October 14, 2025 • 36 mins
Decision fatigue, endless bottlenecks, unclear messaging - scaling an agency past 7 figures doesn’t just demand more hours, it demands smarter systems. That’s why I invited Lynn Colepaugh, founder of Cyber PR Army, to join me for this conversation. She blends brand strategy, music industry grit, and an unusual partnership with AI to help leaders use technology not as a crutch, but as a thinking partner.
In this episode, Lynn shares how AI for agency owners can reduce overwhelm, sharpen communication, and expose blind spots you didn’t know were there. From improving client messaging to preventing burnout and building clarity into your systems, her approach shows how AI can become a reflective partner that helps you lead with confidence and focus. If you’re tired of running faster just to keep up, this conversation will help you build clarity, reduce decision fatigue, and scale with greater precision.
Books Mentioned
- Become What You Are by Alan Watts
To connect with Lynn, visit cyberprarmy.com. She’s set up a special page for podcast listeners at cyberprarmy.com/thecastle, where you’ll find free tools including an AI readiness quiz and a marketing checklist.
Join Dr. William Attaway on the Catalytic Leadership podcast as he shares transformative insights to help high-performance entrepreneurs and agency owners achieve Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence.
- Free 30-Minute Discovery Call:
Ready to elevate your business? Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Dr. William Attaway and start your journey to success.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. William Attaway (00:01):
I'm excited today to have Lynn Colepaugh on
the podcast.
What if AI wasn't just a tool,but a partner?
A strategist's journey throughmemory, marketing, and a little
bit of mischief.
Today's guest blends brandstrategy, music, industry grit,
(00:23):
and an unusual partnership withartificial intelligence to help
humans market with morehumanity.
I'm so excited, Lynn, that youare here, founder of CyberPR
Army, where clarity context anda touch of mischief drive the
future of storytelling.
Thanks for being here.
Lynn Colepaugh (00:42):
Thank you for having me.
Dr. William Attaway (00:44):
I've been looking forward to this
conversation.
Lynn Colepaugh (00:47):
Me too.
Me too.
I love getting in the weeds.
I love it.
Intro (00:55):
Welcome to Catalytic Leadership, the podcast designed
to help leaders intentionallygrow and thrive.
Here is your host, author, andleadership and executive coach,
Dr.
William Attaway.
Dr. William Attaway (01:13):
Well, let's dive in to the weeds.
I'd love to start with yousharing a little bit of your
story with our listeners,particularly around your journey
and your development as aleader.
How did you get started?
Lynn Colepaugh (01:26):
This is um, well, we'll go right back to the
teen years then.
And uh I started in a JimiHendrix cover band, going to
university, playing Hendrix,bass player, and taking a
Bachelor of Commerce, not reallythat interested in it, but
(01:48):
really loving the music.
And so this is like this is inthe 90s when the music industry
was just on fire.
Like there was so much moneyinvested in it.
So there was so muchopportunity.
And uh I was in the cover bandwith my soon-to-be husband, he
didn't know it yet.
And I said, you know what?
(02:09):
We should really start anoriginal band and do original
stuff because again, it was soaccessible.
Um, there was money being uh uhput into the industry, and he
was like, there is no way I'mgoing to do uh like an original
band and make this our career.
It it's not gonna, it's notgonna happen.
(02:29):
So it took me a year to get himconvinced to do it.
And after a year, we had analbum, and it's like, well, the
next thing is to go on tour.
And it just kept building.
So it was touring within ourcommunity, then our province,
uh, because we're located herein Canada, then it was going
(02:51):
across Canada, then it was goingback and forth across Canada,
down to California and throughMaine, down to Atlanta, all over
the place, and followed byawards and opportunities and
just super grounded in doingwhat we loved.
And while doing that, notrealizing all these amazing, I
(03:17):
want to say life lessons if thatmakes sense, but maybe like
apprenticeship almost, wherewe're learning budgeting, we're
learning marketing, we'relearning communications, we're
learning everything about how torun a business and and stay
sustainable.
I mean, you're traveling in ain a van with your team for
(03:39):
eight to ten hours a day.
You really learn how to uh uhwork together with people.
So I think it was around 2005,and my husband got sick uh and
he had to have his gallbladderremoved, and it was pretty
intense.
Uh, the doctor told him hecouldn't play guitar for three
months.
And that's that's significant,but the real slap in the face
(04:05):
was I can't work either becausewe're in the band together.
So we were both out of workgoing, uh, what what do we do
now?
And it was that that point wetook a real hard look at what we
were doing and and went, thisisn't sustainable with both of
us in this sameperformance-based company.
(04:26):
So he went on to do moresession work and toured all
over.
And I was like, well, I um Ihave this bachelor of commerce
with a major in computerinformation systems.
I did a minor in physics.
I'm like, what do I know of themusic?
And I started looking around atother artists in my community
(04:47):
and going, well, their websiteis awful because this is also
pre-Facebook, and this is likebag phones and newsletters and
all that fun stuff.
So I just started helping themout, and then uh a local manager
hired me.
She had some Grammy uhaward-winning artist, like she
(05:08):
was super high up, and I washelping her, getting street
cred, and then navigated intojust, I guess I call the regular
industry, the non-artsindustry, like the food and
beverage, the uh um uh physical,the food, the the uh
construction industry, by just afriend who said, you know what,
(05:30):
you know a lot of stuff aboutstuff.
You know, newsletters andfunnels and all that stuff.
Can you come do a talk?
Uh it would be a lunch andlearn where uh entrepreneurs
will just sit and pick yourbrain and you deliver it on a
really digestible, easy tounderstand level.
So I started doing that.
(05:51):
And it it seems weird, but itwas one of those mom, aha
moments going, oh, people in thenon-arts industry have the
exact same problem as people inthe arts industry with
communication and marketingbeing relevant, uh, churn, all
that stuff.
(06:11):
And from there, my companyreally started growing and doing
well as I branched out.
And then COVID hit, and I wasone of those companies that
actually did well.
Like I feel horrible, buteveryone needed to have an
e-commerce shop.
(06:32):
And everyone needed to connectwith uh their customers in ways
they've never connected before.
They needed to processfinancial transactions online
and not accept cash.
So we went through a hugegrowth spurt uh during COVID.
And now positioning things andlooking at holy mac, it
(06:55):
everything's changed again withAI and that coming in.
And I mean, it just seems Imean, people use the the
description being on a rollercoaster, but it really feels
like if you're in marketing,you're on a roller coaster.
Dr. William Attaway (07:10):
That's so true.
AI is the topic of so manyconversations in the marketing
world right now.
And it has been for severalyears.
One of the things that stoodout to me about you is how you
talk about collaborating with AIinstead of just using it.
That's a that's an interestingturn of phrase.
(07:31):
And I'm curious, what exactlydoes that mean?
And what does that look likefor you on a day-to-day basis?
Lynn Colepaugh (07:38):
Well, what it means less of is I have my
ChatGPT account, and that's thethat's the platform I use the
most.
I use Gemini as well or the uhnotebook uh as well from Google.
But ChatGPT is the one thatI've worked with to develop its
personality, a little, I guessyou could say postmodel training
(07:59):
to give it who it is.
