Are robots coming for our jobs? Is technology making us less human? These are the kinds of questions that often swirl around the conversation. But what if we told you that AI isn't here to replace us, but to liberate us? What if it's the key to unlocking a future where we're more productive, more creative, and yes, even more connected?This was the incredibly inspiring message from our recent Innova.buzz guest, Dawid Naude, the founder and CEO of Pathfinder. Dawid isn't just building an AI accelerator; he's on a mission to reshape how businesses and individuals embrace this powerful technology, focusing intently on the human side of AI adoption and creating a sustainable AI culture. His vision is refreshingly optimistic: AI's true power lies in its ability to strip away the "drudgery" of our daily tasks, freeing us up to do the really important, human work.Beyond the Classroom: Revolutionizing Learning and Critical ThinkingThink about it: how much of your day is spent on low-level activities, tasks you mastered years ago, or even back in university? Dawid sees this as a profound opportunity. AI can shoulder that mundane burden, allowing us to flex our highly developed skills. But his excitement truly ignites when he talks about education. Imagine every student having a 24/7 mentor, a personalized teacher available at their own pace, in their own language. For those with learning difficulties or language barriers, this isn't just convenient; it's a game-changer, leveling the playing field and opening up a world of possibilities.Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: won't all this AI make us lazy thinkers? Won't it erode our critical thinking skills? It's a valid concern, one I've wrestled with myself. But Dawid offers a compelling counter-narrative. Perhaps for some, it will make it easier to copy and paste. But what about those in the middle, those who struggle to follow complex work? Could AI actually elevate their understanding, pushing them beyond simple rote learning? And for those who are already critical thinkers, AI becomes an "absolute weapon," allowing them to test concepts, explore new topics, and identify blind spots with unprecedented speed and depth. It's like having an instant sounding board, helping you see all the holes in an argument you might have missed.The Art of Conversation: Prompting Beyond the Basic Q&AOne of Dawid's most profound insights is that the true magic of AI isn't in a single, perfectly crafted prompt. Forget prompt engineering as a rigid, one-shot deal for most of us. Instead, Dawid champions the idea of AI as a conversation partner. It's not about asking a question and getting the answer; it's about engaging in a dialogue, a back-and-forth riffing session where you can tweak, question, and refine the AI's responses. This conversational approach unlocks a much deeper level of value.So, how do we master this art? It's simpler than you think. Dawid suggests treating AI like a friend you want to challenge. Instead of asking, "Is this a good idea?" try, "Can you find 10 things wrong with this?" or "Tell me all the reasons for and against." This subtle shift in your interaction can transform the AI from a validation machine into a genuine sparring partner, pushing your thinking and helping you explore ideas from all angles. It's about being aware of the AI's inherent tendency to validate and actively instructing it to push back, to play devil's advocate.Navigating the Ethical Maze: Bias and the Human ElementThe question of bias in AI is a significant one, and Dawid delves into this with admirable honesty. He explains that AI has to be biased in some way; it has to give an answer that isn't always "it depends." The underlying training data, combined with carefully constructed "system prompts," shapes the AI's personality and guardrails. It's not malice, but a reflection of the data it's trained on and the rules its creators have set.This understanding is crucial. While we can ask AI to cite its sources and dig deeper, the ultimate responsibility for critical evaluation remains ours. We're used to searching for answers on Google, where we get sources to find the answer. With AI, we're often given the answer directly. Dawid wisely points out that this could lead to us delegating our thinking to a "20-kilometer radius in California," where most of these AI companies reside. It's a tricky balance, but one we must navigate by maintaining our own human judgment.AI in Action: Real-World Business TransformationsDawid's journey with Pathfinder has shown him just how rapidly the landscape of AI has evolved. What required complex, expensive integrations just 18 months ago can now often be achieved with off-the-shelf tools and clever prompting. He recounted a fascinating example of a small real estate company that, after some basic AI training, created their own custom GPTs for tasks like real estate listings and tenant communication. They even produced AI video avatars of their CEO providing market updates in multiple languages!This anecdote really drives home Dawid's belief: the true power lies in giving every employee an "everyday AI assistant." It's not about replacing roles, but about making each person incredibly productive by tackling the thousands of unstructured, copy-paste, back-and-forth activities that