Marisa Shadrick [00:00:00]:
What if your notes could talk back, challenge your thinking, and help you grow faster? In today’s episode, we’re gonna explore interactive AI tools that will help you learn deeply and will also help you spot patterns in your thinking and even coach you toward your next big move. So stay tuned. Hello. Hello. And welcome to Amplify Your Authority. I’m Marisa Shadrick. Today, I have a very different podcast for you. And when I say different, it is different.

Marisa Shadrick [00:00:34]:
I’m gonna introduce an AI tool. And normally, I like to stay within ChatGPT because I don’t wanna overwhelm solo business owners with a bunch of tools. Let me just say, to be very clear, that you can do a lot with ChatGPT. Now, if you’re using Gemini and some others, that’s totally fine, but ChatGPT has a lot of functionality. Right now, they just released better images in ChatGPT. So before, they were let’s just say they were more leaning toward the artistic side. They’re a lot better now, and so it keeps improving. In my private membership that we had last week, I was just sharing a few updates and we had already gone through a lot of the features, and so much is rolling out so quickly that I had to give them a quick update of some of the new things in ChatGPT so they can keep it top of mind when they’re doing their work for their business.

Marisa Shadrick [00:01:28]:
But NotebookLM is one that I’ve been playing around with, and some people have asked me about it, so I thought I would share. And, again, this is not something that you need to implement unless it’s gonna help you right now with some of the goals that you have in your business. But NotebookLM is created by Google, and it is a platform that’s unique in the sense that it can take a lot of information, a lot of data If you want to extract some nuggets, if you want to learn maybe, some type of strategy and you want to interact with it, it will help you. The difference would be that with NotebookLM, it stays within the platform and it only uses the information you give it. So there’s less room for it to begin to hallucinate and use other information. It stays within the parameters of the information you give it. So I’m gonna give you an example. I uploaded all of my podcasts where I did monologue and there were no guests, just the content that I produced for like the last, I don’t know, the last year or so.

Marisa Shadrick [00:02:39]:
And what I wanted to do, as I’ve always suggested, improve what you’re already doing. Don’t do more just to do more for the sake of more. What are you doing right now and how can you improve it? We always need to look at the systems we have in place. What can we improve? What can we refine? How can we take what we’re doing already and just make it better using AI? And this is where it becomes a very strategic partner. It’s not just about creating emails. It’s not just about creating social media posts. That’s all great, but there’s so much more. You just have to think differently and realize that AI can be a strategic thinking partner with you.

Marisa Shadrick [00:03:19]:
So I uploaded some files, and you can upload PDFs, you can upload Google Docs, you can upload various types of documents just like in ChatGPT, but you can also upload YouTube links. And so I uploaded all the YouTube links, and what you see in the dashboard, because this is audio, so I’m gonna try to paint a picture here. On the dashboard, you have three columns. On the left hand side, you see all of the sources, what you’ve uploaded. In the middle is kind of where you work and you use it kind of like ChatGPT. And on the right hand side is where it begins to save notes that you’ve designated to save. So in other words, as you’re working with it in the middle section, if there’s something it produces that you really like and you don’t wanna lose it, you click a button and you just tell it to save to note. This is why some people say it’s kinda like Evernote.

Marisa Shadrick [00:04:12]:
Not really, but it does save notes. And so on the very far right column, you have all the notes that you’ve saved. So once again, on the left column, you have the sources. In the middle is where you work, and it looks very much like a ChatGPT dashboard. And on the very right, you’re going to see all of the notes that you saved. So why did I upload all these podcasts? Well, what I was able to do is to ask it to create categories for all the podcasts. Let me know the topics, whether it was copywriting, marketing, AI, productivity, and tell me how many episodes I created under those categories. What I’m trying to do is to see what I’ve done so far and how I can improve.

Marisa Shadrick [00:05:00]:
And then I had it take a look at the general content, all of it, and it created a summary for me. Now the beautiful thing about NotebookLM is that it will create a podcast type summary, an audio summary. And here’s the kicker, it’s interactive. So on the right hand side where you have all of the notes, above it, it’ll create an audio like a podcast, and I’m actually gonna play that for you. And it’s taking an overview of all of the episodes and talking about the Amplify Your Authority podcast. So for me, it’s it helps me see the gap, what I’m not talking about, what I should be talking about, and helps me kind of see where I’m moving forward for the rest of the year. But it was also very telling on how it took my content and created a short little podcast. But you’re gonna hear two hosts talking about my podcast.

