Founder Reflection: My Journey through the AI Revolution

When AI Came Knocking

I can’t tell you the exact day AI landed on my radar.
But I do remember the year—2023—and the feeling.

Everywhere I turned, it was ChatGPT this, AI that.
My feed was flooded with “10 ways to use AI in your business” and “Why you can’t afford to ignore ChatGPT.” Every headline felt like it was shouting: The future is here, and you’d better keep up.

And me? I felt a complicated mix of curiosity and dread.

I’ve never been a business owner who wanted to get left behind. I’ve always kept my pulse on new trends—not because I adopt them all, but because I want to understand what’s shaping the business landscape. AI was clearly making waves.

But I also remember thinking, This feels big… maybe too big.
It seemed complicated. Overwhelming. Like something for younger, more tech-savvy entrepreneurs who could pick it up in an afternoon while I was still hunting for the login button.

Part of me was intrigued—the innovator in me wanted to peek behind the curtain and see what all the hype was about.

The other part of me was nervous. I worried I was too old to learn a whole new way of doing business. And I definitely didn’t want to become one of those cookie-cutter AI users churning out robotic-sounding content that stripped away everything I love about my brand voice.

So I did what a lot of entrepreneurs do when something feels both exciting and intimidating: I dipped my toe in, then quickly pulled it back out.

But in the back of my mind, I knew.
Sooner or later, I’d have to step out of my comfort zone and see what this “AI thing” was really about.

The Resistance & Early Experience

Like most entrepreneurs testing the waters, my first attempts with AI were clumsy at best.
Ironically, I didn’t even start with ChatGPT.

Somewhere in the middle of all the AI hype, I heard that Jasper AI was “better for writing content.” And since content creation had always been one of the biggest time drains in my business, I figured… why not start there?

If AI could help me write social media posts or blogs faster, maybe I could make peace with it—even if only in a small way.

Of course, I wasn’t about to settle for something that didn’t sound like me. My voice and brand identity are non-negotiable. Still, I went in with the simplest approach possible: Can’t I just tell this thing to write a post on X topic?

Turns out… no.
Not if I wanted anything worthy of posting publicly.

But even in those awkward early experiments, something hooked me: the speed. I’d type in a prompt and—boom—content appeared instantly. It wasn’t perfect (in fact, most of it needed serious revising), but the sheer velocity was intoxicating.

Around this time, other creators started sharing their “magic prompts” on social media. I tried them. Tweaked them. Compared results. And while I still wasn’t fully bought in—because I had to rewrite so much—I was curious enough to keep going.

Meanwhile, the online debate was heating up.
Some entrepreneurs were openly experimenting, loving the possibilities. Others were loudly rebelling, warning anyone who would listen about AI’s risks. (That part hasn’t changed, right?)

I found myself watching both camps closely, all while asking one quiet question in the back of my mind: How does Lori feel about AI?

At that point, I wasn’t even thinking about how it could serve my clients.
This was still personal.
It was about learning the technology, seeing if I could make it work for me—or deciding if it simply wasn’t worth the effort.

The Turning Point

The real shift came in the most unglamorous way possible—when I got sick of paying $69 a month for Jasper.

I figured if I was already used to paying for AI, I might as well try ChatGPT. I skipped the free version entirely and went straight to Plus.

And then… I stared at the empty chat box.

If Jasper felt like a neat little menu of tasks, ChatGPT felt like walking into an empty warehouse and being told, “Go make something.” It was so open-ended, I didn’t even know where to start.

I’d heard people say, “Just keep using it and it’ll learn your voice.” So I did. And while it did start to sound sort of like me, “okay” wasn’t good enough. Not for my brand. Not for my clients.

Then I discovered custom GPTs—and that changed everything.

You mean, I could actually build a system inside ChatGPT… and train it to work like me and sound like me?

