How to become a Human-AI Coach (Part 1)

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In this episode of the Habit Mechanic podcast, Dr. Jon Finn explores the foundational challenges we face in the AI era and the critical role of Brain State optimization in thriving amidst rapid technological advancements. 

Building on the previous episode, he delves into the emerging role of the Human-AI Coach—an essential figure in enhancing cognitive performance in the workplace. Dr. Finn outlines three key roles reshaping our future: 

- innovators

- automators 

- Human AI coaches...

...with a particular focus on the vital role of coaches in guiding individuals and teams to optimize their Brain States for peak performance. 

The episode provides a glimpse into how the AI revolution is transforming work and why mastering Brain States will be crucial for success in this new era.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello Habit Mechanics .
It's Dr John Finn here.
I hope you're having afantastic week so far.
So, as promised, I want tobuild on the last podcast, so if
you haven't listened to that,go back and listen to it where I
talked about the problems thatwe face if we want to thrive in

(00:24):
the AI era and of course,everybody does.
When I talk about, I talk aboutthe foundational challenges with
the approaches that we're using.
They're not really designedwith the brain in mind.
They don't recognize that mostof what we think and do is
automatic or semi-automatic andtherefore any solution to help

(00:45):
our brains to work better, tohelp us to improve our cognitive
performance, has to be based ona first principle approach.
That means that we have torecognize, well, this is how
brains work and therefore anysupport we give people needs to
take how brains work intoconsideration.

(01:07):
People don't just do what theyknow they should do and agree
they should do.
They do what they're in thehabit of doing, and that's why
sports science was so successfulin literally revolutionising
the physical performance ofathletes.

(01:31):
And in my head I always havethis reference won't land with
everybody, but in my head Ialways have that England Euro 96
sort of dentist chair, as itwas called after Paul Gascoigne
scored against Scotland atWembley and he ran to the corner

(01:51):
and he was being poured thesports drink into his mouth by
his teammates.
But that, of course, was takenfrom this infamous episode.
I think it was in Hong Kong orSingapore or somewhere where
they'd been on a pre-tournamenttraining camp and they ended up

(02:15):
in a nightclub and there wasthis thing called the dentist
chair, where you sat in andsomeone poured a lot of spirits
into your mouth, where you'resat in and someone poured a lot
of spirits into your mouth.
So that sort of episode versussomeone like Cristiano Ronaldo
and the modern footballer andthe completely different
approach that they took to hisperformance.

(02:38):
And, of course, the success ofsports science was that it
became an insurmountablecompetitive advantage, so
everybody had to adopt it.
But it's because the sportsscience worked, because it was

(02:59):
based on one of the firstprinciples, the fundamental
principles of how humanphysiology works.
And if we want to develop soccerplayers or footballers or tordy
fran cyclists maybe not gothere with that, actually, but
um, you know, tiger woods did itin golf whoever we want to

(03:19):
develop, to become betterphysically, we have to start
with those foundationalprinciples, and that, for me, is
why the AI era is so excitingbecause it gives us this
unprecedented opportunity toenhance our cognitive
performance, which is your mostvaluable asset.
It's my most valuable asset.

(03:39):
It's a business's most valuableasset brain power drives
everything, but unfortunately,it's becoming harder and harder
to get our brains working well,and one of the things I think is
really important that weunderstand is that lots of
businesses are trying tocapitalize on the performance

(04:07):
gains that AI can offer, andthey're doing that because
they're seeing other businessesbeing successful when they
implement AI tools and,according to big sets of data,

(04:27):
when businesses get this right,they're able to grow 2.5% faster
.
They're able to create 1.6times greater shareholder
returns and other financialmeasures, but it's not just that

(04:50):
they're able to create cultureswhere people feel happier and
more engaged at work.
But unfortunately, thosebusinesses that are succeeding
only represent a tiny number ofbusinesses that are trying to

(05:11):
succeed, and the biggest barrier, if you look at multiple sets
of research that keeps coming up, is that when businesses are
failing to get value out of AIand I think about 75% of them
are, according to the data it'snot the tech that's the problem.
It's that people are drained.

(05:34):
People are the barrier, notdeliberately.
It's because we're mentallyfatigued, we're cognitively
overwhelmed, and the AI comes inand it just gives us another
thing to have to process,another thing to adapt to so we
can unleash all the benefits ofthe ai revolution.

