08/28/2026
Yesterday I led a workshop for the Community Foundation of Elkhart County — 80 nonprofit leaders in the room — and the only photo I snapped was a selfie with the lovely Patty Rose as we were both exiting the restroom. So her face is carrying this post today. 😄
This group was kind, thoughtful, and truly engaged. Curious, unafraid of the challenge, and full of people willing to raise their hands and ask great questions. I loved every minute of it.
Just wanted to share few of the main points from my talk:
→ The tech isn't the hard part. Understanding deeply how you work, and where AI can (and should) fit into that, is far harder for most people.
→ Your attitude and effort are what make the difference. It's a choice.
→ You have to use AI to understand it. You can't listen to piano and suddenly play Beethoven. You have to put your fingers on the keys. Constantly.
→ Using AI is a habit you train your brain into. Can AI help me with this? Could I build a solution here? Ask yourself these questions on repeat, and it won't just teach you AI, it'll blow your mind with the results.
→ AI slop isn't an AI problem, it's a human ownership problem. The fix is to build systems where humans understand what's good and what isn't, and they take full ownership of the output.
And finally: in the AI world, everyone is a builder.
The conversations before the talk, at lunch, and after were a reminder of just how diverse everyone's AI journey is right now, how deeply personal this has become on so many levels, and how exciting it is to be alive, in this moment in time, with the privilege of leading people through this transformation.