My operational brain lit up.
I know how to build efficient systems. I know how to train people. And suddenly, ChatGPT wasn’t just a tool—it was going to be one of my assistants.

The very first custom GPT I built was for my social media content. I loaded it with my own writing style, tone, and brand personality. I used knowledge documents and carefully written instructions to make sure the output actually sounded like Lori.

I refined it.
I argued with it.
I trained it again.

Until finally, it was producing content that didn’t just save me time—it made me think, “Wow, this is exactly how I would have written it… only faster.”

The Reframe — AI as an Aligned Partner

The reframe came when I realized I didn’t have to hand over the creative keys to AI.
I could partner with it.

Once I tapped into its speed and power, the lightbulb went on.
When you’re running a business, you’re always looking for ways to be more efficient. And here was this tool that could do certain tasks faster than I ever could—without replacing the heart and strategy I bring to the table.

We became strategic brainstorming partners.
I taught it exactly who I am, how I talk, which brand values are non-negotiable, and how to hold the same level of integrity I demand from myself.

My years of expertise didn’t go out the window—they became the guiding force.
I’m the strategist.
The decision-maker.
The one in charge.

If I don’t agree with what AI gives me, I tell it. If it falls short, I fix it. If it veers off in a direction I didn’t intend, I refine my instructions until we’re back on track.

Human discernment is my non-negotiable.
I will never damage my reputation—or dilute my brand—by letting AI be the be-all and end-all of my business.

Everything it produces passes through me.
If I don’t fully align with it, I revise. I tweak. I rewrite. I make it my own.
I don’t stop until the final piece feels like me—and until I’m proud to put my name on it.

How I Use AI Today

Once my social media content writer was humming along, something lit up in me.
The custom GPT fire was real—and I went all in.

What started with one assistant quickly became a full AI dream team running the backend of my business:

• Sage – My social media content writer, trained to create posts in my exact voice and style.

• Queenie – My quarterly planner for SEO-rich blog topics that align with my visibility goals.

• Callie – My monthly social media content calendar creator, mapping out what to post and when.

• Nina – My powerhouse for the weekly blog and newsletter process, managing everything from structure to tone.

• Cassie – My copywriting best friend, trained in all my offers so she can write with accuracy, clarity, and heart.

Once I saw how seamlessly these GPTs were running my business, a biz bestie threw me a curveball:
“Why don’t you create a public-facing GPT?”

My immediate reaction: Gasp. That felt like a stretch.
I told myself I needed to be a certified AI expert before letting someone else use my GPTs. But deep down, I knew that was just fear talking.

So I pushed past it—and created my AI-Powered Offer Confidence Tool.
It’s now been used by tons of entrepreneurs to test their offers, identify what’s working, and spot the gaps they need to close before going full speed into marketing.

Honestly? I can’t imagine running my business without these AI systems now. They’ve refined my processes, saved me hours each week, and freed up the mental energy I need to focus on the work only I can do.

The Current Project — OfferMojo Squad

The next evolution of my AI journey is the OfferMojo Squad—a team of AI-powered offer strategists designed to help coaches, wellness professionals, and subject matter experts craft, scale, market, and sell aligned, magnetic offers.

It’s not just one assistant—it’s a full dream team, each one trained on my signature frameworks, my 20+ years of experience in offers, and a blend of real human strategy with intuitive, soulful guidance.

Here’s the lineup:

• Gemma – The Offer Concierge. Your guide to figuring out exactly which assistant you need based on your unique offer challenges.
  

• Grace – The Offer Strategist. Builds the foundation your offer stands on—specialty, core problem, transformation, target audience, and even a full evaluation of your existing offer suite.
  

• Kate – The Offer Builder. Structures your offer: format, delivery method, framework, pricing, and naming.
  

• Theo – The Offer Messenger. Crafts messaging that resonates deeply with your audience so they “get” the value of your offer instantly.
  

