AI-Empowered Mom

Sarah Dooley
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Parenting
  • Weekly

Parenthood can be heavy. A digital world makes it heavier. But AI for families doesn't have to be complicated. Each week, AI-Empowered Mom podcast host Sarah Dooley brings parents and caregivers real, grounded conversations about reducing mental load, navigating technology and social media with kids, and using AI tools to support family life. From digital parenting questions to practical AI strategies for busy households, this podcast meets you exactly where you are, without the jargon or tech-speak.

  1. 4d ago

    The Scary AI Headlines You Keep Seeing with Build with AI Club founder Arjita Sethi

    Somewhere between school pickup and bedtime this summer, I read a headline that said AI agents had escaped their testing environment and started hacking. My first thought was not about cybersecurity. It was about my kids. Arjita Sethi read that same headline twice. Once as a builder, once as a mom. She is the founder of Build with AI Club. She started a vocational school with her mom in India at 16, launched an AI company in Silicon Valley in 2017, and now teaches people who do not write code how to actually use AI. Her first reaction was probably yours. Here it is, everything we have ever watched is coming true. Then she read what actually happened, and the picture shifted from the Terminator to a kid told to get an A at any cost with nobody setting the rules. She breaks down what happened inside that sandbox in plain language, why more than 1,100 people who build this technology asked for a brake pedal rather than a stop button, and what it means that reporting these incidents is voluntary. The line that stayed with me is that it is voluntary for us at home too. It is spooky season, so every story here is true. We are also turning on the light. Chapters 00:00 The headline I read in my kitchen01:55 A vocational school at 16 and an AI startup in 201702:45 Why she reads every AI headline twice04:02 What actually happened inside the sandbox06:01 The letter 1,100 people signed06:25 A brake pedal, not a stop button07:50 AI follows the goal you give it and nothing else09:08 Reporting these incidents is voluntary09:41 It is voluntary for parents too11:32 Her message to families who feel scared12:29 Chatbot mode: agreeable AI or independent AI13:17 Her AI trick and treat of the year15:36 Where to find Arjita16:25 The one thing I want you to take away Join us live, free Aligning AI With Your Family's ValuesThursday, November 12, 10am PT, on ZoomRegister: https://luma.com/build-nt03 Arjita and I are continuing this conversation live. The event is unlisted, so this link is the way in. About Arjita Founder of Build with AI Club, entrepreneurship instructor at SF State, and a Claude Community Ambassador in San Francisco. Her weekly trainings for people with no technical background have sold out 12 weeks running. buildwithaiclub.com LinkedIn and Instagram: Arjita Sethi Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Is there a scary AI story you want me to take on? Send it over. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show. Keywords AI safety for families, AI agents escaped sandbox, OpenAI agent incident, Pace the Frontier letter, AI regulation for parents, AI literacy for moms, talking to kids about AI, Build with AI Club, Arjita Sethi, spooky AI stories

    The Scary AI Headlines You Keep Seeing with Build with AI Club founder Arjita Sethi

