AI-Empowered Mom

Should You Let AI Read Your Family’s Inbox with Aligna Founder Reddhi Patel

Has anyone in your house ever asked, “What can I help with?” It’s a kind question. It also means you’re still the one holding the whole list: the dentist appointment, the permission slip, the birthday gift, and getting everyone out the door. Reddhi Patel is back on the show, almost a year after we talked about Diwali, Halloween, and blending cultures at home. She’s the founder and CEO of Aligna, an AI-powered household harmony platform that makes the invisible work of running a home visible and shareable between partners. Reddhi shows us what changed in her own house once both partners started getting the same morning brief, including the stuffy day her husband remembered on his own. We talk about moving from opposite sides of the table to the same side. Then we go deep on her 20 years in financial services and cybersecurity, including her work preventing elder fraud. Reddhi shares the questions to ask before you give any AI tool access to your family’s email or calendar, what to do in the first few minutes after you click a suspicious link, and why every family can benefit from its own AI policy. Chapters 00:00 Who’s holding the list?01:20 What’s changed in a year02:22 The morning brief and stuffy day03:51 Shared visibility in a first responder family05:14 Same side of the table06:29 From elder fraud prevention to family data08:24 Questions to ask before sharing your email10:23 Lessons from elder fraud12:02 What to do after you click a bad link13:54 Your family’s AI policy15:10 Chatbot mode: savasana and startup ideas15:52 Advice from AI-Powered Women17:28 Where to find Reddhi and Aligna About Reddhi Reddhi Patel is the founder and CEO of Aligna. She brings more than 20 years of experience across financial services, cybersecurity, and design. She is an MIT AI-Powered Women Ambassador and Vermont chapter lead, and she writes The Invisible List, a newsletter about invisible work at home. Aligna: https://usealignaapp.com/Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alignaappApp Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aligna-app-family-harmony/id6778021286Instagram: @usealignaappLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/use-aligna-app/ Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com What is one invisible task in your household that only you know about? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

The Scary AI Headlines You Keep Seeing with Build with AI Club founder Arjita Sethi

Somewhere between school pickup and bedtime this summer, I read a headline that said AI agents had escaped their testing environment and started hacking. My first thought was not about cybersecurity. It was about my kids. Arjita Sethi read that same headline twice. Once as a builder, once as a mom. She is the founder of Build with AI Club. She started a vocational school with her mom in India at 16, launched an AI company in Silicon Valley in 2017, and now teaches people who do not write code how to actually use AI. Her first reaction was probably yours. Here it is, everything we have ever watched is coming true. Then she read what actually happened, and the picture shifted from the Terminator to a kid told to get an A at any cost with nobody setting the rules. She breaks down what happened inside that sandbox in plain language, why more than 1,100 people who build this technology asked for a brake pedal rather than a stop button, and what it means that reporting these incidents is voluntary. The line that stayed with me is that it is voluntary for us at home too. It is spooky season, so every story here is true. We are also turning on the light. Chapters 00:00 The headline I read in my kitchen01:55 A vocational school at 16 and an AI startup in 201702:45 Why she reads every AI headline twice04:02 What actually happened inside the sandbox06:01 The letter 1,100 people signed06:25 A brake pedal, not a stop button07:50 AI follows the goal you give it and nothing else09:08 Reporting these incidents is voluntary09:41 It is voluntary for parents too11:32 Her message to families who feel scared12:29 Chatbot mode: agreeable AI or independent AI13:17 Her AI trick and treat of the year15:36 Where to find Arjita16:25 The one thing I want you to take away Join us live, free Aligning AI With Your Family's ValuesThursday, November 12, 10am PT, on ZoomRegister: https://luma.com/build-nt03 Arjita and I are continuing this conversation live. The event is unlisted, so this link is the way in. About Arjita Founder of Build with AI Club, entrepreneurship instructor at SF State, and a Claude Community Ambassador in San Francisco. Her weekly trainings for people with no technical background have sold out 12 weeks running. buildwithaiclub.com LinkedIn and Instagram: Arjita Sethi Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Is there a scary AI story you want me to take on? Send it over. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show. Keywords AI safety for families, AI agents escaped sandbox, OpenAI agent incident, Pace the Frontier letter, AI regulation for parents, AI literacy for moms, talking to kids about AI, Build with AI Club, Arjita Sethi, spooky AI stories

