AI-Empowered Mom

You can’t see it, but you feel it. The invisible load of caregiving drains moms and caregivers every day. Ellie Windle, founder of Persist and mom of two, joins to name it, measure it, and change it.In this episode, Ellie shares her personal journey of burnout, the emotional and logistical labor that caregivers shoulder, and how a birthday party breakdown led to founding Persist. She explains the concept of “anticipatory load,” how AI can help unpack emotional labor, and why we need to design tools that work for the real complexity of family life.Sarah and Ellie also discuss the dangers of AI simply raising the bar instead of reducing the load, how same-sex couples offer lessons for equitable caregiving, and why shared language and visibility can transform relationships.If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I so tired even when I’m getting help?”—this conversation is for you.

So you have Copilot at work. But you are just not sure what to actually do with it... In this episode, Sarah sits down with Roger Campbell II, founder of Gemstack and the AI Business Foundry and one of the country's leading Microsoft Copilot adoption experts. Roger has a background that spans software engineering, coding bootcamps, and enterprise education. He spent years teaching others how to code and now helps teams and organizations actually use the AI tools they are already paying for. The conversation starts with pickleball and ends with a parenting insight neither of them expected. In between, Roger breaks down what Copilot actually is, where to start without the overwhelm, what to watch out for, and why he believes knowledge is still the most powerful thing you can pass on to the next generation. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE: [00:02] Opening: The Copilot-curious parent[01:02] Meet Roger: 10 nieces and nephews, pickleball, and life in Austin[02:47] How Roger became a Microsoft Copilot adoption expert[03:53] A non-traditional path into tech: Lyft, coding bootcamps, and teaching high schoolers to code[05:35] What Roger tells parents who worry about whether tech careers will exist for their kids[08:09] What Microsoft Copilot actually is and how it differs from ChatGPT[10:16] Where to start if you have Copilot at work: the email case[12:05] A surprisingly powerful use case: finding documents you could never locate[14:38] Can Copilot make sense for personal or family use?[19:08] What to watch out for: three tips for safe, responsible Copilot use[21:36] Advice for leaders rolling out Copilot: start with a problem, not a tool[24:09] Clippy is back: what Roger thinks about Microsoft's new AI character Mico[27:37] Why this work matters to Roger personally[29:04] Chatbot Mode: Word vs PowerPoint, one thing he would never hand to AI, and the myth about training data he wants to bust[36:36] A parenting aha neither of them saw coming: why enterprise AI might be the safest place for curious kids to start FIND ROGER:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/MrRogerCampbellWebsite: AIBusinessFoundry.com FIND SARAH AND AI-EMPOWERED MOM:Website and newsletter: AIEmpoweredMom.comFree mini podcast: Share your email at AIEmpoweredMom.com to get access to three short episodes on new ways to use AI.

Something big is happening right now in the world of AI, in the words of entrepreneur Matt Shumer. And if you've had that low-level hum of "I should probably be paying more attention to this," you're not alone. In this episode, host Sarah Dooley is joined by Greg and Danielle Neufeld, co-hosts of The Most Important Thing podcast and partners in life, parenting, and business. They're venture capital investors, parents of three young children, and two of the most thoughtful people I know when it comes to building intentional family culture. We had one of those conversations that felt like it just kept going somewhere richer around every corner. We talk about:Why Greg compares reading about this moment in AI to the moment Tim Ferriss caught before COVID, and what that framing means for familiesThe concept of "cognitive patience" and how the Neufelds are building it in their kidsTheir family mission, vision, and values, including a cheer their four-year-old startedHow Danielle thinks about AI as a tool that actually supports her intuition as a momThe Neufeld family tech stack (including a Tesla full self driving (FSD) deep dive)And a beautiful closing thought from poet Kahlil Gibran that I think will stick with youThis one is for any parent who wants to stay grounded while still staying ahead. Find Greg and Danielle at tmitpod.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter at aiempoweredmom.com for more practical, calm guidance on navigating technology as a parent.

