August 19, 2025 • 32 mins
Feeling overwhelmed by all the talk about AI… like it’s just another shiny tool you’re supposed to master, but have no energy or desire to learn?
We’re flipping the script. Because AI isn’t just about automation—it can actually be a tool of liberation. Especially for women juggling chronic illness, neurodivergence, or the exhausting mental load of running a business solo. And we are talking to expert Shawn Every about tactics to help break free.
So the question is: What if AI could support you—without replacing your humanity or draining your energy?
Connect with Shawn Every
Shawn Every is an AI coach and speaker who helps neurodivergent, chronically ill, and overwhelmed women use tools like ChatGPT to reclaim their time, energy, and voice.
Facebook - Shawn Jackson Every
LinkedIn - Shawn Every
Instagram - @aiwithshawn
Website - https://askshawnai.com
👉🏽 Grab her free ChatGPT Quick Start Guide
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carrie Saunders (00:00):
Feeling overwhelmed by all the talk
about AI, like it's just anothershiny tool you're supposed to
master but have no energy ordesire to learn.
You're not alone.
It's something I hear a lotwith other business owners.
In today's episode, we'reflipping the script, because AI
isn't just about automation.
It can actually be a tool ofliberation, especially for women
(00:22):
juggling chronic illness,neurodivergence or just
exhausting mental load ofrunning a business solo, and
we're talking to expert SeanAvery about tactics to help you
break free.
So the question is what if AIcould support you without
replacing your humanity ordraining your energy?
So let's dive in Struggling toturn website traffic into real
(00:43):
sales.
You're not alone and you don'thave to figure it out all
yourself.
Welcome to Smarter OnlineBusiness, the podcast.
For course, creators, coachesand e-commerce entrepreneurs who
want their websites to convertvisitors into buyers without the
tech overwhelm.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders,a website strategist and
conversion expert with over 20years of experience.
Each episode delivers simple,proven strategies to help you
(01:07):
generate more revenue and makeyour website your smartest sales
tool.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking with SeanEvery, and she is an AI coach
and speaker who helpsneurodivergent, chronically ill
and overwhelmed women use toolslike ChatGPT to reclaim their
time, energy and voice, and I amso excited to have Sean on our
(01:28):
show today to teach us how touse AI and help us not be
overwhelmed and do the thingsthat we want to do with it.
So, Sean, welcome to the showtoday.
Shawn Every (01:39):
Thank you so much, Keri.
I am so excited to be here andjust looking forward to just
sharing some gems with theaudience.
Carrie Saunders (01:51):
And so, Sean, I just said just a little bit
about who you are, but I knowthere's a lot more to who you
are.
So could you tell us a littlebit more about who you are and
how you help people and who youserve?
Shawn Every (02:02):
how you help people and who you serve.
Yes, so, as you mentioned, I dohelp overlooked women through
my brand.
My company is Ask AI with Sean.
I work with solopreneurs whoare tired of doing it all alone.
I show them how to use toolslike ChatGPT to support their
(02:27):
daily workload and to help themget organized and give them back
their time and energy, but allwithout having to be real super
tech savvy right, my backgroundis in tech, wellness and virtual
(02:47):
support, and I've lived thechronic illness, the burnout,
the brain fog, so I teach AI ina way that feels human, first
judgment free and just reallypractical.
Carrie Saunders (03:10):
That really sounds like a great mix, and I
can totally relate to thechronic illness part.
I actually I don't know ifpeople on the podcast know but I
actually have celiac disease.
I actually have another podcaston that too, and so I
completely get the chronicillness and I also have some
sort of arthritis I'm not quitesure which one it is.
So I'm really excited to heartoday about you talk about how
(03:32):
using AI as a tool of liberation, not just automation.
So I would love to see how doyou have that show up in the
women you work with, how do youmake it help them?
And even, maybe in your ownjourney, how have you helped use
chat, GPT and AI tools to helpyou free yourself?
Shawn Every (03:51):
Yes.
So for me and the woman Isupport, ai isn't just about how
can we get things done faster.
It's more about reclaiming yourmental space.
It's more about reclaiming yourmental space.
Most people, when they think ofAI, they think about it
speeding things up.
You know about productivitywhat I think about it.
(04:22):
It's about slowing down.
Slowing down enough to breathewhen you're living with a
chronic illness, neurodivergent,or just you're just dealing
with.
You know the overwhelm ofbusiness.
Your energy is not unlimited.
You know women I work with.
(04:42):
They aren't trying to hustleharder I don't believe in the
hustle culture but they'rebasically trying to survive, to
heal and just to stay visible.
With managing the real lifestuff and my own journey with
(05:04):
chronic illness which I sufferwith fibromyalgia, chronic pain
disorder, I've dealt with mentaloverload and burnout, but I
still needed to keep a businessrunning right.
What AI becomes my co-creatoror my co-regulator?
(05:28):
Not just a productivity tool,it becomes my quiet support
system sort of, you know,helping with things like
planning, writing or organizing.
Carrie Saunders (05:58):
So we can stay visible, but without burning out
.
And it wasn't.
For me, it was never aboutchasing more, but end up using
AI myself too, because, being abusiness over 23 years, I get
decision fatigue particularly alot, and it sounds like you help
women with even something likethat too and teach them that
they can use AI as something tohelp them relieve that mental
(06:23):
load of some of the things theyneed to do.
Do you have some good examplesof how you would use it for that
?
I mean, I have some thoughts inmy head of how I use it, but
I'm curious you know what aresome typical ways you have
people use AI to help them intheir everyday?
Shawn Every (06:39):
Absolutely so.
It's because one of my biggestthings was brain fog, you know,
and the mental clutter thatwould just leave me stagnated
where, just shut down and notwant to do anything.