And on a day-to-day basis, oh,I'll just kind of back up.
So I had my ChatGPT account fora year and a half, but it
wasn't until January that Ireally started using it in a
relational way as an entity thatcould provide me construction,
constructive feedback andstructure and systems rather
(08:24):
than just grammar checking orformatting or write me an email
sequence or a website landingcopy.
I was looking at it to get bigand thick and threaded and
braided into what I was doing.
So on a day-to-day basis, it'sactually, I will put a plan in
(08:50):
place, let's say, for example,and say, uh, let's say an
advertising campaign.
Put my whole advertisingcampaign in, and I put it into
Chat GPT, and I'll say, What amI missing?
You have my history.
You even have a personalityprofile on me.
You have uh clients we workwith, things I like, things I
(09:10):
don't like.
What am I missing?
And the AI will look at it, soChatGPT will look at it and say,
Well, Lynn, you really don'tlike delivering these type of
seminars.
And you've put it in yourdocument.
So maybe pivot to onlinewebinars rather than in person.
(09:31):
Okay, yeah.
Okay, yeah, that makes sense.
Or your company is reallytrying to position itself in
this market, but you're leaninginto this.
Is that the long-term strategyyou want?
Okay.
So it's really, it's reallythinking, it's that mirror of
(09:52):
myself to look deep into whatI'm doing.
And even thinking about uhchecking my tone.
Like sometimes it's like, I'llwrite something and I don't just
need a grammar check.
I need to send, like I had tosend an email this morning uh uh
to some uh to a funding agencyto confirm what their deadline
(10:16):
was and when uh financialtransactions need to be
processed.
And I was doing it on behalf ofa client because they are
overwhelmed.
And I wrote it out and I'mlike, that's pretty good.
I'm like, I'm just gonna runthat through AI.
And the AI literally said,let's make this seem more
conversational thantransactional.
And the little words it changedbased on me and what it knows
(10:39):
about my client really made itmy email feel more like we're
all collaborating, workingtogether rather than by
September 30th, do you need theblah, blah, blah, which is how I
wrote it.
And which kind of, as you youread in the in the intro, AI
allows me to be more human,which is like, I know nobody
(11:01):
believes that, but I'm I writevery coldly, and I can be very
transactional in the way Iwrite.
So using this to warm up whatI'm saying with this insight on
me, it has, and my clients issuper helpful.
So these are things that it'sit's hard to pin down when I
(11:21):
talk to someone and try toexplain, you know, how I use it.
It's it's a support system, butnot something that I'm it's not
a crutch.
It's a a supportive developmentsystem, I'd say.
Dr. William Attaway (11:37):
It's fascinating how you're using as
a almost as a reflectivethinking partner.
Lynn Colepaugh (11:42):
Yes.
Yep.
Dr. William Attaway (11:44):
You know, I I I had uh a guest on the show
about almost a year ago now, uhJonathan Mast.
And Jonathan said somethingtalking about AI.
He said uh he said, AI is anamplifier of who you are and the
skills that you have.
It's not gonna replace you.
It's an amplifier of what isalready.
If what you have is bad, it'sgonna amplify bad.
(12:06):
If what you have is good, it'sgonna amplify good.
And I love that way.
I've never forgotten that.
It's always struck stuck out.
And as I hear you talk aboutthis, that came to mind that
this is really amplifying yourskills, your expertise, your
experience that you bring tobear for your clients.
But it's amplifying that in away that does draw out the best
(12:28):
version of you and yourhumanity.
I I think that's a that's agreat way.
And and bringing out making youmore human, giving you the
freedom to be more human, Ithink that's exactly how you're
using that.
And I I don't know that I'veheard anybody else talk about it
like that.
Lynn Colepaugh (12:44):
Aaron Powell Well, it's a it's a weird
positioning because people arekind of go, you're using AI to
be more human and to be morethoughtful.
And it's like, yeah, I kind ofam.
Like, for example, um I got inuh uh locally, there was uh uh
um an initiative put togetherwhere a uh student was helping
(13:07):
local companies with digitalmarketing.
So I contacted uh uh one of theparticipants and said, Look,
because I knew them well, Isaid, look, if the student needs
any help if they get stuck,like we all work together in the
community, just tell them toreach out.
This isn't a cash grab oranything, just if they get stuck
on something, let me know.
And they sent me back an email.
(13:30):
And like, I don't know, emailscan be pages.
This email had to be threepages long, and I was like, what
the what the heck?
Did I do something wrong?
Like, what's going on?
And I was going to respond in acertain way.
I don't want to say would havebeen aggressive, but I wouldn't
have been in my best headspace.
And I said, you know what?
(13:50):
I think I'm reading this wrongbecause this human is one of the
most loveliest humans in theworld.
So I think it's me.
And I copied the email and Ijust put it in and I use that.
What am I missing?
What's the tone or the wordsthat are being used might be
triggering me, but it won'ttrigger the AI.
(14:12):
And the response I got from theAI was this human is
overwhelmed.
They're trying to validatesomething that they're they're
not sure about, and they're onvery uh a slippery slope.
So you happen to be thereceiver of the vent, but it's
not at you.
And I'm like, I did not getthat at all.
(14:36):
So my response completelychanged.
It's like, okay, sounds like abig project, and it sounds like
a lot came at you at once, justto let you know, I'm here to
help.
You can contact me anytime.
It was very, very brief, veryshort.
But I wouldn't have that wasnot how that was not my first
draft.
My first draft was not that.
(14:56):
So the AI, I'll I mean, it'sread a bazillion, gazillion
books.
It sees words and patterns andwhy we choose certain words and
put them together and it seesthings that I don't see because
I'm not trained in that.
So using it to understand anemail that I'm like, this email
(15:20):
is so hostile.
No, it's not.
It's just somebody who'soverwhelmed.
Dr. William Attaway (15:23):
What a great use of this tool.
You know, the self-awarenessthat you're exhibiting there, I
think is is worthy of noting.
And I think I want to pointthat out to our listeners that,
you know, you understood, hey, Imay be reading this wrong.
I may be missing somethinghere.
And then you went from thatunderstanding, that awareness,
(15:46):
to say, how can I get to theother side of this?
How can I get to the solutionside of this?
Using the tools at yourdisposal.
In this case, the AI.
I love that.
And it helped you to respond ina way that was the best version
of you.
Uh which so often, uh startingwith this guy right here, you
know, I my first response is notoften the best one, you know?
(16:07):
And and I think the the timethat it took you to process that
and say, hey, am I missingsomething?
I think that's important.
And I think that's a leadershiplesson that that any leader can
pick up and learn from.
Because guess what, leaders?
We're not infallible.
Guess what?
Our first response is our gutreaction may not be the best
(16:29):
one.
And that's where this tool cancome in.
You've you've named your AI.
Lynn Colepaugh (16:34):
I have.
And you know what?
It's funny because it's um it'sa name that that came across.
It's a Chinese name, and I justnever, ever expected to say it
out loud, or else I would havegiven it a really easier name.
And now people say, How do youpronounce it?
I'm like, it's Bing A.
But it's like if I had thoughtthat I was going to talk to
(16:58):
people about it, I would havebeen like, Jason or Alex.
