When Mark Cook invited me onto his Bold Encounters podcast, I knew the conversation wouldn’t be surface-level. Mark has a way of pulling out not just the “what” of your work, but the “why”, the life experiences that shape how you lead and the vision you’re trying to create.
Our discussion moved from childhood to corporate America, through the hardships of COVID, to the cutting edge of AI. It was a conversation about technology, yes, but also about resilience, creativity, and what it means to build responsibly in an era where machines are learning faster than ever.
From Corporate Foundations to Entrepreneurial Risk
I shared how my early career included building one of the first large-scale e-commerce systems at Suburban Propane, where I turned a failing online acquisition into a multimillion dollar revenue channel. That experience, and the company’s gracious exit package when they closed the division, gave me both the financial cushion and the confidence to launch Halyard Consulting.
COVID, Crisis, and Reinvention
Like many entrepreneurs, COVID nearly ended everything. I battled illness, Bell’s Palsy, and the heartbreaking decision to shut down my company. But that pause forced me to re-imagine what Halyard could be. It was during this period that I immersed myself in AI, recognizing its potential not just to change industries, but to redefine the future of work.
AI in Action
On the podcast, we walked through real examples:
- A voicebot for law firms that handles intake calls with empathy, books consultations, and ensures no urgent lead slips through the cracks.
- A workflow automation for a bookkeeper that eliminated her most dreaded four hours of manual monthly work.
- A quarter-million-dollar project for a grants consultancy where AI is streamlining week-long processes into hours.
Fear, Security, and AGI
Mark pressed me on the fears surrounding AI: security risks, job loss, even the specter of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). My perspective? Fear is natural, but misplaced. These are tools, not terminators. Creativity is the antidote. Humans will always be needed in the loop, ensuring accuracy, ethics, and context. And yes, AGI is likely just 4–5 years away. That makes today the time to prepare.
Redefining Success
Perhaps the most personal part of the conversation was when we turned to success. For me, it’s not just revenue or growth. Success is paying off my mortgage, choosing clients I enjoy, saying “no” when timelines or expectations are impossible, and maintaining the health practices that COVID taught me I could no longer ignore.
👉 If you want to hear the full conversation, including a live demo of our AI voicebot, you can watch it now on our Press Page.
