Episode Transcript
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Dawn Andrews (00:03):
I'm actually
recording this sitting in a
hotel room in San Franciscowhere I have just spent a week
running a business retreat. Buthere's the thing, I wasn't the
one running it. My AI assistantwas while AI handled the
logistics, the strategy, themeal planning and even my
creative blocks, I got to wanderthrough Macy's, sit by the bay
and have a lovely lunch andstill move my business forward
(00:26):
in ways that actually mattered.
I came home rested with threemajor projects advanced and a
completely new relationship withwhat it means to work with
intelligence instead of justworking hard. If you've ever
felt like you're carrying theentire mental load of your
business, if you're the one whohas to think of everything, plan
(00:50):
everything, and solveeverything, this episode is
going to change how you thinkabout delegation, because what
if the person you're delegatingto isn't a person at all
you're listening to. She's thatfounder the show that helps
ambitious women stop drowning indecisions and start owning their
CEO seat.
I'm Dawn Andrews, andtoday we're talking about
something that might soundimpossible, how to actually rest
(01:14):
while advancing your businessusing AI as your ultimate force
multiplier. So let me paint thepicture for you. I was headed to
San Francisco for a week, whichis where I'm sitting now. My
son's at culinary camp. I've gota hotel room to myself, and
theoretically this is my chanceto work on the big stuff, the
(01:35):
projects that always get pushedaside when I'm in reactive mode.
The old me would have approachedthis like a productivity boot
camp, packed schedules, 12 hourwork days, up at 5am maybe a gym
session. If I was lucky, I wouldhave come home exhausted but
feeling like I'd maximized thetime.
But here's what I'velearned after 23 years in
(01:56):
business, grinding harder is notthe answer, even if I'm pulled
to do it over and over again,the answer is working smarter,
and working smarter means havingthe right support systems.
The problem is, as founders, wethink support means hiring
people, but before you're readyto hire that executive assistant
(02:18):
or operations manager,especially if it's a reach for
your budget, there is anotheroption, an AI assistant that
never sleeps, never judges yourquestions, and costs less than a
nice dinner out. So I decided torun an experiment.
What if I letAI handle everything, the
planning, the problem solving,even the creative blocks, so I
(02:40):
could focus on what only I cando, the vision, the strategy,
the actual CEO work.
Here'sexactly how it worked part one,
using AI as your strategicplanner. So this was the first
challenge. The first challengewas designing the retreat
itself. When I'm sitting in myoffice at home, my to do list is
ridiculously long, and it goesin so many different directions,
(03:04):
but I knew that if I was takingthis time away, I wanted to move
my business forward, and I alsoknew I was coming from a place
of a little bit of burnout.
I'lljust tell you guys, it's been an
epic year over here at home, butI needed something that would
leave me energized and notdepleted the old way I would
have spent hours researchingretreat models or how other
(03:25):
experts that I admire had donetheir own retreats. I would have
listened back to podcasts andtaken notes poop, trying to
balance productivity with selfcare and probably overthinking
every detail. In fact I know Iwould have done that, and
instead, I opened chatgpt, and Isaid, help me design a retreat.
I arrive Sunday afternoon andcheck out Saturday morning. I
(03:47):
have dinners with friends onWednesday and Friday. Create
something that leaves me and mybusiness in a much better state.
After I spend time there, I wantto feel rested, joyful and
accomplished without pushing toohard.
And here's what blew mymind. Ai didn't just give me a
schedule. It gave me aframework, restore, rebuild and
reignite. It's structured eachday with morning movement,
(04:11):
strategic building blocks,creative play and evening
resets. It even included journalprompts for each day, like, what
would my business look like ifit felt easier to run and more
fun to grow? And that was agreat prompt to answer the force
multiplier here, AI handled allof the strategic thinking about
how to balance productivity withrestoration with revenue, and I
(04:37):
didn't have to figure out theoptimal flow or worry about over
committing, which is mytendency, it gave me a structure
that honored both my ambitiousgoals and my human needs.
So here's what happened next. Iused AI as my personal
concierge. This is where it gotreally practical. I'm in a city
that I used to live in that Iloved, but it's been a while
since I've been here, and I'm adawn. From person than when I
(04:59):
used to live here. So I havespecific health goals. I'm
avoiding seed oils. I'm focusingon hormone friendly foods. I'm
trying to support my energyrather than crash it.