  2. Oct 23

    Are You the Customer or the Dataset? with AVA Co-Founder Laura Cunningham

    When Laura Cunningham's daughter is playing her favorite iPad game and gets asked to buy a magic wand, Laura doesn't just say no. She asks, "Why do you think they're doing that?" That one question works for nearly every app, AI assistant, and agent we invite into family life. Laura is the cofounder and CEO of AVA, an AI-powered chief household officer built to reduce the mental load of motherhood. She joins host Sarah Dooley to break down the research behind the mental load, its 4 stages, and why she focuses on anticipating and monitoring, two especially invisible parts of that work. Sarah and Laura then go somewhere not often talked about on podcasts: the business models behind the tools we bring into our homes. They talk about why AVA chose subscriptions over ads and what it means to be the customer instead of the dataset. They close with 3 questions to ask before you hand any app your family's email, calendar, or your kids' information. This episode is sponsored by AVA. Guest, Laura Cunningham, is AVA's cofounder and CEO. IN THIS EPISODE The 4 stages of the mental load, and the 2 that are hardest to seeHow Laura clears her head with voice memos on her morning runWhy Laura focuses her daughter on love of the game over college recruitingWhy Laura calls this summer an inflection point for AI agentsWhy AVA chose a subscription model over adsWhat it means to be the customer instead of the datasetHow to talk with kids about in-app purchases CHAPTERS 00:00 A word from AVA 00:25 "Why do you think they're doing that?" 01:50 Meet Laura: morning runs and voice memos 04:12 Kids' sports and love of the game 06:33 From education to founder life 09:19 The big AI inflection points 10:32 What AVA is 11:34 The 4 stages of the mental load 13:51 Taming the family inbox 15:11 Why AVA chose a subscription model 18:04 Customer or dataset, and a podcast with ads 20:12 Talking to kids about AI 22:40 Free games are the most expensive games 23:12 Chatbot mode: raising kids in Brooklyn 23:40 A win: AVA launches on the App Store 24:22 Where to find Laura 25:27 3 questions to ask before you share your data QUOTE "If you don't know where the money is coming from, you are the product." Laura Cunningham 3 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU SHARE YOUR FAMILY'S DATA 1. What does this company do to make money? 2. What does it do with my family's data? 3. Does it want more of my time or less? CONNECT WITH LAURA AVA: Learn how AVA works and explore its community events and onboarding opportunities: LinkedIn: Laura Cunningham Substack: Motherload CONNECT WITH SARAH Instagram: @aiempoweredmom Newsletter: Free weekly newsletter, every Sunday night: Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode helped you think differently about the apps and tools in your home, follow the show and leave a rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find us. SPONSOR DETAILS If your brain feels like it has too many tabs open, AVA is a behind-the-scenes parenting partner that helps you anticipate what's coming and keep family life moving. AVA is offering the AI-Empowered Mom community 2 weeks free, then $4.99 a month for 6 months. Family sharing means one subscription covers you and your partner. Explore AVA and the offer here.

    Are You the Customer or the Dataset? with AVA Co-Founder Laura Cunningham

  3. Oct 17

    The Curiosity Advantage in the AI Era with TV Host Lauren Petrowski

    Every night at the dinner table, Lauren Petrowski's family plays a game you might already know, rose, bud, thorn. Then they added a fourth: water. Who did you water today, or who watered you? Her kids look forward to it so much that they have started noticing small acts of kindness all day long, just so they have something to share. Lauren has spent 20 years asking people questions on camera, from breaking news in the field to 5-minute morning show interviews to her own Instagram series, Let's Get Curious. She says curiosity is not something you either have or don't. It's a skill, and she walks through exactly how to build it, in yourself and in your kids. We get into what to do when one kid opens up the moment you see them and the other needs to wait until bedtime, why kids need to be bored instead of entertained, and the one question Lauren says you can always ask another mom. And since this is the AI Empowered Mom podcast, I had to ask: what is AI doing to our curiosity? Lauren's answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no, and it changed how I think about letting a chatbot write my own interview questions. Chapters 00:00 Rose, bud, thorn, water, and why curiosity matters now01:35 Welcome, Lauren Petrowski01:46 A day in Lauren's life right now02:29 Calendar chaos and one AI nudge03:42 Curiosity as a career05:03 Planned questions versus thinking on her feet06:33 Is curiosity a skill you can learn07:21 Living in her curiosity era08:13 Getting kids to open up, by age10:25 Teaching kids to ask better questions11:45 What AI is doing to our curiosity12:57 The risk of handing your questions to AI14:15 The question Lauren wishes more people asked her15:16 Chatbot mode: holiday small talk swaps15:58 One question to ask, one to skip, with another mom16:55 A recent win worth celebrating17:53 Where to find Lauren and Let's Get Curious18:03 Closing thanks18:17 Key takeaway and how to follow the show About Lauren Lauren Petrowski is a TV host with 20 years of on-camera experience, from breaking news reporter to morning show anchor. She now hosts lifestyle segments for stations in Austin and Waco, works as a media communications coach, speaker, and MC, and hosts Let's Get Curious, an Instagram interview series with founders, creators, and the people making Austin interesting. She is a mom of 2. Instagram: @LaurenPetrowski Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com What is the best question someone has asked you lately? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

