Automate Yourself

Dina Levitan, Chill Labs
  • 5.0 (1)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The AI Disruption is shifting the job and career ecosystem. This publication shares real stories of how we are all adapting to the new reality. Let's approach the future with excitement instead of fear! What if the best career move you could make is to automate yourself out of your job? Here's the thing - while everyone's worried about AI taking their jobs, some people are leaning into the "Automate Yourself" mindset, using automation to catapult themselves into new and exciting opportunities. They're saving 20+ hours a week, creating space for higher-impact work, and reinventing themselves.

Episodes

  1. 3D AGO

    Automate the 80%. Keep the 20% That Makes It Yours.Automate the 80%. Keep the 20% That Makes It Yours.

    What if the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn't the technology, it's trust? Cien Solon has been on both sides. As a product leader in fintech, she built AI-powered decisioning systems for fraud, credit, and onboarding that served 7 million customers. Now, as CEO of LaunchLemonade.app, she's building a platform where anyone can launch an AI agent business. In this conversation, she breaks down what happened when her team hyper-automated everything, why you should always do it manually first, and her vision for a future where you're not going to be an employee -- you're going to be a business. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Cien Solon 00:43 Welcome and the Automate Yourself Philosophy01:34 From Digital Transformation to Fintech Product Leadership03:11 When AI First Changed the Game: The 2018 Chatbot05:05 When ChatGPT Hit: Kitchen Hackathons and Building Mode07:21 First Thing She Automated: Epics and User Stories08:38 "I'm Going to Be Out of My Job" -- and What Came Next10:09 The Hyper-Automation Mistake12:30 Playbooks First, Automation Second13:04 Three Obstacles to AI Adoption: Trust, Price, and Risk16:09 Security Risks, Prompt Injections, and Mitigation17:53 Advice for Getting Started19:30 What Launch Lemonade Is Building20:26 "You're Not Going to Be an Employee. You're Going to Be a Business."Keywords AI adoption, trust in AI, fintech AI, product leadership, hyper-automation, AI literacy, non-technical builders, AI agent business, Launch Lemonade, automation strategy, digital transformation, Techstars, chatbot, decisioning systems FIND ME ONLINE LinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND CIEN ONLINE Launch Lemonade: https://launchlemonade.appSubstack: https://launchlemonade.substack.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciensolon/

    22 min
  2. "I Have an Idea and I Just Go Do It." She Built 20 AI Agents to Automate Her PhD.

    APR 20

    "I Have an Idea and I Just Go Do It." She Built 20 AI Agents to Automate Her PhD.

    What happens when a leadership development consultant who's never written code decides to automate her entire PhD? Nathalie Salles spent her career in human development at Facebook and Google, coaching leaders and scaling talent programs. Now she's doing a PhD on AI, workplace, and gender, and somewhere along the way, she became a builder. She taught herself n8n, built a pipeline to process over 1,500 research papers, and started creating AI agents for her coaching clients. In this conversation, she shares what human-AI collaboration actually looks like when you're learning it from scratch, why the software engineers were impressed, and how she's using AI to give power back to the people who need it most. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Nathalie Salles00:33 Three Careers in One: Human Development to AI Research01:33 When AI First Caught Her Attention at Facebook03:09 Finding Her Tribe in Responsible AI03:42 Automating a PhD: 1,500 Papers and Counting05:23 Cognitive Load and the AI Highway05:36 Building the Literature Review Pipeline with n8n07:34 A Non-Techie All the Way Through08:15 When Software Engineers Said Her Results Were Better09:05 What Good AI Collaboration Looks Like10:43 Leading the Collaboration: Setting Boundaries with AI12:25 Building AI Agents for the HR Space13:00 Creating a Team of 15-20 AI HR Specialists15:06 Coaching Leaders with AI Mirrors17:33 Giving Power to People Through AI18:10 Advice for Getting Started with AI19:59 Identity in the Age of AI21:27 What She Would Automate: Finding Her Tribe22:52 Outro: Diving In Instead of Running AwayKeywords AI PhD research, human-AI collaboration, leadership development, talent development, HR AI agents, n8n automation, non-technical AI builder, performance management, gender equity AI, cognitive load, career reinvention, coaching with AI FIND ME ONLINE LinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND NATHALIE ONLINE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaliesalles/

    24 min

  3. MAR 23

    This CPO Left a 20-Year Career to Bet on Herself. Here's What She Learned.