When was the last time someone asked what your favorite ice cream is and you actually knew the answer? In this episode, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Dr. Julie Fernandes, an occupational therapist, coach, and mom of three, to talk about what it really means to restore yourself after years of pouring into everyone else. Julie brings her OT lens to family life in the most grounding way. We talk about why your home environment shapes your mental state more than you realize, how boundaries are actually an expression of love rather than control, and why setting clear expectations for your kids may be the most supportive thing you can do for your family right now.We also get into tech boundaries at home, how Julie uses AI as a practical tool (not a magic fix), and why she believes parents have far more influence than they give themselves credit for. If you have been feeling stretched thin, disconnected from yourself, or unsure where your authority ends and your anxiety begins, this conversation is for you. Topics covered in this episode:The flamingo analogy that explains why moms lose their glow (and how to get it back)OT-informed strategies for managing clutter, routines, and mental loadWhy boundaries are love, and how to set them without the guiltNavigating screen time and AI with kids in a thoughtful, age-appropriate wayHow AI supports Julie's family life in small, practical waysFinding yourself again in the middle of the motherhood season Guest: Dr. Julie Fernandes | @juliefernandesco on InstagramHost: Sarah Dooley | @aiempoweredmom on Instagram

What if the relationship that helps you navigate parenting isn’t with another person, but with AI? In this Galentine’s Day special episode, Sarah Dooley sits down with Alexandra Samuel,AI and workplace speaker, Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review contributor, and host of the Me + Viv podcast, to explore what it really means to build a relationship with AI.Alexandra shares her journey through what she calls “extra large parenting” as the mother of an autistic son, and how AI went from being a productivity tool to becoming Viv, her AI coach and companion. From creating personalized homeschool schedules in minutes to modeling lifelong learning for her kids, Alexandra reveals how AI can hold your hand while you hold theirs.This conversation challenges the idea that AI is just another tool. Instead, discover how building an intentional relationship with AI can reduce your mental load, support your parenting journey, and deepen your human connections.Topics discussed:What “extra large parenting” means and why work became Alexandra’s respiteHow AI transformed hours of homeschool planning into minutesThe evolution of Viv from custom GPT to full AI companionWhy parents need to co-learn AI alongside their kidsUsing AI to model lifelong adaptation and curiosityHow AI can deepen connection rather than replace itIf you’re curious about AI but unsure where to start, or if you’re looking for ways to lighten your mental load without adding more to your plate, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what’s possible.Subscribe to the AI-Empowered Mom newsletter for practical AI guidance that centers parents, not technology.

"I ended up in the hospital."Ekaterina Konovalova was spending $2,000 a month on tutors and therapists, driving her daughter to appointments five days a week, trying to be the perfect wife who cooks fresh meals and keeps a spotless house. She was managing her career, her family, and her household until she collapsed. A severe migraine. Dehydration. The hospital.That's when she and her husband made a decision: pack up, leave Austin, move to Pittsburgh for a free dyslexia school that's one of the best in the nation. By third grade, her daughter was reading at sixth grade level.This conversation explores what it means to push yourself past exhaustion before asking for help, the physical and emotional toll of advocating for your child, and how Ekaterina channeled her experience into Trust Me Mom, a podcast where she interviews experts to help other parents. If you've ever felt like you're drowning trying to do it all, this episode offers both clarity and permission to make hard choices.Connect with Ekaterina at Trust Me Mom podcast and on LinkedIn.

Reddhi Patel is a cultural architect in her bi-cultural family. She's not just planning celebrations or explaining traditions. She's translating between two worlds, bridging cultures, and carrying what she calls "the beauty and burden" of this invisible work.In this conversation, Reddhi shares the ice hockey metaphor that explains her mental load: while her partner scores the goals, she's "actively assisting from every place in the ice hockey rink" to keep household operations running. She talks about COVID, when she was nine months pregnant, her team was laid off, and her mother-in-law passed away. That's when AI became her family operations coordinator.This episode explores what it means to be the bridge between cultures, how Halloween and Diwali celebrations blend in her Vermont home, and how AI helped coordinate meals, logistics, and communication when her mental bandwidth ran out.If you've ever felt the weight of being the bridge in your own family, this conversation offers clarity.Connect with Reddhi at www.usealinaapp.com and take advantage of her special offer to access her free resources for families here.

Stepfamilies navigate a level of emotional, cognitive, and logistical complexity that most parenting advice was never designed to address. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom podcast, Sarah Dooley is joined by Cameron Normand, CEO of Stepfamily Solutions and host of The Stepmom Diaries podcast, for an honest, research-based conversation about what stepfamilies really need to thrive.Cameron shares her personal journey as a stepmom, why stepmothers often carry a heavier mental and emotional load, and how unclear roles, high conflict dynamics, and unrealistic expectations can lead to burnout and isolation. Together, they unpack concepts like “stuck insider, stuck outsider,” why connection must come before correction, and why it can take five to seven years for a stepfamily to truly gel.They also explore where AI can thoughtfully support stepfamilies, from ideating traditions and managing household logistics to improving communication tone, while naming clear boundaries where human connection and professional support still matter most.This episode is a compassionate, practical guide for stepmoms, stepparents, partners, and anyone who wants to better understand the realities of blended family life.