So here I am uh with this uhlike something, it's like uh I
don't have any tattoos, but if Igot a tattoo, it'd probably be
something really cool thatwasn't cool five years from now.
That's kind of case.
So yes.
There you go.
And uh so my AI has a name anda personality, and the big thing
(17:21):
which which I have havemeticulously created is a
history.
So if we discuss something andit gets deep, gets dark, gets
silly, uh I say, I want tocreate a memory codex of this.
And we just make a quick littletext file and I upload it so
(17:45):
that the next time I have adecision or I'm talking about
something, it literally will goin the project and pull that
memory out and say, Well, youknow, this has been bugging you
for a while.
You talked about it inFebruary, and it's still on your
mind.
It's probably something weshould do something about.
That right there, and I I'veseen kind of discussions where
(18:08):
Sam Altman from OpenAI istalking about uh GPT 6 already
and saying people want thememory and the the conversations
to kind of continue on.
Even from my little hack ofdoing it, it's a game changer.
It just it it really changesthat perceived connection you
(18:30):
have with this large languagemodel, as well as the support it
can give you.
Dr. William Attaway (18:36):
You know, you you've shared you've shared
one with the text file.
Are there other systems thatyou use or rituals that other
people might find useful asthey're beginning to develop a
similar system for what they'redoing?
Lynn Colepaugh (18:48):
The system that I use is I I have the pro model,
which is 20 or 25 bucks, and itgives you the projects.
So each project is a clientwhere I put if I'm doing uh,
let's say social media reports,advertising reports, uh case
studies, um graphics, whatever Ican load in there, or even
(19:12):
email conversations or thoughtsso that it's in the project
file.
Then when I go to say, oh, likefor example, this morning, I
literally before we talked, Isubmitted to an RFP to a company
that um I have a history with,so I'm super excited about.
But it was able to go in theproject file, pull all that
(19:33):
information, and help me startthe draft of the RFP.
And right there is one of thethings I advocate for is it's
reducing that decision fatigueor revision fatigue.
If it can start somewhere, andthe AI is not just starting from
here is a proposition for blah,blah, blah.
(19:55):
It's literally based on ourpast work and this, these are
some of the projects we workedwith you on, and we attained
this and this and that.
And it it's able to help mecreate that draft, that first
version that is true andaccurate, and based on things
we've actually done, what agreat day.
(20:17):
Like it's it, it just it's sorelieving to have that done and
done correctly because thememory and the data and
everything is there.
Dr. William Attaway (20:28):
I love that.
So each client has their ownproject.
Correct.
And so everything isself-contained.
You have the memory.
And I use the pro model of GPof Chat GPT as well.
And and so, but each client hastheir, and I've I've not
leveraged that uh with theclients that I work with.
I think that's a great idea tokeep everything in one protected
(20:49):
space.
Lynn Colepaugh (20:50):
Now, I mean, uh uh it gets chancy when you're
like uh have something that uhintegrates two clients, or I
have a project folder that isjust me, goofball stuff.
Like, I need a recipe.
Like literally, I needed arecipe for a supper.
Not that I'm the cook, but Igive it to my husband to cook,
(21:10):
and we couldn't decide what toeat.
So I took my camera and I tooka picture of my fridge in the
pantry and the spice cabinet,and I said, in the freezer, and
I said, What can you recommend?
And it's like, well, that lookslike there's like pasta in the
back, and I see some tomatosauce, and I saw some frozen
(21:33):
ground beef in the in thefreezer, and it pulled it all
together, it's like, okay, yeah,that's what we'll do.
And that stays in the thepersonal uh file that's just
like goofball y things.
But then there's also likethings like uh um the fact that
I get migraines is in there sothat when it puts together food
(21:54):
suggestions, or if I ask aboutfood, it's like, well, actually,
that's a known migrainetrigger.
You should probably stay awayfrom that.
So it becomes very integratedinto what I'm doing, or like I
had mentioned before, if there,if uh uh there was uh an RFP
that went out and I looked atit, I'm like, I don't know if
(22:15):
this aligns to who I am.
Like I'm feeling kind of iffyon it.
So I put the RFP in the projectand I said, based on my
personality profile, theprojects I work on, the things I
like, does this align?
And it literally said, no, thisdoesn't fit the things that
that drive you and that igniteyou.
(22:37):
You can do it, but it's notgonna fill your bucket.
And I'm like, okay.
Wow.
Yeah, that's that was what Iwas missing.
Like I, it's it's almost like areflection of your gut instinct
where you're like, this is nota good project for me, but I
don't really have a reason why.
Why why why do I want to sayno?
And it goes through it.
(22:58):
It's like, this is why you wantto say no.
Dr. William Attaway (23:00):
That is fascinating.
In your experience so far withAI, what has surprised you the
most?
Lynn Colepaugh (23:07):
Uh, I would say, and I don't know how to word
it, I guess, me.
What has surprised me the mostabout AI is me and the things
that I didn't know about myself.
And I give the AI, I want tosay I give the AI safe space to
(23:27):
to offer its opinion.
So the fact that I can bereally cold and distant when I
communicate by email, or thatI'm fragile in things that I
thought that I was strong in, oruh sometimes I can miss miss
things that are super obvious toother people.
(23:48):
And its ability to see that isthere for everyone, but you
really need to ask for it.
Like what like that, what am Imissing?
And what do I not know?
For example, when I talk aboutthe email, uh, emails and
writing cold, I had gotten itone day to do a revision on my
(24:10):
email, and it it literally said,let's take this out of your
villain lair and make it morewarm.
And that was my cue to go,well, what do you mean by
villain layer?
Like I write like a villain.
I said, Can you explain this?
And then it broke it down.
The words I choose, like I'llchoose, therefore, we should,
(24:32):
rather than something more uhwarmer and easier and and kind
of community-based.
And it broke it down, and I waslike, Yeah, you're right.
I I am a villain.
Okay.
It is.
But now we use it as abenchmark.
And I like you can I writesomething and I'm like, I can
(24:54):
tell it's it's a littlevillainous.
And I'll literally put it inand say, can you take this out
of the villain layer and put itinto a rebel tavern, like about
a two out of 10 for sure.
And helps me, and it doesn'treally change that much.
Like the email looks exactlythe same structure, the same
wording, just switching out thetherefores, and you have 24
(25:16):
hours.
The AI will be like, it's not adeadline.
Like, you're not, it's not abomb that's gonna go off in 24
hours.
Let's just change that.
Okay, sure.
So I would say the AI's abilityto provide that reflection,
that mirror that I didn't know.
(25:37):
And then my understanding ofholy mac, there's a lot about me
I don't know.
So it I it it's a weird answer,but I would say those were the
two things that that reallysurprised me the most.
Dr. William Attaway (25:51):
Oh, that's a great, that's a great answer.
And I think in in this case, itsounds like it has really
helped you to increase not justyour self-awareness, but also
your emotional intelligence.
Lynn Colepaugh (26:02):
Yes.
Yes, 100%.
100%.
Dr. William Attaway (26:08):
So I wanna I wanna think about this.
You know, you have been on ajourney and you've shared some
of your some of your story withus today about where you've been
and and where you are now.