Right, because that was my wayof dealing with it or not
(07:05):
dealing with it.
So I do regular brain dumps andit's not, you know, like, yes,
journaling, that's one thing,you know, just writing it out,
(07:31):
writing it out.
But it's so much easier for me,carrie, to voice, to text just
everything in my brain intoChatGPT or, as I've named her,
lexi, that's what I call mineand brain dump, all of those
thoughts, and just the purposeis, I don't want to be perfect
today.
I don't want you to give methis perfect response, I just
(07:53):
want you to acknowledge it, giveme this space and then help me
to prioritize, you know, listout what it is that you hear
from this brain dump and kind oforganize this mess.
And we have had some of thebest conversations, you know,
(08:19):
helping me to, I mean, becausejust getting it out is freeing
in itself.
And then to see it all out andto have the validation from my
assistant saying, okay, you gotthis, we can work through this,
(08:41):
but this is what I need you todo and that has been like a real
life scenario that I use quiteoften.
Carrie Saunders (08:54):
That sounds like an excellent one.
I haven't used that one, butI've used something similar.
Maybe you can relate to it.
So they actually.
The other week I think it wasabout a week and a half ago I
was really feeling overwhelmedby my calendar and wasn't
getting all the right thingsdone on my business.
So I listed out on paper firstall the things I thought I
should be doing and then I typedit up to chat GBT and gave it.
(09:15):
Here's the list of areas Ishould be working on in my day
to day for the business.
One do you see any gaps?
Do you see some things I shouldbe doing that I'm not already
doing?
And two, can you create me acalendar blocking system that
helps organize these things in abetter way so I'm more
efficient, I'm less burnout, andalso labeled them, whether it's
(09:37):
an activity on the business orin the business, and it did an
excellent job.
I've been running this week withits new calendar blocking
system and I felt so much freer.
I felt less mental load Like.
I feel my brain is less likescattered and you know there
were some things I had tosuggest.
You know well, I do a littlebetter with this at this time or
(09:58):
on this day, but in general itjust whipped that out for me so
fast and I've had to refine alittle bit of it, of course, but
like, oh my goodness, it hassaved me so much mental strain
this week and I've gotten somuch more done with it.
Shawn Every (10:14):
Yes, yes, it's about capacity, right, because
that's the way I look at it.
I've even done like energyaudits, you know like I'll even
include in there.
Hey look, today I just I am notfeeling it Like it's a big
(10:35):
accomplishment just to get outof bed, you know.
So my what low energy, whatmedium energy or what high
energy tasks you know I can pullout of here, based on what my
capacity is right now.
So that's great.
The way you use it as well, youknow that's kind of similar
that we're using it in this way.
Carrie Saunders (10:59):
So some of those people who might be
listening might be thinking tothemselves oh, this sounds
really neat.
I might want to do this for us,and I know a lot of business
owners sometimes feel left outor overwhelmed with AI because
they just aren't quite surewhere to get started.
Ai because they just aren'tquite sure where to get started.
And so what are some of thereasons that women, especially
(11:20):
those navigating chronicillnesses or neurodivergence,
might avoid it, and how can weshift them and encourage them to
do what we have done with itand utilize it to really help
our brains and our capacity inour days and our weeks?
Shawn Every (11:37):
Yeah, I think, with AI or even just tech spaces, we
may feel left out because weoften feel like it's built for a
neurotypical or high capacity.
People, right.
What do they say?
Learn the tool, write theperfect prompts basically be a
(11:57):
people, right.
What do they say?
Learn the tool, write theperfect prompts basically be a
machine.
Right?
That's exhausting, you know, andI think that the AI messaging
that is being spread is centeredaround, again, the hustle
culture, right?
(12:17):
Or high performance, or thetech bros, as I've heard it
described, and they have endlessenergy, it seems like.
But for the women that I workwith, who may be managing brain
fog, adhd, even caretakingbecause I work with a lot of
(12:43):
midlife entrepreneurs who have alot on their plate and it can
seem so overwhelming.
But what we need to do is weneed to normalize using AI,
imperfectly, right.
(13:03):
This is one thing that I teach.
I don't teach all the fancyprompt engineering, I just teach
just real conversations, likeas if you were, you know, you
had a new assistant that youneeded to train on your life and
your business.
You wouldn't go out and buy alist of prompts to be able to
(13:27):
communicate with that assistant,you know.
So, yeah, just like shiftingthe narrative.
You just need to give yourselfpermission to talk to AI like a
helper and that's.
I feel that that's what kind ofshifts that narrative you know
(13:53):
as helping women to see that, no, they're not left out.
This is how they can embrace it.
Carrie Saunders (14:02):
I totally agree with that, because I've
actually probably in the pastmaybe six months or so, shifted
my my thoughts on that.
I used to, you know, have anengineering background, not, you
know.
I was used to like using itfrom the techie side of it, but
then, probably six months ago orso, I wanted to learn some
newer parts of it and I was like, well, why don't I just ask it,
(14:22):
why don't I just ask it how tomake a custom GBT?
And, like a few weeks ago Iasked it how do I use projects
and chat GBT?
Like, and we just had this goodconversation.
You know mine's called Dottie.
It helped me come up with thename, but it's called Dottie.
It connects the dots for me iswhy it's called itself Dottie,
and so I asked her.
You know how do I do thesethings and it is so helpful.
(14:47):
So I agree with yourperspective on using it
imperfectly and I hope you knowsome of our conversation today
will encourage those listening.
You can just ask it how do I dothis or what should I do here,
like I ask it advice all thetime.
It's like one of my assistants,you know, and it it's gotten to
know me well enough.
(15:07):
It gets me some pretty goodadvice.
You know I obviously check itwith my own gut, just like a
would a person or a human thatI'm talking to who's giving me
advice.
