Mindset and AI: Empowering Women to Overcome Imposter Syndrome. A Conversation with Lisa Gibson (Epi. # 202)

In this episode, the host welcomes Lisa, a seasoned professional with a background in technology and communications. They discuss the intersection of mindset, mindfulness, and AI, exploring how individuals, especially women, can embrace AI without losing balance. Lisa shares her journey from Microsoft to starting her own consulting business, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the importance of a learning mindset. They touch on practical use cases of AI in both professional and personal contexts, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and self-compassion. The conversation also delves into strategies for maintaining personal wellness while leveraging technology effectively.

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Lisa
00:08 Mindset and AI: Balancing Technology and Mindfulness
01:33 Lisa's Journey in Technology
03:04 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
04:56 Women and AI: Challenges and Opportunities
07:17 Practical Uses of AI in Personal and Professional Life
22:48 Balancing Entrepreneurship and Personal Life
30:11 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Check out the launch of Lisa's book - https://a.co/d/0T7frNK

Guest Bio: Lisa Gibson is the President & Founder of Ignite Communications.  She is an award-winning and well-respected communications executive, best-selling author and speaker with thirty years of experience working for some of the world’s largest brands.  Prior to starting her consulting company, Lisa was the Chief of Staff and Head of Communications for Microsoft Canada.   Lisa has a strong reputation for solving complex business problems through strategic communications and delivering best-in-class communication programs.  The best-selling author of “Shine the Spotlight on You!” she regularly speaks about personal branding, overcoming imposter syndrome, AI & Comms, and women in STEM, and is a member of two boards -The Shine Foundation and QueerTech.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Introduction and Welcoming Lisa

[00:00:00] Shilpa: Welcome Lisa. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Yes, absolutely. 

[00:00:08] Mindset and AI: Balancing Technology and Mindfulness

[00:00:08] Shilpa: Before we hit record, we were talking about our interest on the perspective of mindset and AI. And I think you have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area. And so I'm so excited to have you. Thanks. I, uh, interesting. I don't often get to combine the two topics.

[00:00:26] Lisa Gibson: So I think it's pretty fascinating. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, you know, we always hear in this generation about mindfulness and mindset and balance, but how can you do that and still, um, embrace technology and not lose yourself? Yeah, for sure. For sure. Um, it's interesting though, because I feel like people kind of, sometimes I find anyways, mix up, you know, when you talk about like technology and devices and all that, like that devices and.

[00:00:59] Lisa Gibson: And being on all [00:01:00] the time is kind of one area, but then AI and using that as a tool, it's your advantage to actually free up some time. So that you can have more time to be a little bit more mindful and to step away, I think is actually is the piece that I find interesting. And that's often what I use AI for.

[00:01:17] Shilpa: Yes. Um, in fact that I was just telling you before we hit record that I've read that statistically not a lot of women are embracing it. But I also have this theory that maybe if you are working in technology, you're already around it and you're embracing it. 

[00:01:33] Lisa's Journey in Technology

[00:01:33] Shilpa: And it can make things more efficient, but before we get too deep, um, share a little bit about your history in the world of technology.

[00:01:43] Lisa Gibson: Yeah, sure. So, um, I have worked in technology literally just for about eight, eight, nine years. So I started with Microsoft about eight years ago. I had zero technology background. So my actual background is kind of communications. And [00:02:00] personal branding and I started at Microsoft in Canada and head up communications and was the chief of staff there and I left about a year ago.

[00:02:08] Lisa Gibson: So I learned a ton about technology. I absolutely adore Microsoft. It was a fantastic company, but I've always wanted to start my own consulting. And so I did that about a year ago. And, uh, funny enough, Microsoft is one of my clients. Uh, and I do have a couple other technology clients, though. I haven't really stepped away from technology.

[00:02:26] Lisa Gibson: I've been able to combine my love of communications and what I've learned from technology. And so that's what I'm doing right now.

[00:02:35] Shilpa: I think it's great that you were able to pull in something that you're already passionate about. And I would say, I don't know if the word pivot is right, but pivot into something that, um, you are able to then take to the next level.

[00:02:52] Shilpa: So you were at Microsoft, your background was in communication, but also you were immersed in technology. So [00:03:00] it's a new layer of skill set, I imagine. Yeah. You know what? 