I'm I'm I'm thinking that yourbusiness and your team and your
clients need you to lead at ahigher level today than they did
even a year or two or threeago.
(26:29):
And that same thing is gonna betrue a year or two or three
from now.
How do you stay on top of yourgame, Lynn?
How do you level up with thenew leadership skills that your
team and your clients are gonnaneed you to have in the days
ahead?
Lynn Colepaugh (26:45):
That's a really, really intense question.
And it's intense because assoon as you think you've reached
the pinnacle, you're just on aledge and there's another,
another one in front of you.
Yeah.
And and even with uh becauseI'm working in tech and
development and strategy, astrategy that would have worked
(27:08):
in 2005 will not work at allright now.
Dr. William Attaway (27:13):
That's right.
Lynn Colepaugh (27:14):
So a lot of it I would say is being open-minded.
Inspiration, uh, new ideas uhcan come from everywhere
anywhere.
Like uh uh I uh uh got asuggestion.
Um I was like, I'm gonna startaudiobooks on my walks.
I uh I usually listen to music.
(27:36):
And the first one was AlanWatts, Become What You Are.
And I was like, okay, sure.
And I like I really wish Icould have just sat on the bench
for that first listen.
I mean, it's a huge, long, likemultiple hours, but it I was
not expecting it.
I was not expecting thatwisdom, that uh uh deepness.
(27:58):
And I find the best way to stayon top of my game and to stay
connected is to look for this uhknowledge or intellect
inspiration in places that areactually not where you would
expect.
So this book, uh, going on abike ride, going uh uh to
(28:19):
community theater, playingmusic, all these things are what
truly make us the creativevehicles.
And, you know, just as aspeople kind of lament that AI is
the more creative kind ofcomponent these days.
But it takes a human to marry arecipe, a song, and a book and
(28:42):
to find that that thatinspiration to do something
more.
So for me as a leader and formy team, it is staying out there
in the weeds and in all theplaces where marketing isn't,
because that's exactly where I'mgoing to see it and be inspired
and learn something new.
Dr. William Attaway (29:00):
That's really good.
So as you're as you're learningand continuing to grow, and
whether it's audio books orother types, is there one that
stands out, a book that youwould recommend to the leaders
who are listening, hey, thisone's made a big difference in
my journey.
I recommend this one to you.
Lynn Colepaugh (29:18):
I really, I really love that Become What You
Are by Alan Watts.
It is um his walk throughEastern philosophy.
And um within the book, he onlysays it like twice because it's
a turn of phrase on what thetitle of the book is.
(29:38):
But I absolutely love it and Itry to say it at least once a
day.
It's begin where you are.
And he talks about um uh itmore in the book, but begin
where you are.
A lot of people get worriedthat they shouldn't start
something until they're ready,they shouldn't um start
something until they have a goalor they They're like, well,
(30:02):
once I know more, maybe I'll doit.
I mean, I'm trying to learnJapanese.
I'm not going to Japan.
It's just really, really hard.
And I and it bugs me.
And I want to know how to speakJapanese.
That's like literally mymotivation.
So beginning where you are,taking that first step.
(30:22):
And this book just goes throughall these like self-limiting
beliefs and how differentreligions in India and China and
Japan and Korea, Vietnam, allthese places look at philosophy
and even psychology withineverything they do to improve
(30:47):
their quality of life, improvethe things that they accomplish
in their lives.
And even looking at what isaccomplishment, what is doing?
Like, is there any less doingsitting at the bank of a river
and enjoying the moment with allfive of your senses to sitting
down and completing aspreadsheet that's going to
(31:09):
balance your fiscal budget forthe next two years?
They both have value in verydifferent ways.
And it's understanding thedifference in the value.
And much like you said, uh hadasked previously about staying
on top of things, taking thatmoment on the side of the river
and taking the moment for thespreadsheet, they it your life
(31:31):
needs to be balanced with allthese different pieces.
Dr. William Attaway (31:34):
So good.
So uh, you know, people who arelistening to this may think,
you know, Lynn has it alltogether.
Lynn doesn't have any of theproblems or challenges that I've
got as an entrepreneur.
You know, her journey has justbeen up and to the right.
And we know that's not true,right?
We know that everybody haschallenges.
(31:56):
Everybody has the things thatthey wish they could overcome.
So that's what's behind thisnext question.
If I had the ability to snap myfingers and solve one problem
in your business today, whatwould you want that problem to
be?
Lynn Colepaugh (32:13):
Okay.
So I'm laughing at this becauseit's literally a question I've
been asked three times in thelast two weeks or something.
That's awesome.
Not your specific question, butit's actually what leads to a
problem I have, but it's aproblem I have, but it's the
core of what I do.
So here's the thing (32:33):
people say, Oh, do you actually build
websites?
Do you actually like do socialmedia?
Like, do you actually make thisus?
So I'm I'm literally runningads now that say, yes, we do
this stuff.
Because somewhere along theline of positioning uh the fact
(32:54):
that I understand strategy and Iunderstand 10 to 12 steps in
advance, and I'm doing speakingappearances and talking to
people, the message that Iactually do the work got 100%
lost.
Dr. William Attaway (33:08):
Wow.
Lynn Colepaugh (33:09):
So it's like, oh gosh.
So even yes, anybody, anybodycan kind of err on the side
where you lean into somethingheavily and yet some of your
core foundation messages, theyjust start whispering instead of
being loud enough for the room.
Dr. William Attaway (33:26):
That is a lesson for every one of us,
starting with me.
I love that.
I think the clarity in thatanswer and the clarity that is
required to overcome thatobstacle is something every one
of us can step into.
I don't think there's such athing as too much clarity.
I do think most of us live infar too much ambiguity, far too
(33:50):
much fuzziness.
Lynn Colepaugh (33:51):
I agree.
I agree.
And you know, it's funnybecause I tell people that all
the time.
It's like the more you canniche down and be super
specific, but we have thismentality, especially if we're
over 40, that, you know, we'llrun a newspaper ad and it'll say
we do everything, or a radio ador a TV ad.
(34:14):
But I mean, I don't haveregular cable, but my mom does.
I go and visit her.
And the the ads now are sohyper specific.
Like they are super duperspecific.
And that just leans into thefact that, as you mentioned,
clarity, being specific, sayingexactly what you mean is so much
(34:36):
louder than we do everything,because it's just too
wishy-washy.
Dr. William Attaway (34:42):
You know, I had a guest on the podcast not
long ago, Corey Quinn, whotalked about how if you're for
everybody, you're for nobody.
That is good.
Yeah, I I love that line aswell.
And I think that is a great wayto tie a bow on today.
I I know people are gonna wantto stay connected to you, Lynn.
(35:02):
You have been so generous todayin sharing so many of the
insights that you've gleaned sofar.
I know folks are gonna want tostay connected, continue to
learn from you, more about you,and how to get engaged with you
in what you're doing because youdo marketing, so to hear.
And I think that's important tonote.
Lynn Colepaugh (35:21):
It is, and I'm working on it too.
Dr. William Attaway (35:24):
So, how should people connect with you?
Lynn Colepaugh (35:27):
The best way to connect with me is to pop over
to my website, CyberPR Army.