You know you want to treat it.
You know, just the same as that, as far as you know, double
checking the advice.
But the more you treat it likea human even though that might
sound a little weird, it'sactually pretty effective and it
(15:29):
makes it less scary.
Shawn Every (15:32):
Absolutely, I agree 100%.
Absolutely, I agree 100%.
Carrie Saunders (15:39):
So you like to use a phrase from what I've read
smarter systems for real humans, and we're kind of touching on
this already a little bit.
But what does that actuallylook like?
An everyday business task?
How can those listening comeaway from this conversation and
say, okay, I want to do this orthat with it first and see how
you know and see how comfortableI get?
Shawn Every (16:00):
Yeah, so basically the same way that we've kind of
touched on a bit.
Um, smarter systems for realhumans.
It looks like this so you'reexhausted.
This so you're exhausted, it'slaunch week, right, and instead
of pushing through, you go toyour AI assistant, whichever one
(16:26):
you may choose to use, and sayhelp me organize these 10 tasks
by priority.
Or can you rewrite this emailin a softer tone?
It's just about support thattends to bend with your capacity
(16:50):
, not systems that collapse justbecause you're having a bad day
, but it has to support yourcapacity.
So real human systems that areflexible.
They are low pressure and justbuilt to adjust, because resting
(17:16):
is a necessity, especially forwomen like us.
We have to keep that energy inmind.
So those are just some ways tojust use it in your daily
business.
Carrie Saunders (17:39):
Well, and I actually think of a personal use
I used of it the other day, um,which is something you might
not think of, but it but ithelped me because as a business
owner, I, like you know, at theend of the day I also don't have
sometimes the mental energy todo personal stuff, um, and I was
actually looking for anacetaminophen that didn't have
polyethylene glycol on it,because I'm actually allergic to
(17:59):
polyethylene glycol.
Well, okay, pretty much everyacetaminophen out there that you
can go find in the store haspolyethylene glycol in it.
So I had to have a conversation.
I had a conversation with chatgpt.
I was like, why don't, why notask it?
And after you know a couplerounds of conversation, you know
it wanted me to.
You know a couple rounds ofconversation, you know it wanted
me to check you know off namebrands.
You know like at Kroger orWalmart or your local you know
(18:19):
type of store.
I was like, well, and then Itold it.
I was like, well, do those havepolyethylene glycone?
And they were.
And I was like, oh, yes, theydo.
And I was like, well, do youknow of a brand?
I finally got it in it and it'slike, yes, genexa.
And so then I looked it up todouble check, and it doesn't
have it in it.
So it was even just as simple,as I just needed to find some
(18:41):
pain medicine that wascompatible with my body, and
while it's not technicallybusiness related, it freed up my
personal side of my brain, sothat I'm not exhausted when I'm
running my business too, youknow.
So, even simple things likethat, yes, people don't even
think about it.
It was easier than Googling.
Shawn Every (18:59):
Yes, and I love that.
I love that because I've like,of course there's people you're
going to have people who agreeand disagree, you know, with
that use of it.
But I'm like, what is thedifference between going to
Google and asking that question?
As a matter of fact, I even useChatGPT as my search engine.
(19:22):
You know, on my computer thatis when I go in to type in the
search bar.
That's what it goes to, ChatGPT, and that's because it has
helped me so much, even in wayslike you mentioned, even in
preparing to go to my doctor.
You know, symptoms that I mayhave been having.
(19:46):
My doctor is not readilyavailable 24, seven.
Talk about the symptoms thatI'm having.
So not for it to diagnose mebut to make me be more sound,
like I know what I'm talkingabout when I go to the doctor,
(20:06):
because they're going to askthose same questions, right, and
so it's like be prepared.
What is it I need to ask thedoctor?
Or it will print out a symptomchecklist for me.
You know well, this is whatyou've been having on these days
, this is what you reported, andnow show this to the doctor.
(20:29):
They can look for a pattern orsomething.
So, yeah, I love it.
I love the different ways thatwe can use it.
Carrie Saunders (20:37):
So then let's shift back into the business
type of world and what would beone small, you know, but
powerful way somebody could useChatGPT or some other you know
AI tool today that couldgenerally change like how they
work and really open up thatbrain space for them to be more
creative in the rest of theirbusiness of their business, so
(21:12):
that's a good one.
Shawn Every (21:12):
So we would start by assigning the role to Chad
GPT to let him know that, hey,you're my thinking partner,
right?
And so what things may come upfor us in a typical day,
business related, that we wouldneed our thinking partners
assistance, and, besides thebrain dump that I normally do, I
(21:37):
would say that it is quietingthe noise.
And the reason why I sayquieting the noise because this
is something that I haveproblems with, you know, in my
business, because you have allthese experts in different
(21:58):
things, right, and they say usethis strategy, market this way.
You know, show up visibly onthis platform.
Well, how can I quiet all thatnoise and just get into a
routine of what works for me andmy brand?
And that's why I literally justput all that into ChatGPT.
(22:23):
This is where I am showing up.
It's talking about visibility,and I'm showing up, you know,
facebook, instagram.
I'm trying to show up onLinkedIn.
So help me to up my visibilitygame.
What is it that I should focuson, you know?
Let's think this through.
(22:43):
Should I be trying to show upon all of these platforms at the
same time, in the same manner?
And you know what my capacityis and it's amazing, these
conversations that we have,conversations that we have.
So it's just, and I look at itas an emotional or mental
(23:06):
offload.
Carrie Saunders (23:15):
You know, I don't need perfection, I just
need support.
And here's what's on my mind.
Well, and I look at it as, likeyou know you're talking to your
business bestie is the way Ilike to think of it.
Right, because you know it.