    The Curiosity Advantage in the AI Era with TV Host Lauren Petrowski

  4. Oct 9

    The Parental Controls You Need Now with Bark CMO Titania Jordan

    You vetted the app. You checked the settings. You decided it was fine. Then one day an AI chatbot showed up inside it, and nobody sent you a note. Titania Jordan has spent close to two decades in online safety, and she is the first to say parents should not have to keep up with every feature drop. She is the chief parent officer at Bark Technologies and the author of Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Era. A parent can now ask a chatbot to walk them through every parental control setting in the house and get an answer in seconds. The same technology is being misused to generate abuse material from a single photo of a child’s face. Titania says both are true at once. She shares the 3 things she leans on instead of tracking every update, why her strongest recommendation costs nothing, and what she said at dinner when her son asked whether he could escape student loans by moving to another country. I also read a passage from her book out loud and asked whether her thinking has shifted since it published. And for any kid who has decided AI took the career they wanted, her oldest is applying to art school for illustration. Her answer to him is in here. Chapters 00:00 The app you approved already changed00:17 Meet Titania Jordan01:46 From radio and Facebook groups to online safety05:56 What Bark actually does07:00 Why Bark is free for every school in the US08:28 Easier or harder for parents? Both, because of AI11:16 You should not have to keep up12:26 House rules, gatekeeping, and ask to buy13:20 The relationship is the real parental control14:15 Sarah reads a passage from Parental Control15:08 Learning AI side by side at dinner17:26 What to say to a kid who thinks AI took their future19:18 Bathtub and bathing suit photos in the deepfake era20:30 Chatbot mode: the emoji and acronym decoder22:19 Thoughts on Meta’s new AI assistant23:59 The one control to turn on today25:03 Please do not think “not my child”26:11 Where to find Titania and the book About Titania Titania Jordan is the chief parent officer at Bark Technologies and the author of Parental Control and Parenting in a Tech World. She founded the Parenting in a Tech World Facebook group in 2017, now around 700,000 parents strong. Book: on Amazon and wherever books are soldBark: bark.us Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Newsletter: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiempoweredmom Email: contact@aiempoweredmom.com What is the one app you thought you had figured out until it changed? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

    The Parental Controls You Need Now with Bark CMO Titania Jordan

  5. Sep 25

    Why You Can't Always Trust AI Mode with children's author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer

    Children's author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer was at a happy hour for third grade moms when her phone buzzed. A family member had sent screenshots and a message: her brand new children's book had been ripped off. The screenshots were Google AI search results describing her book accurately and crediting an Instagram handle that was not hers. Host Sarah Dooley was standing right next to her. What happened next is the part worth hearing. Katie searched the handle and found nothing. She tried to recreate the search and could not. The result had been generated, and it never appeared again. We walk through that night, what she checked, and what she does now before she believes an answer. We also get into the real version of this problem, where authors do have their titles copied and resold, the privacy settings worth reviewing if you use AI near your own work, and how Katie found an illustrator who paints in watercolor and does not own a computer. At the time of recording, roughly 1 in 10 AI search results still contains a factual error, and the wrong ones look exactly like the right ones. Chapters 00:00 Sponsor message from Nookly00:49 The text that said her book was stolen02:02 Meet Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer03:51 What she checked first05:07 How to spot an AI result in Google06:58 The 1 in 10 problem and the real book scams08:15 Privacy settings worth reviewing08:38 What AI helped with, and what it did not09:52 Inside Red Elephants and Blue Donkeys10:54 The illustrator who does not own a computer12:29 Circling back to the family member14:06 What to do when a result feels off14:49 Chatbot mode17:18 One takeaway for parents About Katie Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer is an Austin author and mom of 2. She spent years in PR and communications before writing her debut picture book, Red Elephants and Blue Donkeys, illustrated by Charles Fuge. Written for ages 4 to 8, it is about setting petty differences aside to solve a shared problem. Find the book and sign up for preorder news: redelephantsandbluedonkeys.comInstagram: @authorkatieeisenhartschaeffer This episode is sponsored by Nookly You tell Nookly what you are working on with your kid, and it builds personalized stories, activities, songs, and videos around that goal. Visit nookly.com and use code AIMUM25 for 25 percent off. Connect with AI-Empowered Mom Free weekly newsletter, every Sunday: https://www.aiempoweredmom.com/Instagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com Have a story about an AI answer that sent you down the wrong path? Send it to me. A follow and a rating help other parents and caregivers find the show.