[00:03:04] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

[00:03:04] Shilpa: I

[00:03:05] Lisa Gibson: would say this when I joined, um, I had massive imposter syndrome. Uh, and I, I had to learn really how to get over it because I didn't have a technology background, but I had like 30 years of communications, but it's interesting when you put yourself in a new situation and I was surrounded by like really smart people that, I mean, they would, they were immersed in technology right from university, some of them, right?

[00:03:27] Lisa Gibson: So, you know, degrees in engineering and computer science and so on. And so I think, first of all, I had to kind of get over. The fact that I didn't have that background. Um, and then it also meant I had to get up to speed pretty quickly. So, I feel like it's a skill set that I've learned, not just technology, but how to, um, kind of embrace things that you're not maybe particularly comfortable with or that you know or have a lot of background in.

[00:03:51] Lisa Gibson: And how do you embrace it? And then how do you just put on like a learner's mindset and try to learn all you can? And I have not. In any way, shape, work, or learned all I [00:04:00] can. Um, but I've learned a lot over the last eight or nine years. Um, and I think just being surrounded by all those people and, and taking the time to actually, um, learn and to study and to take courses, I think has actually really helped.

[00:04:14] Shilpa: Yes. And when you mentioned that learners mindset, also something that came to mind is sort of this theory of mental models that you may be unconsciously applying your mental model of how to learn about a new technology based on the models that you had already cultivated in your mind with communication.

[00:04:37] Shilpa: So it's if you're a little more ahead than you may think. And that also applies to the fact that. Often this notion of imposter syndrome is something that a lot of us have, but I have to remind myself, I'm not starting from scratch. Yeah, no, exactly. 

[00:04:56] Women and AI: Challenges and Opportunities

[00:04:56] Lisa Gibson: And I think when, you know, when you were mentioning earlier about women versus men and [00:05:00] AI, and I actually don't think it just applies to AI, but I have, I understand, you know, where you're coming from.

[00:05:04] Lisa Gibson: And, um, hadn't seen that research, but it doesn't honestly surprise me. I feel like more women suffer from imposter syndrome, or at least we talk about it a little bit more, I think. Um, and when it comes to AI, I think people are Are get really nervous, you know, like, as I said, I didn't have a background in tech and it's almost like when you don't you're worried you're going to break something or you're not going to use it properly.

[00:05:25] Lisa Gibson: And so a lot of people shy away, rather than trying to learn more. Sometimes they go the opposite route. And they just kind of shy away from using it. And then, of course, there's that whole fear of if I'm using it a lot at work, will people start to think that, you know, I can be replaced or that I'm not spending the right requisite number of hours that I'm supposed to spend at work because I'm using AI to help me.

[00:05:46] Lisa Gibson: So I've seen a lot of different, um, Yeah, I've just seen a lot of different perspectives. I also think the reality is women, especially, you know, moms and people that are really busy, like, AI changes so quickly and the rapid pace is [00:06:00] trying to keep up with it. I've, I've heard from some of my friends who, you know, have family commitments and so on, and they're working, and they're trying to figure out, like, how do I stay on top of this technology, and they're finding it really hard.

[00:06:12] Shilpa: It, it is absolutely hard. I, um, Find it that rapidly moves and while it's not changing in the essence of what it is because theoretically the models are the same, but like if you're talking about, say, another type of chat GPT copy editing tool. Yes, something will come out probably in a month or two and it might be better than Claude, it might be better than GPT.

[00:06:39] Shilpa: But the underlying model of large language models and how they work are the same, but not everyone knows that. So that is another layer of fear, the rapid movement, but they might not necessarily know that under the hood it might be the same. 

[00:06:59] Lisa Gibson: Well, and I [00:07:00] would say that actually so many women are actually using it, they just don't know that they are right.

[00:07:04] Lisa Gibson: Like when you think of all where it's embedded and you obviously know more than this than I do, given your background, but I feel like that's the other thing. If you ask women, like, are you using AI? A lot of them would say no. And you think, well, actually, you are, you just don't realize that you are. So, yes.

[00:07:17] Practical Uses of AI in Personal and Professional Life

[00:07:17] Lisa Gibson: Um,

[00:07:17] Shilpa: a year ago, I gave a talk on spirituality and AI. And the heart of that'd be fascinating. I'll send you a link if you're interested. Um, in the heart of the conversation started with this. Underlying human behavior of fear. And how that shapes our mindset. I also mentioned this. Talk on my Facebook. And a really, um, well educated friend of mine.

