Michael speaks with Colin Levy, General Counsel at Malbek and adjunct professor at Albany Law School, about how AI is disrupting the legal profession and what Levy calls the “judgment gap.” They discuss AI’s growing role in performing tasks formerly done by lawyers, the need to verify AI outputs that can be plausible but inaccurate, and how legal advice is shifting toward more complex, solution-oriented recommendations. Levy explains how AI may change what junior lawyers are asked to do, why client counseling and emotional intelligence remain essential, and why legal education should better prepare students to use AI. He shares tools he uses daily—including Malbek AI, Perplexity, Claude (including Claude for Work), and Gamma—and emphasizes experimenting with clear goals.

Timestamps:
00:24 Welcome
01:38 Meet Colin Levy
04:09 AI Disrupts Law
06:26 Trust and Verification
09:20 Training Junior Lawyers
13:48 Clients and Transparency
16:19 Existential Threat Debate
19:45 Emotional Intelligence Edge
24:17 Learning Judgment and AI
27:17 Daily AI Tool Stack
29:02 Key Takeaways
30:48 Career Influence Story
32:24 Where to Follow Colin
33:20 Closing

Connect with Colin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinslevy/
https://x.com/Clevy_Law
https://www.colinslevy.com
https://a.co/d/06HSUhbs

Michael's National Workforce Study on Change Management:
https://www.michaeljlopez.coach/research

Michael welcomes strategic communications advisor Christie Bilbrey, founder of Stella Nova Media, to discuss why many professionals sound the same and how to stand out through clearer positioning and storytelling. Christie explains that credentials alone don't differentiate; what people hire is perspective and relatability rooted in understanding an audience's pain points and desired outcomes. She outlines a strategic approach to storytelling: define the goal, work backward to select a relevant moment, zoom in on key turning points, and share thoughts and emotions from the journey while protecting sensitive details when necessary. The conversation also broadens "audience" beyond clients to include gatekeepers, media, organizers, and communities, and addresses avoiding "AI slop" by letting human direction and experience lead. Michael also mentions his newly launched national workforce study, Rethinking Change Management.

Timestamps:
00:24 Welcome
01:44 Meet Christie Bilbrey
04:12 Why Everyone Sounds Same
04:46 Perspective Over Credentials
07:12 Audience First Storytelling
10:12 Finding Your Real Audience
13:24 Vulnerability That Connects
15:49 Story Structure That Lands
21:32 Senior Leaders and Safe Sharing
28:33 Avoiding AI Content Slop
31:29 Key Takeaways to Stand Out
33:34 Proud Moment and Growth
36:19 Where to Find Christie
37:10 Closing

Connect with Christie:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiebilbrey/
https://www.stellanovamedia.com
https://www.instagram.com/stellanovamedia/
https://www.youtube.com/@christiebilbreymedia

Michael speaks with executive coach and LinkedIn Top Voice Frida Thomas about becoming irreplaceable by understanding “risk vs. moat” in today’s AI-driven workplace. Frida shares her background coaching senior leaders and explains how quickly career strategy is changing, urging professionals to replace fear with curiosity and keep a constant pulse on trends. She describes how to identify a personal moat by noticing moments when your insights make others pause and by asking trusted senior leaders for feedback. They discuss how executives are using AI to offload generic work and augment strategy, and Frida advises laid-off professionals to stop job searching like it’s 2019 and instead use disciplined networking and intel-gathering. They also explore trusting intuition when considering consulting or entrepreneurship and close with Frida’s advice to put yourself in rooms with leaders you respect.

Timepstamps:
00:24 Welcome and Setup
01:30 Meet Frida Thomas
04:37 Moat Versus Risk
08:51 Finding Your Moat
14:12 Leaders Facing AI
18:21 Job Search Reset
24:07 Entrepreneurial Pivot
29:25 Myths and Mindset
30:19 Key Takeaways
32:38 Bonus Question
33:55 Where to Follow Frida
35:04 Closing Thanks

Connect with Freda:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/freda-l-thomas-mba-careercoach/
https://consultflt.com
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creating-a-compelling-job-description/