So again,this might mean hours of
research, reading reviews,checking menus, mapping
locations to my schedule,decision fatigue would set in
(05:21):
before I even started working,and instead, I told AI exactly
what I needed. I said, I'm inSan Francisco. I love good,
healthy food. Treat me like alocal and suggest the best
places for me to eat that alignwith my retreat schedule and my
food goals, right? It's justbananas, and it gave me a
curated list of actualrestaurants with reasons why
(05:44):
each place fit my criteria. Itsuggested Blue Barn gourmet for
their organic farm to tablesalads. And I hope you take
these away so that you can enjoySan Francisco like I did. It
suggested Green's restaurant forplant forward dishes set by the
water, even specific dishes totry, even specific ordering
instructions if I needed them.
(06:06):
It also suggested true foodkitchen. And I said, Girl, my
AI. Girl, this isn't actually inSan Francisco. And without
missing a beat, it pivoted tolocal alternatives, alternatives
with whole 30 friendly options,and other restaurants that had a
commitment to ditching seed oilsentirely. Force multiplier,
right?
(06:26):
Ai became my personalnutritionist, my local guide and
my logistics coordinator rolledinto one. I spent zero mental
energy on meal planning, and gotto eat incredibly well all week.
So here's what happened next. AIas my creative partner and block
breaker. So this is where themagic really happened. Wednesday
(06:49):
rolled around, and I hit thatretreat panic that maybe you all
have felt at various times. Iknow you've felt it on vacation.
You know that feeling whereyou're like, oh my god, I only
have X number of days left. Andfor me, it was, I only have
three days left, I'll never geteverything done. What should I
do? I had four major things onmy mind coming into this retreat
(07:09):
as strategized with AI as mypartner. The four things were
moving the AI for foundersplaybook forward, banking,
podcast content right here,doing it now, getting my money
in order again, and dealing witha huge stack of papers that I
brought from my office, old mewould have spun out and tried to
do everything at once and endedup scattered or honestly,
wanting to take a nap, likethat's probably what would have
(07:30):
happened. And it kind of didhappen on Wednesday, actually.
And instead, I asked AI, I'mfeeling that panic, help me
approach this day strategically.
And here's what it gave me, itkicked out a priority map based
on energy and return oninvestment money first, because
it gets your nervous systemsettled based on energy and ROI.
(07:52):
And the irony of this is, thisis what I coach my clients to
do, but it's very difficult, asyou might know, as an expert in
your field, to turn that expertadvice back on yourself.
So I'vetrained my AI assistant to
understand who I am and how Iwork, and it coached me back to
me. So it suggested money first,because it's fast and it gets
your nervous system settled.
(08:14):
Then the AI for foundersplaybook, because it's a
strategic asset. Then contentcreation while I'm energized,
which I'm doing this afternoon,after lunch and paperwork last
with a 25 minute time box, justto reduce the weight of the
papers, which I don't know if Itold you, but I brought
basically all the piles ofpapers that have been sitting
around my office for the lastyear. I packed them and brought
(08:35):
them with me.
But that's anotherstory, but the real breakthrough
came when I got stuck on workingon the AI for founders playbook,
it was just a moment of, like,lack of motivation, not really
clear which thing I wanted tostart on next. I just felt
blocked and I wasprocrastinating. So I asked AI
to help me break through theprocrastination, and it gave me
(08:57):
a choose your own adventureapproach. Pick one module, use a
five part template and do a 15minute brain dump. When I said
that none of the modules itsuggested were actually inside
the playbook, it immediatelypivoted and asked me, please
share your playbook. I'll helpyou pick the best one to finish
today. Again, force multiplier.
AI provided objectivity when myemotions were running high. It
(09:19):
gave me structure when my brainwas scattered. It became my
brainstorming partner, mystrategic advisor and my
creative unblock tool all atonce. If this is blowing your
mind and you're thinking, I needthis kind of AI support in my
business, then you're going toneed that AI for founders
playbook. It's 12 custom agentsand workbooks that handle
(09:41):
everything from weekly planningto content creation to Team
feedback. These aren't genericchatgpt prompts. These are
founder specific tools, thingsthat I actually am using, like I
am building in the playbook, thethings that I am using in my
business. So these are founderspecific tools that understand.
