Welcome to Automate Yourself

What if AI's biggest opportunity isn't efficiency, but breaking 10,000 years of human survival mode? Danielle LaFleur is the founder of EasyAsPie.ai, an AI operations company helping businesses streamline their work and free their people. She built it after pivoting her 22-person marketing agency down to a 4-person team, rebuilt around individual values and natural strengths. In this conversation, she shares the company mantra ("we refuse to work for any company that will use our services to fire people"), why operations is the boring lever that lets people become their best selves, and her message for anyone worried about being replaced by AI: your job title was never your identity in the first place.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Danielle LaFleur01:08 The Values Reset That Reshaped a 22-Person Agency02:35 Why Operations Became the Leverage Point04:06 Why Chris the AI Skeptic Came Around05:04 The Nail Salon Analogy: Your Real Skill Isn't Your Job06:27 Job Titles vs Identity in the AI Era07:34 Automating Yourself Out of a Job as Liberation09:19 The Mantra: We Refuse to Help Companies Fire People10:11 Out of 10,000 Years of Survival Mode13:39 Clifton Strengths and Finding Your Natural Gifts16:50 Why You Need Honest Feedback Outside Your Inner Circle17:23 What She's Building Now: A VIP Day for Small Businesses18:16 Where to Find Danielle and Easy As PieKeywordsAI operations for small business, automate yourself, EasyAsPie.ai, Danielle LaFleur, values-driven company pivot, marketing agency to AI operations, automation frees people, Clifton Strengths, work identity, survival mode to creation mode, small business automation, AI for solopreneurs, AI ops consulting, find your purpose through automationFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND DANIELLE ONLINEWebsite: https://easyaspie.aiTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@easyaspie.aiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellelafleur/Substack: https://easyaspie.substack.com/

What does it look like to build a business that works with how your brain actually works, not against it? Brooke Wright is the founder of Wright Mode, an AI strategy practice that helps women founders and small business owners use AI to build their businesses. After a corporate career and a stint running women's running retreats, Brooke started using AI to bridge her own idea-to-execution gap. She's now on a mission to teach 10,000 women how to use AI by 2026. In this conversation, she shares the Brain Buddy GPT she built to handle her own to-do list, the coaching client who sold 3,000 copies of a custom GPT at $37 each, and her core message for anyone overwhelmed by the pace of AI: you're not behind.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Brooke Wright00:45 From Corporate to Wright Mode01:17 The 60-Second Origin Story02:16 Building Self-Understanding (and Self-Compassion)03:42 From Stuck-on-Ideas to Brain-Dump-to-Execution05:21 Building the Brain Buddy Custom GPT07:08 Automating Time Tracking, Invoicing, and Content Repurposing08:17 Maintaining Your Voice While Automating Content08:42 Moving From Builder to Teacher10:05 Why Teach Others to Build Their Own AI10:18 The Workshops She Runs11:27 A Coaching Client Sold 3,000 Copies of a Custom GPT13:24 Lead Qualifier Automations for a Marketing Agency13:32 The Surprise Automation: GPT to Notion to Email Marketing15:25 Discovery Call to Proposal in 30 Minutes16:49 Reducing Mental Load with Automation17:27 How Building Wright Mode Changed Her Identity19:24 "You're Not Behind" -- Her Message to the AI-Overwhelmed21:19 What's Next: AI Dream Team Workshop and a Podcast22:09 Where to Find BrookeKeywordsAI for women founders, AI for small business, custom GPT, no-code AI, n8n automation, brain dump AI, automate small business, Brooke Wright, Wright Mode, ChatGPT for founders, content repurposing, AI workshops, idea to executionFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND BROOKE ONLINEWebsite: https://wrightmode.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/wright_modeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wright_modeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-wright-aistrategy

