At 73, Jon Younger has spent his career understanding how talent evolves—from HR executive at Exxon to business builder to independent advisor on the future of work and AI.
In this conversation, Jon addresses the positioning challenge experienced professionals rarely voice: how do you justify premium rates when younger consultants cost less and AI handles routine knowledge work?
Jon explains why accumulated professional judgment creates diagnostic capabilities that remain valuable despite automation, how the traditional four-stage career model breaks down in the AI era, and what systematic business architecture independent practitioners need beyond corporate scaffolding.
You'll learn specific frameworks for using AI as cognitive amplification rather than content generator, why freelancing requires treating your practice as genuine business rather than hobby, and how to maintain intellectual engagement while managing finite energy in later career stages.
This episode provides immediately applicable frameworks for positioning crystallised intelligence as competitive advantage, not obsolete experience.
Resources Mentioned
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
RBL Group (Robert Baker Lawrence Group)
Matt Mottola of Human Cloud on freelancing and future of work research
Outlier AI (owned by Scale AI)
Turing,
Brain Trust
Surge AI
Kaklachra
Mercor
ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro
Gleicher's Formula for Change
Career Stages Model
The Hamming Question
Contact Jon Younger
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-younger-phd-57a41455/
Practical ideas for independent professionals building practice on their own terms. Arrives Tuesday. Subscribe free at wisepreneurs.com.au
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