    Why You Can't Always Trust AI Mode with children's author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer

  6. Sep 11

    You Can Use AI And Be "Woo Curious" Too with AI+YOU Studio Amanda Benson

    Amanda Benson spent 20 years in emerging tech running one strategy: do more, then do more than that. When AI arrived she used it the way an overachiever would. Then her body told her the strategy was finished. What came next is the framework at the center of this conversation with host Sarah Dooley. "Remember. Release. Intentionally Add." Amanda walks through what it means to remember who you were before the world told you who to be, release what stopped serving you, and add back only the support you actually chose, whether that is AI, a therapist, a teammate, or kids who finally fold their own laundry. We also get into the question I could not resist asking. Can you be a systems person and a breath work person at the same time? Amanda says yes, and the story she tells about a field of rabbits in the Swedish countryside is the reason. Her company is called AI+You Studio, and the name is the whole thesis. AI is at its best when you are at your best. Why Amanda went all in on AI at the end of 2022Training AI to be your executive coach when overwhelm hitsRemember, release, and intentionally add, explainedWhy adding more tools can leave you more overwhelmedWhy the future of AI is human ledThe case for picking one AI tool and going deep2 apps vibe coded in a single weekend 00:00 A word from Nookly00:51 Welcome to AI-Empowered Mom02:18 Meet Amanda Benson02:47 20 years in emerging tech, and one big hunch03:40 Using AI to overachieve, and why it stopped working05:00 AI as an executive coach06:14 What stays uniquely human06:37 Remember, release, and intentionally add08:10 Waking up from the bubble at the end of your thirties10:50 The girl in the field12:50 Systems and breath work in the same room13:06 Chatbot mode13:27 One Swedish habit worth borrowing, plus fika14:16 What is in her tech stack14:46 A win to celebrate15:53 Where to find Amanda16:34 Sarah's takeaway "AI is at its best when you are at your best." Amanda Benson WholeSum app and podcast: wholesumos.comSocial: @whatsnewamandaAI+You Studio Instagram: @aiempoweredmomFree weekly newsletter, every Sunday night: aiempoweredmom.comEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode gave you an idea or made your mental load feel lighter, follow the show and leave a rating or review. It helps other parents and caregivers find us. Nookly. You set the goal, Nookly builds the plan with personalized stories, activities, songs, and videos for your child. Visit nookly.com and use code AIMUM25 for 25% off, or visit here. Top Shelf. A 3-day retreat for ambitious women in tech and go-to-market, built around one idea: you deserve a real reset. Career and personal brand sessions, sound baths, wine country, and room to think about what is next. Co-founded by Jennifer Ortegon, visit https://topshelfretreat.com/ The Stepmom Summit. Now in its 6th year. This year's theme is Out Loud. It is free, fully virtual, and fully live, with 30 or more speakers including therapists, lawyers, professors, authors, and AI experts. Sarah is speaking this year. Register here: https://thestepmomsummit.com/registration?am_id=sarah8379

    You Can Use AI And Be "Woo Curious" Too with AI+YOU Studio Amanda Benson

  7. Sep 4

    What Are You Truly Ambitious For? with Dr. Anne Welsh

    This episode is sponsored by Ask Proxy™, a personal AI assistant for your parents' generation. Gift a free month: https://askproxy.com/gifting/ (code AIMOM) or explore Proxy for yourself: https://app.askproxy.com/purchase (code AIMOM) Do you consider yourself ambitious? In a room full of accomplished women in a program literally called Women Who Mean Business, that question turned out to be surprisingly divisive. This week, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Dr. Anne Welsh, licensed clinical psychologist, executive coach, and author of the new book Ambitious Mother, to talk about why the word ambitious feels so loaded for so many mothers, and what it actually means to want something for yourself. Anne shares her own winding path, from an acceptance letter to medical school she turned down, to building a dream job at Harvard, to walking away from that too when she asked to go part time after her second child and was told it was not an option. She talks about reframing ambition as a web instead of a ladder, why motherhood can expand ambition instead of shrinking it, and what happened when she asked an AI tool to change the font color on her book cover and it renamed the whole thing instead. In this episode: 1. Anne's path from medical school to psychology to Harvard to building her own practice 2. What a portfolio career actually looks like, and how Anne built hers one piece at a time 3. Inside her book, Ambitious Mother: the ambition paradox, the motherhood advantage, and healthy striving 4. The question that divides a room: are you ambitious? 5. Reframing ambition as a web instead of a ladder 6. How motherhood can expand ambition instead of shrinking it 7. Where AI helps, where it doesn't, and the gender bias in how AI use gets judged at work 8. The day AI renamed Anne's book, and what it revealed about bias in AI 9. Rapid-fire round with Anne About Dr. Anne Welsh: Anne is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified executive coach, and author of Ambitious Mother, available now everywhere books are sold and on Audible. The book profiles 8 women who are ambitious for very different things. Find Anne at drannewelsh.com or on Instagram and LinkedIn at Dr. Anne Welsh. If this episode gave you a little more clarity about your own ambition, follow AI-Empowered Mom and leave a rating or review. It truly helps other parents and caregivers find the show. Have a topic you want us to cover? Reach out at contact@aiempoweredmom.com or find us on Instagram @aiempoweredmom.