Are You the Customer or the Dataset? with AVA Co-Founder Laura Cunningham

When Laura Cunningham's daughter is playing her favorite iPad game and gets asked to buy a magic wand, Laura doesn't just say no. She asks, "Why do you think they're doing that?" That one question works for nearly every app, AI assistant, and agent we invite into family life. Laura is the cofounder and CEO of AVA, an AI-powered chief household officer built to reduce the mental load of motherhood. She joins host Sarah Dooley to break down the research behind the mental load, its 4 stages, and why she focuses on anticipating and monitoring, two especially invisible parts of that work. Sarah and Laura then go somewhere not often talked about on podcasts: the business models behind the tools we bring into our homes. They talk about why AVA chose subscriptions over ads and what it means to be the customer instead of the dataset. They close with 3 questions to ask before you hand any app your family's email, calendar, or your kids' information. This episode is sponsored by AVA. Guest, Laura Cunningham, is AVA's cofounder and CEO. IN THIS EPISODE The 4 stages of the mental load, and the 2 that are hardest to see How Laura clears her head with voice memos on her morning run Why Laura focuses her daughter on love of the game over college recruiting Why Laura calls this summer an inflection point for AI agents Why AVA chose a subscription model over ads What it means to be the customer instead of the dataset How to talk with kids about in-app purchases CHAPTERS 00:00 A word from AVA 00:25 "Why do you think they're doing that?" 01:50 Meet Laura: morning runs and voice memos 04:12 Kids' sports and love of the game 06:33 From education to founder life 09:19 The big AI inflection points 10:32 What AVA is 11:34 The 4 stages of the mental load 13:51 Taming the family inbox 15:11 Why AVA chose a subscription model 18:04 Customer or dataset, and a podcast with ads 20:12 Talking to kids about AI 22:40 Free games are the most expensive games 23:12 Chatbot mode: raising kids in Brooklyn 23:40 A win: AVA launches on the App Store 24:22 Where to find Laura 25:27 3 questions to ask before you share your data QUOTE "If you don't know where the money is coming from, you are the product." Laura Cunningham 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU SHARE YOUR FAMILY'S DATA 1. What does this company do to make money? 2. What does it do with my family's data? 3. Does it want more of my time or less? CONNECT WITH LAURA AVA: Learn how AVA works and explore its community events and onboarding opportunities: LinkedIn: Laura Cunningham Substack: Motherload CONNECT WITH SARAH Instagram: @aiempoweredmom Newsletter: Free weekly newsletter, every Sunday night: Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode helped you think differently about the apps and tools in your home, follow the show and leave a rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find us. SPONSOR DETAILS If your brain feels like it has too many tabs open, AVA is a behind-the-scenes parenting partner that helps you anticipate what's coming and keep family life moving. AVA is offering the AI-Empowered Mom community 2 weeks free, then $4.99 a month for 6 months. Family sharing means one subscription covers you and your partner. Explore AVA and the offer here.

The Curiosity Advantage in the AI Era with TV Host Lauren Petrowski

Every night at the dinner table, Lauren Petrowski's family plays a game you might already know, rose, bud, thorn. Then they added a fourth: water. Who did you water today, or who watered you? Her kids look forward to it so much that they have started noticing small acts of kindness all day long, just so they have something to share. Lauren has spent 20 years asking people questions on camera, from breaking news in the field to 5-minute morning show interviews to her own Instagram series, Let's Get Curious. She says curiosity is not something you either have or don't. It's a skill, and she walks through exactly how to build it, in yourself and in your kids. We get into what to do when one kid opens up the moment you see them and the other needs to wait until bedtime, why kids need to be bored instead of entertained, and the one question Lauren says you can always ask another mom. And since this is the AI Empowered Mom podcast, I had to ask: what is AI doing to our curiosity? Lauren's answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no, and it changed how I think about letting a chatbot write my own interview questions. Chapters 00:00 Rose, bud, thorn, water, and why curiosity matters now01:35 Welcome, Lauren Petrowski01:46 A day in Lauren's life right now02:29 Calendar chaos and one AI nudge03:42 Curiosity as a career05:03 Planned questions versus thinking on her feet06:33 Is curiosity a skill you can learn07:21 Living in her curiosity era08:13 Getting kids to open up, by age10:25 Teaching kids to ask better questions11:45 What AI is doing to our curiosity12:57 The risk of handing your questions to AI14:15 The question Lauren wishes more people asked her15:16 Chatbot mode: holiday small talk swaps15:58 One question to ask, one to skip, with another mom16:55 A recent win worth celebrating17:53 Where to find Lauren and Let's Get Curious18:03 Closing thanks18:17 Key takeaway and how to follow the show About Lauren Lauren Petrowski is a TV host with 20 years of on-camera experience, from breaking news reporter to morning show anchor. She now hosts lifestyle segments for stations in Austin and Waco, works as a media communications coach, speaker, and MC, and hosts Let's Get Curious, an Instagram interview series with founders, creators, and the people making Austin interesting. She is a mom of 2. Instagram: @LaurenPetrowski Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com What is the best question someone has asked you lately? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

The Parental Controls You Need Now with Bark CMO Titania Jordan

You vetted the app. You checked the settings. You decided it was fine. Then one day an AI chatbot showed up inside it, and nobody sent you a note. Titania Jordan has spent close to two decades in online safety, and she is the first to say parents should not have to keep up with every feature drop. She is the chief parent officer at Bark Technologies and the author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Era. A parent can now ask a chatbot to walk them through every parental control setting in the house and get an answer in seconds. The same technology is being misused to generate abuse material from a single photo of a child’s face. Titania says both are true at once. She shares the 3 things she leans on instead of tracking every update, why her strongest recommendation costs nothing, and what she said at dinner when her son asked whether he could escape student loans by moving to another country. I also read a passage from her book out loud and asked whether her thinking has shifted since it published. And for any kid who has decided AI took the career they wanted, her oldest is applying to art school for illustration. Her answer to him is in here. Chapters 00:00 The app you approved already changed 00:17 Meet Titania Jordan 01:46 From radio and Facebook groups to online safety 05:56 What Bark actually does 07:00 Why Bark is free for every school in the US 08:28 Easier or harder for parents? Both, because of AI 11:16 You should not have to keep up 12:26 House rules, gatekeeping, and ask to buy 13:20 The relationship is the real parental control 14:15 Sarah reads a passage from Parental Control 15:08 Learning AI side by side at dinner 17:26 What to say to a kid who thinks AI took their future 19:18 Bathtub and bathing suit photos in the deepfake era 20:30 Chatbot mode: the emoji and acronym decoder 22:19 Thoughts on Meta’s new AI assistant 23:59 The one control to turn on today 25:03 Please do not think “not my child” 26:11 Where to find Titania and the book About Titania Titania Jordan is the chief parent officer at Bark Technologies and the author of Parental Control and Parenting in a Tech World. She founded the Parenting in a Tech World Facebook group in 2017, now around 700,000 parents strong. Book: on Amazon and wherever books are sold Bark: bark.us Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiempoweredmom Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com What is the one app you thought you had figured out until it changed? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

Why You Can't Always Trust AI Mode with children's author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer

Children's author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer was at a happy hour for third grade moms when her phone buzzed. A family member had sent screenshots and a message: her brand new children's book had been ripped off. The screenshots were Google AI search results describing her book accurately and crediting an Instagram handle that was not hers. Host Sarah Dooley was standing right next to her. What happened next is the part worth hearing. Katie searched the handle and found nothing. She tried to recreate the search and could not. The result had been generated, and it never appeared again. We walk through that night, what she checked, and what she does now before she believes an answer. We also get into the real version of this problem, where authors do have their titles copied and resold, the privacy settings worth reviewing if you use AI near your own work, and how Katie found an illustrator who paints in watercolor and does not own a computer. At the time of recording, roughly 1 in 10 AI search results still contains a factual error, and the wrong ones look exactly like the right ones. Chapters 00:00 Sponsor message from Nookly00:49 The text that said her book was stolen02:02 Meet Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer03:51 What she checked first05:07 How to spot an AI result in Google06:58 The 1 in 10 problem and the real book scams08:15 Privacy settings worth reviewing08:38 What AI helped with, and what it did not09:52 Inside Red Elephants and Blue Donkeys10:54 The illustrator who does not own a computer12:29 Circling back to the family member14:06 What to do when a result feels off14:49 Chatbot mode17:18 One takeaway for parents About Katie Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer is an Austin author and mom of 2. She spent years in PR and communications before writing her debut picture book, Red Elephants and Blue Donkeys, illustrated by Charles Fuge. Written for ages 4 to 8, it is about setting petty differences aside to solve a shared problem. Find the book and sign up for preorder news: redelephantsandbluedonkeys.comInstagram: @authorkatieeisenhartschaeffer This episode is sponsored by Nookly You tell Nookly what you are working on with your kid, and it builds personalized stories, activities, songs, and videos around that goal. Visit nookly.com and use code AIMUM25 for 25 percent off. Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Free weekly newsletter, every Sunday: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Have a story about an AI answer that sent you down the wrong path? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

You Can Use AI And Be "Woo Curious" Too with AI+YOU Studio Amanda Benson

Amanda Benson spent 20 years in emerging tech running one strategy: do more, then do more than that. When AI arrived she used it the way an overachiever would. Then her body told her the strategy was finished. What came next is the framework at the center of this conversation with host Sarah Dooley. "Remember. Release. Intentionally Add." Amanda walks through what it means to remember who you were before the world told you who to be, release what stopped serving you, and add back only the support you actually chose, whether that is AI, a therapist, a teammate, or kids who finally fold their own laundry. We also get into the question I could not resist asking. Can you be a systems person and a breath work person at the same time? Amanda says yes, and the story she tells about a field of rabbits in the Swedish countryside is the reason. Her company is called AI+You Studio, and the name is the whole thesis. AI is at its best when you are at your best. Why Amanda went all in on AI at the end of 2022 Training AI to be your executive coach when overwhelm hits Remember, release, and intentionally add, explained Why adding more tools can leave you more overwhelmed Why the future of AI is human led The case for picking one AI tool and going deep 2 apps vibe coded in a single weekend 00:00 A word from Nookly00:51 Welcome to AI-Empowered Mom02:18 Meet Amanda Benson02:47 20 years in emerging tech, and one big hunch03:40 Using AI to overachieve, and why it stopped working05:00 AI as an executive coach06:14 What stays uniquely human06:37 Remember, release, and intentionally add08:10 Waking up from the bubble at the end of your thirties10:50 The girl in the field12:50 Systems and breath work in the same room13:06 Chatbot mode13:27 One Swedish habit worth borrowing, plus fika14:16 What is in her tech stack14:46 A win to celebrate15:53 Where to find Amanda16:34 Sarah's takeaway "AI is at its best when you are at your best." Amanda Benson WholeSum app and podcast: wholesumos.comSocial: @whatsnewamandaAI+You Studio Instagram: @aiempoweredmomFree weekly newsletter, every Sunday night: aiempoweredmom.comEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode gave you an idea or made your mental load feel lighter, follow the show and leave a rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find us. Nookly. You set the goal, Nookly builds the plan with personalized stories, activities, songs, and videos for your child. Visit nookly.com and use code AIMUM25 for 25% off, or visit here. Top Shelf. A 3-day retreat for ambitious women in tech and go-to-market, built around one idea: you deserve a real reset. Career and personal brand sessions, sound baths, wine country, and room to think about what is next. Co-founded by Jennifer Ortegon, visit https://topshelfretreat.com/ The Stepmom Summit. Now in its 6th year. This year's theme is Out Loud. It is free, fully virtual, and fully live, with 30 or more speakers including therapists, lawyers, professors, authors, and AI experts. Sarah is speaking this year. Register here: https://thestepmomsummit.com/registration?am_id=sarah8379

What Are You Truly Ambitious For? with Dr. Anne Welsh

This episode is sponsored by Ask Proxy™, a personal AI assistant for your parents' generation. Gift a free month: https://askproxy.com/gifting/ (code AIMOM) or explore Proxy for yourself: https://app.askproxy.com/purchase (code AIMOM) Do you consider yourself ambitious? In a room full of accomplished women in a program literally called Women Who Mean Business, that question turned out to be surprisingly divisive. This week, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Dr. Anne Welsh, licensed clinical psychologist, executive coach, and author of the new book Ambitious Mother, to talk about why the word ambitious feels so loaded for so many mothers, and what it actually means to want something for yourself. Anne shares her own winding path, from an acceptance letter to medical school she turned down, to building a dream job at Harvard, to walking away from that too when she asked to go part time after her second child and was told it was not an option. She talks about reframing ambition as a web instead of a ladder, why motherhood can expand ambition instead of shrinking it, and what happened when she asked an AI tool to change the font color on her book cover and it renamed the whole thing instead. In this episode: 1. Anne's path from medical school to psychology to Harvard to building her own practice 2. What a portfolio career actually looks like, and how Anne built hers one piece at a time 3. Inside her book, Ambitious Mother: the ambition paradox, the motherhood advantage, and healthy striving 4. The question that divides a room: are you ambitious? 5. Reframing ambition as a web instead of a ladder 6. How motherhood can expand ambition instead of shrinking it 7. Where AI helps, where it doesn't, and the gender bias in how AI use gets judged at work 8. The day AI renamed Anne's book, and what it revealed about bias in AI 9. Rapid-fire round with Anne About Dr. Anne Welsh: Anne is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified executive coach, and author of Ambitious Mother, available now everywhere books are sold and on Audible. The book profiles 8 women who are ambitious for very different things. Find Anne at drannewelsh.com or on Instagram and LinkedIn at Dr. Anne Welsh. If this episode gave you a little more clarity about your own ambition, follow AI-Empowered Mom and leave a rating or review. It truly helps other parents and caregivers find the show. Have a topic you want us to cover? Reach out at contact@aiempoweredmom.com or find us on Instagram @aiempoweredmom.