The more you talk to it, themore it gets to know about you
and know your capacity, likeyou're talking about, and your
personality and how you like tobe, and you know where your
energy is stronger and weakerand it can really be that that,
(23:37):
that extra support person tohelp you.
You know, through those days itmight be tough, or, you know,
trying to, you know, weed outall that noise, Cause there's so
much information coming at usevery day, especially anymore
with you know.
You know everybody talks aboutsocial media and all the
information, but it's reallytrue.
You know we get so many thingspresented to us during the day,
(23:59):
you know, and it can really helpus break through that noise.
I love how you use it to helpyou break through that noise.
Shawn Every (24:07):
Yeah, it's, it's been a lifesaver for me because
I know me, I can you know I'mworking on trusting myself right
.
I'm working on trusting myselfright to make those decisions
and that I know the path or thestrategy that's going to work
for me.
(24:27):
But then you know there aretimes when you're like well,
maybe this expert knows or thisperson knows and I should follow
them and what they're saying.
Carrie Saunders (24:45):
So, yeah, it's been very, very helpful.
So then, how do you see AIshaping the future of online
business and what do you thinkwill lead to the charge of this?
Where do you see it going?
Shawn Every (24:54):
So, man, ai gets better.
Look like, day by day right,there's always something new
coming out.
But I really think, personally,that AI is leveling the playing
field for so many people right.
For women who may not have hada full team or the perfect
(25:21):
systems.
Disabled women we talked aboutneurodivergent, you know, and so
I think that those people whohave had to make something out
of nothing just women in general, you know, we've had to figure
(25:44):
it out right.
We, we make things work, um andit, whether it's caring for our
families, running the business,that's what we do.
So these are the ones that Ithink will be the ones to
actually lead the future ofonline businesses.
They're using AI not to justscale, you know, but they're
(26:12):
using it in ways to stayconsistent, to stay visible and
supported, to stay visible andsupported and even, as in me,
building our confidence, to beable to show up more, and that's
part of the revolution that Isee happening.
Carrie Saunders (26:33):
So I hear you talking a lot about helping
women business owners inparticular, too.
So what's one belief you wishmore women had about themselves
when it comes to using AI and orrunning their business?
Shawn Every (27:04):
Yes, that you.
It's going to look like I'mcheating if I use AI or I'm
being lazy if I use AI.
No, let's stop that.
We're not cheating.
We have to allow it to be thesupport that it can truly be and
(27:27):
just know that you're notbehind.
It's not too late I'm talkingto all my midlife ladies here
but you're building somethingthat's going to work for you and
to me, that's very, verypowerful.
Carrie Saunders (27:47):
I think that is really powerful.
And if I didn't have AI now, Ifeel like certain things would
just take me so much longer.
And it's not necessarily usingit for short cutting or anything
like that, it's just there's somuch in my brain we're also
overloaded and overwhelmed.
It helps me sort through thenoise.
(28:09):
Going back to your noiseconversation earlier, you know
it really helps me sort throughthe noise, otherwise I'd have to
, you know, have a businessfriend that I would need to talk
to and talk it out and talk itthrough, which I do that too
right, we've got a time andplace for each.
But you know, ai can reallyhelp us break through that noise
and feel freer in our brain andfeel more relieved and less
(28:30):
stressed, especially if we justgo for it and just use it.
I mean, that's really whatpeople need to be hearing from
Sean here today is that we justneed to use it.
You know, don't be afraid of it.
Shawn Every (28:44):
Absolutely AI for the rest of us right.
Carrie Saunders (28:50):
So I know you have a freebie that you told me
about.
It's a chat GPT quick startguide.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that?
Shawn Every (28:59):
Yes, so for even not just for people new to chat
GPT, but even with some who havebeen using it, I find that a
lot have not taken this onelittle step, and that is
personalizing chat GPT, givingit its custom instructions, and
(29:25):
what I've done is I just created, you know, a step-by-step guide
to show you how to do that, howto go in and tell chat GPT how
you want it to respond, what doyou want it to know about you,
so that you can get those betterresponses, and yeah, so that's
(29:47):
what I put together and it'sreally been very helpful to a
lot of people who were not evenaware of that small little step
that they were missing.
Carrie Saunders (29:59):
That's great.
We will have that linked in ourshow notes on our website,
smarteronlinebusinesscom, aswell as your favorite podcast
app.
We'll have a link to that.
So, Sean, if anybody'slistening and wants to learn
more about you or connect withyou more, where would be the
best platforms to find you?
Shawn Every (30:17):
So I am very visible on Facebook, which, on
Facebook my personal profile, iswhere I'm most active, and that
is Sean S-H-A-W-N Jackson EveryE-V-E-R-Y.
But to find all of my contactinformation, my website has a
(30:43):
wealth of information and thatis AskShawnAIcom.
Carrie Saunders (30:51):
Great, great, and we will have that in the
show notes.
For those listening and mightbe driving.
I'm going to come back to that.
We'll have all of Shawn's linksin our show notes.
So thank you so much, sean, forbeing on our podcast today.
I thoroughly enjoyed ourconversation.
I love how we're kind ofsimilar in how we use AI, and
I've learned so much from you,too, on other things I could use
(31:11):
it for, so I'm really excitedto dive into some of these
strategies we talked about today.
Shawn Every (31:17):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me, Keri.
I've certainly enjoyed it.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me, Keri.
I've certainly enjoyed it.
Carrie Saunders (31:23):
This conversation with Sean reminded
me so much that tech isn't aboutdoing more.
It's about doing less better,with more peace, more space and
more confidence.
If you're ready to explore AIin a way that actually feels
supportive, sean has that freegift that we mentioned just for
you her ChatGPT Quick StartGuide, which we will link in the
(31:43):
show notes.
