What Real Businesses Are Actually Solving With AI Right Now (Live From SMMW)

It's OK to Be Skeptical of AI: Why the Grey Area Is the Smartest Place to Stand

Everybody wants you to pick a team. You're either all in on AI, building bots before breakfast, or you're all out, swearing a robot will never touch your emails. In this episode, Erika hands you a third option: the grey area. Yes, Erika runs an AI consultancy and uses these tools every single day. And she still thinks your skepticism is valid, smart, and necessary. She walks through the loudest criticisms of AI, validates the ones that deserve it, and shows you how to draw your own lines on purpose instead of letting the internet pick a side for you. What we cover: * Why most of the AI backlash is really about over-digitization, data harvesting, and manipulative company choices * The real numbers on jobs, and why women need to learn these tools before the layoffs decide for them * The environmental and copyright concerns worth taking seriously, plus where the nuance lives * Five ways to live in the grey area on purpose, from writing your own AI transparency list to protecting your zone of genius * Why skepticism is not the opposite of intelligence. Right now, it IS the intelligence You don't have to be all in and you don't have to be all out. You just have to decide for yourself, tool by tool, line by line. That's what critical thinking actually looks like, Queens. Ready to figure out where your lines are? Let's map out the AI processes actually worth building in your business (and name the ones that give you the ick) inside the Brand-to-Bot Blueprint: https://www.aiqueens.com/blueprint [https://www.aiqueens.com/blueprint] Connect with Erika: * Instagram: @erikatheaiqueen * Website: AIQueens.com * Mile End Digital: MileEndDigital.com * AI Queens Society on Substack

Claude Command Center: Stop Drowning in Email, Slack, and To-Do Lists

Queens, this one is all about getting your whole day sorted before you even roll out of bed. Fresh off the Buildathon, Erika walks you through the Claude Command Center she built using Claude co-work. It's one central spot that pulls in everything coming at you, your email, calendar, Slack, Notion, all of it, and uses AI to prioritize your day so you know exactly what to tackle first. If you have a neuro-spicy brain that freezes up when the to-do list gets long, this one's for you. This is the quick and dirty version of what went down at the Buildathon, plus a free resource so you can build your own. What we cover: * Why you need one centralized command center instead of a dozen scattered apps and notes * Setting it up step by step: the desktop app, a single safe folder, and connecting just your email and calendar to start * The six questions Claude asks to learn your priorities, your VIPs, and what wins when things compete for your attention * How to lock it in with a markdown memory file so Claude runs it the same way every time * Scheduling it as an autonomous task that runs on its own (Erika's goes off at 5:55 AM to save on tokens) The whole point is to set it up once and let it run without you. Dip your toes in with something this simple and you'll start seeing all the other ways you can put AI to work for you. Give it a try this week. Ready to build your own? Grab the same quick start guide and workbook Erika gave away at the Buildathon, then keep reigning with AI. Mentioned in this Episode: * Get the workbook: https://links.mileenddigital.com/ccc [https://links.mileenddigital.com/ccc] * Watch the replay: https://aiqueens.substack.com/p/build-your-claude-command-center [https://aiqueens.substack.com/p/build-your-claude-command-center] Connect with Erika * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@erikatheaiqueen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/erikatheaiqueen] * Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AIQueens.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://aiqueens.com] * Mile End Digital: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MileEndDigital.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mileenddigital.com] * AI Queens Society Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Queens Society [https://aiqueenssociety.substack.com]

You In Danger, Girl: What 10 Days in NYC Taught Me About AI & the Future of Work

Queens, I just spent 10 days in New York City, and AI was not just in my phone like usual. It was on every billboard, in every subway car, in the shop windows, and even at the brunch table next to me. The whole trip I kept bouncing between two feelings: is this all hype, or is there real hope here? I think it's both right now, exciting and uncertain at the same time, and I have a feeling I'm not the only one who feels that way. It started at a tiny restaurant on my last day, where I overheard a woman talk about dropping a slow research department's report into AI and getting her answers in minutes. That little moment stuck with me the entire trip, because it's a window into how fast the future of work is shifting and who gets to thrive in it. Here's what stood out: * You don't need a big project to start. Hand AI one annoying thing on your plate (mine was packing a carry-on for 10 days across two wild climates) and just see what it does. * There's a real difference between using AI well and using it lazily. Curating and editing the output looks intentional. Slapping whatever falls out on a sign tells your customers you didn't care. * New York Tech Week showed me two versions of the future in one week: a cold room of dudes optimizing for bots, and a warm room of women building together and helping each other get unstuck. * The person who decides to get genuinely good at directing AI is the one their company can't live without. That person can be you. The wave is coming, and you get to choose whether you watch it roll toward you or learn to ride it. You don't have to wait for someone else to build the tools you need. The barrier is so much lower than you think, and you can start this month, this week, today. Want to actually build something with me? Join the free live AI Queens Buildathon on June 24th at 1pm Eastern. We'll build a Claude Command Center together, step by step, no coding required. Don't be the one in danger. Be the one who builds. Grab your spot at aiqueens.com/build [http://aiqueens.com/build]. Mentioned in this episode: * Register for the Buildathon: aiqueens.com/build [http://aiqueens.com/build] * My NYC packing plan, built with Claude: Erika's NYC Trip — Outfit Planner v2 [https://fabulous-marzipan-2ba166.netlify.app/] * The Claude Command Center precursor episode: Claude Runs My Day: How I Built a Morning Command Center to Stop Holding It All in My Head [https://pod.link/1796118250/episode/ODQzZDdkMzQtMzQ5Ny0xMWYxLThmZGEtYWI0OWVhMjJkMTZl] Connect with Erika * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@erikatheaiqueen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/erikatheaiqueen] * Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AIQueens.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://aiqueens.com] * Mile End Digital: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MileEndDigital.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mileenddigital.com] * AI Queens Society Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Queens Society [https://aiqueenssociety.substack.com]