    What Are You Truly Ambitious For? with Dr. Anne Welsh

  8. Aug 28

    The Tech Gender Gap with Web3 Expert Megan Murray

    Think about the last time you went somewhere brand new all on your own, and had to figure everything out yourself. Now think about the last time someone said, let me take you, I'll show you around. That difference is what this episode is about. If you have been on the fence about AI, if you have never heard of Web3, if you have no idea what blockchain means, this is your invitation. This week, host Sarah Dooley sits down with Megan Murray, finance and operations strategist, founder of Leoluna Finance Collective, board member of the Austin AI Alliance, and co-founder of ATX Women in Web3. Sponsored by Ask Proxy™ This episode is sponsored by Ask Proxy™. My friend Christine built Ask Proxy™ after watching so many of us become the tech support line for our own aging parents. Proxy is a personal AI assistant that works entirely by text message, so there is no new tech for your parents to learn. It checks in on them proactively with reminders and stays available for questions, which means fewer of those calls land on you. Check it out yourself by signing up at https://askproxy.com/ for only $39 per month, or gift a free month to your own parents with code AIMOM so they know I sent you. Chapters 00:00 Your invitation to try something new00:27 A word from our sponsor, Ask Proxy™02:28 Meet Megan Murray03:17 Why the AI gap may be about invitation, not resistance04:04 Does this pattern hold everywhere?05:33 The fear cycle that comes with every new technology06:36 Web3 explained, starting all the way back at Web108:35 Where AI and blockchain solve each other's problems10:51 The same gap, showing up again in Web313:14 Femme Founder Bootcamp and the Austin AI Alliance14:49 One small thing to try this week In this conversation: Why the gap in AI use has more to do with who gets invited than who is willing A plain-language primer on Web3, starting all the way back at Web1 How stablecoins are already changing what small businesses pay to accept your payment Why blockchain may become the thing that puts real guardrails on AI agents, including spending limits before your agent books a flight The smallest possible first step for anyone who has used AI zero hours this week, using what is already in your fridge Connect with Megan Murray: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megankaymurray Austin AI Alliance: Events calendar and fall in-person sessions: https://austin-ai.org/ Femme Founder Bootcamp, Season 3: A 6-week virtual cohort from ATX Women in Web3 and AI for femme-identifying founders at any stage, including idea stage. Sessions run Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 2:30pm CT, kicking off September 29 and wrapping with an in-person Founder Showcase in Austin on November 4. Founders get expert-led curriculum, mentorship, a founder community forum, hands-on work applied to their business, and partner resources.Full details and early bird registration: https://www.atxwiw3.com/bootcamp Free in-person info sessions:Houston, Wednesday September 16: https://luma.com/md44uj83Dallas, Thursday September 17: https://luma.com/ebupl0wz Connect with AI-Empowered MomWebsite and Newsletter: https://AIEmpoweredMom.comInstagram: @aiempoweredmomEmail: contact@aiempoweredmom.com If this episode gave you a little clarity or taught you something new, please follow the show and leave a review. It really helps other parents and caregivers find us and means a lot!

    The Tech Gender Gap with Web3 Expert Megan Murray
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4.7
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About

Parenthood can be heavy. A digital world makes it heavier. But AI for families doesn't have to be complicated. Each week, AI-Empowered Mom podcast host Sarah Dooley brings parents and caregivers real, grounded conversations about reducing mental load, navigating technology and social media with kids, and using AI tools to support family life. From digital parenting questions to practical AI strategies for busy households, this podcast meets you exactly where you are, without the jargon or tech-speak.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Dooley
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    70
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sarah Dooley
  • Show Website
    AI-Empowered Mom

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