The Tech Gender Gap with Web3 Expert Megan Murray

Think about the last time you went somewhere brand new all on your own, and had to figure everything out yourself. Now think about the last time someone said, let me take you, I'll show you around. That difference is what this episode is about. If you have been on the fence about AI, if you have never heard of Web3, if you have no idea what blockchain means, this is your invitation. This week, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Megan Murray, finance and operations strategist, founder of Leoluna Finance Collective, board member of the Austin AI Alliance, and co-founder of ATX Women in Web3. Sponsored by Ask Proxy™ This episode is sponsored by Ask Proxy™. My friend Christine built Ask Proxy™ after watching so many of us become the tech support line for our own aging parents. Proxy is a personal AI assistant that works entirely by text message, so there is no new tech for your parents to learn. It checks in on them proactively with reminders and stays available for questions, which means fewer of those calls land on you. Check it out yourself by signing up at https://askproxy.com/ for only $39 per month, or gift a free month to your own parents with code AIMOM so they know I sent you. Chapters 00:00 Your invitation to try something new00:27 A word from our sponsor, Ask Proxy™02:28 Meet Megan Murray03:17 Why the AI gap may be about invitation, not resistance04:04 Does this pattern hold everywhere?05:33 The fear cycle that comes with every new technology06:36 Web3 explained, starting all the way back at Web108:35 Where AI and blockchain solve each other's problems10:51 The same gap, showing up again in Web313:14 Femme Founder Bootcamp and the Austin AI Alliance14:49 One small thing to try this week In this conversation: Why the gap in AI use has more to do with who gets invited than who is willing A plain-language primer on Web3, starting all the way back at Web1 How stablecoins are already changing what small businesses pay to accept your payment Why blockchain may become the thing that puts real guardrails on AI agents, including spending limits before your agent books a flight The smallest possible first step for anyone who has used AI zero hours this week, using what is already in your fridge Connect with Megan Murray: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megankaymurray Austin AI Alliance: Events calendar and fall in-person sessions: https://austin-ai.org/ Femme Founder Bootcamp, Season 3: A 6-week virtual cohort from ATX Women in Web3 and AI for femme-identifying founders at any stage, including idea stage. Sessions run Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 2:30pm CT, kicking off September 29 and wrapping with an in-person Founder Showcase in Austin on November 4. Founders get expert-led curriculum, mentorship, a founder community forum, hands-on work applied to their business, and partner resources. Full details and early bird registration: https://www.atxwiw3.com/bootcamp Free in-person info sessions:Houston, Wednesday September 16: https://luma.com/md44uj83Dallas, Thursday September 17: https://luma.com/ebupl0wz Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Website and Newsletter: https://AIEmpoweredMom.com Instagram: @aiempoweredmom Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode gave you a little clarity or taught you something new, please follow the show and leave a review. It really helps other parents and caregivers find us and means a lot!

What You Need to Know About AI Guardrails for Kids with @momsbuildAI founder Shreya Gulati

AI is already showing up in your kids' classrooms, and most parents don't know it. In this episode, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Shreya Gulati, founder of Moms Build AI, a community of more than 3,000 moms learning, using, and building with AI, to talk about what's actually happening with AI policy right now, where the guardrails fall short, and what parents and caregivers can do about it today. Shreya spent a decade in corporate tech building data and partnership ecosystems before becoming a mother, and now works as an angel investor and startup advisor alongside running Moms Build AI. She and Sarah get into the lessons AI regulation should be learning from social media, the disclosure gap behind tools like Gemini reaching classrooms, how other countries are approaching AI guardrails for kids, and two simple things any parent can do to start advocating today. In this episode: Why AI policy needs to learn from social media's slow, reactive regulation The disclosure gap behind AI tools reaching classrooms without parents knowing Why opt out isn't good enough for kids, and what opt in could look like instead How the US, the EU, and individual states are approaching AI guardrails differently Two things parents can actually do this week to start advocating for their kids Episode Chapters 0:36 Meet Shreya Gulati, founder of Moms Build AI 2:13 A day in Shreya's life: motherhood, a cross-country move, and a career pivot 3:38 What Moms Build AI is, and why moms need to lean into AI 5:32 What parents actually picture when they hear "AI regulation" 6:54 The biggest lesson AI policy should take from social media regulation 8:54 The Google Gemini classroom rollout and the disclosure gap it exposed 11:04 From opt in to opt out: how tech permissions quietly shifted 12:29 Why kids need different protections than adults 13:35 How the EU and other countries are approaching AI guardrails 16:35 What this looks like in practice: two things parents can do this week 19:52 Chatbot mode: rapid fire with Shreya 23:52 Closing thoughts and where to find Moms Build AI Connect with Shreya Gulati and Moms Build AI on Instagram at @momsbuildai, browse free resources including her return to work AI kit at momsbuildai.com, and subscribe to her Substack newsletter for ongoing insights on kids, AI, and family policy. Follow AI-Empowered Mom on Instagram and TikTok at @aiempoweredmom, subscribe to the newsletter at aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com, and send your questions or topic ideas to contact@aiempoweredmom.com. If this episode helped clarify what's happening with AI policy, follow the show and leave a quick rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find us.