Marisa Shadrick [00:06:05]:
When it references the sources, it’s talking about my episodes and you’re gonna hear it talking about it and summarizing. Now, here’s the next level. When I was working with this, I could actually connect my microphone and I could click and ask a question, or I can add a comment and elaborate on something that they said. And it would then continue the podcast and say, oh, that’s such a great point, or that’s right. We need to and it would it would continue the conversation of what I interjected. It’s pretty wild. I know. It’s hard to imagine.

Marisa Shadrick [00:06:44]:
But consider if you’re learning something and you put information in there and you’re trying to learn something, you can interact with it and ask it questions, and it’s gonna extract information not from the Internet, just from the documents you’ve uploaded. I know. It’s it’s really a a mind twister, but I’m gonna play it for you so you can hear it and see, how accurate. If you listen to the podcast, you’re gonna see that I do talk about marketing and branding and AI and some of the things, the copywriting, some of the things that it talks about storytelling. It is spot on. But I realize too, I need to narrow my focus and streamline my podcast so that it helps coaches, consultants, and service providers. So I’m gonna play this for you so you can see. And again, for those that are early adopters, this probably isn’t new news for you.

Marisa Shadrick [00:07:35]:
For those of you that are deciding, you know, maybe maybe this is something that is not going away. Maybe this is something that I need to consider. I just want you to have a glimpse of some of the things that AI is doing right now. And if you are ready to step in and begin to play around with it, you are not too late. You are not too late. From a recent conference I went to, a lot of companies and solo business owners are slow to adopt a lot of this, and they don’t know how. So in the next couple of weeks, I’ll have a use case resource for coaches, consultants, and service providers that gives you use cases so that you can see the potential and begin to see the writing on the wall on how this is transforming everything. Everything that we’re doing, it is changing it.

Marisa Shadrick [00:08:28]:
And so I’ve been using AI for a little over two years and probably two and a half years now. And I am just I am just fascinated at how quickly it’s changing. It’s almost weekly now, and you’ve probably seen it yourself, how your existing tools are being upgraded and adding AI. And the text thing I saw when I saw this happening, you know, all the tools implementing AI go, well, all the prices are gonna go up. And sure enough, I got a notice last week of one of the tools I use. They’re jumping it up to, like, a hundred and $80 more a year. So this is what we’re gonna see as our tools are getting more sophisticated and people are implementing or businesses are implementing AI, then we’re gonna need to pay more. But we need to consider, do we still need these tools? We’re at a point where we can begin to assess all of our SOPs, all of the work that we’re doing, and ask the question, how can AI help me with this? And begin to reshape, rewrite our SOPs, our standard operating procedures, and align them in a way that’s gonna save us time, it’s gonna be more efficient, and it’s gonna give us the energy to be able to do the things that only we can do.

Marisa Shadrick [00:09:44]:
And this is just the beginning. So listen to this. It’s a five minute episode that recaps Amplify Your Authority, the podcast, and then I’ll check back with you at the end and see what you thought. Now for those of you watching on YouTube, obviously the podcast that it produced in NotebookLM was audio. So I used another tool to produce a video version. What you’re going to watch on YouTube, if you decide to watch, is even a shorter version of the podcast where they’re talking back and forth and taking the transcript of that audio. And I created a video with avatars talking about Amplify Your Authority in video form. It’s not very good.

Marisa Shadrick [00:10:31]:
You’ll you’ll chuckle a little bit, but I want you to think beyond the aesthetics. I want you to think of the capabilities of what’s coming, because so many things are here now, and yet there’s so much more that’s gonna come. And the advantage for you, solo business owner, it has leveled the playing field. You can have an AI team do so much of what used to cost a lot of money to hire contract workers and employees to do. Now you can strategically create these little by little, grow with it, because everyone’s growing with AI. No one has all the answers. We’re all embracing it, testing it, experimenting. If you see outputs that aren’t very good, you are so far ahead than others that haven’t even dipped their toe yet.

Marisa Shadrick [00:11:22]:
You have to realize that it’s it’s all part of it. The failures, the attempts, the wins, the great outputs, the bad outputs, the images with six fingers on one hand, all of that is is changing, and it’s changing rapidly. So enjoy this episode. If you feel brave enough to watch the YouTube version, you can go ahead and watch that as well. And if you’re watching the YouTube version and you wanna hear the audio version, you can check it out on any of the podcast platforms, and you can listen to the audio version. So I’ll check back with you at the end.