[00:07:44] Shilpa: Who's, um, no more senior. And seasoned. Um, jumped in and said, I will never. Be caught using AI. And I said, oh, and I said, oh, you [00:08:00] sweet soul, let me explain. I go, have you used this? Have you used this? Have you used this? Or this? You've been using AI for a while. 

[00:08:10] Lisa Gibson: Well, I, I have a, um, A group of communications people that I get together with quite frequently.

[00:08:16] Lisa Gibson: And so when, you know, you know, go back to about a year ago, I guess, when, you know, chat GPT and stuff, we're really gaining traction. Um, people were asking me like, you know, but it gives you wrong information. It does this, it does this. And it's like, yeah, well, it's not going to give you the final product.

[00:08:31] Lisa Gibson: But, and particularly as someone who has their own business, it's amazing. It's almost like my intern, right? Like, I don't take anything like, you know, that chat GBT shoots back at me as being the final draft. And so I think some of that too is, is kind of explaining to people that like, you know, yes, I find it incredibly helpful.

[00:08:49] Lisa Gibson: It's not perfect, but I don't need it to be perfect because it still requires me to come in and, you know, I have to feed it the right stuff. And then I have to also look at it and validate and edit what [00:09:00] it shoots out. So, um, I feel like, you know, yeah, I, I'd say like the three things that I've seen in terms of mindset or people are scared of it.

[00:09:07] Lisa Gibson: People don't think. It's, you know, they want the final answer right away and they're not getting it. And then just from a time perspective, especially with women, you know, they're so busy that they think that, you know, I don't have time to learn this. And so if I don't get the right thing back right away, then they just kind of abort, right.

[00:09:22] Lisa Gibson: They just kind of go now. I don't want any, I don't want anything to do with it. 

[00:09:27] Shilpa: And that's where I feel like it's the responsibility is on us, whether it's from the perspective of communication or, um, education on technology. Because this is a gap that will need to be filled quickly, especially for women that are, um, transitioning, pivoting, or seeking to do more with their careers.

[00:09:58] Lisa Gibson: And I think it's also a generational [00:10:00] thing. I mean, I, I hate to stereotype, but there's a certain generation of women who may not have, you know, gone through communication, right? Um, technology as a form of education. Yeah. I mean, I, again, I, I didn't either. And I think, um, it was really daunting. Um, but you're right.

[00:10:19] Lisa Gibson: Like, I've seen so much research come out that say, you know, more than half, For sure, more than 50 percent of employers are now looking for people that have, you know, some level of, you know, you don't have to be proficient, but some level of skills when it comes to using AI, because more and more of the organizations are bringing it in.

[00:10:36] Lisa Gibson: And so they, you know, they need people that are going to be using it. Like, I, it's funny, I was working with this organization and they were rolling out AI and, you know, we sent out this survey and everybody had training. Everybody had the same tools, but there was like such a small amount of people that were actually.

[00:10:54] Lisa Gibson: Using it. Um, and then what a waste, right? What a waste for the organization. And I [00:11:00] feel like those people are going to fall behind. So when you talk about, as women think about their careers, I feel like you're going to fall behind if you don't, if you don't kind of start to just embrace technology and figure out how to use it to your benefit.

[00:11:12] Shilpa: Yeah, I read somewhere and I hope I don't butcher the name and the source, but Seth Gordon from Marketing World. He was at a talk that I was at, attending, and he talked about how much he now has embraced AI and with the same level of being discerning and skepticism at times. Very methodical, and I think he, um, prefers Claude for its validity of the research, but Chad GPT for certain things, like, don't quote me on this, I'll make sure I get the right data, but I think he said if you don't use at least for X number of hours a day, you're already falling behind.

[00:11:59] Shilpa: [00:12:00] Oh, that's interesting. I hadn't heard that before. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so, and this is someone who's a prolific writer, very, um, critical thinker. So for him to say that, it immediately made me think, okay, well at least I'm on the right track now. I've embraced it, but it goes back to the mindset. I think, um, one is fear as you and I discussed.

[00:12:25] Shilpa: Um, and the other one also is. I want to say the desire to learn but not even know where to start. 