Your unique challenges, you cangrab them at free range
(10:02):
thinking.com forward slash, AIdash playbook and start building
your AI support team now. AndI'm still building the playbook,
so you can get on the wait listright now, check the link in the
show notes and start buildingyour AI support team now. So
with all that said, let me tellyou about my favorite moment of
the whole week, Tuesdayafternoon. I was just so antsy
(10:24):
when you're dealing withadrenaline recovery, sometimes
you feel like your skin isliterally being peeled off, and
so I needed a break, and insteadof pushing through, I decided to
walk over to Macy's. I'm not abig shopper. I'm not even really
a Macy's shopper, but it justfelt like a calm place to go
wander. So with no agenda, noproductivity goal, I just went
(10:48):
and wandered. I touched fabricsI didn't need, I looked at shoes
I'd never buy, and I felt mywhole nervous system exhale, and
in that moment between handbagsand watches and sprayed
colognes, something hit me thatthis is part of the work.
(11:11):
Wandering is part of the work.
So when I got back to my hotel,I shared this insight with AI
and said, turn this into apodcast intro. Within minutes,
it had crafted a polishedopening that captured the
essence of that moment I walkedinto Macy's today, not for
anything important, not forstrategy or clarity or sales, I
just needed a break. And youknow what hit me between the
(11:34):
handbags and earrings, this ispart of the work again.
Forcemultiplier AI helped me turn a
random moment of self care andinsight into content that would
resonate with founders who needpermission to pause, and maybe
that's you, if you want to knowyour AI readiness level, I've
created a quick assessment thatshows exactly where to start
with AI in your business. Youcan take that quiz at free
(11:56):
range, thinking.com forwardslash AI dash quiz and get your
personalized roadmap to workingwith artificial intelligence
instead of just working harder.
Here's the shift I'm invitingyou to make, from I have to
figure it all out to AI canhandle the cognitive overhead of
running a business. You don'tneed to carry the entire mental
(12:19):
load. You don't need to be theone who thinks of everything,
plans everything, researcheseverything, and solves
everything. AI can be yourstrategic planner, your personal
concierge, your creative partnerand your objective advisor. It
can handle logistics so you canfocus on the vision. It can
provide structure when you'rescattered and perspective when
(12:39):
you're stuck.
So here are threethings you can try this week.
First, ask AI to plan your nextstrategic work session. Use my
retreat framework. What do youwant to restore, rebuild or
reignite, and let AI create thatstructure for you. Second, allow
AI to be your personal researchassistant, whether it's finding
(12:59):
restaurants that fit yourdietary needs, sourcing a
specific software solution oreven planning your kid's
birthday party and puttingtogether a shopping list. Stop
doing the mental labor that AIcan handle. And third, use AI to
break through creative blocks.
Next time you're stuck on aproject, use the five part
template. Purpose, prep, steps,pro tips. Next moves. There you
(13:21):
go. Let AI help structure yourthinking. The goal isn't to
replace your creativity orjudgment. It's to remove the
cognitive overhead so you canfocus on what only you can do,
the vision, the relationships,the strategic decisions that
grow your business. I know now,and it's not even the end of the
(13:43):
week yet that when I come homefrom San Francisco, I will have
advanced three major projectswith a month of content
outlined. In fact, three monthsof content completed. My
finances organized, amen, andthat paper stack finally
tackled.
But more importantly,I'm coming home rested,
energized and clear on my nextmoves, which is gold. That is
(14:04):
the power of working with AI asyour force multiplier. So if
you're ready to build your ownAI support system, the AI for
founders playbook walks youthrough exactly how to use our
custom agents and workbooks tohandle everything from weekly
planning to content creation toteam management and feedback,
(14:24):
you'll get the exact prompts andtools I use, plus templates for
customizing them to yourbusiness. Get on the wait list
for it. Now the link is in theshow notes and start delegating
to your AI team today. I justwant you to remember you're not
meant to carry it all. You'remeant to lead. So let AI handle
the rest.
All right, that's awrap on today's episode of she's
(14:50):
that bounder. If this resonatedwith you, take a screenshot and
share it on LinkedIn tag. Me atdawn Andrews, so I can see your
biggest takeaway. And if you'reready to stop drowning in
decisions and start owning yourCEO. Seat with AI as your
partner. I'll see you inside theAI for founders community on
LinkedIn. Until next time, keepbuilding something beautiful and