It's made especially for womensolar entrepreneurs who want to
get started without the techoverwhelm.
Again, you can grab it usingthe link in the show notes and
if this episode spoke to you,would you do me a favor?
Share it with a business friendwho might be feeling burnt out,
left out or just a little AIcurious to help make their life
a little better.
And if you haven't already,leave us a quick review.
(32:05):
It helps us reach more womenand other business owners just
like you.
Thanks for tuning in and wewill see you next week.
Feeling overwhelmed by all the talk
about AI, like it's just anothershiny tool you're supposed to
master but have no energy ordesire to learn.
You're not alone.
It's something I hear a lotwith other business owners.
In today's episode, we'reflipping the script, because AI
isn't just about automation.
It can actually be a tool ofliberation, especially for women
(00:22):
juggling chronic illness,neurodivergence or just
exhausting mental load ofrunning a business solo, and
we're talking to expert SeanAvery about tactics to help you
break free.
So the question is what if AIcould support you without
replacing your humanity ordraining your energy?
So let's dive in Struggling toturn website traffic into real
(00:43):
sales.
You're not alone and you don'thave to figure it out all
yourself.
Welcome to Smarter OnlineBusiness, the podcast.
For course, creators, coachesand e-commerce entrepreneurs who
want their websites to convertvisitors into buyers without the
tech overwhelm.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders,a website strategist and
conversion expert with over 20years of experience.
Each episode delivers simple,proven strategies to help you
(01:07):
generate more revenue and makeyour website your smartest sales
tool.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking with SeanEvery, and she is an AI coach
and speaker who helpsneurodivergent, chronically ill
and overwhelmed women use toolslike ChatGPT to reclaim their
time, energy and voice, and I amso excited to have Sean on our
(01:28):
show today to teach us how touse AI and help us not be
overwhelmed and do the thingsthat we want to do with it.
So, Sean, welcome to the showtoday.
Shawn Every (01:39):
Thank you so much, Keri.
I am so excited to be here andjust looking forward to just
sharing some gems with theaudience.
Carrie Saunders (01:51):
And so, Sean, I just said just a little bit
about who you are, but I knowthere's a lot more to who you
are.
So could you tell us a littlebit more about who you are and
how you help people and who youserve?
Shawn Every (02:02):
how you help people and who you serve.
Yes, so, as you mentioned, I dohelp overlooked women through
my brand.
My company is Ask AI with Sean.
I work with solopreneurs whoare tired of doing it all alone.
I show them how to use toolslike ChatGPT to support their
(02:27):
daily workload and to help themget organized and give them back
their time and energy, but allwithout having to be real super
tech savvy right, my backgroundis in tech, wellness and virtual
(02:47):
support, and I've lived thechronic illness, the burnout,
the brain fog, so I teach AI ina way that feels human, first
judgment free and just reallypractical.
Carrie Saunders (03:10):
That really sounds like a great mix, and I
can totally relate to thechronic illness part.
I actually I don't know ifpeople on the podcast know but I
actually have celiac disease.
I actually have another podcaston that too, and so I
completely get the chronicillness and I also have some
sort of arthritis I'm not quitesure which one it is.
So I'm really excited to heartoday about you talk about how
(03:32):
using AI as a tool of liberation, not just automation.
So I would love to see how doyou have that show up in the
women you work with, how do youmake it help them?
And even, maybe in your ownjourney, how have you helped use
chat, GPT and AI tools to helpyou free yourself?
Shawn Every (03:51):
Yes.
So for me and the woman Isupport, ai isn't just about how
can we get things done faster.
It's more about reclaiming yourmental space.
It's more about reclaiming yourmental space.
Most people, when they think ofAI, they think about it
speeding things up.
You know about productivitywhat I think about it.
(04:22):
It's about slowing down.
Slowing down enough to breathewhen you're living with a
chronic illness, neurodivergent,or just you're just dealing
with.
You know the overwhelm ofbusiness.
Your energy is not unlimited.
You know women I work with.
(04:42):
They aren't trying to hustleharder I don't believe in the
hustle culture but they'rebasically trying to survive, to
heal and just to stay visible.
With managing the real lifestuff and my own journey with
(05:04):
chronic illness which I sufferwith fibromyalgia, chronic pain
disorder, I've dealt with mentaloverload and burnout, but I
still needed to keep a businessrunning right.
What AI becomes my co-creatoror my co-regulator?
(05:28):
Not just a productivity tool,it becomes my quiet support
system sort of, you know,helping with things like
planning, writing or organizing.
Carrie Saunders (05:58):
So we can stay visible, but without burning out
.
And it wasn't.
For me, it was never aboutchasing more, but end up using
AI myself too, because, being abusiness over 23 years, I get
decision fatigue particularly alot, and it sounds like you help
women with even something likethat too and teach them that
they can use AI as something tohelp them relieve that mental
(06:23):
load of some of the things theyneed to do.
Do you have some good examplesof how you would use it for that
?
I mean, I have some thoughts inmy head of how I use it, but
I'm curious you know what aresome typical ways you have
people use AI to help them intheir everyday?
Shawn Every (06:39):
Absolutely so.
It's because one of my biggestthings was brain fog, you know,
and the mental clutter thatwould just leave me stagnated
where, just shut down and notwant to do anything.
Right, because that was my wayof dealing with it or not
(07:05):
dealing with it.
So I do regular brain dumps andit's not, you know, like, yes,
journaling, that's one thing,you know, just writing it out,
(07:31):
writing it out.
But it's so much easier for me,carrie, to voice, to text just
everything in my brain intoChatGPT or, as I've named her,
lexi, that's what I call mineand brain dump, all of those
thoughts, and just the purposeis, I don't want to be perfect
today.
