EP 26: Beyond Basics Unlocking AI’s True Potential for Admins - Fiona Young

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In this bonus episode, Craig Bryson and Jodie Mears are joined by Fiona Young (founder of Carve) to go past “draft my email” and “summarise this deck.” We unpack how assistants can use AI for real, outcomes-focused impact: diagnosing diary inefficiencies, building lightweight automations, sharpening decision-making, and even “vibe-coding” practical tools without being a developer. If you’ve dabbled and now you’re asking “What’s next?”, this one’s for you.

Listener Question
Danielle (Boston, investment management):
“I’ve used AI for basics like emails and slide decks, but I want to spot patterns, remove bottlenecks and anticipate needs. How do assistants move beyond simple tasks and free up time for higher-value work?”

Episode Highlights

• AI beyond time-saving: use it to challenge your thinking, surface blind spots, and strengthen judgment
• COIF prompting (Context, Output, Intent, Format): a simple way to get higher-quality results consistently
• Tool-stacking wins: combine systems to automate end-to-end workflows
• Calendar analytics that matter: analyse time use and propose real changes
• Better briefings, faster: market intel, competitor scans, VIP prep
• Becoming a builder: why “vibe-coding” with AI is now within reach for EAs
• Mindset shift: define your higher-value work first; then use AI to create the capacity to do it

Value Bombs
Craig Bryson: “I’m looking at AI as helping me do the things that are monotonous and mundane so I can focus on the things that are important that the AI cannot do. (00:06:49)

 Jodie Mears: “It’s not just about prompt writing, begin, middle and end. Can you confidently articulate to someone verbally if they were in person the same way you're articulating to the LLM online? It's that kind of conversation.” (00:15:50)

 Fiona Young: “If you look at what's the next level, it's actually AI can help us to literally think differently. It can fill in for gaps in our thinking. Fill in for our biases, for our blind spots, to be able to actually be a sparring partner. (00:08:00)

Free Resources
Download Fiona’s Carve prompts guide + prompt library: https://joincarve.com/prompts-guide-signup

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