Build Your AI CMO: Turn One Blog Post Into 30 Pieces of Content (Part 2)

Last week you built your AI COO. Now it's time to meet the other half of your executive team. In part two of this series, originally recorded for Jordan Gill's Systems Saved Me podcast, Erika walks you through building your AI Chief Marketing Officer. Think of her as a marketing powerhouse with decades of experience who just walked in on day one. She knows marketing cold, but she doesn't know you yet. So Erika shows you exactly how to brief her so the advice you get back is strategic and tailored, not generic. Here's what we cover: * The Market Researcher: send your AI CMO to competitor sites, Reddit, and Facebook groups to learn your audience's real frustrations and the exact language they use * The Content Strategist: turn one blog post into 30 platform-tailored pieces and build a real content ecosystem, not one-off posts * The Data Analyst: drop in your podcast, email, or ad analytics and get clear, data-driven recommendations on what to make next * The free CEO Cheat Codes app Erika vibe-coded to build custom strategic prompts, even if you don't have a formal brand strategy yet This is the big mindset shift: AI is a strategic partner, not a slot machine you pull for a caption a few times a week..Get in, brief your CMO, and watch what happens. Then keep building, because we believe every woman can be making custom solutions herself. Want a head start on part two? Grab Erika's free AI CMO custom GPT at ⁠aiqueens.com/cmo⁠ [https://aiqueens.com/cmo]. Ready to stop overthinking and start building? Sign up for our next AI Queens Buildathon at ⁠⁠aiqueens.com/build⁠⁠ [http://aiqueens.com/build]. Connect with Erika * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@erikatheaiqueen⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/erikatheaiqueen] * Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠AIQueens.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://aiqueens.com] * Mile End Digital: ⁠⁠⁠⁠MileEndDigital.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mileenddigital.com] * AI Queens Society Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠AI Queens Society [https://aiqueenssociety.substack.com]

Stop Treating AI Like an Intern: How to Build an AI COO (Part 1)

You know you need systems. You've maybe even built a few SOPs. But what if you had a team member who actually ran those systems for you, handled the backend chaos, and never asked for a break? That's exactly what Erika is building in this episode, originally recorded for Jordan Gill's Systems Saved Me podcast. It's part one of a two-part series on turning AI from a scary tech tool (or a glorified intern) into your strategic AI C-suite. This week is all about your AI Chief Operating Officer. Here's what we get into: * The Meeting Coordinator: drop your call transcripts into ChatGPT or Claude and get summaries, action items, and testimonial-worthy quotes in seconds * The Document Analyst: upload PDFs, long emails, and reports to pull out only what you actually need to know * The Project Manager: turn your late-night brain dump into a prioritized weekly plan (a game changer for the neuro-spicy crowd) * The one prompt phrase that levels up every output you get from AI This isn't about working harder. It's about getting hours of your life back so you can focus on the work that grows your business, or honestly, just spend more time with the people you love. Try the project manager prompt right now, then come back next week when Erika builds out your AI CMO. Want a head start on part two? Grab Erika's free AI CMO custom GPT at aiqueens.com/cmo [aiqueens.com/cmo]. Ready to stop overthinking and start building? Sign up for our next AI Queens Buildathon at ⁠aiqueens.com/build⁠ [http://aiqueens.com/build]. Connect with Erika * Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@erikatheaiqueen⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/erikatheaiqueen] * Website: ⁠⁠⁠AIQueens.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://aiqueens.com] * Mile End Digital: ⁠⁠⁠MileEndDigital.com⁠⁠⁠ [https://mileenddigital.com] * AI Queens Society Substack: ⁠⁠⁠AI Queens Society [https://aiqueenssociety.substack.com]