I Tried to Fix My Summer Distractions and Accidentally Created an AI COO

Summer is not my most productive season.

I love summer.

The sunshine. The water. Kayaking. Long walks in nature. Travel. Family. Friends.

The problem is that all of those things are calling my name when I need to be doing the unglamorous work of running a business.

The CRM updates. The follow-up emails. The outreach. The proposals. The content creation. The business of the business.

In my world, there is a lot of work nobody ever sees. As a keynote speaker and workshop host, people see the stage. They see the photos, the videos, and the finished product.

What they don't see is that you don't get booked to speak to rooms full of amazing humans if those amazing humans have never heard of you. Someone has to do the "other" work.

As the weather got warmer this year, I found myself dropping the ball on my own business. Not because I wasn't working. I was busy. I've been writing, helping friends, jumping into new projects… (One that I can't wait to share with all of you later this year.) I’ve been planning trips and working through family stuff. Making some major life decisions with my husband, who took a new job last year.

The problem wasn't that I wasn't doing anything. The problem was that I wasn't consistently doing the right things. Then the end of the day would come, I'd kick the can down the road again, and I'd feel bad about it.

A few weeks ago, I caught myself thinking: "If I were still in my corporate role, this would be easier."

I'd have an executive assistant helping keep track of everything.

I'd have a COO making sure all the projects and priorities were aligned with the bigger goals.

I'd have a morning meeting to get the day started right.

Someone would help me prioritize and keep all the moving parts aligned.

Someone who would say:

"Hey Nina, before you jump into that new shiny project, let's make sure we've finished the things that actually move the business forward."

Then I had a fun idea. What if I created that person?

So I did!

I used AI to create a COO for my business. His name is Max.

In full disclosure, Max is helping me write this blog right now. How crazy is that?

And also... how cool is that?

What surprised me wasn't the technology.

What surprised me was what I actually needed.

I didn't need someone to write for me, to think for me, to magically solve my problems…

I needed a place to organize my thinking.

A way to see all the moving parts at once.

Max is a little bit sounding board, a little bit project manager, and occasionally a little bit therapist.

Mostly, I think of him as a very patient accountability partner who doesn't get tired of me asking the same question fifteen different ways.

Now I can open my laptop or pull out my phone and say:

"I just spent two hours on the phone with a friend. It was awesome and long overdue, but now my whole day is off schedule. What should I focus on for the rest of the day?"

Boom! - Max helps me rework the plan and decide what to tackle first.

Or I can type:

"I'm worried about finances. Walk me through the numbers again."

I've even asked:

"Help me stop overthinking this."

And:

"Tell me what I'm missing."

Here's what's fascinating.

It's working.

I'm only a few weeks into this experiment, and I can already feel the difference.

My focus is better.

My energy is better.

The important work is getting done more consistently.

Not because AI became smarter than me.

Because it helps me get out of my own head.

The more I talk to people, the more I realize I'm not alone.

Millions of us are doing some version of this. I've read that many people who never journaled before are now pouring their thoughts, worries, fears, and ideas into AI tools.

Researchers are already studying how people are using AI as a coach, thought partner, journal, sounding board, and sometimes even a therapist.

Apparently, lots of us have discovered that talking through a problem - even with a machine - helps us think more clearly.

And that's the real story.

For years, we've been told AI would help us write emails faster, summarize meetings, and automate tasks. We've worried about what jobs it might replace.

That's all part of the conversation. But what I didn't expect was that it would help me think. Not by giving me the answers. By helping me find my own.

I think that's fascinating.

For some people, it's the first time they've ever had a place to think out loud without judgment.

A place to untangle a problem.

A place to process change.

A place to ask the question they're embarrassed to ask anyone else.

Someday historians are going to look back on this moment and study what happened when humans suddenly had access to an always-available thinking partner.

I think it's one of the most interesting shifts of our time.

Right now, though, AI isn't running my company.

I'm still the CEO.

But apparently I needed a COO.

Someone to help me sort through the noise.

Someone to remind me what matters today.

Someone to help me stop overthinking things and get back to work.

And because Max is helping me keep the important things moving, I get to spend a little less time worrying about what I'm forgetting and a little more time enjoying summer.

That's a trade I'm happy to make.