[00:12:37] Lisa Gibson: You know what, actually, that's a really good point because I feel like, um, when I do talks and stuff and I'm chatting, people come up to me after and say like, well, where, where would I learn? And, um, there's a guy that's on LinkedIn, actually, who I just love.

[00:12:50] Lisa Gibson: His name is, uh, David Burse. And I always direct them to him. And I say, listen, because he's very conversational, relatable. And I think that's the other piece is, like, trying to [00:13:00] learn from somebody who's like a technologist. You know, no disrespect, but it is a little different if you're actually really, you know, feeling a bit a insecure about the whole thing.

[00:13:08] Lisa Gibson: And if you don't have a lot of background in technology, I think having talking to somebody who actually is in the same position, but who's overcome that and learned, I actually feel like is pretty helpful. And Also, you know, I think marketers and communicators in particular have been so worried that their jobs are going to be replaced that again, they just do that kind of like, I'm just not going to, you know, pay attention and or admit that I'm using it.

[00:13:29] Lisa Gibson: And so, yeah, I just, I feel like to your point about being far behind. I think the more you can use it. I mean, even if I look at. I use it quite frequently and my prompts get so much better. Like I realized, you know, I used to put in like almost use it like a search function where I'd put in like, you know, tell me this and that would be it.

[00:13:48] Lisa Gibson: And now it's like my prompts are like super long, right? It's like a lot of context around who's going to be reading what I'm producing. What do I want them to feel? What I want? And it, and you learn that over time to your point about having to use it [00:14:00] multiple times. Uncertain amount of hours a day, like you, you learn that stuff over time, I think, Oh, absolutely.

[00:14:05] Shilpa: And that's probably, you've heard this, um, concept of machine learning, the AI technology relies on this principle of learning. So, each time, and it's not to say that just because if you were a haphazard in your approach, it won't necessarily learn. But if you are very methodical and conscious of what you're feeding your AI, over time it does get refined and there's actually more strategic ways to do it is, as you're probably aware that you can give it it's your, your brand voice, you could give it your information about your target audience.

[00:14:47] Shilpa: And you feed that only once and then each time when you're having a conversation, I'll just say something like at my, um, target audience, uh, what are the three things that I should [00:15:00] mention on this next thing that I'm writing about. So, that, that is true that it learns. Now, when it's come to you sharing.

[00:15:10] Shilpa: How do you connect with others? How to learn? Where do you start them from? Like, because there's a lot of people just think of it as the big AI. Two words, some, some demon like creature. Yeah.

[00:15:26] Lisa Gibson: Well, truthfully, because I'm usually talking to communications or marketing people, I don't go incredibly technical.

[00:15:32] Lisa Gibson: So I kind of explain what it is very kind of high level, if you will. Um, and then I talk a lot about why. Why they should use it. Right. So, and then I, and then I literally go through use cases, so I'll go through like, like from a communications perspective, just for example, like I'll say, okay, yeah, the obvious one is to help you write things, but I use it a ton for research, um, I help prepare people for media interviews and it's an awesome way to, you know, [00:16:00] pull up a reporter's name, put the topic in that you're going to be talking about and say, like, based on what they've covered in the past.

[00:16:06] Lisa Gibson: Based on this topic, like, what are the top challenging questions? Because, you know, and then what I also love to do then is give the answers to those challenging questions and say, okay, now what would be the counter question coming back from, like, that's just one. So I love going through use cases to really demonstrate to people the value.

[00:16:22] Lisa Gibson: Um, and so I think I start off with kind of like what it is, you know, here's why you should use it as a communicator. Quite frankly, I always say, you know, you're not going to be replaced. Um, by AI, you're going to be replaced by somebody who knows how to use it and uses it. Right? So there's like that kind of portion.

[00:16:39] Lisa Gibson: And then I kind of do the use cases. And then I usually have a discussion around prompt engineering. And so what, what does a good prompt look like, you know, what, what should it all entail? Um, and then I usually share a bunch of resources, so I feel like, you know, that typically can set up a good, it's a lot for somebody who's new to it, but it sets up a bit of a good [00:17:00] conversation.

[00:17:00] Lisa Gibson: So I don't really go deep into. You know, what is a, you know, large language like I don't get into a ton of that because I feel like I lose them if I do, if it gets too technical. Yeah, yeah. Now, I have a couple of follow up questions about that. One is in regards to the use cases. Um, that are your, you share, which target audience is it typically for?