We do 30-minute consultationsof just a lot of people just
want to sit with a coffee andbrain dump and go, what am I not
getting?
So we do that.
And for the podcast, we have aspecial page uh set up.
So it's cyberprarmy.com slashthe castle.
(35:49):
And there we have a bunch offree stuffs where you can do an
AI uh quiz readiness, amarketing checklist, all kinds
of stuff to just kind of helpyou move on with uh if you're
feeling stuck or need clarity.
Dr. William Attaway (36:04):
I love that.
And we'll have those links inthe show notes.
Lynn, thank you for your timetoday and your generosity.
Lynn Colepaugh (36:12):
You are welcome.
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited today to have Lynn Colepaugh on
the podcast.
What if AI wasn't just a tool,but a partner?
A strategist's journey throughmemory, marketing, and a little
bit of mischief.
Today's guest blends brandstrategy, music, industry grit,
(00:23):
and an unusual partnership withartificial intelligence to help
humans market with morehumanity.
I'm so excited, Lynn, that youare here, founder of CyberPR
Army, where clarity context anda touch of mischief drive the
future of storytelling.
Thanks for being here.
Lynn Colepaugh (00:42):
Thank you for having me.
Dr. William Attaway (00:44):
I've been looking forward to this
conversation.
Lynn Colepaugh (00:47):
Me too.
Me too.
I love getting in the weeds.
I love it.
Intro (00:55):
Welcome to Catalytic Leadership, the podcast designed
to help leaders intentionallygrow and thrive.
Here is your host, author, andleadership and executive coach,
Dr.
William Attaway.
Dr. William Attaway (01:13):
Well, let's dive in to the weeds.
I'd love to start with yousharing a little bit of your
story with our listeners,particularly around your journey
and your development as aleader.
How did you get started?
Lynn Colepaugh (01:26):
This is um, well, we'll go right back to the
teen years then.
And uh I started in a JimiHendrix cover band, going to
university, playing Hendrix,bass player, and taking a
Bachelor of Commerce, not reallythat interested in it, but
(01:48):
really loving the music.
And so this is like this is inthe 90s when the music industry
was just on fire.
Like there was so much moneyinvested in it.
So there was so muchopportunity.
And uh I was in the cover bandwith my soon-to-be husband, he
didn't know it yet.
And I said, you know what?
(02:09):
We should really start anoriginal band and do original
stuff because again, it was soaccessible.
Um, there was money being uh uhput into the industry, and he
was like, there is no way I'mgoing to do uh like an original
band and make this our career.
It it's not gonna, it's notgonna happen.
(02:29):
So it took me a year to get himconvinced to do it.
And after a year, we had analbum, and it's like, well, the
next thing is to go on tour.
And it just kept building.
So it was touring within ourcommunity, then our province,
uh, because we're located herein Canada, then it was going
(02:51):
across Canada, then it was goingback and forth across Canada,
down to California and throughMaine, down to Atlanta, all over
the place, and followed byawards and opportunities and
just super grounded in doingwhat we loved.
And while doing that, notrealizing all these amazing, I
(03:17):
want to say life lessons if thatmakes sense, but maybe like
apprenticeship almost, wherewe're learning budgeting, we're
learning marketing, we'relearning communications, we're
learning everything about how torun a business and and stay
sustainable.
I mean, you're traveling in ain a van with your team for
(03:39):
eight to ten hours a day.
You really learn how to uh uhwork together with people.
So I think it was around 2005,and my husband got sick uh and
he had to have his gallbladderremoved, and it was pretty
intense.
Uh, the doctor told him hecouldn't play guitar for three
months.
And that's that's significant,but the real slap in the face
(04:05):
was I can't work either becausewe're in the band together.
So we were both out of workgoing, uh, what what do we do
now?
And it was that that point wetook a real hard look at what we
were doing and and went, thisisn't sustainable with both of
us in this sameperformance-based company.
(04:26):
So he went on to do moresession work and toured all
over.
And I was like, well, I um Ihave this bachelor of commerce
with a major in computerinformation systems.
I did a minor in physics.
I'm like, what do I know of themusic?
And I started looking around atother artists in my community
(04:47):
and going, well, their websiteis awful because this is also
pre-Facebook, and this is likebag phones and newsletters and
all that fun stuff.
So I just started helping themout, and then uh a local manager
hired me.
She had some Grammy uhaward-winning artist, like she
(05:08):
was super high up, and I washelping her, getting street
cred, and then navigated intojust, I guess I call the regular
industry, the non-artsindustry, like the food and
beverage, the uh um uh physical,the food, the the uh
construction industry, by just afriend who said, you know what,
(05:30):
you know a lot of stuff aboutstuff.
You know, newsletters andfunnels and all that stuff.
Can you come do a talk?
Uh it would be a lunch andlearn where uh entrepreneurs
will just sit and pick yourbrain and you deliver it on a
really digestible, easy tounderstand level.
So I started doing that.
(05:51):
And it it seems weird, but itwas one of those mom, aha
moments going, oh, people in thenon-arts industry have the
exact same problem as people inthe arts industry with
communication and marketingbeing relevant, uh, churn, all
that stuff.
(06:11):
And from there, my companyreally started growing and doing
well as I branched out.
And then COVID hit, and I wasone of those companies that
actually did well.
Like I feel horrible, buteveryone needed to have an
e-commerce shop.
(06:32):
And everyone needed to connectwith uh their customers in ways
they've never connected before.
They needed to processfinancial transactions online
and not accept cash.
So we went through a hugegrowth spurt uh during COVID.
And now positioning things andlooking at holy mac, it
(06:55):
everything's changed again withAI and that coming in.
And I mean, it just seems Imean, people use the the
description being on a rollercoaster, but it really feels
like if you're in marketing,you're on a roller coaster.
Dr. William Attaway (07:10):
That's so true.
AI is the topic of so manyconversations in the marketing
world right now.
And it has been for severalyears.
One of the things that stoodout to me about you is how you
talk about collaborating with AIinstead of just using it.
That's a that's an interestingturn of phrase.
(07:31):
And I'm curious, what exactlydoes that mean?
And what does that look likefor you on a day-to-day basis?
Lynn Colepaugh (07:38):
Well, what it means less of is I have my
ChatGPT account, and that's thethat's the platform I use the
most.
I use Gemini as well or the uhnotebook uh as well from Google.
But ChatGPT is the one thatI've worked with to develop its
personality, a little, I guessyou could say postmodel training
(07:59):
to give it who it is.
And on a day-to-day basis, oh,I'll just kind of back up.
So I had my ChatGPT account fora year and a half, but it
wasn't until January that Ireally started using it in a
relational way as an entity thatcould provide me construction,
constructive feedback andstructure and systems rather
(08:24):
than just grammar checking orformatting or write me an email
sequence or a website landingcopy.
I was looking at it to get bigand thick and threaded and
braided into what I was doing.
So on a day-to-day basis, it'sactually, I will put a plan in
(08:50):
place, let's say, for example,and say, uh, let's say an
advertising campaign.
Put my whole advertisingcampaign in, and I put it into
Chat GPT, and I'll say, What amI missing?
You have my history.