The Case For Gaming With Your Kids with Health-e-Habits Executive Director Jim Festante

My daughter told me a YouTuber saves puppies for a living. She was so sure of it that we sat down and watched the video together, and it turned out to be a character, a bit, nothing close to real. That one small moment cracked open a much bigger conversation, and it is exactly why I wanted to sit down with Jim Festante. Jim is the Executive Director of Health-e-Habits and a 20-year veteran of the video game and tech industries, with a background that runs through Slate Magazine, Xbox, Microsoft, Adobe, and Meta. He is also a dad, and he built this work after his Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee started repeating outlandish claims picked up from YouTube. We get into where AI actually lives inside video games, the difference between what Jim calls a sandbox and a casino, and why free-to-play games can end up being the most expensive games in the house. We also talk about the emerging link between certain game mechanics and gambling, and what Jim's new tool, the Video Game Mini Map, is built to do for parents who do not know where to start. If you have ever felt behind on the games your kids play, this conversation will hand you a real framework instead of more guilt. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE: 00:12 Welcome02:15 Jim's path from web design to Slate, Xbox, and Meta03:39 The Big Brothers Big Sisters moment that started this work04:33 Sarah's own YouTube moment with her daughter07:12 Living in the messy middle, and building media literacy with local schools08:28 Where AI actually shows up inside video games09:59 Why parents get scared of games, and the sandbox versus the casino11:44 Free-to-play games and the most expensive hat you will ever buy12:52 One household, two different starting points on gaming13:27 Why getting your own profile changes everything15:27 Building the Video Game Mini Map18:16 The link between game mechanics and gambling20:48 What companies know and why nothing changes without regulation21:53 Jim's one word for parents: communication23:52 The CapCut conversation with his 8-year-old son25:17 Quick Chatbot Mode with Jim26:34 Where to find Jim and the Video Game Mini Map27:16 Closing thoughts CONNECT WITH JIM: Website: health-e-habits.org CONNECT WITH AI-EMPOWERED MOM:Instagram: @aiempoweredmomNewsletter: https://aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/ Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Sarah also mentions her upcoming live webinar with collaborator Carla Greenan, Your Best Self, Empowered by AI, on August 25. Find details on Instagram @aiempoweredmom or by emailing contact@aiempoweredmom.com. New to AI and not sure where to begin? The AI-Empowered Mom free mini-podcast is a low-pressure place to start. Six short episodes for parents and caregivers who want to get started without the overwhelm. Find it at aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/mini-podcast If this conversation shifted how you think about your kid's screen time, follow the podcast and leave a quick rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find the show.

AI Systems in Real Life with CEO Katie Blouin

Katie Blouin built an inventory system to keep small businesses from drowning in spreadsheets. Then she pointed that same systems thinking at her own kitchen table and built a chief of staff agent that reads school newsletters, tracks groceries, and makes sure her kids never miss crazy hat day. Sarah sits down with Katie Blouin, CEO and co-founder of Larken and founder of KLB Advisory, to talk about what happens when a founder's business systems meet a household of three kids. Katie walks through how she built her household AI agent using Claude and MCP connectors, why she still keeps financial information locked down even as she automates almost everything else, and what she says to parents who feel guilty about handing tasks off to AI. They also dig into a viral article about a mom running her household with a full staff of named AI agents, whether that is where all of our homes are headed, and how Katie's background as a former IP attorney shapes the way she thinks about who owns the tools we build. Plus, her honest take on non-technical AI adoption, one hard rule she will never break at Larken, and a recent win from the founder community she just launched. If you have ever wondered whether the systems thinking that runs a business could also run a household, this episode is for you. CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome and introduction01:14 A day in the life of a founder and mom of three02:39 Building an inventory system with AI at Larken05:06 The chief of staff agent she built for her own home06:25 How she actually built it, tools and connections08:04 Why you do not need to be technical to start08:41 The Cut article and a household run by named AI agents10:51 The guilt parents feel about handing tasks to AI12:37 Crazy hat day and other wins at home14:21 An IP attorney's take on who owns your AI agents15:36 Chatbot mode with Katie17:17 Where to find Katie and KLB Advisory18:22 Quick hits and a McDonald's order18:46 One takeaway for parents and caregivers CONNECT WITH KATIEWebsite: katieblouin.comSubstack: substack.com/@katieblouinLarken: shoplarken.com CONNECT WITH SARAHNewsletter: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.comInstagram and TikTok: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Join Sarah for a live webinar, Your Best Self, Empowered by AI, on August 25th. Details on Instagram @aiempoweredmom. If this episode resonated with you, please follow and leave a rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find the show.