[00:17:26] Lisa Gibson: Meaning, I think you mentioned marketing people and communication. Is that right? Yeah, it is. And it's, but I mean, and again, it's people, uh, whether you're in an agency or whether you're in house and it's for any, you know, I've talked to people that are like full teams, right? So you talk to the, like the executive right down to, you know, someone that's just joined the company.

[00:17:45] Lisa Gibson: Um, and it is interesting because you get different levels of people that already know and use it. Um, who will actually it becomes interactive, right? They'll kind of chip in and talk about how they're using it. Um, and, uh, so it becomes a bit of an interactive, uh, conversation. And [00:18:00] then we usually, it's really fun.

[00:18:01] Lisa Gibson: You do like a tabletop exercise where you say, okay, let's put it into action. Um, and it's super interesting to see what different people do and what they come back with. Um, but yeah, typically I'm talking to communications and, and marketing people. 

[00:18:14] Shilpa: Yeah, you know, the reason I asked that is because while my target audience for my podcast are typically women who are transitioning or building up their entrepreneurial business, um, I also have a large segment of my audience that are following because of the mindfulness aspect, the mindset.

[00:18:36] Lisa Gibson: And I would like for you to share how or what use cases. Would still apply to those that are not necessarily doing it for, say, a business reason or using it for a business reason. Yeah, um, let me think of that because I was going to say the way I think about it for mindfulness is because I do use it for business and for like, not just [00:19:00] business, but for other things is that it does free up a lot more time for me to do the things that I like to do to focus on mindfulness, right?

[00:19:08] Lisa Gibson: So, for example, like I love going for like a morning walk. I love getting out in nature. I really love at the end of the day having like a bath and like lighting candles and like, so there's just different things that I like to do. And I will admit before I had a really bad, um, challenge with maintaining balance.

[00:19:27] Lisa Gibson: Like I felt like I was always working and every now and again that still kind of crops up. But what I do find is because I can use AI to, to, to be a little bit more productive, it does free up more time for me. Um, for sure. I think the other thing is I, I use it to get, um, A lot of advice, right? Like all, if I'm thinking about a specific topic, um, that's on my mind, like maybe about health or, or something that's kind of, you know, bothering me, or I want to learn more about, like, right now, you know, you know, how do you eat better?

[00:19:54] Lisa Gibson: How do you do this? I use AI for that. I actually don't usually use Google too much. I usually use my co [00:20:00] pilot because I'm, I have Microsoft, obviously, um, given my background, but I obviously will use my co pilot more than I do. Google and it comes back with really great results. I think actually, again, I use a lot of the AI that's built into my device that's showing me like how much time I'm spending on my device.

[00:20:18] Lisa Gibson: What's my sleep look like? Like, I think there's just so many ways, um, that I probably use it. Even even me that I don't even realize that it's that it's AI in the background that's providing me with all this helpful information to help me get a little bit more mindful about how I spend my day. Yeah, I like how you mentioned the fact that it's can be applied to even doing research on some personal topic, because that means that, let's say you're even retired and curious about it, it can maybe even enhance the What's your retirement phase of your life because, um, not all of us were trained or I would say have developed the skills to [00:21:00] always be time efficient, but what if you can be so time efficient that you suddenly can start painting?

[00:21:06] Lisa Gibson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I like that. I, I, and I mean, this is a fairly well known use case, but, um, I also love when you, when you said retired people, I immediately thought of like my traveling and stuff and how, you Um, I use it a ton for like personal for traveling and trips and recommendations and, um, setting up itineraries, you know, if I only have a short little window in a place.

[00:21:27] Lisa Gibson: And so I feel like there's just so many, so many use cases outside of business, as you said. 

[00:21:33] Shilpa: Yeah, absolutely. And I've heard the travel use case a couple of times where someone actually was visiting a location somewhere in Europe and not familiar with it, but they were able to map out realistically what they can get done in that trip.

[00:21:51] Shilpa: Yeah, that's wonderful. I, I mostly use it as like that intern in the room. Is helping me [00:22:00] get 

[00:22:00] Shilpa: what I call production oriented work done. And I can tell you for sure that starting 2025. I made a conscious decision, like, for two years after using it, I'm like, this time I'm going to really dial in into how to have it effectively make my personal life more balanced, because that's what I'm striving for, but I want to practice what I preach, and I got into the point where I use it almost like a mentor, like constantly saying, okay, here's some subtasks that I have to perform each morning as part of my personal wellness routine.