What if the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn't the technology, it's trust? Cien Solon has been on both sides. As a product leader in fintech, she built AI-powered decisioning systems for fraud, credit, and onboarding that served 7 million customers. Now, as CEO of LaunchLemonade.app, she's building a platform where anyone can launch an AI agent business. In this conversation, she breaks down what happened when her team hyper-automated everything, why you should always do it manually first, and her vision for a future where you're not going to be an employee -- you're going to be a business.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Cien Solon 00:43 Welcome and the Automate Yourself Philosophy01:34 From Digital Transformation to Fintech Product Leadership03:11 When AI First Changed the Game: The 2018 Chatbot05:05 When ChatGPT Hit: Kitchen Hackathons and Building Mode07:21 First Thing She Automated: Epics and User Stories08:38 "I'm Going to Be Out of My Job" -- and What Came Next10:09 The Hyper-Automation Mistake12:30 Playbooks First, Automation Second13:04 Three Obstacles to AI Adoption: Trust, Price, and Risk16:09 Security Risks, Prompt Injections, and Mitigation17:53 Advice for Getting Started19:30 What Launch Lemonade Is Building20:26 "You're Not Going to Be an Employee. You're Going to Be a Business."KeywordsAI adoption, trust in AI, fintech AI, product leadership, hyper-automation, AI literacy, non-technical builders, AI agent business, Launch Lemonade, automation strategy, digital transformation, Techstars, chatbot, decisioning systemsFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND CIEN ONLINELaunch Lemonade: https://launchlemonade.appSubstack: https://launchlemonade.substack.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciensolon/

What happens when a leadership development consultant who's never written code decides to automate her entire PhD? Nathalie Salles spent her career in human development at Facebook and Google, coaching leaders and scaling talent programs. Now she's doing a PhD on AI, workplace, and gender, and somewhere along the way, she became a builder. She taught herself n8n, built a pipeline to process over 1,500 research papers, and started creating AI agents for her coaching clients. In this conversation, she shares what human-AI collaboration actually looks like when you're learning it from scratch, why the software engineers were impressed, and how she's using AI to give power back to the people who need it most.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Nathalie Salles00:33 Three Careers in One: Human Development to AI Research01:33 When AI First Caught Her Attention at Facebook03:09 Finding Her Tribe in Responsible AI03:42 Automating a PhD: 1,500 Papers and Counting05:23 Cognitive Load and the AI Highway05:36 Building the Literature Review Pipeline with n8n07:34 A Non-Techie All the Way Through08:15 When Software Engineers Said Her Results Were Better09:05 What Good AI Collaboration Looks Like10:43 Leading the Collaboration: Setting Boundaries with AI12:25 Building AI Agents for the HR Space13:00 Creating a Team of 15-20 AI HR Specialists15:06 Coaching Leaders with AI Mirrors17:33 Giving Power to People Through AI18:10 Advice for Getting Started with AI19:59 Identity in the Age of AI21:27 What She Would Automate: Finding Her Tribe22:52 Outro: Diving In Instead of Running AwayKeywordsAI PhD research, human-AI collaboration, leadership development, talent development, HR AI agents, n8n automation, non-technical AI builder, performance management, gender equity AI, cognitive load, career reinvention, coaching with AIFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND NATHALIE ONLINELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliesalles/

What does a 20-year CPO who walked away from the corporate track actually look like on the other side? Elena Luneva spent two decades leading product at Nextdoor, OpenTable, BrainTrust, and BlackRock, and then decided to bet on herself. In this conversation, she breaks down how a "no more hiring" mandate forced her team to get creative with AI, why 60% of managers are stuck rehashing information instead of making decisions, and what she wishes someone had told her about going solo: the product is you, and the go-to-market is the hardest part.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Elena Luneva00:40 Elena's 20-Year Product Leadership Journey02:29 Life as a Product Leader Across Industries04:09 When AI First Changed the Game07:25 Constraints Breed Creativity08:46 60% of Your Day Is Meetings (and How AI Fixes That)12:05 Going Independent After 20 Years15:09 Self-Awareness in the Age of AI15:42 AI Is a Packaging Tool, Not a Thinking Tool18:05 The "Three Weeks to 20 Minutes" Moment18:52 The Hardest Part of Going Solo21:44 Building Is Easy Now. Go-to-Market Is the Hard Part24:29 What's Next for Elena26:14 Advice: You're the Director of Your Own Movie28:46 Where to Find ElenaKeywordsCPO career change, product leadership, going independent, solopreneur, AI for executives, AI communication, career reinvention, product management, go-to-market strategy, automation, Maven coursesFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND ELENA ONLINESubstack: https://elenasletters.substack.comMaven: https://elenaluneva.maven.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaluneva

In this episode of the Automate Yourself podcast, Dina Levitan and Yves Junqueira, founder of Pipeboard and former Google SRE, explore the transformative power of automation in business. They discuss how automation can empower solopreneurs to do more and more with AI, and Yves shares insights from his journey in building AI tools. The conversation delves into how to integrate best practices into automation and the potential for AI to redefine career opportunities.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Yves Junqueira and His Journey03:24 The Role of Automation at Google06:02 Transitioning to AI-Driven Marketing09:07 Empowering Solopreneurs with AI15:06 Best Practices in Automation16:18 Building AI Solutions for Business Needs18:53 Final Thoughts and Future DirectionsKeywordsAI, automation, solopreneurs, marketing, career transformation, Google SRE, Pipeboard, innovation, technologyFIND ME ONLINELinkTree:     http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast:      http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter:    http://x.com/@chillaborateLinkedIn:      http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram:   http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok:         https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND YVES ONLINELinkedIn:       https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvesjunqueira Website:        http://pipeboard.co

In this episode of the Automate Yourself podcast, Dina Levitan and Jacob Bank, CEO of relay.app , discuss the transformative potential of AI and automation in the workplace. They discuss how individuals can leverage these technologies to enhance productivity, redefine their careers, and focus on higher-impact work. Jacob shares insights from his journey in building AI tools, emphasizing the importance of understanding the unique capabilities of AI employees compared to human workers. The discussion also touches on the evolving landscape of job security, the necessity of human skills in an AI-driven world, and the proactive steps individuals can take to adapt to these changes.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Jacob Bank and His Journey03:24 The Evolution of Productivity Tools06:02 The Role of AI in Workflows09:07 AI Agents and Their Impact on Small Businesses11:49 Understanding AI Employees vs Human Employees15:06 The Future of Work and Human Skills16:18 Navigating the AI Landscape18:53 Building AI Solutions for Business Needs21:43 Final Thoughts and Future DirectionsKeywordsAI, automation, productivity, career evolution, future of work, human skills, job security, AI tools, innovation, technologyFIND ME ONLINELinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: http://x.com/@chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND JACOB ONLINELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobbankYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@relayapp

SummaryIn this conversation, Dina Levitan speaks with Deonna Hodges about the transformative power of automation and AI in the workplace. Deonna shares her journey as a software engineer at Netflix, discussing how she has embraced AI to enhance her productivity, foster community knowledge sharing, and redefine her professional identity. The discussion highlights the emotional journey of adapting to AI, the importance of leadership through knowledge sharing, and the potential for democratizing technology in various fields.TakeawaysAutomating tasks can free up time for higher impact work.Embracing AI can renew enthusiasm in your career.Knowledge sharing is crucial for community growth.AI can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency.Building relationships is essential in a tech-driven world.Fear of AI taking jobs can be mitigated by using it effectively.Investing time in learning AI tools is necessary for success.Innovative projects can democratize technology for broader audiences.Leadership can emerge from sharing knowledge and experiences.Automation can redefine professional identity and career paths.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Deonna Hodges02:05 Embracing AI in Software Engineering05:00 AI's Impact on Work Culture08:12 Sharing Knowledge and Leading by Example10:50 Transforming Work with Automation13:45 The Shift in Career and Skills18:37 Addressing Fears About AI22:47 Building Exciting Projects and Community26:06 Outro26:47 Automate Yourself by Chill LabsKeywordsautomation, AI, career development, software engineering, knowledge sharing, professional identity, leadership, community building, efficiency, emotional journey

Join Dina Levitan, former Google Site Reliability Engineer and founder of Chill Labs, as she explores the transformative power of automation in "Automate Yourself." This podcast explores how embracing automation can propel your career forward. Whether you're a product manager overwhelmed with updates or an engineer tired of manual tasks, discover how to turn AI anxiety into career fuel. Ready to automate your way into the future? Tune in and let's Chillaborate!Join the conversation at ⁠newsletter.chillaborate.com⁠.