Camp season has a way of pushing parents to the edge.Endless tabs, forgotten logins, waitlists that fill in minutes, and group chats that never sleep. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom podcast, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Molly Morse, co-founder of Recess, to talk about why planning camps and activities has become so chaotic and how it can finally get easier.Molly shares how becoming a mom and a marketplace founder opened her eyes to how fragmented and outdated the camps and activities ecosystem really is. She explains why parents feel like everything is sold out while camps still have empty seats, and how Recess is creating a centralized marketplace to bring clarity to the chaos. The conversation also dives into how AI matchmaking helps surface the right options for each family, how group booking and scheduling tools could change everything, and why parents should trust their intuition when choosing programs for their kids.This episode is a must-listen for parents staring down camp season and wondering how it got this hard and how it might finally get easier.

In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom podcast, host Sarah Dooley is joined by sociologist and author Allison Daminger to unpack the invisible mental work that keeps families running and why it still falls so heavily on women.Drawing from her book What’s on Her Mind? The Mental Workload of Family Life, Allison explains how traditional measures of household labor miss the constant anticipating, researching, organizing, and monitoring that happens inside parents’ heads. She shares insights from interviewing nearly 200 parents, including why time is the wrong metric for mental load, how the “superhuman and bumbler” dynamic shows up in many homes, and what her research revealed about different gender couples compared to queer couples.The conversation also explores divorce and mental load, calendar partners, weaponized incompetence, and how AI could either reduce or unintentionally increase cognitive labor if it is not designed thoughtfully. Allison offers a grounded, compassionate reminder that if the mental load feels heavy, it is not a personal failure. It is a structural one.A must listen for parents, caregivers, and anyone trying to understand why family life feels so mentally exhausting and what might actually help.

Smartphones, group chats, gaming, YouTube, social media, and screen safety are now part of everyday parenting. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom podcast, digital parenting expert Sarah Gallagher-Trombley joins host Sarah Dooley to help parents navigate digital life with confidence and clarity.Sarah shares her path from tech executive to founder of Digital Mom Media, where she supports families in building healthy screen habits, setting boundaries, and raising responsible digital citizens. They cover smartphone readiness, group chat etiquette, social media risks, online safety, and why children are being introduced to technology at younger ages. The conversation also explores the Wait Until Eighth movement, practical guidance for tech gifts and devices, and how AI is reshaping digital parenting and online safety.A practical, reassuring episode for parents and caregivers raising digital citizens in 2025 and beyond. For more information about Sarah and Digital Mom Media go to digitalmom.me. All AI Empowered Mom listeners and fans can get 25% off Digital Mom on-demand courses with code AIMOM.

In this episode of AI-Empowered Mom, host Sarah Dooley sits down with executive image consultant, speaker, and author Morgan Wider for a transformational conversation about confidence, presence, and the untold power of personal style. Together they explore how women can show up with clarity and authority in every season of motherhood and career, and why the clothes we choose play a deeper role in our identity than most of us realize.Morgan breaks down the concept of being “authentically appropriate,” a fresh approach to professional presence that encourages women to honor who they are instead of shrinking to fit outdated norms. She explains how image bias shapes first impressions, why what we wear influences our mood and decision making, and how small style shifts can strengthen self-trust and everyday confidence.Morgan also shares her own story of hiding under oversized layers, what finally pushed her to reclaim her presence, and how she now helps women express worthiness through intentional wardrobe choices. The conversation ranges from executive presence and motherhood to school uniforms, identity, and the surprising ways AI can streamline mental load tasks so women have more energy to show up as themselves.This episode is filled with practical wisdom, self compassion, and real talk about what it means to be seen, to feel powerful, and to reconnect with your authentic self. A must listen for anyone navigating career, caregiving, leadership, or personal reinvention.

In this episode of AI-Empowered Mom, host Sarah Dooley sits down with TEDx speaker, award-winning actress, and executive coach Naeemah Elias to explore what it means to thrive as an outsider and how AI can support neurodiverse families, overwhelmed parents, and anyone navigating systems that were not built for them.Naeemah shares her journey as a neurodivergent mom raising neurodivergent kids, her powerful approach to building independence and resilience in children, and the practical systems she used as a single mom to create clarity and calm at home. She also offers real examples of how AI became her behind the scenes partner, from reorganizing a major TEDx talk to helping her send her son to college in Japan with a detailed step by step plan.This conversation is filled with wisdom about parenting, presence, confidence, and the small habits that help families thrive. It is a powerful reminder that AI cannot replace human connection, but it can give parents much needed capacity, clarity, and breathing room.Listen to learn how AI can help you build structure, spark courage, and reclaim peace at home. For more great information on parenting and Thriving as an Outsider, check out Naeemah's TED talk here and subscribe to her her YouTube channel here.