De-Stress Your Nest with AI and Project Manager Hannah Morgan

Most families have a project manager, they just never got the job title or the paycheck. This week, Hannah Morgan, founder and CEO of Heron House Management, joins the show to talk about the mental load, where AI genuinely helps carry it, and where the real relief still has to come from people, not tools. Hannah shares how she built the first virtual house management service designed to sit between a family assistant and a full time house manager, why she is known as the pit bull of project management, and what it actually looks like when a family outsources the anticipating and planning, not just the tasks. We also dig into 2 recent pieces, one from The New Yorker and one from Wired, that take opposite views on whether AI can truly lighten the mental load or just reshuffles it, and Hannah gives her honest take. In this episode: 00:00 – Welcome, and introducing Hannah Morgan 01:00 – A day in Hannah's busy season with 3 kids 01:48 – Where "pit bull of project management" came from, and the origin of Heron House Management 03:24 – What it actually looks like to work with a house manager 05:07 – Why the mental load lands disproportionately on women 08:35 – Reacting to recent New Yorker and Wired pieces on AI and family labor 11:18 – Using a RACI chart at home to bring clarity instead of nagging 14:03 – Chatbot mode: favorite AI tools, paddleboard vs. walking pad, top productivity books 15:34 – Celebrating 3 years of Heron House Management 16:12 – Where to find Hannah and Heron House Management 16:36 – Hannah's final takeaway for parents Connect with Hannah Morgan: Heron House Management: heronhousemanagement.com Listen to her podcast, Destress the Nest Connect with AI-Empowered Mom: Newsletter: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com Website: AIEmpoweredMom.com Follow along: @aiempoweredmom

What AI Can't Do For Your Family with Danielle Matarasso, MBA

What happens when the thing you built to save you time still needs you to catch its mistakes? Danielle Matarasso found out the hard way, over a school lunch order. Host Sarah Dooley sits down with Danielle Matarasso, founder of Numeriq Advisors and writer of the newsletter AI After Carpool, to talk about the day AI ordered her son a cookie instead of lunch. It starts as a funny mix-up and turns into a real conversation about where AI can lighten the load for parents and caregivers, and where it still needs a parent's judgment. Danielle and Sarah talk about the pull that led Danielle to leave a stable career in tech to build something of her own, the business she almost bought because AI kept agreeing with her, and how she keeps her kids' personal information out of the algorithm at home, even as she leans on it for family trip planning and age-appropriate activity ideas. They also get into what Danielle hopes and fears for her 3 kids growing up with AI as a normal part of life, a few ways to catch AI when it is just telling you what you want to hear, the AI tools actually in her weekly rotation, and a low-tech parenting hack that has nothing to do with AI at all. In This Episode: The cookie: what happened and what it taught her You can't outsource intuition How Danielle got introduced to AI AI as a work companion versus a family companion Keeping kids' information out of the algorithm Hopes and fears for her 3 kids in 10 years Leaving a stable tech career to build her own path The business she almost bought, and AI's blind spot How to avoid AI's yes man tendency Chatbot Mode: Danielle's go-to AI tools What Danielle hopes parents take away If you have ever built a system to make family life easier and watched it half work, this episode is for you. Danielle's story is a reminder that AI can carry real weight in a busy household, but the judgment still belongs to the parent holding the calendar. Whether you are weighing a career pivot of your own or just trying to keep school lunches straight, there is something here to take with you. Connect with Danielle Matarasso:Newsletter, AI After Carpool: https://www.aiaftercarpool.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-matarasso/ Connect with AI-Empowered Mom:Newsletter: https://aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/ Instagram: @aiempoweredmomWebsite: AIEmpoweredMom.com

It's Not You (Your Priorities Are Just Misaligned) with Exec Courtney Cecil

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from doing everything and still feeling like it is never enough. In this episode, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Courtney Cecil, founder of Working Moms Movement and host of The Life Management System podcast, to talk about why so much of the friction in family life traces back to one quiet question: what do you actually value? Courtney brings an industrial and systems engineering background to the parts of life that feel heaviest. She walks through her Three W's framework, what you value, what you prioritize, and what you spend, and shows how naming those three things can bring your time, money, and energy back into alignment. Along the way she reframes boundaries as something you build to protect what matters, not walls that keep people out, and she shares how she treats AI as a simple delegation tool that takes real decisions off her plate. If you have ever set a goal and kept breaking it, this conversation offers a kinder explanation and a clearer place to begin. As Courtney puts it, if everything is a priority, nothing is. When something keeps slipping, it usually means you are prioritizing something else, and that is allowed. Chapters: 00:13 Welcome and why doing everything still feels like not enough 01:07 Courtney's life now: leaving corporate, two boys, an 80-hour passion 01:58 What she misses about corporate and what she is embracing 02:50 The biggest mistake families make and the Three W's framework 04:54 Why it is so hard to see your own priorities 05:15 The calendar audit and where we bleed time and energy 07:00 Bringing AI into calendar management and prioritization 07:18 AI as a delegation tool and the 10-80-10 approach 09:36 Helping families who feel hesitant to delegate to AI 10:29 The one boundary Courtney holds firm around AI and client trust 10:49 Boundaries as a fence you can open and close 12:19 Problem-solving friction and putting systems in place to protect what works 13:34 The reading goal, the Duolingo streak, and why priorities have winners and losers 14:38 Chatbot Mode: club sports, a recent win, and the one takeaway for parents 17:13 Closing thoughts and where to find Courtney Connect with Courtney Cecil: Instagram @workingmomsmovementWebsite workingmomsmovement.comPodcast The Life Management System Connect with AI-Empowered Mom: Instagram @aiempoweredmomWebsite aiempoweredmom.com If this conversation resonated, follow the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast and leave a quick rating or review. It really helps other parents and caregivers find us.