fill most of our days. When people discover how these tools can save them time and effort, their eyes light up. It's a genuine human connection to the technology because it directly improves their daily work life.The "Coffee Culture" of Connection: Why Humans Still RuleOne of my favorite analogies from our conversation was Dawid's take on coffee culture. He highlighted how, particularly here in Melbourne, we're happy to queue up, pay five times as much, and sometimes even get a "worse" coffee from a barista, even when a perfectly good, cheap, and consistent alternative exists from a machine. Why? Because it's human. This perfectly illustrates his point that despite the incredible efficiency of AI, our innate desire for human interaction and connection remains strong.AI is poised to rid us of the drudgery, giving us back time and mental space. And what will we do with that newfound freedom? Dawid believes it will allow us to be more authentic and human in our interactions. When we're not bogged down by tedious tasks, we can truly engage, empathize, and connect on a deeper level. The more human you are, the more effectively you'll be able to leverage this technology.Your Personal AI Journey: Taking the LeapSo, what's the takeaway from all this? Dawid's message is clear: dive in! The best gateway drug, as he puts it, is something like ChatGPT. Don't be intimidated; it's not hard to become an expert. You just need to be shown what's possible, and then start playing. He encourages everyone to grab the free version and get started.His unique call to action is brilliant: "Have ChatGPT interview you, and then afterwards, ask it to recommend the top 10 ways of how you should use ChatGPT." It's a meta-approach that lets the tool itself guide your learning journey, tailoring its advice to your specific needs and interests. What a clever way to begin your own AI adventure!It's been a truly fabulous conversation with Dawid Naude, packed with incredible insights. His perspective on AI as a human enabler rather than a threat is truly inspiring. We're not just talking about the future; we're living it, and with AI as our ally, that future looks incredibly bright.The Buzz - Our Innovation RoundHere are Dawid's answers to the questions of our innovation round. Listen to the conversation to get the full scoop.* Innovative AI with Human connection – Dawid saw a client use AI to understand a challenging client's perspective more deeply, and his wife uses it to create fairy tales that help their kids navigate difficult situations.* Best AI integration example – Dawid integrates AI and human connection by simply showing people how to use it to save time, do things they couldn't before, and even have fun with their families.* Differentiate with Connection – Dawid recommends using AI to understand people and industries more deeply, allowing for richer conversations and more impactful solutions.ActionDefinitely grab ChatGPT, even the free version! Then, tell it to interview you, and afterward, ask it to recommend the top 10 ways you should use ChatGPT to get started.Reach OutYou can reach out and thank Dawid on his LinkedIn, or for a deeper dive into AI, visit Startlearning.ai which redirects to Pathfinder's monthly public masterclass.Links:* Website - Pathfindr* LinkedIn* Speaker Profile* YouTube* Dawid's Other Podcast appearancesCool Things About Dawid* The Tech Optimist with a Conscience: Dawid isn't just a tech cheerleader; he's a responsible innovator who's willing to call out unethical practices and advocate for human-centered AI adoption. That blend of enthusiasm and integrity is seriously cool.* The Accidental Entrepreneur: Dawid's candidness about the challenges of entrepreneurship—admitting that it's often "miserable" and not as glamorous as it seems—is refreshingly honest and relatable. It's cool to see someone who's not afraid to show the real side of building a business.* The Language Barrier Breaker: Dawid's passion for using AI to overcome language barriers and connect with people from different cultures is inspiring. The image of high-net-worth investors receiving personalized voice updates in Mandarin is both innovative and deeply human.* The Bootstrapped Innovator: Dawid's company, Pathfindr, is entirely bootstrapped and self-funded. That's a testament to his resourcefulness, his belief in his vision, and his willingness to take risks. It's cool to see someone who's building something from the ground up, without relying on outside investment.Imagine being a part of a select community where you not only have access to our amazing podcast guests, but you also get a chance to transform your marketing and podcast into a growth engine with a human-centered, relationship-focused approach.That's exactly what you'll get when you join the Flywheel Nation Community.Tap into the collective wisdom of high-impact achievers, gain exclusive access to resources, and expand your network in our vibrant community.Experience accelerated growth, breakthrough insights, and powerful connections to elevate your business.ACT NOW – secure your spot and transform your journey today! Visit innovabiz.co/flywheel and get ready to experience the power of transformation.VideoThanks for reading Innovabiz Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovabiz.substack.com/subscribe