I don't want you to give methis perfect response, I just
(07:53):
want you to acknowledge it, giveme this space and then help me
to prioritize, you know, listout what it is that you hear
from this brain dump and kind oforganize this mess.
And we have had some of thebest conversations, you know,
(08:19):
helping me to, I mean, becausejust getting it out is freeing
in itself.
And then to see it all out andto have the validation from my
assistant saying, okay, you gotthis, we can work through this,
(08:41):
but this is what I need you todo and that has been like a real
life scenario that I use quiteoften.
Carrie Saunders (08:54):
That sounds like an excellent one.
I haven't used that one, butI've used something similar.
Maybe you can relate to it.
So they actually.
The other week I think it wasabout a week and a half ago I
was really feeling overwhelmedby my calendar and wasn't
getting all the right thingsdone on my business.
So I listed out on paper firstall the things I thought I
should be doing and then I typedit up to chat GBT and gave it.
(09:15):
Here's the list of areas Ishould be working on in my day
to day for the business.
One do you see any gaps?
Do you see some things I shouldbe doing that I'm not already
doing?
And two, can you create me acalendar blocking system that
helps organize these things in abetter way so I'm more
efficient, I'm less burnout, andalso labeled them, whether it's
(09:37):
an activity on the business orin the business, and it did an
excellent job.
I've been running this week withits new calendar blocking
system and I felt so much freer.
I felt less mental load Like.
I feel my brain is less likescattered and you know there
were some things I had tosuggest.
You know well, I do a littlebetter with this at this time or
(09:58):
on this day, but in general itjust whipped that out for me so
fast and I've had to refine alittle bit of it, of course, but
like, oh my goodness, it hassaved me so much mental strain
this week and I've gotten somuch more done with it.
Shawn Every (10:14):
Yes, yes, it's about capacity, right, because
that's the way I look at it.
I've even done like energyaudits, you know like I'll even
include in there.
Hey look, today I just I am notfeeling it Like it's a big
(10:35):
accomplishment just to get outof bed, you know.
So my what low energy, whatmedium energy or what high
energy tasks you know I can pullout of here, based on what my
capacity is right now.
So that's great.
The way you use it as well, youknow that's kind of similar
that we're using it in this way.
Carrie Saunders (10:59):
So some of those people who might be
listening might be thinking tothemselves oh, this sounds
really neat.
I might want to do this for us,and I know a lot of business
owners sometimes feel left outor overwhelmed with AI because
they just aren't quite surewhere to get started.
Ai because they just aren'tquite sure where to get started.
And so what are some of thereasons that women, especially
(11:20):
those navigating chronicillnesses or neurodivergence,
might avoid it, and how can weshift them and encourage them to
do what we have done with itand utilize it to really help
our brains and our capacity inour days and our weeks?
Shawn Every (11:37):
Yeah, I think, with AI or even just tech spaces, we
may feel left out because weoften feel like it's built for a
neurotypical or high capacity.
People, right.
What do they say?
Learn the tool, write theperfect prompts basically be a
(11:57):
people, right.
What do they say?
Learn the tool, write theperfect prompts basically be a
machine.
Right?
That's exhausting, you know, andI think that the AI messaging
that is being spread is centeredaround, again, the hustle
culture, right?
(12:17):
Or high performance, or thetech bros, as I've heard it
described, and they have endlessenergy, it seems like.
But for the women that I workwith, who may be managing brain
fog, adhd, even caretakingbecause I work with a lot of
(12:43):
midlife entrepreneurs who have alot on their plate and it can
seem so overwhelming.
But what we need to do is weneed to normalize using AI,
imperfectly, right.
(13:03):
This is one thing that I teach.
I don't teach all the fancyprompt engineering, I just teach
just real conversations, likeas if you were, you know, you
had a new assistant that youneeded to train on your life and
your business.
You wouldn't go out and buy alist of prompts to be able to
(13:27):
communicate with that assistant,you know.
So, yeah, just like shiftingthe narrative.
You just need to give yourselfpermission to talk to AI like a
helper and that's.
I feel that that's what kind ofshifts that narrative you know
(13:53):
as helping women to see that, no, they're not left out.
This is how they can embrace it.
Carrie Saunders (14:02):
I totally agree with that, because I've
actually probably in the pastmaybe six months or so, shifted
my my thoughts on that.
I used to, you know, have anengineering background, not, you
know.
I was used to like using itfrom the techie side of it, but
then, probably six months ago orso, I wanted to learn some
newer parts of it and I was like, well, why don't I just ask it,
(14:22):
why don't I just ask it how tomake a custom GBT?
And, like a few weeks ago Iasked it how do I use projects
and chat GBT?
Like, and we just had this goodconversation.
You know mine's called Dottie.
It helped me come up with thename, but it's called Dottie.
It connects the dots for me iswhy it's called itself Dottie,
and so I asked her.
You know how do I do thesethings and it is so helpful.
(14:47):
So I agree with yourperspective on using it
imperfectly and I hope you knowsome of our conversation today
will encourage those listening.
You can just ask it how do I dothis or what should I do here,
like I ask it advice all thetime.
It's like one of my assistants,you know, and it it's gotten to
know me well enough.
(15:07):
It gets me some pretty goodadvice.
You know I obviously check itwith my own gut, just like a
would a person or a human thatI'm talking to who's giving me
advice.
You know you want to treat it.
You know, just the same as that, as far as you know, double
checking the advice.
But the more you treat it likea human even though that might
sound a little weird, it'sactually pretty effective and it
(15:29):
makes it less scary.
Shawn Every (15:32):
Absolutely, I agree 100%.
Absolutely, I agree 100%.
Carrie Saunders (15:39):
So you like to use a phrase from what I've read
smarter systems for real humans, and we're kind of touching on
this already a little bit.
