💣 Can Your Content Survive the AI Slopocalypse?

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Hey Reader,

So apparently, the bots are hosting podcasts now. Let's take a look at what everyone couldn't stop talking about this week.

The Hollywood Reporter profiled a startup called Inception Point AI, where a small team of humans is using 184 AI agents to crank out 3,000 podcast episodes per week for about $1 a pop. They’ve got AI hosts with names like Clare Delish and Nigel Thistledown (I cannot), they’re going after niche SEO plays like “pollen report,” and they’re proudly calling it a win if 20 people listen to an episode because that’s enough to turn a profit.

Their CEO is out here calling people who critique AI-generated content “lazy luddites.” Which… okay. I’m not mad. I am laughing. Class A shade deserves a few golf claps. 😂

What matters for you is that this isn’t just a quirky industry headline. This is the moment we officially entered the Slop Wars™. (Yes, it's getting a TM mark!!)

You’ve heard me say it before... slop isn’t new, and it isn’t just AI. We’ve been drowning in non-AI slop for years. Think: overproduced narrative podcasts with no soul. Sales funnel YouTubes that feel like hostage videos. Coaching content regurgitated until it’s beige mush. Joe Rogan

The AI version is just faster… cheaper… and unapologetically soulless. Emphasis on the unapologetic part.

Come join me for tea time: We’re now in the phase where the market starts drawing a bright, neon pink line between the creators who can cut through and the ones who blend in. We’re separating wheat from chaff, craftsmanship from convenience, and actual originality from content that’s been scraped, spun, and SEO’d to hell.

This is where you choose what kind of creator you want to be. This is where the real ones rise. Because what wins now is:
→ Thoughtfulness.
→ A point of view that isn’t copy-pasted from the last viral carousel.
→ Work that feels like someone made it… not something.

I feel like a broken record lately... This is why I built Sound Before the Spotlight. This is why I preach pre-production like it’s religion. Because it’s the only way to produce work that actually deserves to exist.

If you’re tired of trying to keep up with “consistent content” while your soul is quietly dying… let that go. Consistency without intention is slop. The better metric now is: Is this worth someone’s time?

The folks who joined the CEO Summer Rebellion got this in their bones. They stopped chasing trendy formulas and started reading again (yes, reading) because that’s what helped them reclaim their voices. Their actual opinions. Their weird, spicy, genre-bending points of view.

You want to build a real media property? You start there.
👇 Scroll for the reading list - it's ready for you this week! Be a rebel all year.

And heads up… The Winter Rebellion is coming. We’re going all in on podcasts and YouTube this time. We're collectively going to go on the hunt for no slop, just skill. And not only think of these concepts as theory — we’re going to work together on how to separate yourself in a world full of recycled content and AI noise. You have to reverse engineer the current content landscape in order to make yours better.

Because while companies like Inception Point are out here boldly automating entire shows from top to bottom (and honestly, I respect the commitment to the bit — like, thank you for demonstrating how NOT to do this), most creators using AI aren’t doing it well… and it’s hurting them. Badly.

But not you! 🏆 You’re going to get a taste of real pre-production through this Winter Rebellion challenge. And yes, there will be prizes, just like the summer rebels earned for reading fiction. Except this time, you’ll be sharpening your voice, your strategy, and your on-mic presence while also having some serious fun.

Never fear, you're going to get so sick of hearing about this from me. I’ll be teasing it all through the fall. So keep your eyes on this space.

The rebellion continues. 🔥

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Gossip From the Creator Trenches...

🦸‍♀️ Shhh! The Resistance Wears Cardigans

Not all heroes wear capes… though librarians absolutely do, especially for storytime (or Halloween). These days, they’re out here on the front lines. Your local library is doing more than you think to protect access, equity, and your right to read the damn book. I see it firsthand every month as a Board Trustee for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. If you haven’t watched this documentary yet, consider it required viewing. Then go hug a librarian.
🔗 Support libraries here​

🐾 Talk Cat to Me

Nope, it’s not just you. Your cat is talking to you. And now there's an AI tool being built to prove it. Finally! Some technology I can get behind. Because yes, the world is on fire… but my toasted marshmallows, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, are turning 1 this week and I’m choosing joy. Would they use this app to tell me I still pronounce their names wrong? Probably. Would Schrodinger be proud? Also yes.
🔗 Crazy cat lovers click here​

🤖 Are the Robots in Your Voice?

First it was Gen Z slang. Then it was corporate speak. Now? AI might be influencing how you talk. Yeah… that pause you just felt? That’s your brain clocking the fact that you’ve maybe said “optimize” one too many times lately.
This isn’t about grammar, friends. It’s about identity. If you want your podcast (or your brand voice in general) to actually sound human, you’ve got to notice where the algorithms are sneaking in.
🔗 Spot your blindspots​

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Studio Updates Last week I got the best message from someone checking out the studio (after seeing photos of others recording here): OMFG look at all that natural light! I always think of podcast studios as being dark and small because you're surrounded by sound panels, but this is GORGEOUS.

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🎧 Sound Before the Spotlight – Live Cohort

Master your message before you add the camera.

Here’s the truth: content that sticks doesn’t happen by accident. Pre-production is the difference between content people binge… and content they ghost after 30 seconds.

Your dose of good news today: A new cohort is already forming! Seats are filling, and once we hit four people, we kick off. (Translation: you’re not first… but you don’t want to be last.)

In 6 weeks, you’ll nail:
✨ A POV that’s sharp, authentic, and impossible to ignore​
✨ On-Mic Confidence... no hostage scripts, just your real voice
✨ An AI-Boosted Workflow that saves time and keeps you YOU
✨ A Content Strategy that finally gets your brilliance out of drafts and into the spotlight

This isn’t a giant Zoom stadium where you get lost in the crowd. It’s small, hands-on, and designed so you actually get support.

👉 Raise your hand now: Join the pre-production cohort here​

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Business Tarot + Astrology: Your Shortcut to Ease

We’re in the thick of eclipse season… the Pisces eclipse cracked something open last week, and now we’re sitting in the echo chamber before the Virgo eclipse and Fall Equinox hit. Layer on the rare 9-year/9-month numerology and the theme is loud: things are ending. Systems are collapsing. And the universe is basically asking, “So what are you still clutching that’s already slipping away?”

This week’s reading brings back a chorus of repeaters — cards that refuse to let us ignore the pattern. The story is clear: stop juggling what drains you, stop resisting the inevitable, and trust the turn of the cycle.

In the free excerpt you’ll hear how these themes play out in real time. The full private podcast goes deeper into how to spot your own “endings with integrity,” and the journaling prompt that will keep you moving forward.

This is your Tarot reading... with teeth. 🎧 Tap to hear the excerpt ⤵️

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Want the whole thing? ​
Click here & go ⤵️

✨Subscribe to the Private Podcast ✨

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Let's Hang Out Ready to get on board with the rebellion? Well, the summer reading challengers had some massive breakthroughs by *not* reading business books. That was the assignment. It helps you find your own original voice and it's one of the best burnout busters in your CEO toolkit. Get inspired here and I'll see you in the winter rebellion.

Participate + Join In Vancouver, Washington is getting its own startup community. We've been well supported by many generous orgs across the river in Portland, Oregon, but this launch event is a major flag in the sand for the incredible growth that is happening in Vancouver. It's run by really great humans and I'm excited to support them in their launch!