AI Alice [00:11:56]:
Welcome to today’s episode. We’re diving into some of the most crucial strategies for business growth.

AI John [00:12:01]:
Whether you’re just starting or trying to refine things, the marketing landscape is constantly evolving.

AI Alice [00:12:07]:
It’s all about knowing what works now and what’s on the horizon. We’ve looked at tons of perspectives, AI, personal branding, email marketing.

AI John [00:12:15]:
And let’s not forget the key theme, trust. Trust has become the new currency in marketing today.

AI Alice [00:12:21]:
It’s true. Gone are the days of aggressive selling. Now it’s more about creating real connections with your audience.

AI John [00:12:28]:
That shift is huge. Right? The old push, push, push just doesn’t resonate anymore. People are tired of being bombarded.

AI Alice [00:12:36]:
Exactly. It’s more about creating a space for dialogue, a real exchange where you can offer something of value.

AI John [00:12:42]:
And what we’re seeing now is that building relationships takes time. It’s not about a one off interaction. You need multiple touch points.

AI Alice [00:12:50]:
That’s where consistency comes in. Always offering value before you even think about making a pitch.

AI John [00:12:55]:
Right. Speaking of value, let’s talk about email marketing for a second. It’s not just about sending generic messages to a list anymore.

AI Alice [00:13:05]:
Definitely not. You need to understand where your audience is in their journey. Are they aware of their problem or just starting to look for solutions?

AI John [00:13:12]:
That’s key. Tailoring your content to meet them where they are, that’s the power of personalization.

AI Alice [00:13:19]:
And, of course, you’ve got to grow your list first. Lead magnets are still crucial. Offering something valuable for free in exchange for their contact info is a great strategy.

AI John [00:13:28]:
Like a checklist, a free mini course, or even a quick video that solves a problem.

AI Alice [00:13:33]:
That’s right. The goal is to offer immediate value so they know they’re getting something useful from the start.

AI John [00:13:39]:
But the real magic happens in the follow-up. The fortune is in the follow-up as they say.

AI Alice [00:13:45]:
It’s true. Persistence is key. After the freebie, what’s the next step to nurture that relationship and keep building trust?

AI John [00:13:51]:
Exactly. Now let’s switch gears to AI because it’s such a hot topic right now.

AI Alice [00:13:57]:
Absolutely. AI is a fantastic tool for boosting productivity and content creation, but it’s important to remember, it’s a tool, not a replacement for human creativity.

AI John [00:14:07]:
Right. It’s all about amplifying what you’re already doing well. It doesn’t replace the need to understand your audience deeply.

AI Alice [00:14:15]:
Exactly. Think of AI as a super efficient assistant. It can help with tasks like brainstorming ideas, cleaning up text, or even creating outlines.

AI John [00:14:24]:
But here’s the thing. Getting great results from AI comes down to writing great prompts.

AI Alice [00:14:29]:
For sure. Being clear, giving context, and knowing exactly what you want from the AI are all critical steps.

AI John [00:14:35]:
And as always, remember that human touch. AI can’t replicate empathy, storytelling, or your personal journey.

AI Alice [00:14:43]:
That’s where your unique voice comes in. AI might generate words, but it can’t fill them with your authenticity or emotion.

AI John [00:14:51]:
And it’s essential to use AI ethically. You want your content to reflect your true values, not just pump out generic content.

AI Alice [00:14:59]:
Couldn’t agree more. Now let’s shift to personal branding. That’s another critical part of the puzzle.

AI John [00:15:05]:
Yes. Content is still king, but consistency and clarity are just as important.

AI Alice [00:15:11]:
Absolutely. It’s not about producing content for the sake of it. It has to speak to the needs and pain points of your audience.

AI John [00:15:18]:
And video content? It’s moving away from overly polished productions to more authentic raw behind the scenes footage.

AI Alice [00:15:26]:
It’s a relief, honestly. The pressure for Hollywood level production is lower than ever. People wanna see the real you.

AI John [00:15:32]:
It’s all about relatability. People connect more with content that feels human, not too staged.

AI Alice [00:15:39]:
And speaking of content, let’s not forget about repurposing. A long form blog post or podcast can be chopped into smaller pieces for different platforms.

AI John [00:15:47]:
Super efficient. It’s about maximizing your efforts without spreading yourself too thin.