[00:22:36] Shilpa: What can I do to shave off time or how can I become more efficient? And it's, it's wonderful to be able to do that because it's, it's enhancing my personal wellness. 

[00:22:48] Balancing Entrepreneurship and Personal Life

[00:22:48] Shilpa: Um, you mentioned, I've actually have a question, quick question for you, if I may just give it, just given your expertise. I do find as like female entrepreneurs and founders that, but the balance piece is [00:23:00] really tough and I have not cracked that one yet.

[00:23:01] Lisa Gibson: Like I've gotten better than I was probably in the corporate world, but I haven't actually really cracked it. So I would love to understand from you, like. How, you know, as somebody who's running their own business, how do you kind of crack your, yeah. Um, absolutely a challenge for me. And I really beat myself up about it because I'm like, well, here I am advocating for balance and my word of the year last year was holistic harmony.

[00:23:28] Lisa Gibson: And 

[00:23:28] Shilpa: honestly, I really, um, got tested by the universe on so many levels because building a business. And, um, doing it sort of, you have to figure out everything on your own constantly, and I have a zero budget, just me alone right now, building it. It's been immensely difficult. It takes a lot of time and energy and insane amount of discipline.

[00:23:55] Shilpa: And I have a little boy who isn't getting, he's not little anymore. He's already [00:24:00] 12. And I'm just like wanting to squeeze that in time with him, taking care of my wellness, taking care of my husband. So to answer your question, how am I doing it? Um, I'm, I'm using a combination of tools. So I have this day planner.

[00:24:19] Shilpa: I figured out that while I'm good at planning a week ahead, a month ahead, quarterly goals, I wasn't good about taking care of me anymore. So my non negotiable was being met, which is meditation morning and night, but I wasn't doing my fitness. I wasn't doing other things that then have started to affect my health.

[00:24:42] Shilpa: I was diagnosed with type two diabetes last year, which really has frightened me. So what I'm doing now is I realized my weaknesses. It's time blocking by the hour. So now in the morning, I don't even let myself turn on the computer until after [00:25:00] 10 unless there's an emergency. Like today, I had to deal with some tech issues.

[00:25:05] Shilpa: And before that, I very struck in a very structured way, I get the meditation done, then I go downstairs and I allow myself to get that high nutritional breakfast. And I do even if it's 15 minutes, get in a workout. So that's, but that's only, what, week two of 2025? Hey, you know what, keep going though.

[00:25:27] Shilpa: Didn't we just come across like the, or isn't it soon, or the day, what's that annual day of quitting where people, if you can get past that day, where most people quit? Yeah, I've heard of that. Yeah, well, you know, I think that that's an I'm glad you bring this up and it's not it's sort of off topic that it's sort of talks about the mindset of AI is I'm hugely deep going deep into all the theories on building better habits.

[00:25:55] Shilpa: And having routine now, while I have my non negotiable [00:26:00] meditation around it, I need to build out these other habits. And how do you do it? Because the other day I had somebody tell me something, which didn't help. I really kind of lost my patience when she said, um, just do it. What's keeping you? Why don't you just get out and just do it?

[00:26:17] Shilpa: Go for that walk. Go do that run. I'm like Yeah. So then I read up on, I listened to, and put it all together using AI. Yeah. All the theories on how to build Atomic habits. I love it. I love that book. That's my favorite. Yeah, it's my favorite book. And there's a few other ones around that. And I kind of pulled all the knowledge I'm gathering from them.

[00:26:44] Shilpa: And I, I spent a couple hours yesterday, um, putting together what I call my 2025 strategy. Oh, I love it. Yeah. Okay. So in the, in the strategy, I said, here are the things I know, here are the things I want to accomplish both [00:27:00] personally and professionally. Here are my weaknesses. What can we do? And with the mindset that I'm going to have to keep Add it, you know, because I'm in Tomica, they talk about, it's not a destination that you're going to, you know, it's an ongoing, you have to keep revisiting consistently.

[00:27:17] Shilpa: So, yeah, I have to revisit my strategy, probably another three weeks. But what I've done is break it down into little tiny bits, and then have, like, you know, when you wake up, you want to like, Let's say you have to take some sort of supplement in the morning. When you're doing that, you add some other habit to it.