Your Sunday Night Scaries, Solved, with Executive Coach Melissa Regan

Sunday evening used to mean a couple of hours of planning for Melissa Regan: cookbooks spread across the counter, kids' schedules stacked up, a running list of things to figure out before Monday arrived. Now that same setup takes a fraction of the time, and the hours she reclaims go straight back to her family. Melissa is an executive coach and consultant who works with leaders and sales teams on operations, communication, and business growth. She is also raising three boys at home, managing a household largely on her own during the weeks her husband travels for work. She did not come to AI with a tech background. She came to it as someone who needed to be efficient in the limited hours she works, and who wanted to actually be present when the workday ended. In this conversation, Melissa and host Sarah Dooley dig into what that shift looked like in real life: the Sunday setup meeting Melissa holds for herself, how AI handles the planning she would rather not do, and how she consciously redirected the time it freed up toward board games, swim meets, and being on the sideline. One idea from the conversation that may stick with you: Melissa draws on a concept from the book Essentialism, that if something is not a "hell yes," it is a no. But as she points out, parents do not always have the privilege of saying no. Meal planning has to happen. The calendar has to get organized. Her adaptation is simple: if it is not a hell yes, but it still has to get done, give it to AI. This episode is for anyone who has stared down Sunday evening and felt the weight of everything that has to happen before the week can start. What we talk about: • The Sunday setup meeting and what it used to cost her • Using AI for meal planning, packing lists, gift ideas, and calendar coordination • The "not a hell yes but it has to be done" principle for deciding what to hand off • How she uses AI with her own coaching clients in live sessions • Consciously reallocating saved time to presence with her family • What an AI-empowered future could look like for parents who feel stretched thin Timestamps: • [00:00] The Sunday scaries and why they hit so hard • [00:50] Meet Melissa: three boys, a dog, and a business built around her family schedule • [02:37] How AI changed her professional workflow first • [04:56] Her consultative coaching philosophy and bringing AI into client sessions • [07:07] Prompting approaches and why iteration beats perfection • [09:37] Where AI made the biggest difference: home life • [10:14] The Sunday setup meeting, before and after • [11:40] Essentialism 2.0: if it is not a hell yes, but it has to happen, give it to AI • [12:35] More use cases: outfits, packing, gift planning • [13:08] Where the saved time actually goes: presence with her family • [14:12] What an AI-empowered future could mean for stretched parents • [15:56] Chatbot Mode: morning routines, how she resets, advice for her past self Guest: Melissa Regan is an executive coach and consultant working with leaders and sales teams on operations, communication, and growth. Find her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissaregan. Connect with AI-Empowered Mom: • Newsletter and Em waitlist: AIEmpoweredMom.com • Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com • Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok: @aiempoweredmom

AI as a Second Mom Brain with Hone Founder Toni Toomey

AI might already be helping you with meals, trips, reminders here and there. But what if it could do more? What if AI could hold the whole context of your life, your family's food restrictions, your career goals, your startup pitch, even your partner's job search, so you don't have to carry it all in your head? Toni Toomey is the founder of Hone, a premium postpartum apparel brand launching this September, and a full-time healthtech professional at Virgo. She recently relocated cross-country from North Idaho to San Diego with her toddler daughter, and she uses AI as her second brain across every part of her life. In this episode, Toni walks through exactly how she does it. She explains her meal planning setup: a Saturday morning agent that pulls from a Notion recipe library, applies her family's real preferences and restrictions, and generates a ready-to-use grocery list. She shares how she built an automated job search system for her husband after a layoff, one that scored daily matches and delivered customized resumes and cover letters straight to his inbox. She talks about the founding of Hone, which started with a board meeting, a pump, and a dress that would not cooperate. And she makes a case for AI literacy as one of the most important things parents can invest in right now, not to optimize their productivity, but to stay close enough to understand the world their children are growing up inside of. CHAPTERS 01:21 Moving cross-country with a toddler: chaos, grace, and a missing kettle base 03:27 Before and after AI: how the mental load shifted 05:33 Meal planning with AI: context files, Notion recipe library, and a Saturday morning agent 08:47 What is a markdown file and why structured context makes AI smarter 10:47 Automating a spouse's job search: daily scored matches, custom resumes, and cover letters 14:05 How her husband went from zero AI experience to building automations in four months 14:34 Women, AI, and why the gender gap in tech no longer has a gate 17:45 The board meeting pumping moment that started Hone 21:38 Hone: Italian-made, natural fibers, rental program, and certified secondhand 23:26 Chatbot Mode: pumping at work tips, the one task she will never hand to AI, and surfing with a toddler 27:57 What Toni wants every parent to take away CONNECT WITH TONI Instagram: @toni.toomey Website: wearhone.com Vote for Toni for Super Mom: https://thesupermom.org/2026/toni-toomey CONNECT WITH AI-EMPOWERED MOM Website: AIEmpoweredMom.com Newsletter: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com Instagram: @aiempoweredmom Contact: contact@aiempoweredmom.com

The Mom Guilt Equation (And How to Solve It) with Podcast Host JoAnn Crohn

Have you ever thought about where "mom guilt" actually comes from? JoAnn Crohn, founder of No Guilt Mom, references Dr. Jennifer Reid's "guilt equation" to help decode it: your expectations of what a good mom looks like, minus what you are actually able to do on any given day, and that gap is where your guilt lives. The fix is not to do more. It is to look carefully at where those expectations came from in the first place. JoAnn is the host of the No Guilt Mom podcast, author of The Best Mom is a Happy Mom, a former fifth grade teacher, a recovered entertainment industry assistant, and a newly minted improv performer. In this conversation, she and Sarah talk about the shift from martyr to model, the two rules of improv that also happen to be life rules, and the surprisingly practical ways JoAnn uses AI to run a one-woman business without burning out. CHAPTERS 01:05 Welcome, JoAnn Crohn of No Guilt Mom 01:24 Life right now: daughter just graduated high school 02:43 Why teenagers are JoAnn's favorite stage of parenting 03:23 Fifth grade teaching and catching kids at the transition 04:15 Why JoAnn left teaching and built something of her own 05:41 Surviving a high-pressure Hollywood talent agency 06:05 Postpartum depression and the moment that changed everything 08:57 The best mom is a happy mom: where the philosophy came from 09:43 From martyr to model: what martyrdom actually feels like from the inside 11:12 Starting improv to reclaim her own adventure 12:27 The two rules of improv every parent should know 13:42 How "yes, and" changes conversations with kids 14:36 The guilt equation explained with Dr. Jennifer Reid's work 16:11 Dad guilt, mom guilt, and why the bar is set so differently 17:45 How JoAnn uses Claude and ChatGPT in her one-woman business 19:35 Building an Airtable automation with AI and no coding background 21:03 Where to find JoAnn and her free Calm Conversations mini-course 22:29 Chatbot Mode: AI tips, advice for high school seniors, and the myth about mom guilt CONNECT WITH JOANN CROHN Instagram: @noguiltmom Podcast: No Guilt Mom Book: The Best Mom is a Happy Mom (Amazon and wherever books are sold) Free mini-course: Calm Conversations (find the link in JoAnn's Instagram bio) Referenced: The Guilt Equation by Dr. Jennifer Reid CONNECT WITH AI-EMPOWERED MOM Newsletter: AIEmpoweredMom.beehiiv.com Free mini-podcast: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/mini-podcast Website: AIEmpoweredMom.com Contact: contact@aiempoweredmom.com KEYWORDS mom guilt, no guilt mom, JoAnn Crohn, guilt equation, mental load, AI for parents, improv parenting, parenting teens, martyr to model, happy mom, expectations, Claude AI, ChatGPT, ADHD and parenting, calm conversations, postpartum, parenting podcast