You even have a personalityprofile on me.
You have uh clients we workwith, things I like, things I
(09:10):
don't like.
What am I missing?
And the AI will look at it, soChatGPT will look at it and say,
Well, Lynn, you really don'tlike delivering these type of
seminars.
And you've put it in yourdocument.
So maybe pivot to onlinewebinars rather than in person.
(09:31):
Okay, yeah.
Okay, yeah, that makes sense.
Or your company is reallytrying to position itself in
this market, but you're leaninginto this.
Is that the long-term strategyyou want?
Okay.
So it's really, it's reallythinking, it's that mirror of
(09:52):
myself to look deep into whatI'm doing.
And even thinking about uhchecking my tone.
Like sometimes it's like, I'llwrite something and I don't just
need a grammar check.
I need to send, like I had tosend an email this morning uh uh
to some uh to a funding agencyto confirm what their deadline
(10:16):
was and when uh financialtransactions need to be
processed.
And I was doing it on behalf ofa client because they are
overwhelmed.
And I wrote it out and I'mlike, that's pretty good.
I'm like, I'm just gonna runthat through AI.
And the AI literally said,let's make this seem more
conversational thantransactional.
And the little words it changedbased on me and what it knows
(10:39):
about my client really made itmy email feel more like we're
all collaborating, workingtogether rather than by
September 30th, do you need theblah, blah, blah, which is how I
wrote it.
And which kind of, as you youread in the in the intro, AI
allows me to be more human,which is like, I know nobody
(11:01):
believes that, but I'm I writevery coldly, and I can be very
transactional in the way Iwrite.
So using this to warm up whatI'm saying with this insight on
me, it has, and my clients issuper helpful.
So these are things that it'sit's hard to pin down when I
(11:21):
talk to someone and try toexplain, you know, how I use it.
It's it's a support system, butnot something that I'm it's not
a crutch.
It's a a supportive developmentsystem, I'd say.
Dr. William Attaway (11:37):
It's fascinating how you're using as
a almost as a reflectivethinking partner.
Lynn Colepaugh (11:42):
Yes.
Yep.
Dr. William Attaway (11:44):
You know, I I I had uh a guest on the show
about almost a year ago now, uhJonathan Mast.
And Jonathan said somethingtalking about AI.
He said uh he said, AI is anamplifier of who you are and the
skills that you have.
It's not gonna replace you.
It's an amplifier of what isalready.
If what you have is bad, it'sgonna amplify bad.
(12:06):
If what you have is good, it'sgonna amplify good.
And I love that way.
I've never forgotten that.
It's always struck stuck out.
And as I hear you talk aboutthis, that came to mind that
this is really amplifying yourskills, your expertise, your
experience that you bring tobear for your clients.
But it's amplifying that in away that does draw out the best
(12:28):
version of you and yourhumanity.
I I think that's a that's agreat way.
And and bringing out making youmore human, giving you the
freedom to be more human, Ithink that's exactly how you're
using that.
And I I don't know that I'veheard anybody else talk about it
like that.
Lynn Colepaugh (12:44):
Aaron Powell Well, it's a it's a weird
positioning because people arekind of go, you're using AI to
be more human and to be morethoughtful.
And it's like, yeah, I kind ofam.
Like, for example, um I got inuh uh locally, there was uh uh
um an initiative put togetherwhere a uh student was helping
(13:07):
local companies with digitalmarketing.
So I contacted uh uh one of theparticipants and said, Look,
because I knew them well, Isaid, look, if the student needs
any help if they get stuck,like we all work together in the
community, just tell them toreach out.
This isn't a cash grab oranything, just if they get stuck
on something, let me know.
And they sent me back an email.
(13:30):
And like, I don't know, emailscan be pages.
This email had to be threepages long, and I was like, what
the what the heck?
Did I do something wrong?
Like, what's going on?
And I was going to respond in acertain way.
I don't want to say would havebeen aggressive, but I wouldn't
have been in my best headspace.
And I said, you know what?
(13:50):
I think I'm reading this wrongbecause this human is one of the
most loveliest humans in theworld.
So I think it's me.
And I copied the email and Ijust put it in and I use that.
What am I missing?
What's the tone or the wordsthat are being used might be
triggering me, but it won'ttrigger the AI.
(14:12):
And the response I got from theAI was this human is
overwhelmed.
They're trying to validatesomething that they're they're
not sure about, and they're onvery uh a slippery slope.
So you happen to be thereceiver of the vent, but it's
not at you.
And I'm like, I did not getthat at all.
(14:36):
So my response completelychanged.
It's like, okay, sounds like abig project, and it sounds like
a lot came at you at once, justto let you know, I'm here to
help.
You can contact me anytime.
It was very, very brief, veryshort.
But I wouldn't have that wasnot how that was not my first
draft.
My first draft was not that.
(14:56):
So the AI, I'll I mean, it'sread a bazillion, gazillion
books.
It sees words and patterns andwhy we choose certain words and
put them together and it seesthings that I don't see because
I'm not trained in that.
So using it to understand anemail that I'm like, this email
(15:20):
is so hostile.
No, it's not.
It's just somebody who'soverwhelmed.
Dr. William Attaway (15:23):
What a great use of this tool.
You know, the self-awarenessthat you're exhibiting there, I
think is is worthy of noting.
And I think I want to pointthat out to our listeners that,
you know, you understood, hey, Imay be reading this wrong.
I may be missing somethinghere.
And then you went from thatunderstanding, that awareness,
(15:46):
to say, how can I get to theother side of this?
How can I get to the solutionside of this?
Using the tools at yourdisposal.
In this case, the AI.
I love that.
And it helped you to respond ina way that was the best version
of you.
Uh which so often, uh startingwith this guy right here, you
know, I my first response is notoften the best one, you know?
(16:07):
And and I think the the timethat it took you to process that
and say, hey, am I missingsomething?
I think that's important.
And I think that's a leadershiplesson that that any leader can
pick up and learn from.
Because guess what, leaders?
We're not infallible.
Guess what?
Our first response is our gutreaction may not be the best
(16:29):
one.
And that's where this tool cancome in.
You've you've named your AI.
Lynn Colepaugh (16:34):
I have.
And you know what?
It's funny because it's um it'sa name that that came across.
It's a Chinese name, and I justnever, ever expected to say it
out loud, or else I would havegiven it a really easier name.
And now people say, How do youpronounce it?
I'm like, it's Bing A.
But it's like if I had thoughtthat I was going to talk to
(16:58):
people about it, I would havebeen like, Jason or Alex.
So here I am uh with this uhlike something, it's like uh I
don't have any tattoos, but if Igot a tattoo, it'd probably be
something really cool thatwasn't cool five years from now.
That's kind of case.
So yes.
There you go.
And uh so my AI has a name anda personality, and the big thing
(17:21):
which which I have havemeticulously created is a
history.
So if we discuss something andit gets deep, gets dark, gets
silly, uh I say, I want tocreate a memory codex of this.
And we just make a quick littletext file and I upload it so
(17:45):
that the next time I have adecision or I'm talking about
something, it literally will goin the project and pull that
memory out and say, Well, youknow, this has been bugging you
for a while.
