My guest is Analiese Brown, Chief People Officer at CampMinder. She has spent the last decade there helping build a company people want to work for, through acquisitions, leadership transitions, a pandemic, and the messy growth that comes with scaling a SaaS company. Most recently, she has been part of CampMinder’s company-wide AI rollout, helping stand up an AI Steering Committee and building the change management to help people adopt it in a human-centered way.

When I first invited her, Analiese told me her expertise veers more cultural than technical. That is exactly why I wanted her on the show. Plenty of people are talking about the technical side of AI implementation. Far fewer are talking about what it asks of the people and the culture inside an organization.

We explore how CampMinder is approaching adoption, from the steering committee and employee guilds to a tool that helps people navigate career paths and growth plans. Analiese shares how her team makes that guidance easier to access while staying involved when a question calls for human judgment or support.

We also talk about the connections that can disappear when AI makes it possible to move faster. A person can now produce a polished plan without talking to the colleagues whose perspectives might change it. Analiese explains why she encourages her team to share ideas early, make room for disagreement, and pay attention to how people experience their communications, even when AI could help them move more quickly.

One question Analiese asks of leaders has stayed with me: what do we want to be true about work, beyond what is technically possible? It is a useful question when the pressure to keep up is loud. It points us toward choosing where human presence matters and shaping AI adoption around the experience we want people to have.

It's always a joy speaking with Analiese. If you’re a founder or People leader working through AI adoption with your team, I think you’ll find this one very useful.

What you will take away

• How to involve employees in AI adoption and make useful tools available while keeping human support close.
• Why faster work can come at the cost of differing perspectives and everyday connection.
• How leaders can decide where to use AI by considering the experience they want to create for employees, candidates, and colleagues.

Learn more at humanequilibrium.ai.

How is AI changing the way you lead?

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Editing by Earth Dog Films (earthdogfilms.com).

Music by Dan Mahle.

In this conversation, I talk with Sarah Downey, founder of Sarah Downey Consulting, about how to use AI to ease workloads while protecting the time and attention people need to do their best work. Sarah helps nonprofit leaders adopt AI in ways that reflect their values and keep people at the heart of the work, but the questions she raises apply to any team navigating AI.

She shares how her own experience with burnout shaped her approach. We explore the promise of AI for people carrying too much, alongside a question for leaders: when AI helps us work faster, does that create room to think, rest, and connect, or does more work simply fill the space?

We also discuss the pressure to keep up as AI becomes more capable. Sarah describes how frequent AI use began to affect her confidence in facing a blank page, and why she makes time to slow down, sit with uncertainty, and find her own ideas. We talk about the role that reflection and mindfulness can play in helping us stay connected to our creativity and judgment.

Throughout the conversation, we return to how leaders can make more deliberate choices about AI. Sarah shares a practical lens for deciding when to use it: does it reduce workload, protect our values, and strengthen human connection? We consider what it looks like to put those questions into practice, from shaping an AI policy with your team to recognizing when a conversation or personal message deserves your own voice.

What you will take away

• Why saving time with AI does not automatically reduce burnout, and what leaders can do with the time it frees up.
• How slowing down can help preserve confidence, creativity, and independent judgment.
• Three questions to guide AI decisions in ways that reflect your values and strengthen human connection.

Learn more at humanequilibrium.ai.

Editing by Earth Dog Films (earthdogfilms.com).

Music by Dan Mahle.

In this conversation, I talk with Adam Rosendahl, founder of Late Nite Art and creator of Human Trust Protocol, about why trust, connection, and human presence become even more important as AI accelerates the pace of work.

We explore what Adam is seeing inside leadership teams as organizations race to adopt AI while navigating layoffs, restructuring, uncertainty, and significant pressure to change. Adam shares why trust is foundational during periods of disruption, how leaders can create space to acknowledge what teams are going through, and why moments of honest vulnerability can strengthen rather than diminish leadership.

We also look at the tension between automation and human connection. Adam shares why he remains cautious about automating interactions that shape relationships with clients and colleagues, and why efficiency should not always be the goal. We discuss the value of preserving some of the friction, imperfection, and struggle that help people build trust, navigate conflict, develop resilience, and create meaningful relationships.

Throughout the conversation, we return to a central question: what parts of work should remain deeply human, even when they could become more efficient? We explore why leaders need to invest deliberately in relationships and cultural rituals as AI changes organizations, and why trust and real human interaction still matter.

What you will take away

• Why trust and human connection become even more important as organizations accelerate AI adoption and navigate disruption.
• What leaders risk losing when they automate too much of the friction, imperfection, and interaction that build strong relationships.
• How leaders can use vulnerability, honest communication, and cultural rituals to help teams navigate uncertainty and change.

Learn more at humanequilibrium.ai.

Editing by Earth Dog Films (earthdogfilms.com).

Music by Dan Mahle.