[00:27:39] Shilpa: So this is, it does tie back to AI though, because I'm using AI to help me structure things that you normally, you can't just call a girlfriend and say, Hey, can you, can you go deep into my habits, unless you're a paid mentor. Right. Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes like some of these things are deeply personal. So you don't really [00:28:00] want to call someone else, but you do want help.

[00:28:02] Shilpa: So, yeah. So it's a great way to get, to get help. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And um, uh, I heard about a tool, I started to use it, I have to go deeper into it, but I have another friend who has a DHD and is a mom entrepreneur, and now her daughter has a DHD. And so she's trying to manage this while being a mompreneur.

[00:28:23] Shilpa: Yeah. And, um, she talked, talked about something called reclaim ai. I don't know. I'd have to write that down. I don't know what it is. I'm looking into it, but I like the way it thinks because it asks you a series of questions and your goals, and then it works backwards and starts blocking off key times in your calendar for you.

[00:28:45] Shilpa: And then I know other tools do this, but it will actually adjust things saying, okay, well, let's see, your workout didn't quite get done because. You need to do something else, then it will adjust, but it'll block time. That was where my [00:29:00] weakness is, is that the balance comes when I block, like, um, have blinders on.

[00:29:06] Shilpa: You're going to get certain personal things done. So let's see. I think I'm going to keep talking about it because I know that it's something that a lot of us struggle with. I'd love to hear. I'm going to look up that reclaimed AI. I've never heard of that. So I'll have to look it up. Yeah, I did a podcast on it also.

[00:29:23] Shilpa: I'll send you the link later. Okay, that'd be great. I think that's the piece for me. You know, when I was saying like the change, like you were talking about, it's just the introduction of new apps. And I get, I will admit, I kind of get stuck using the same ones again, partially out of time, because I know I feel comfortable with them.

[00:29:38] Shilpa: Right. But I don't, I don't explore new ones as much as I should really. Okay. And I think we all get into that pattern, because it's hard not just become familiar with one tool, and then as we're talking about machine learning, that tool is now becoming familiar with you. Yeah. And then just step away and try one more new thing.

[00:29:58] Shilpa: I sometimes have to tell myself, [00:30:00] okay, um, what is that word I'm going to satisfy? Meaning I'm going to accept the fact that this is only going to get so far and now I have to rely on my own intuition. Right. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:30:11] Conclusion and Key Takeaways

[00:30:11] Shilpa: Well, Lisa, um, if we had to like summarize any key takeaways for even the, uh, non Czechi individual, And I think you've mentioned a few, but maybe you can even just recap on mindset approaches, whether you're an entrepreneur or, um, just someone who wants to make their life better.

[00:30:34] Shilpa: Yeah. I mean, I think first of all, um, I think it is figuring out how you get over imposter syndrome, particularly if that's holding you back from trying anything or learning something. Um, for me, I think, um, having a learning mindset and it doesn't mean you have to devote hours and hours, but even if you could, you know, set aside 30 minutes a day.

[00:30:53] Shilpa: Or, you know, and just try something new, play around with the technology. So I think it's, you know, [00:31:00] getting over imposter syndrome, having a learning mindset and, you know, something that you said really resonated me with it, which is kind of being like a little, um, You know, you were saying, like, I'm hard on myself when I get, I get upset with myself.

[00:31:11] Shilpa: So I think all of us just being a little bit more forgiving of ourselves, um, and if we start to drop off and we start to have that fear and that, you know, imposter syndrome creep back in is to just address it again. Right. And I think the biggest thing for me is to start experimenting, start learning. Um, and figuring out how you can use it to free up more time so that you can focus on your own mindset and your own and your own health, because I think as women, I think that's the first thing that typically goes right when we all get busy.

[00:31:40] Shilpa: Um, and not just women, I guess, but for women, I see it more more like you focus more on your family, you focus more on others. Um, And so you spend less time. And so I think if you can figure out how to tap in to AI, um, tap into your own, you know, confidence, your own, um, I don't know, like, I just feel like there's, there's so much that [00:32:00] is inside of us that we could tap into that would free up a lot more time and give us a little bit more space.

[00:32:04] Shilpa: And it doesn't have to be, I think people think, again, they've got to spend hours. On their mindfulness or hours learning technology. And even if you could start small and like you were talking about, even if you can have it stack, right? Like, if you can start off with some small and then build and build, I think you'll see some difference, right?