But what does that actuallylook like?
An everyday business task?
How can those listening comeaway from this conversation and
say, okay, I want to do this orthat with it first and see how
you know and see how comfortableI get?
Shawn Every (16:00):
Yeah, so basically the same way that we've kind of
touched on a bit.
Um, smarter systems for realhumans.
It looks like this so you'reexhausted.
This so you're exhausted, it'slaunch week, right, and instead
of pushing through, you go toyour AI assistant, whichever one
(16:26):
you may choose to use, and sayhelp me organize these 10 tasks
by priority.
Or can you rewrite this emailin a softer tone?
It's just about support thattends to bend with your capacity
(16:50):
, not systems that collapse justbecause you're having a bad day
, but it has to support yourcapacity.
So real human systems that areflexible.
They are low pressure and justbuilt to adjust, because resting
(17:16):
is a necessity, especially forwomen like us.
We have to keep that energy inmind.
So those are just some ways tojust use it in your daily
business.
Carrie Saunders (17:39):
Well, and I actually think of a personal use
I used of it the other day, um,which is something you might
not think of, but it but ithelped me because as a business
owner, I, like you know, at theend of the day I also don't have
sometimes the mental energy todo personal stuff, um, and I was
actually looking for anacetaminophen that didn't have
polyethylene glycol on it,because I'm actually allergic to
(17:59):
polyethylene glycol.
Well, okay, pretty much everyacetaminophen out there that you
can go find in the store haspolyethylene glycol in it.
So I had to have a conversation.
I had a conversation with chatgpt.
I was like, why don't, why notask it?
And after you know a couplerounds of conversation, you know
it wanted me to.
You know a couple rounds ofconversation, you know it wanted
me to check you know off namebrands.
You know like at Kroger orWalmart or your local you know
(18:19):
type of store.
I was like, well, and then Itold it.
I was like, well, do those havepolyethylene glycone?
And they were.
And I was like, oh, yes, theydo.
And I was like, well, do youknow of a brand?
I finally got it in it and it'slike, yes, genexa.
And so then I looked it up todouble check, and it doesn't
have it in it.
So it was even just as simple,as I just needed to find some
(18:41):
pain medicine that wascompatible with my body, and
while it's not technicallybusiness related, it freed up my
personal side of my brain, sothat I'm not exhausted when I'm
running my business too, youknow.
So, even simple things likethat, yes, people don't even
think about it.
It was easier than Googling.
Shawn Every (18:59):
Yes, and I love that.
I love that because I've like,of course there's people you're
going to have people who agreeand disagree, you know, with
that use of it.
But I'm like, what is thedifference between going to
Google and asking that question?
As a matter of fact, I even useChatGPT as my search engine.
(19:22):
You know, on my computer thatis when I go in to type in the
search bar.
That's what it goes to, ChatGPT, and that's because it has
helped me so much, even in wayslike you mentioned, even in
preparing to go to my doctor.
You know, symptoms that I mayhave been having.
(19:46):
My doctor is not readilyavailable 24, seven.
Talk about the symptoms thatI'm having.
So not for it to diagnose mebut to make me be more sound,
like I know what I'm talkingabout when I go to the doctor,
(20:06):
because they're going to askthose same questions, right, and
so it's like be prepared.
What is it I need to ask thedoctor?
Or it will print out a symptomchecklist for me.
You know well, this is whatyou've been having on these days
, this is what you reported, andnow show this to the doctor.
(20:29):
They can look for a pattern orsomething.
So, yeah, I love it.
I love the different ways thatwe can use it.
Carrie Saunders (20:37):
So then let's shift back into the business
type of world and what would beone small, you know, but
powerful way somebody could useChatGPT or some other you know
AI tool today that couldgenerally change like how they
work and really open up thatbrain space for them to be more
creative in the rest of theirbusiness of their business, so
(21:12):
that's a good one.
Shawn Every (21:12):
So we would start by assigning the role to Chad
GPT to let him know that, hey,you're my thinking partner,
right?
And so what things may come upfor us in a typical day,
business related, that we wouldneed our thinking partners
assistance, and, besides thebrain dump that I normally do, I
(21:37):
would say that it is quietingthe noise.
And the reason why I sayquieting the noise because this
is something that I haveproblems with, you know, in my
business, because you have allthese experts in different
(21:58):
things, right, and they say usethis strategy, market this way.
You know, show up visibly onthis platform.
Well, how can I quiet all thatnoise and just get into a
routine of what works for me andmy brand?
And that's why I literally justput all that into ChatGPT.
(22:23):
This is where I am showing up.
It's talking about visibility,and I'm showing up, you know,
facebook, instagram.
I'm trying to show up onLinkedIn.
So help me to up my visibilitygame.
What is it that I should focuson, you know?
Let's think this through.
(22:43):
Should I be trying to show upon all of these platforms at the
same time, in the same manner?
And you know what my capacityis and it's amazing, these
conversations that we have,conversations that we have.
So it's just, and I look at itas an emotional or mental
(23:06):
offload.
Carrie Saunders (23:15):
You know, I don't need perfection, I just
need support.
And here's what's on my mind.
Well, and I look at it as, likeyou know you're talking to your
business bestie is the way Ilike to think of it.
Right, because you know it.
The more you talk to it, themore it gets to know about you
and know your capacity, likeyou're talking about, and your
personality and how you like tobe, and you know where your
energy is stronger and weakerand it can really be that that,
(23:37):
that extra support person tohelp you.
You know, through those days itmight be tough, or, you know,
trying to, you know, weed outall that noise, Cause there's so
much information coming at usevery day, especially anymore
with you know.
You know everybody talks aboutsocial media and all the
information, but it's reallytrue.