(05:55):
Unless people's brains areworking well and of course, we
know that the traditionalapproach is to help people's
brains work well don't work,otherwise we wouldn't be in this
mess, right?
Um?
You know all the, all thenumbers I talk about.
A lot still still stand over 20000 people a month in the uk
being signed off on the sickwith anxiety and depression.
In the us, I think, um, I thinkabout 25 of the adult

(06:20):
population have a mental healthdiagnosis.
That's about 53 million people.
Um, so, and the things thatwe've been trying to do to get
our brains working well, toenhance our cognitive
performance, haven't worked, andthat's why the BrainState
methodology that I unpack inTrain your Brain for the AI

(06:43):
Revolution is so key, and we'vebeen using that now for a long
time and we've developed it withthousands of people.
It's really, really robust, butultimately, knowing how to use
it is one thing, reading a bookabout it is one thing, putting

(07:04):
it into practice is a differentstory.
And that brings me on what Iwant to talk about on this
podcast.
So, to follow up from theprevious podcast, I'm actually
going to.
So to follow up from theprevious podcast, I want to have
a three-part focus on becominga human AI coach, what that
means, where it fits into theworkplace.

(07:25):
So that's what I will focus onin this episode.
Then the next episode I want totalk about what do you actually
do as a human AI coach?
And then in the third episodeI'm going to talk about it more
strategically as part of abigger play for businesses who

(07:48):
are trying to create what I callbrain state intelligent
cultures, which I think will bethe winning cultures in this era
.
Workplaces where people arehealthy, happy, can be at their
best, can do the kind of workthat makes them feel good about
themselves, and thereforebusinesses that are thriving.
So we have to take a humancentric approach if we want to

(08:11):
capitalize on what the airevolution offers, and right now
we're not.
We're taking atechnological-centric approach,
we're thinking about all theshiny new tools, not optimizing
ourselves first and foremost,and what I'm going to share in
this podcast for the rest ofthis podcast is just a short

(08:33):
chapter from Train your Brainfor the AI Revolution, and the
chapter's called the Three RolesReshaping Our Future, and it's
from step five of the book,which is change lives with the
success cycle, coaching andleading the brain state
revolution, and in this chapterI'm predicting a couple of

(08:56):
technical roles that I thinkwill become dominant in the
future.
But I also think the mostimportant role that is going to
emerge and is emerging right nowand we're already training
people how to do this is therole of the human AI coach,
because cognitive performancethe AI revolution is making

(09:20):
cognitive performance moreimportant than ever before,
because the pace of change isgetting faster and faster and
faster.
So we need to be more mentallyagile and right now, people are
struggling.
They're not able to do this, sowhat they need is a coach, is

(09:41):
an expert to actually work withthem, step by step, to show them
how to optimize how they managetheir brain states and
therefore optimize theircognitive performance.
So what I'm going to share isan overview of what that looks
like and why I think the humanAI coach is going to be, I think

(10:04):
, the most important role inworkplaces going forwards.
So here it is chapter 26.
Remember, you can listen to thefull book the full book inside
it, for free, inside of theHabit Mechanic University app,
which you can access via ourwebsite, and also the audiobook
now is starting to pop up onmainstream audiobook platforms

(10:28):
that you may already subscribeto or that you might want to buy
the full book from.
So, yeah, this is chapter 26.
Enjoy Chapter 26.
The three roles reshaping ourfuture.
Sarah sat at her deskreflecting on how far she'd come
in mastering her brain states.

(10:49):
Something profound has shifted,she realised.
It's not just about using AItools anymore.
It's about understanding howhumans and technology can truly
enhance each other.
This insight led her to adeeper revelation about the
extraordinary transformationhappening across every industry.

(11:11):
The AI revolution istransforming work in a
fundamental way.
The industrial revolutionshowed us how machines could
take over physical labour,freeing humans from
back-breaking manual work.
Now the AI revolution is doingsomething similar with mental

(11:31):
work.
Ai will handle most of theroutine cognitive tasks humans
are currently paid to do.
This creates an extraordinaryopportunity.
Instead of spending our days onrepetitive mental tasks, humans
can focus on work that engagesour unique cognitive abilities

(11:52):
the kind of thinking that's bothmore fulfilling for us and more
valuable in the AI era.
Based on my deep understandingof human brain capabilities,
potential limitations of AItechnology and my work with over
20,000 professionals, I believewe're seeing the emergence of
three distinct roles in this newera.

(12:14):
While others might seedifferent futures, I predict
these roles will dominate howhumans create value alongside AI
.
Here are the three distinctroles 1.
The innovators.
2.
The automators.
3.
Human AI coaches.
Here are more details on each 1.