Can AI Write Your Resume? with 3X Certified Resume Writer Emily Kapit

If you've ever stared at your resume and thought "wasn't AI supposed to be able to help me with this?" -- this episode is for you. Career strategist, career resilience expert, and triple certified master resume writer Emily Kapit of Refresh Your Step joins host Sarah Dooley to talk through the real dos and don'ts of using AI for your career documents. Emily and her team work with clients through The Kapitalize Process, a methodology covering everything from written career assets to interview strategies and negotiation tactics (and she has strong opinions about where AI belongs in that process). Emily shares her approach to AI as a force multiplier: a way to pull out what's already there, find the gaps you can't see on your own, and build a stronger, more intentional job search. We also hit a genuine split decision: Emily says keep AI out of salary negotiations. Sarah says she uses it heavily. We leave it to you to decide for yourself. Whether you're actively job searching, re-entering the workforce after a caregiving break, or just trying to figure out how much to trust AI with something as personal as your career, this episode is grounded, practical, and honest. Emily's insights have been featured in Forbes, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Medium, HuffPost, and MindBodyGreen. She is also currently working on her first book, Sink or Swim: The Life-Changing Strategies for Career Resilience. WHAT WE COVER [00:00] The temptation is real -- and so are the pitfalls [01:22] Emily's world: carpool lines, two kids, and Charlotte the dog [02:09] What "triple certified master resume writer" actually means [04:14] When ChatGPT hit the career space -- and why Emily was skeptical [06:22] AI as a force multiplier: using it to pull out the good stuff [07:41] How to use AI on your resume tonight, step by step [09:07] AI for interview prep: the questions you haven't thought of yet [10:38] How Emily uses AI to build client interview prep plans [11:30] The don'ts: accepting AI output without verifying it [12:34] The formatting trap: why Canva resumes can fail ATS screening [14:14] Keywords: an absolute do (and how to do it right) [15:25] Spotting AI-generated language in your own document [16:19] Career gaps and caregiving breaks: your skills are real and valuable [18:16] Where careers are headed: choose your own adventure [20:05] Chatbot Mode: rapid fire with Emily [23:00] Emily's recent win: the 5K, the business, and all of it [23:55] Final takeaway: force multiplier in every area of life CONNECT WITH EMILY KAPIT Website: RefreshYourStep.com LinkedIn: Emily Kapit Instagram: @RefreshYourStep CONNECT WITH AI-EMPOWERED MOM Website: AIEmpoweredMom.com Newsletter: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com Mini-Podcast: aiempoweredmom.beehiiv.com/mini-podcast Instagram: @AIEmpoweredMom Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com KEYWORDS resume writing tips, AI resume help, career documents, job search strategy, ATS keywords, AI force multiplier, career resilience, career gaps, caregiving career break, salary negotiation, interview preparation, Emily Kapit, ReFresh Your Step, The Kapitalize Process, AI-Empowered Mom, triple certified resume writer, mental load, parents and caregivers

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My 5 Best AI Hacks for Moms Carrying the Mental Load

Mother's Day is one of those days that arrives with a lot of assumptions. Before we get into anything else: however today is landing for you, you belong here. This episode is a gift from host Sarah Dooley to all the parents and caregivers out there carrying a mental load. Five AI habits. Real use. No tech background required. Just the things Sarah has been doing for a long time that have genuinely made a difference, shared in plain language with the hope that at least one of them makes your life a little lighter too. In this episode: A real Mother's Day acknowledgment before anything else Tip 1: Talking instead of typing and why it changes everything WISPR Flow stats and the two-sentence rule that stuck Tip 2: The morning brain dump for getting the day organized A live demo of using Claude to plan a real Friday Tip 3: Meal planning to reduce waste, save money, and move faster Why starting with a photo of your fridge beats planning from scratch The landfill story and why food waste is deeply personal Tip 4: Using AI to carry the mental load of family calendar keeping Tip 5: Getting out of the chief reminding officer role for good How voice reminders shifted the mornings and gave the kids more ownership Closing thoughts: not magic, just manageable Introducing Em and the waitlist opening on Mother's Day Tools mentioned: WISPR Flow, Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Whisk, Instacart, Amazon voice assistant, Em by AI-Empowered Mom Keywords: AI for moms, reduce mental load, AI meal planning, family calendar AI, voice dictation AI, AI productivity for parents, AI tools for caregivers, WISPR Flow, reduce decision fatigue, mental load management, AI-Empowered Mom, parenting and AI, AI home management, family scheduling AI Sign up for the Em waitlist and explore tools for your family at AIEmpoweredMom.com. New episodes every week. If this one helped, a rating or review goes a long way in helping other parents and caregivers find us.

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