AI is changing the way we work, but who is shaping its future?

This week, Julia sits down with Valerie Chapman, co-founder and CEO of Ruth AI, a platform using AI to help close the gender wage gap through personal branding, salary negotiation, and career advancement.

After being laid off twice before turning 25, Valerie decided to stop waiting for opportunity and start building it herself. She shares how her unconventional path, from fashion modeling to social media strategy to startup founder, prepared her to launch a company tackling one of the biggest challenges facing women in the workplace today.

Julia and Valerie discuss why women are adopting AI more slowly than men, what that could mean for the future of work, and why learning to use AI (even if you're skeptical) is becoming an essential career skill. They also dive into building a startup in stealth mode, creating community through women-focused AI hackathons, developing a personal brand that lasts, and the resilience required to keep showing up after rejection.

Whether you're curious about AI, building your own business, or looking for practical ways to stay ahead in your career, this conversation offers an honest look at what it takes to create meaningful change while building something from the ground up.

In this episode, you'll hear:


• Why Valerie believes women can't afford to sit out the AI revolution
• How two layoffs became the catalyst for founding Ruth AI
• The surprising career lessons she learned as a fashion model
• What "vibe coding" is and why it's opening doors for more founders
• Why personal branding is becoming more important in the age of AI
• How community-building has been central to growing Ruth AI
• The mindset shifts that help founders navigate constant uncertainty and rejection

You can find Valerie at https://valeriechapman.com, follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok @valeriechapman, and check out Ruth AI at https://ruthapp.ai.

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