(12:38):
The innovators creating ourfuture.
Innovators are literallycreating the future before our
eyes, using AI to extend theirhigh-charge brain states and
human intelligence in wayspreviously unimaginable.
In ways previously unimaginable, consider how medical
researchers now use AI to screenmillions of molecular

(13:00):
combinations and identifypromising antibiotic candidates
in months instead of years, workthat's crucial for fighting
drug-resistant bacteria thatthreatens millions of lives
worldwide.
These innovators are shapingour future by developing
breakthrough vaccines andmedical treatments, creating

(13:25):
next generation AI systems thattransform industries, designing
sustainable solutions forclimate change, building new
educational systems thatpersonalise learning,
revolutionising healthcaredelivery and patient care,
transforming how we travel, liveand work, inventing new ways to

(13:49):
produce and distribute cleanenergy.
But here's what separatessuccessful innovators from those
who struggle their brain stateprofiles.
The most effective innovatorsmaintain arrowhead profiles,
which I first introduced inChapter 9, consistently

(14:11):
optimising their daily premiumcognitive performance.
This difference enables them toDirect AI tools with sustained
clarity and focus, maintaincreative energy for breakthrough
thinking.
Innovate faster thancompetitors.

(14:31):
2.
The Automators Engineering thefuture.
The second role is alreadytransforming how we live and
work.
Think about how banking hasbeen transformed through
automation.
What once required visiting aphysical branch, waiting in line
and interacting with tellersfor every transaction, now

(14:53):
happens instantly through yoursmartphone.
The modern banking experiencedemonstrates how automators are
revolutionising traditionalindustries.
But this is just the beginning.
Automators are creating twotypes of solutions physical
automation and digitalautomation.

(15:13):
Here are some physicalautomation examples Advanced
robotics for manufacturing andwarehouses.
Automated delivery systems andautonomous vehicles.
Smart machinery forconstruction and agriculture.
Automated medical equipment anddiagnostic tools.

(15:34):
Next-generation robots thathandle dangerous tasks.
Intelligent production linesthat adapt in real-time.
Here are some digitalautomation examples AI systems
that handle routine office tasks.
Software that automatescustomer service and support.

(15:55):
Intelligent systems for dataanalysis and reporting.
Digital workflows thatstreamline business processes.
Platforms that automatefinancial planning.
Business processes.
Platforms that automatefinancial planning.
Smart systems that optimizesupply chains.
Again, the most successfulautomators share a crucial

(16:19):
advantage Arrowhead brain stateprofiles.
This optimal state allows themto handle complex technical
challenges while maintainingfocus.
See automation opportunitiesothers miss.
Build more effective solutionsfaster than competitors.

(16:41):
3.
The Human AI Coaches theCritical Link.
Human AI coaches are pioneeringa crucial new role in
professional development.
They help people maintain peakcognitive performance in a world
where AI handles more routinemental tasks.
Drawing on their understandingof brain states and human

(17:04):
performance, these coaches guideothers to work at their best,
especially during periods ofintense cognitive demands.
Just as athletic coaches helpathletes optimise their physical
performance, think of human AIcoaches as performance coaches
for the mind.
In the AI era, this is perhapsthe most crucial role, the one

(17:30):
Sarah found herself naturallygrowing into.
Human AI coaches serve asessential guides in this
transformation, with a two-foldmission.
First, they must master theirown brain states, achieving and
maintaining their own arrowheadprofile, because they model

(17:52):
optimal performance for clients.
Clear thinking is essential foreffective coaching and training
.
They need sustained energy fordeep coaching work and impactful
delivery of training.
Second, they guide others topeak performance, helping both

(18:13):
innovators and automatorsdevelop and maintain arrowhead
profiles by teaching brain stateoptimization techniques.
Supporting sustainable habitformation.
Ensuring premium cognitiveperformance when it matters most
.
Supporting sustainable habitformation.

(18:35):
Ensuring premium cognitiveperformance when it matters most
the human ear, eye edge.
Think about what this means inpractice.
When two innovators compete tosolve the same problem, the one
with an arrowhead profile hassignificantly more hours of
premium cognitive performancedaily.
They direct AI tools moreeffectively during high-charge

(18:55):
states.
They consistently outperformthose with fragmented brain
states.
Similarly, when automatorscompete to build automation
solutions, those with ArrowheadProf profiles see opportunities
others miss.
They maintain focus throughcomplex development challenges.

(19:17):
They create more effectivesolutions in less time.
This is why human AI coachesbecome essential.
Their impact extends throughoutorganisations, from
transforming individualperformance to optimising entire
teams and guiding leadersthrough organisational change.

(19:38):
They don't just help people useAI tools.
They help optimise brain statesat every level, helping to
create workplace cultures thatmake it easier for everyone to
thrive in the AI era.
Sarah found particularresonance with the human AI
coach role.
Looking at these three rolesshe reflected.

(20:02):
I realised that helping othersoptimise their brain states
wasn't just something I enjoyed.
It was becoming one of the mostvaluable skills in this new era
.
Your path forward, as Sarahdiscovered, understanding these
emerging roles revealsextraordinary opportunities,

(20:24):
whether you're drawn to becomingan innovator creating
breakthroughs.
Whether you're drawn tobecoming an innovator creating

(20:53):
breakthroughs, an automatorbuilding solutions, or choose to
become a coach yourself, orsimply want to help your team
thrive in the AI era.