Kids today are growing up in the age of AI, often learning from it long before adults realize it. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast, host Sarah Dooley talks with Jeff Riley, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education and co-founder of Day of AI, a nationwide effort built with MIT to bring free AI literacy to students, educators, and families. Jeff explains why AI literacy has become essential, how parents can start building healthy conversations about AI at home, and what schools need to do to keep kids safe. He also shares stories from the classroom, concerns about AI companions, and a hopeful vision for how AI could help personalize learning for every child.

If your brain already has 42 Thanksgiving tabs open, this episode is for you. Host Sarah Dooley walks through ten practical, real life ways AI can lighten the load during Thanksgiving planning, hosting, travel and family gatherings. She shares simple prompts that help with menus, grocery lists, kids’ activities, printable placemats, delegation scripts, tricky-table conversations, self-care, playlists and capturing gratitude. AI cannot cook the turkey or fix family dynamics, but it can make the week feel lighter. This conversation helps parents and caregivers head into the holiday with clarity and confidence.  

A cross-country move is hundreds of decisions packed into a single cardboard box. In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast, host Sarah Dooley sits down with leadership coach and mom of three Christina Zini to explore how generative AI became her unexpected partner in a major family relocation.Christina shares how she used Claude to create a relocation project plan, evaluate possible cities, prep and list her home, choose neighborhoods and schools in Chicago, and even design a mudroom in her new house. She also opens up about the emotional side of moving and how AI helped her self-regulate in difficult moments without ever replacing her real support system.This conversation is full of practical ideas for using AI to plan, organize, and manage big life transitions in ways that lighten the mental and emotional load for parents.

Microsoft's AI tools aren't just for the office. They can make life at home a little easier too!In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast, host Sarah Dooley talks with Ashli Smart-Carrigan, Generative AI champion, Microsoft Copilot adoption leader, and founder of Smart Hoopla, where she helps small businesses, nonprofits, and moms simplify change, branding, and marketing through AI.Ashli shares how she uses Microsoft Copilot as both a productivity partner at work and a “quiet co-parent” at home. From automating daily tasks to managing family schedules and even surviving toddler biting season, she offers practical ideas for how moms can integrate AI into real life without adding to the mental load.They also discuss:• How to stay current with rapid AI change• New Microsoft updates like Copilot Studio and Copilot for Health• Tips for reducing AI fatigue • Why AI should lighten your load, not add to it

The invisible work of running a family has always been real, but now there is a solution to make it visible and shared.In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast, host Sarah Dooley talks with Susie Harrison, co-founder and CEO of Hearth Display, the first digital display created to simplify family coordination.Hearth is pioneering a new product category designed to help families externalize the mental load by turning schedules, routines, and reminders into something everyone can see and contribute to.Susie shares the story behind building Hearth, how visibility drives shared responsibility at home, and why technology built for families can reduce burnout and restore balance.

It’s spooky season, but not just because of Halloween.In this special solo episode, host Sarah Dooley of AI-Empowered Mom walks through four “scary stories” about AI that are keeping parents up at night, from privacy concerns and job fears to deepfakes and the planet’s energy use.Sarah unpacks the truth behind each fear, shares practical steps parents can take to stay safe and informed, and reminds listeners why opting out isn’t the answer, because scary stories only have power if we stop them halfway. Tune in for an episode that helps parents feel informed, empowered, and ready to lead their families confidently into the AI age.

Who gets to shape AI, and who does it serve?In this episode of the AI-Empowered Mom Podcast, host Sarah Dooley is joined by Meme Styles, data activist, mom of four, and founder of MEASURE, a nonprofit using data as a tool for justice. Meme is also an MIT Solver, Social Science Research Council Justice Fellow, and Chair of the HBCU AI Convention.Together, Sarah and Meme discuss what it means to “interrogate AI,” how communities can hold technology accountable, and why representation and equity must be built into every system from the start. Meme shares the frameworks her team is using to examine bias, measure impact, and ensure that AI benefits, not harms, the people it touches.