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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former stand-up comedian, writer, podcaster, and creator of the wildly popular @NYTVows, Selena Coppock has built a career by creating opportunities instead of waiting for them.

In this honest conversation, Selena shares how a career in comedy evolved into writing, podcasting, consulting for television, and building an online community — all while keeping a full-time job that gave her the freedom to create without burning out.

Julia and Selena dive into the realities of creative careers, the importance of genuine relationships, and why success often comes from unexpected places. Selena also reflects on stepping away from stand-up, the lessons that came from projects that didn't go as planned, and how humor continues to shape the way she approaches life.

If you've ever questioned whether you're on the "right" path, this episode is a reminder that meaningful careers are rarely linear. And that making your own opportunities can be the most rewarding move of all.

In this episode, you'll hear about:
* Why keeping a day job actually fueled Selena's creativity
* Building a career through relationships instead of gatekeepers
* The story behind the viral @NYTVows account
* How setbacks led to some of her biggest opportunities
* Why she chose to step away from stand-up comedy
* The creative process behind writing, podcasting, and comedy
* Finding success on your own terms instead of someone else's

Whether you're building a business, pursuing a creative passion, or simply figuring out what's next, this conversation is full of practical wisdom, humor, and perspective.

Find Selena at https://www.selena-coppock.com, @selenacoppock and @nytvows on Instagram, and listen to her special Seen Better Days: https://www.iheart.com/artist/selena-coppock-40239964/albums/seen-better-days-213578456.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lindsay Shookus spent 20 years helping some of the biggest names in entertainment shine on Saturday Night Live. But what happens when you leave the job that defined your identity?

In this episode, Julia sits down with seven-time Emmy Award-winning producer, executive coach, and speaker Lindsay Shookus to talk about reinvention, resilience, and what it really means to bet on yourself.

Lindsay shares the lessons she learned from two decades at SNL, from building trust with celebrities under intense pressure to developing the confidence to walk into rooms before she could talk herself out of it. She opens up about the emotional reality of leaving her dream job, navigating the uncertainty that followed, and creating an entirely new career centered around helping others lead with confidence.

Together, Julia and Lindsay discuss why you're not meant to recreate your past successes, how to become more coachable, the importance of embracing discomfort, and the challenge of learning to actually enjoy the life you've worked so hard to build.

This conversation is packed with practical wisdom, honest reflections, and reminders that growth often begins when you're willing to let go of who you've always been.

In this episode, we cover:
* How Lindsay accidentally got her start at Saturday Night Live
* The art of building trust and bringing out the best in people
* Why feedback is a gift (even when it's uncomfortable)
* The emotional challenge of leaving a 20-year career behind
* Why you're not supposed to recreate your past successes
* How to identify your transferable skills
* The mantra Lindsay uses to combat defensiveness: "soften"
* Building confidence by doing hard things before you're ready
* Learning to be present instead of constantly moving the goalposts

Buckle up for an honest conversation about ambition, change, and the resilience required to build a meaningful next chapter.

Find Lindsay at www.lindsayshookus.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.