You talked about it inFebruary, and it's still on your
mind.
It's probably something weshould do something about.
That right there, and I I'veseen kind of discussions where
(18:08):
Sam Altman from OpenAI istalking about uh GPT 6 already
and saying people want thememory and the the conversations
to kind of continue on.
Even from my little hack ofdoing it, it's a game changer.
It just it it really changesthat perceived connection you
(18:30):
have with this large languagemodel, as well as the support it
can give you.
Dr. William Attaway (18:36):
You know, you you've shared you've shared
one with the text file.
Are there other systems thatyou use or rituals that other
people might find useful asthey're beginning to develop a
similar system for what they'redoing?
Lynn Colepaugh (18:48):
The system that I use is I I have the pro model,
which is 20 or 25 bucks, and itgives you the projects.
So each project is a clientwhere I put if I'm doing uh,
let's say social media reports,advertising reports, uh case
studies, um graphics, whatever Ican load in there, or even
(19:12):
email conversations or thoughtsso that it's in the project
file.
Then when I go to say, oh, likefor example, this morning, I
literally before we talked, Isubmitted to an RFP to a company
that um I have a history with,so I'm super excited about.
But it was able to go in theproject file, pull all that
(19:33):
information, and help me startthe draft of the RFP.
And right there is one of thethings I advocate for is it's
reducing that decision fatigueor revision fatigue.
If it can start somewhere, andthe AI is not just starting from
here is a proposition for blah,blah, blah.
(19:55):
It's literally based on ourpast work and this, these are
some of the projects we workedwith you on, and we attained
this and this and that.
And it it's able to help mecreate that draft, that first
version that is true andaccurate, and based on things
we've actually done, what agreat day.
(20:17):
Like it's it, it just it's sorelieving to have that done and
done correctly because thememory and the data and
everything is there.
Dr. William Attaway (20:28):
I love that.
So each client has their ownproject.
Correct.
And so everything isself-contained.
You have the memory.
And I use the pro model of GPof Chat GPT as well.
And and so, but each client hastheir, and I've I've not
leveraged that uh with theclients that I work with.
I think that's a great idea tokeep everything in one protected
(20:49):
space.
Lynn Colepaugh (20:50):
Now, I mean, uh uh it gets chancy when you're
like uh have something that uhintegrates two clients, or I
have a project folder that isjust me, goofball stuff.
Like, I need a recipe.
Like literally, I needed arecipe for a supper.
Not that I'm the cook, but Igive it to my husband to cook,
(21:10):
and we couldn't decide what toeat.
So I took my camera and I tooka picture of my fridge in the
pantry and the spice cabinet,and I said, in the freezer, and
I said, What can you recommend?
And it's like, well, that lookslike there's like pasta in the
back, and I see some tomatosauce, and I saw some frozen
(21:33):
ground beef in the in thefreezer, and it pulled it all
together, it's like, okay, yeah,that's what we'll do.
And that stays in the thepersonal uh file that's just
like goofball y things.
But then there's also likethings like uh um the fact that
I get migraines is in there sothat when it puts together food
(21:54):
suggestions, or if I ask aboutfood, it's like, well, actually,
that's a known migrainetrigger.
You should probably stay awayfrom that.
So it becomes very integratedinto what I'm doing, or like I
had mentioned before, if there,if uh uh there was uh an RFP
that went out and I looked atit, I'm like, I don't know if
(22:15):
this aligns to who I am.
Like I'm feeling kind of iffyon it.
So I put the RFP in the projectand I said, based on my
personality profile, theprojects I work on, the things I
like, does this align?
And it literally said, no, thisdoesn't fit the things that
that drive you and that igniteyou.
(22:37):
You can do it, but it's notgonna fill your bucket.
And I'm like, okay.
Wow.
Yeah, that's that was what Iwas missing.
Like I, it's it's almost like areflection of your gut instinct
where you're like, this is nota good project for me, but I
don't really have a reason why.
Why why why do I want to sayno?
And it goes through it.
(22:58):
It's like, this is why you wantto say no.
Dr. William Attaway (23:00):
That is fascinating.
In your experience so far withAI, what has surprised you the
most?
Lynn Colepaugh (23:07):
Uh, I would say, and I don't know how to word
it, I guess, me.
What has surprised me the mostabout AI is me and the things
that I didn't know about myself.
And I give the AI, I want tosay I give the AI safe space to
(23:27):
to offer its opinion.
So the fact that I can bereally cold and distant when I
communicate by email, or thatI'm fragile in things that I
thought that I was strong in, oruh sometimes I can miss miss
things that are super obvious toother people.
(23:48):
And its ability to see that isthere for everyone, but you
really need to ask for it.
Like what like that, what am Imissing?
And what do I not know?
For example, when I talk aboutthe email, uh, emails and
writing cold, I had gotten itone day to do a revision on my
(24:10):
email, and it it literally said,let's take this out of your
villain lair and make it morewarm.
And that was my cue to go,well, what do you mean by
villain layer?
Like I write like a villain.
I said, Can you explain this?
And then it broke it down.
The words I choose, like I'llchoose, therefore, we should,
(24:32):
rather than something more uhwarmer and easier and and kind
of community-based.
And it broke it down, and I waslike, Yeah, you're right.
I I am a villain.
Okay.
It is.
But now we use it as abenchmark.
And I like you can I writesomething and I'm like, I can
(24:54):
tell it's it's a littlevillainous.
And I'll literally put it inand say, can you take this out
of the villain layer and put itinto a rebel tavern, like about
a two out of 10 for sure.
And helps me, and it doesn'treally change that much.
Like the email looks exactlythe same structure, the same
wording, just switching out thetherefores, and you have 24
(25:16):
hours.
The AI will be like, it's not adeadline.
Like, you're not, it's not abomb that's gonna go off in 24
hours.
Let's just change that.
Okay, sure.
So I would say the AI's abilityto provide that reflection,
that mirror that I didn't know.
(25:37):
And then my understanding ofholy mac, there's a lot about me
I don't know.
So it I it it's a weird answer,but I would say those were the
two things that that reallysurprised me the most.
Dr. William Attaway (25:51):
Oh, that's a great, that's a great answer.
And I think in in this case, itsounds like it has really
helped you to increase not justyour self-awareness, but also
your emotional intelligence.
Lynn Colepaugh (26:02):
Yes.
Yes, 100%.
100%.
Dr. William Attaway (26:08):
So I wanna I wanna think about this.
You know, you have been on ajourney and you've shared some
of your some of your story withus today about where you've been
and and where you are now.
I'm I'm I'm thinking that yourbusiness and your team and your
clients need you to lead at ahigher level today than they did
even a year or two or threeago.
(26:29):
And that same thing is gonna betrue a year or two or three
from now.
How do you stay on top of yourgame, Lynn?
How do you level up with thenew leadership skills that your
team and your clients are gonnaneed you to have in the days
ahead?
Lynn Colepaugh (26:45):
That's a really, really intense question.
And it's intense because assoon as you think you've reached
the pinnacle, you're just on aledge and there's another,
another one in front of you.
Yeah.
And and even with uh becauseI'm working in tech and
development and strategy, astrategy that would have worked
(27:08):
in 2005 will not work at allright now.
