In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle Muncy-Silva talks with Ilise Benun about breaking the feast-or-famine cycle in small businesses and how AI can support clear positioning, consistent outreach, and relationship-based marketing.

Ilise draws on nearly four decades of experience helping creatives and solopreneurs get better clients with bigger budgets. She explains why marketing breaks down when it relies on word of mouth alone, why positioning must focus on outcomes instead of services, and how consistency matters more than motivation. She also demonstrates how she uses AI prompts to refine niches, identify real prospects, uncover client pain points, and find places to build relationships.

Time-Stamped Discussion Highlights

00:00 – Introduction and Ilise’s background in marketing and mentoring

01:00 – Feast-or-famine cycles and why they affect both new and experienced solopreneurs

02:00 – Why word of mouth is not a marketing strategy

03:00 – Marketing as relationship-building done consistently over time

04:00 – Positioning based on outcomes, not services

05:00 – Why self-promotion is not about you

06:00 – Why some business owners spiral while others keep going

07:00 – Consistency over motivation and perfection

08:00 – The “me first” philosophy and caring for the business first

09:00 – Using your real voice in marketing, especially in the age of AI

10:00 – Avoiding sameness and perfectionism

11:00 – Asking questions instead of trying to sound smart

12:00 – The three parts of Ilise’s simplest marketing plan

13:00 – Targeted outreach, content marketing, and strategic networking

14:00 – Why newsletters keep you top of mind

15:00 – Why commenting can be more effective than posting on LinkedIn

16:00 – Introduction to Ilise’s free AI kit

17:00 – Starting with an elevator pitch to give AI context

18:00 – Using AI to refine niches and assess market viability

19:00 – Finding real potential clients with AI

20:00 – Identifying client pain points and drafting outreach messages

21:00 – Using AI to find events and networking opportunities

22:00 – Removing marketing obstacles with AI support

23:00 – Final reflections and where to connect with Ilise

Watch the full episode and see the live AI demo on YouTube:

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In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle Muncy-Silva talks with Katie Milton Jordan about what real AI adoption looks like when you stop chasing tools and start investing in people, processes, and clarity.

Katie shares her work helping economic development leaders operationalize AI responsibly, explains why “not knowing what you don’t know” is the biggest barrier to adoption, and walks through a live, practical workflow for creating a personal AI policy. This episode is especially relevant for leaders, solo operators, and women navigating AI adoption under real-world constraints like limited time, budget, and bandwidth.

Time-Stamped Discussion Highlights

00:00 – Introduction and Katie’s work in economic development and AI

01:00 – Why most organizations don’t actually “get AI wrong”

02:10 – The role of hype, FOMO, and pressure from stakeholders

02:45 – The three AI investment buckets: products, projects, and people/processes

04:00 – Why leaders usually invest in the wrong order

05:00 – Bandwidth, leadership fatigue, and skepticism around AI trends

06:20 – Venture Fest and what partnering with AI made possible

07:00 – Using AI to amplify impact with no time, no budget, and small teams

08:00 – AI as copilot, not driver, and why human relationships still matter

09:40 – Reducing operational burden to reinvest in human work

10:40 – The cost of misalignment and moving faster in the wrong direction

11:30 – Failing faster, tighter feedback loops, and intentional iteration

12:20 – Checking your internal compass in times of rapid change

13:00 – Nervous system regulation, boundaries, and avoiding AI burnout

14:00 – Why whole humans need to be considered in AI adoption

15:00 – Introduction to personal AI policies and leadership guardrails

16:00 – Live walkthrough: what a personal AI policy workflow includes

17:00 – AI red lines and ethical boundaries

18:30 – Client transparency and accountability when using AI

22:00 – Quality standards, verification, and signing your name to AI-assisted work

24:00 – Bias checks and prompting AI to critique its own assumptions

26:00 – Workforce impact, reskilling, and augmentation vs replacement

28:00 – Societal responsibility and non-negotiable red lines

29:00 – Generating a personal AI manifesto and why workflows matter

30:30 – Final reflections and how to connect with Katie

You can watch the Mason County Venture Fest video here

Watch the full episode and see the live workflow demo on YouTube:

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What happens when curiosity beats perfection? In this opening episode of Season 6, Michelle sits down with Danielle LaFleur for an honest, grounded conversation about learning AI in public, letting go of “doing it right,” and using these tools without flattening your voice or values. This episode sets the tone for the entire season. Human-first. No tech theater. Just real use, real questions, and real growth.

03:15 – Danielle’s relationship with AI before she felt “ready”

07:40 – The pressure women feel to sound polished before they start

12:10 – What “learning out loud” actually looks like

17:45 – AI as a thinking partner, not a replacement brain

23:30 – Where people overcomplicate AI early on

29:00 – Staying human while working faster

34:20 – Trusting your instincts instead of chasing prompts

40:10 – What Danielle would tell her past self about starting sooner

44:30 – What’s next for Danielle

If you’ve been waiting to feel ready before using AI, this conversation will help you rethink that approach.

Watch this episode and future live demos on YouTube:

youtube.com/@EmpoweredbyAISLAI

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