• Avery – The Offer Amplifier. Outlines your visibility, launch, and sales strategy so you can actually get eyes on your offer—and sell it.
  

• Elliot – The Offer Ecosystem Architect. Maps the entire customer journey and helps you create a suite of offers that meets your clients wherever they are.
  

Why build this?

Because I kept seeing entrepreneurs try to DIY their way through offer creation—either winging it based on what they knew, or relying on generic ChatGPT prompts that didn’t dig deep enough to be truly effective.

I wanted to change that.

The OfferMojo Squad is designed to ask the questions entrepreneurs don’t even know to ask, fill in the gaps, and help them approach offers with real depth and strategy. Every assistant delivers outputs that are personalized, intuitive, and strategically sound—so business owners can stop guessing, and start building offers that actually work.

The Impact — What’s Changed for Me

AI has become more than just a tool in my business—it’s a true brainstorming partner.
It’s saved me countless hours and freed up enormous amounts of mental energy. It helps me synthesize information at lightning speed and has allowed me to build more efficient workflows for both myself and my clients.

Just last week, I delivered a 30-day Offer Power Plan roadmap for a client in a fraction of the time it would have taken me before. I handled all the strategy, guided AI through the process, and used it to synthesize our call notes into a rough draft. With my tweaks and input, we co-created a week-by-week plan I was proud to hand off.

I’ve used my own OfferMojo Squad to produce high-quality offer documents after deep strategy sessions, and I’ve even built custom GPTs for clients—tools that have gone on to help us write website copy, social media content, and SEO-rich blogs.

And while AI handles the heavy lifting, nothing leaves my business without my human discernment, copy edits, and strategic oversight. What used to take hours now takes a fraction of the time—without sacrificing quality, alignment, or the personal touch my clients expect.

My Final Reflection — Looking Ahead

All of this being said, I’m not without my reservations about AI.
I wrestle with the same questions and fears many people have.

How will this affect the future of work?
Will it replace jobs that once sustained families?
What will it mean for our education system?

That last one may be my biggest concern. How will AI be used—or not used—in schools? How will we ensure future generations can think for themselves, solve problems independently, and master essential skills like writing and critical thinking? Are we setting ourselves up for a future of human robots, devoid of emotion and nuance?

The truth is, we can’t fully predict where this is headed. But I believe we have a responsibility—to ourselves, our businesses, and the people we serve—to use AI for good, and to keep humans at the center of it all.

To entrepreneurs, I would say this:
Lean into the human side of your business.
Be the emotional connection people need to thrive.
Let AI optimize your thinking—but never outsource your brain.

We’ve lived through revolutions before. We adapted. We found our way forward. Just as the internet replaced encyclopedias, AI will likely become part of our “new normal.”

For me, that means approaching change with flow rather than resistance. Staying aware. Staying open. And staying vigilant about my values:
→ Leading with heart.
→ Being inclusive.
→ Promoting growth.
→ Valuing the depth of human relationships.
→ Collaborating for good.

If AI is here to stay—and I believe it is—then it’s up to us to shape how it integrates into our work and our lives.
Not by resisting it entirely.
Not by handing over our power.
But by choosing to remain fully human in the process.

💌 If this reflection stirred something in you, I’d genuinely love to hear it. What’s your take on AI—whether it excites you, worries you, or leaves you somewhere in between? Send me a note and let’s have the kind of honest, human conversation the world needs more of.

Lori Young is a certified business coach and offer strategist for soul-led coaches, healers, and service providers ready to create aligned, magnetic offers that actually sell. With 20+ years of experience in business strategy, Lori blends intuitive insight with proven frameworks to help entrepreneurs gain clarity, confidence, and sustainable income. She’s the creator of the Aligned Offer Accelerator and the AI-powered OfferMojo Squad, tools designed to simplify offer creation without losing the soul of the work. Lori’s clients come to her for the depth, precision, and grounded strategy that turns ideas into offers their audience can’t resist.