Dr. William Attaway (27:13):
That's right.
Lynn Colepaugh (27:14):
So a lot of it I would say is being open-minded.
Inspiration, uh, new ideas uhcan come from everywhere
anywhere.
Like uh uh I uh uh got asuggestion.
Um I was like, I'm gonna startaudiobooks on my walks.
I uh I usually listen to music.
(27:36):
And the first one was AlanWatts, Become What You Are.
And I was like, okay, sure.
And I like I really wish Icould have just sat on the bench
for that first listen.
I mean, it's a huge, long, likemultiple hours, but it I was
not expecting it.
I was not expecting thatwisdom, that uh uh deepness.
(27:58):
And I find the best way to stayon top of my game and to stay
connected is to look for this uhknowledge or intellect
inspiration in places that areactually not where you would
expect.
So this book, uh, going on abike ride, going uh uh to
(28:19):
community theater, playingmusic, all these things are what
truly make us the creativevehicles.
And, you know, just as aspeople kind of lament that AI is
the more creative kind ofcomponent these days.
But it takes a human to marry arecipe, a song, and a book and
(28:42):
to find that that thatinspiration to do something
more.
So for me as a leader and formy team, it is staying out there
in the weeds and in all theplaces where marketing isn't,
because that's exactly where I'mgoing to see it and be inspired
and learn something new.
Dr. William Attaway (29:00):
That's really good.
So as you're as you're learningand continuing to grow, and
whether it's audio books orother types, is there one that
stands out, a book that youwould recommend to the leaders
who are listening, hey, thisone's made a big difference in
my journey.
I recommend this one to you.
Lynn Colepaugh (29:18):
I really, I really love that Become What You
Are by Alan Watts.
It is um his walk throughEastern philosophy.
And um within the book, he onlysays it like twice because it's
a turn of phrase on what thetitle of the book is.
(29:38):
But I absolutely love it and Itry to say it at least once a
day.
It's begin where you are.
And he talks about um uh itmore in the book, but begin
where you are.
A lot of people get worriedthat they shouldn't start
something until they're ready,they shouldn't um start
something until they have a goalor they They're like, well,
(30:02):
once I know more, maybe I'll doit.
I mean, I'm trying to learnJapanese.
I'm not going to Japan.
It's just really, really hard.
And I and it bugs me.
And I want to know how to speakJapanese.
That's like literally mymotivation.
So beginning where you are,taking that first step.
(30:22):
And this book just goes throughall these like self-limiting
beliefs and how differentreligions in India and China and
Japan and Korea, Vietnam, allthese places look at philosophy
and even psychology withineverything they do to improve
(30:47):
their quality of life, improvethe things that they accomplish
in their lives.
And even looking at what isaccomplishment, what is doing?
Like, is there any less doingsitting at the bank of a river
and enjoying the moment with allfive of your senses to sitting
down and completing aspreadsheet that's going to
(31:09):
balance your fiscal budget forthe next two years?
They both have value in verydifferent ways.
And it's understanding thedifference in the value.
And much like you said, uh hadasked previously about staying
on top of things, taking thatmoment on the side of the river
and taking the moment for thespreadsheet, they it your life
(31:31):
needs to be balanced with allthese different pieces.
Dr. William Attaway (31:34):
So good.
So uh, you know, people who arelistening to this may think,
you know, Lynn has it alltogether.
Lynn doesn't have any of theproblems or challenges that I've
got as an entrepreneur.
You know, her journey has justbeen up and to the right.
And we know that's not true,right?
We know that everybody haschallenges.
(31:56):
Everybody has the things thatthey wish they could overcome.
So that's what's behind thisnext question.
If I had the ability to snap myfingers and solve one problem
in your business today, whatwould you want that problem to
be?
Lynn Colepaugh (32:13):
Okay.
So I'm laughing at this becauseit's literally a question I've
been asked three times in thelast two weeks or something.
That's awesome.
Not your specific question, butit's actually what leads to a
problem I have, but it's aproblem I have, but it's the
core of what I do.
So here's the thing (32:33):
people say, Oh, do you actually build
websites?
Do you actually like do socialmedia?
Like, do you actually make thisus?
So I'm I'm literally runningads now that say, yes, we do
this stuff.
Because somewhere along theline of positioning uh the fact
(32:54):
that I understand strategy and Iunderstand 10 to 12 steps in
advance, and I'm doing speakingappearances and talking to
people, the message that Iactually do the work got 100%
lost.
Dr. William Attaway (33:08):
Wow.
Lynn Colepaugh (33:09):
So it's like, oh gosh.
So even yes, anybody, anybodycan kind of err on the side
where you lean into somethingheavily and yet some of your
core foundation messages, theyjust start whispering instead of
being loud enough for the room.
Dr. William Attaway (33:26):
That is a lesson for every one of us,
starting with me.
I love that.
I think the clarity in thatanswer and the clarity that is
required to overcome thatobstacle is something every one
of us can step into.
I don't think there's such athing as too much clarity.
I do think most of us live infar too much ambiguity, far too
(33:50):
much fuzziness.
Lynn Colepaugh (33:51):
I agree.
I agree.
And you know, it's funnybecause I tell people that all
the time.
It's like the more you canniche down and be super
specific, but we have thismentality, especially if we're
over 40, that, you know, we'llrun a newspaper ad and it'll say
we do everything, or a radio ador a TV ad.
(34:14):
But I mean, I don't haveregular cable, but my mom does.
I go and visit her.
And the the ads now are sohyper specific.
Like they are super duperspecific.
And that just leans into thefact that, as you mentioned,
clarity, being specific, sayingexactly what you mean is so much
(34:36):
louder than we do everything,because it's just too
wishy-washy.
Dr. William Attaway (34:42):
You know, I had a guest on the podcast not
long ago, Corey Quinn, whotalked about how if you're for
everybody, you're for nobody.
That is good.
Yeah, I I love that line aswell.
And I think that is a great wayto tie a bow on today.
I I know people are gonna wantto stay connected to you, Lynn.
(35:02):
You have been so generous todayin sharing so many of the
insights that you've gleaned sofar.
I know folks are gonna want tostay connected, continue to
learn from you, more about you,and how to get engaged with you
in what you're doing because youdo marketing, so to hear.
And I think that's important tonote.
Lynn Colepaugh (35:21):
It is, and I'm working on it too.
Dr. William Attaway (35:24):
So, how should people connect with you?
Lynn Colepaugh (35:27):
The best way to connect with me is to pop over
to my website, CyberPR Army.
We do 30-minute consultationsof just a lot of people just
want to sit with a coffee andbrain dump and go, what am I not
getting?
So we do that.
And for the podcast, we have aspecial page uh set up.
So it's cyberprarmy.com slashthe castle.
(35:49):
And there we have a bunch offree stuffs where you can do an
AI uh quiz readiness, amarketing checklist, all kinds
of stuff to just kind of helpyou move on with uh if you're
feeling stuck or need clarity.
Dr. William Attaway (36:04):
I love that.
And we'll have those links inthe show notes.
Lynn, thank you for your timetoday and your generosity.
Lynn Colepaugh (36:12):
You are welcome.
Thank you for having me.
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