🪄 You Can’t Look Down Your Nose at It, Dear

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Hey Reader,

If it feels like I’m talking about AI every stinkin' week… you’re not wrong. And for a good reason. It’s the elephant in the editing suite. You can’t build or record anything right now without bumping into it, so we might as well talk about how to do it well.

AI didn’t steal your creativity; it mirrors it.

Everything it spits out is a reflection of what humans have already made. The good, the bad, the beige. Which means if your process is half-baked, AI will serve you that same flavor… just faster. If your work has depth, rhythm, and spark? That’s what it amplifies.

Early in the week I found myself catching up on industry news. At this year’s NAB Show in New York, every hallway conversation circled back to AI. The tech crowd was buzzing about “efficiency” and “cost savings” (yawn), but the quiet truth underneath was this: AI only multiplies what’s already there. If your storytelling is lazy, it’ll automate that. If your craft is strong as hell, it’ll magnify it.

Then, I got sucked into weather reporting (you laugh 😂 but it’s a delicious guilty pleasure — a masterclass in live streaming). There I was, listening to weather legend Ryan Hall report on Hurricane Melissa storm progression and answer live chat questions. FOR 10 HOURS. 🤯 Color me surprised when he called out AI-generated hurricane footage from Sora.

He said, “You’ll have to rely on trusted sources you know are real.”

The trusted sources in his world are storm chasers who show up regularly and engage with their audiences, so you know it’s them. That’s the whole game now: being a trusted source. When the feeds are full of fakes, the only thing that cuts through is credibility built by hand.

So here’s your business-mirror moment: Are you creating content that earns trust? Or are you dabbling, hoping the algorithm can make you look real? Because fake looks fake. Always has, always will. AI just turned the lights up so everyone can see it. If you borrowed your entire personality from someone else's brand... Boo, do I have news for you. 🤦

And speaking of dabbling… I keep coming back to that line from Practical Magic when the aunts scold Sally:

That’s the energy of the current creator economy. Too many people “experimenting with AI” while secretly judging it. Then wondering why the results feel hollow. You can’t wield a tool you’re afraid to touch. Respect the process or step aside for those who do.

If you’re ready to treat AI like the creative ally it can be (not your cheap shortcut or scary overlord), start here:

🎥 Watch You, Me & ChatGPT — it’s free on YouTube and shows you how to use AI like a crew member, not a content clone.

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🎙️ Then scroll down — I’ve got two podcast drops this week:

• Find Your Freaks — where we talk about shaking the shame around wanting visibility. Fame isn’t dirty; it’s strategy.
• Aggressively Human — where we go way past “toe-dip AI” territory and talk about keeping your voice intact when tech joins the mix.

So don’t dabble. Don’t phone it in. Feed your tools something worth echoing.

Because no week in the creator economy is complete without a little drama and a dash of delusion... let’s get into it.

🎙️ Gossip from the Creator Trenches

The creator economy is buzzing, baby — and everyone’s trying to look busy enough to hide their panic.

🏆 The Ambies Want Your Coins

Turns out the Ambies extended their nomination deadline. Translation: there’s still time to pay for your visibility badge and maybe snag a shiny trophy while you’re at it. I respect the hustle. Awards are expensive PR, but watching the industry heavyweights grovel for your attention? That’s the real entertainment.
🔗 Enter here

🔥 Podcast Movement, But Make It Accessible

Couldn’t stomach Podcast Movement this summer? Same. Dallas in August is always one heatwave short of smelling like Satan's armpit. But redemption arc! After merging with their new investor, they’re now releasing their sessions for free. This is the kind of democratized access the industry should have had years ago. Finally, the gates are creaking open... and not a moment too soon.
🔗 Binge it here

🌶️ OpenAI Discovers After-Hours Programming

And in this week’s “wait, they did what?” — OpenAI is officially allowing erotica in its chatbots. As someone who’s both pro–free speech and a card-carrying member of the Smut Appreciation Society, I’m calling this a bold, chaotic, and perfectly on-brand move for 2025. Let’s be honest: sex sells better than crypto ever did. In a collapsing economy, this might be the truest economic indicator we’ve got. Especially in a society currently cosplaying Gilead.
🔗 Choose your chili peppers

Studio Updates

Do you want to know the secret to why your content pops when you work with me? It's in the private coaching we do together... where you learn to embrace your audacity.

Most of us were taught that wanting attention makes you arrogant. In business, that belief keeps you small.

I joined Tonya Kubo on Find Your Freaks to talk about the messy truth behind visibility and fame — and why ambition doesn’t make you fake. We covered the difference between performing and showing up, what craftsmanship really looks like, and how to practice being seen before anyone’s watching.

If you’ve ever shrunk yourself because you didn’t want to look “too much,” this one’s for you.

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🎧 When Your Bots Call You Out

If you’ve ever yelled at a chatbot, you're about to feel equally validated + challenged to step up your game. I joined Meg Casebolt and Jessica Lackey on Aggressively Human to talk about what really happens when AI becomes your intern, therapist, and truth mirror all at once. We got into haunted studios, delegation issues (spoiler: it’s not the bot’s fault), and why treating AI like a real member of your team changes everything.

I also spill how I built my own AI staff (from my Gen Z inbox bouncer, to a board of advisors) and why using AI well is really just emotional intelligence disguised as tech strategy.

This isn’t your typical “AI for business” chat. It’s a crash course in how your tools reflect your leadership, your habits, and your unprocessed control issues.

Business Tarot + Astrology

This week’s message from the cosmos? Curiosity is your protection spell.

Mercury’s shadow is already stirring, and the magic isn’t in panic, it’s in asking better questions. The kind that save you time, money, and emotional energy before Mercury even stations retrograde. This isn’t interrogation energy… it’s awareness energy. The more curious you are, the fewer assumptions you’ll make and the stronger your next move will be.

Meanwhile, the cards are calling for serious boundary magic. The Seven of Wands upright says “no” sooner. It says: guard your calendar, your inbox, your peace. You’re not missing opportunities — you’re conserving power.

This week’s full episode dives into how to call your spirit back and rebuild your energetic bank account before Mercury Retrograde officially begins.

👉 Listen to the free preview, then unlock the full weekly episode (and the archives) for $7/month. Tap to hear the excerpt ⤵️

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Want the whole thing? ​
Click here & go ⤵️

Let's Hang Out 100% AI Experience: Build your AI dream team with this is your all-access pass to Mary’s custom GPT bot library... complete with the bots she uses to run her studio, manage her health, track her tasks, and stay sane while building a media empire. Buy once, get lifetime access to every bot currently available plus all future releases.

Participate + Join In 100% Human Experience: If writing about your work makes you want to yeet your laptop into a lake, you need The Craft. My friend Sam’s 10-week workshop teaches you how to talk about what you do with clarity, confidence, and genuine personality. No bro-marketer templates, no cringe, just powerful words that sound like you. Sign up here!