You know we get so many thingspresented to us during the day,
(23:59):
you know, and it can really helpus break through that noise.
I love how you use it to helpyou break through that noise.
Shawn Every (24:07):
Yeah, it's, it's been a lifesaver for me because
I know me, I can you know I'mworking on trusting myself right
.
I'm working on trusting myselfright to make those decisions
and that I know the path or thestrategy that's going to work
for me.
(24:27):
But then you know there aretimes when you're like well,
maybe this expert knows or thisperson knows and I should follow
them and what they're saying.
Carrie Saunders (24:45):
So, yeah, it's been very, very helpful.
So then, how do you see AIshaping the future of online
business and what do you thinkwill lead to the charge of this?
Where do you see it going?
Shawn Every (24:54):
So, man, ai gets better.
Look like, day by day right,there's always something new
coming out.
But I really think, personally,that AI is leveling the playing
field for so many people right.
For women who may not have hada full team or the perfect
(25:21):
systems.
Disabled women we talked aboutneurodivergent, you know, and so
I think that those people whohave had to make something out
of nothing just women in general, you know, we've had to figure
(25:44):
it out right.
We, we make things work, um andit, whether it's caring for our
families, running the business,that's what we do.
So these are the ones that Ithink will be the ones to
actually lead the future ofonline businesses.
They're using AI not to justscale, you know, but they're
(26:12):
using it in ways to stayconsistent, to stay visible and
supported, to stay visible andsupported and even, as in me,
building our confidence, to beable to show up more, and that's
part of the revolution that Isee happening.
Carrie Saunders (26:33):
So I hear you talking a lot about helping
women business owners inparticular, too.
So what's one belief you wishmore women had about themselves
when it comes to using AI and orrunning their business?
Shawn Every (27:04):
Yes, that you.
It's going to look like I'mcheating if I use AI or I'm
being lazy if I use AI.
No, let's stop that.
We're not cheating.
We have to allow it to be thesupport that it can truly be and
(27:27):
just know that you're notbehind.
It's not too late I'm talkingto all my midlife ladies here
but you're building somethingthat's going to work for you and
to me, that's very, verypowerful.
Carrie Saunders (27:47):
I think that is really powerful.
And if I didn't have AI now, Ifeel like certain things would
just take me so much longer.
And it's not necessarily usingit for short cutting or anything
like that, it's just there's somuch in my brain we're also
overloaded and overwhelmed.
It helps me sort through thenoise.
(28:09):
Going back to your noiseconversation earlier, you know
it really helps me sort throughthe noise, otherwise I'd have to
, you know, have a businessfriend that I would need to talk
to and talk it out and talk itthrough, which I do that too
right, we've got a time andplace for each.
But you know, ai can reallyhelp us break through that noise
and feel freer in our brain andfeel more relieved and less
(28:30):
stressed, especially if we justgo for it and just use it.
I mean, that's really whatpeople need to be hearing from
Sean here today is that we justneed to use it.
You know, don't be afraid of it.
Shawn Every (28:44):
Absolutely AI for the rest of us right.
Carrie Saunders (28:50):
So I know you have a freebie that you told me
about.
It's a chat GPT quick startguide.
Can you tell us a little bitmore about that?
Shawn Every (28:59):
Yes, so for even not just for people new to chat
GPT, but even with some who havebeen using it, I find that a
lot have not taken this onelittle step, and that is
personalizing chat GPT, givingit its custom instructions, and
(29:25):
what I've done is I just created, you know, a step-by-step guide
to show you how to do that, howto go in and tell chat GPT how
you want it to respond, what doyou want it to know about you,
so that you can get those betterresponses, and yeah, so that's
(29:47):
what I put together and it'sreally been very helpful to a
lot of people who were not evenaware of that small little step
that they were missing.
Carrie Saunders (29:59):
That's great.
We will have that linked in ourshow notes on our website,
smarteronlinebusinesscom, aswell as your favorite podcast
app.
We'll have a link to that.
So, Sean, if anybody'slistening and wants to learn
more about you or connect withyou more, where would be the
best platforms to find you?
Shawn Every (30:17):
So I am very visible on Facebook, which, on
Facebook my personal profile, iswhere I'm most active, and that
is Sean S-H-A-W-N Jackson EveryE-V-E-R-Y.
But to find all of my contactinformation, my website has a
(30:43):
wealth of information and thatis AskShawnAIcom.
Carrie Saunders (30:51):
Great, great, and we will have that in the
show notes.
For those listening and mightbe driving.
I'm going to come back to that.
We'll have all of Shawn's linksin our show notes.
So thank you so much, sean, forbeing on our podcast today.
I thoroughly enjoyed ourconversation.
I love how we're kind ofsimilar in how we use AI, and
I've learned so much from you,too, on other things I could use
(31:11):
it for, so I'm really excitedto dive into some of these
strategies we talked about today.
Shawn Every (31:17):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me, Keri.
I've certainly enjoyed it.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me, Keri.
I've certainly enjoyed it.
Carrie Saunders (31:23):
This conversation with Sean reminded
me so much that tech isn't aboutdoing more.
It's about doing less better,with more peace, more space and
more confidence.
If you're ready to explore AIin a way that actually feels
supportive, sean has that freegift that we mentioned just for
you her ChatGPT Quick StartGuide, which we will link in the
(31:43):
show notes.
It's made especially for womensolar entrepreneurs who want to
get started without the techoverwhelm.
Again, you can grab it usingthe link in the show notes and
if this episode spoke to you,would you do me a favor?
Share it with a business friendwho might be feeling burnt out,
left out or just a little AIcurious to help make their life
a little better.
And if you haven't already,leave us a quick review.
(32:05):
It helps us reach more womenand other business owners just
like you.
Thanks for tuning in and wewill see you next week.
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