[00:32:20] Shilpa: It's just kind of, it's just setting aside the and making a goal and then revisiting it. And not getting upset with ourselves if we kind of fall off. And I, I like the fact that you tied it with the imposter syndrome. For those who are not familiar with the concept, it's, maybe you can define it real quick before I Yeah, you know, I, um, I, I think it's, it's interesting where there's a study, and I think this actually helps summarize it a bit.

[00:32:48] Shilpa: There's a study that was done a while ago, and it was, it showed that when a job application goes up, or a position is open, there's like an overwhelmingly large amount of women that will look at it and say You know what? [00:33:00] I'm missing those two things that are on the list of whatever, so I'm not going to apply because I'm never going to get it.

[00:33:04] Shilpa: Whereas men go, oh, you know what? I can do this. And so it's, it's that feeling of like, you know, I, I, despite all the experience and despite all the knowledge I have that I'm an imposter that I actually, you know, I just don't, I just, I shouldn't be there. Like I shouldn't be at the executive level. I shouldn't go for that promotion.

[00:33:23] Shilpa: I'm just not there yet. And I feel like it's, it is, I mean, the research shows there's a huge difference between women and men in that regard. And it's not, it's kind of having confidence, but for me, it's like, A great thing that I like to do is to go back and look at the things that I have accomplished and remind myself of what I've done and You know, cause I think we forget, we really focus on the negative things.

[00:33:45] Shilpa: Like if you, if you worked on something and it didn't go well or something, that's what you focus on and you lose sight of all the awesome things that you did do. So I think, um, I mean, there's lots of strategies of how you overcome it, but I think at various points in our lives, most of us probably suffer [00:34:00] from it one way or another at one time.

[00:34:02] Shilpa: I wish I had learned about the concept when I was in corporate, because time and again, I didn't know what that thing was, nagging feeling. With hindsight, I realized, well, I was, I did have the education. I, I had the experience sometimes. It just was like, I set the bar so high, like gave myself so little grace.

[00:34:29] Shilpa: I also feel like for me, I, and this was honestly introduced to me when I went to Microsoft is they really focus on like having a bit of a growth mindset, which is like you learn from where you fail. Whereas I previous with I failed. I was so focused on like, you know, how the heck did I fail? Why? You know, and then beat yourself up like you just said, as opposed to going, okay, what am I going to learn from it?

[00:34:51] Lisa Gibson: Right? So if I didn't get this quite right. You know, I got 80 percent of it right and the 20 percent that I didn't, what am I going to take from that? How am I going to learn? And then I'll do better next time. [00:35:00] And I feel like that's a bit of a mindset shift that, um, I, I went through again when I joined Microsoft, because they're very much focused on that, um, as opposed to the way I used to be where I would just completely beat myself up if I didn't do something, you know, to your point of setting the bar really high.

[00:35:15] Lisa Gibson: And then if you don't meet it, then you, you know, you think you're a complete failure versus looking at all the things you did do. Right. Um, yeah, to get up to that point. Interesting. You should say that because I, every morning I try to practice, um, what I call my mindset routine and I go through my force myself to read certain key points and one of them is the gap versus gain.

[00:35:37] Lisa Gibson: I'm sure you've heard of that. Um, the gap is where I think. The mindset is that I still have this way to go. Oh, yes. Okay. Versus the gain is, I did gain this and that was from yesterday. Now I can gain further. Like it's an attitude. So the gap versus the gain. I [00:36:00] love that. I actually hadn't heard of that. I like that it's framed that way.

[00:36:03] Lisa Gibson: Yeah, yeah, I think that and I've actually considered putting that into my AI and saying let's think about the gap versus gain at the end of the day or at the end of the weeks as frequently as realistically possible. Yeah, yeah, no, I really like that I'd like that I've never heard it framed that way.

[00:36:21] Lisa Gibson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Lisa, um, I like talking about this and maybe you, if you want to come back, we can go deeper into any one aspect of technology. Yeah, that would be great. Yeah. That's wonderful. Well, I, I really appreciate you being on my podcast today. Thank you. Well, thank you for the invitation. It was lovely to chat with you.

[00:36:42] Lisa Gibson: It was lovely to chat with you as well, and I hope you have a really good day. Yeah. You too. Take care. Take care.