AI Alice [00:15:53]:
Which brings us to personal branding again. If you wanna communicate your message effectively, you need clarity about your core values, your mission.

AI John [00:16:00]:
Absolutely. People need to know what makes you different. What’s your unique angle? What’s your story?

AI Alice [00:16:07]:
And storytelling, there’s real power in it. It builds trust, connects emotionally, and helps people remember your message.

AI John [00:16:14]:
It’s how we’re wired. A good story turns abstract ideas into something tangible and relatable.

AI Alice [00:16:21]:
And as we wrap up, let’s talk strategic growth. It’s about having a plan. Right?

AI John [00:16:26]:
Exactly. Without clear goals, you’re just busy, not productive. It’s about having a road map to guide your actions.

AI Alice [00:16:34]:
One great tip we came across was focusing on one core goal, one main platform. Build momentum before branching out.

AI John [00:16:41]:
And understanding your audience’s awareness level. Are they just discovering their problem, or are they ready to buy? Tailor your approach accordingly.

AI Alice [00:16:51]:
And don’t forget, when you make offers, make them high value, solve a big problem, or save them time. That’s where the true transformation happens.

AI John [00:16:59]:
The impact you make in their life or businesses is what drives emotional buy in. People buy because they see real value.

AI Alice [00:17:06]:
And all of this comes down to mindset, resilience, adaptability, managing your energy. It’s all part of the equation.

AI John [00:17:13]:
Absolutely. Your internal state impacts your external results. Stay focused, and remember, progress is built step by step.

AI Alice [00:17:23]:
And on that note, what’s one thing you’ll take from today’s discussion and apply to your own strategy for growth in 2025?

AI John [00:17:29]:
That’s the real question. What’s your next step for growth based on everything we’ve talked about?

AI Alice [00:17:35]:
Keep refining. Keep building. Thanks for diving deep with us today.

AI John [00:17:38]:
See you next time.

Marisa Shadrick [00:17:40]:
Pretty interesting how it could summarize so much, And it was very telling for me to figure out the direction I wanted to go with podcasts in the future. For those of you watching on YouTube, you probably had a few giggles. But the idea, the concept, when you look beyond the aesthetics, it took the transcript that I gave it, it was able to produce a video podcast at interview style in just seconds. And that’s where we are right now, but it’s gonna change. And it may change in a month, it may change in three months, in a year, but but it’s only gonna get better. So I hope this has been encouraging for you, and I wanted this episode to kind of be the hook, the thing that would catch your attention to realize that the future is here now. And if you need help with this, I have a private membership. It is Amplify Your List Building with AI.

Marisa Shadrick [00:18:38]:
We, we focus with ChatGPT because I don’t want to overwhelm everyone, but I do introduce other ideas. And it is primarily for the solo business owner, the coaches, consultants, service providers. They’re the ones that I have a heart for that need the help because they’re doing so many things by themselves. And so this is a platform where I show up. There’s coaching. We get inside of the AI tools. I share what is new, what’s developing that’s new. We have custom GPTs.

Marisa Shadrick [00:19:08]:
We have things that will help you execute very quickly to grow your leads, your prospects, which is very fundamental and very important to keep doing that in the midst of everything else. Even if you were to create a wonderful workflow and you had AI agents, well, all of that, you would still need a way of capturing emails. You would build this huge thing, but at the end of the day, you need the contact information for follow-up because not everybody is ready to buy today. And so it is fundamental and so important to incorporate that. So we do all of that, and I love it because I love technology. So this is where I can look at things from a copywriting, from a branding, from a strategist perspective, and be able to help you with AI to execute your work faster and to give you a little bit of a breather so that you can begin to not only be able to serve your clients better, but have time for yourself and your family. So if that’s of interest to you, you can go to community.marisashadrick.com and find out more about it. And if you have any questions or specific things that you’d like me to talk about on the podcast, I’d love for you to email me at [email protected].

Marisa Shadrick [00:20:23]:
You can always find me on LinkedIn and let me know. Because as soon as I hear a question or someone wants a little deeper explanation, maybe they post something on LinkedIn asking me a question, I create a minute and a half, two minute video about it. And I share the answer, and then I’ll tag the person. So if you have a question, feel free to drop a little note on LinkedIn, or you can email me and I’m happy to address it. And if it’s a big topic, I’ll just create a podcast episode. Alrighty. Until next time. Take care.

Marisa Shadrick [00:20:52]:
Bye bye.