    What does a 20-year CPO who walked away from the corporate track actually look like on the other side? Elena Luneva spent two decades leading product at Nextdoor, OpenTable, BrainTrust, and BlackRock, and then decided to bet on herself. In this conversation, she breaks down how a "no more hiring" mandate forced her team to get creative with AI, why 60% of managers are stuck rehashing information instead of making decisions, and what she wishes someone had told her about going solo: the product is you, and the go-to-market is the hardest part. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Elena Luneva00:40 Elena's 20-Year Product Leadership Journey02:29 Life as a Product Leader Across Industries04:09 When AI First Changed the Game07:25 Constraints Breed Creativity08:46 60% of Your Day Is Meetings (and How AI Fixes That)12:05 Going Independent After 20 Years15:09 Self-Awareness in the Age of AI15:42 AI Is a Packaging Tool, Not a Thinking Tool18:05 The "Three Weeks to 20 Minutes" Moment18:52 The Hardest Part of Going Solo21:44 Building Is Easy Now. Go-to-Market Is the Hard Part24:29 What's Next for Elena26:14 Advice: You're the Director of Your Own Movie28:46 Where to Find ElenaKeywords CPO career change, product leadership, going independent, solopreneur, AI for executives, AI communication, career reinvention, product management, go-to-market strategy, automation, Maven courses FIND ME ONLINE LinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborateNewsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.comPodcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/chillaborateLinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labsInstagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborateTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborateFIND ELENA ONLINE Substack: https://elenasletters.substack.comMaven: https://elenaluneva.maven.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaluneva

    30 min

  4. JAN 12

    From Google SRE to AI-Powered Solopreneur

    In this episode of the Automate Yourself podcast, Dina Levitan and Yves Junqueira, founder of Pipeboard and former Google SRE, explore the transformative power of automation in business. They discuss how automation can empower solopreneurs to do more and more with AI, and Yves shares insights from his journey in building AI tools. The conversation delves into how to integrate best practices into automation and the potential for AI to redefine career opportunities. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Yves Junqueira and His Journey 03:24 The Role of Automation at Google 06:02 Transitioning to AI-Driven Marketing 09:07 Empowering Solopreneurs with AI 15:06 Best Practices in Automation 16:18 Building AI Solutions for Business Needs 18:53 Final Thoughts and Future Directions Keywords AI, automation, solopreneurs, marketing, career transformation, Google SRE, Pipeboard, innovation, technology FIND ME ONLINE LinkTree:     http://linktr.ee/chillaborate Newsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.com Podcast:      http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcast X/Twitter:    http://x.com/@chillaborate LinkedIn:      http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labs Instagram:   http://instagram.com/chillaborate TikTok:         https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborate FIND YVES ONLINE LinkedIn:       https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvesjunqueira  Website:        http://pipeboard.co

    22 min
  5. Scale Yourself with AI Employees: How One CEO Multiplied His Impact with 40+ AI Agents

    09/18/2025

    Scale Yourself with AI Employees: How One CEO Multiplied His Impact with 40+ AI Agents

    In this episode of the Automate Yourself podcast, Dina Levitan and Jacob Bank, CEO of relay.app , discuss the transformative potential of AI and automation in the workplace. They discuss how individuals can leverage these technologies to enhance productivity, redefine their careers, and focus on higher-impact work. Jacob shares insights from his journey in building AI tools, emphasizing the importance of understanding the unique capabilities of AI employees compared to human workers. The discussion also touches on the evolving landscape of job security, the necessity of human skills in an AI-driven world, and the proactive steps individuals can take to adapt to these changes. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Jacob Bank and His Journey03:24 The Evolution of Productivity Tools06:02 The Role of AI in Workflows09:07 AI Agents and Their Impact on Small Businesses11:49 Understanding AI Employees vs Human Employees15:06 The Future of Work and Human Skills16:18 Navigating the AI Landscape18:53 Building AI Solutions for Business Needs21:43 Final Thoughts and Future Directions Keywords AI, automation, productivity, career evolution, future of work, human skills, job security, AI tools, innovation, technology FIND ME ONLINE LinkTree: http://linktr.ee/chillaborate Newsletter: http://newsletter.chillaborate.com Podcast: http://bit.ly/automate-yourself-podcast X/Twitter: http://x.com/@chillaborate LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/chill-labs Instagram: http://instagram.com/chillaborate TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chillaborate FIND JACOB ONLINE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobbank YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@relayapp

    27 min

  6. 07/28/2025

    I Can Do Anything Now: How AI Renewed One Netflix Developer's Love for Engineering

    Summary In this conversation, Dina Levitan speaks with Deonna Hodges about the transformative power of automation and AI in the workplace. Deonna shares her journey as a software engineer at Netflix, discussing how she has embraced AI to enhance her productivity, foster community knowledge sharing, and redefine her professional identity. The discussion highlights the emotional journey of adapting to AI, the importance of leadership through knowledge sharing, and the potential for democratizing technology in various fields. Takeaways Automating tasks can free up time for higher impact work.Embracing AI can renew enthusiasm in your career.Knowledge sharing is crucial for community growth.AI can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency.Building relationships is essential in a tech-driven world.Fear of AI taking jobs can be mitigated by using it effectively.Investing time in learning AI tools is necessary for success.Innovative projects can democratize technology for broader audiences.Leadership can emerge from sharing knowledge and experiences.Automation can redefine professional identity and career paths. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Deonna Hodges 02:05 Embracing AI in Software Engineering 05:00 AI's Impact on Work Culture 08:12 Sharing Knowledge and Leading by Example 10:50 Transforming Work with Automation 13:45 The Shift in Career and Skills 18:37 Addressing Fears About AI 22:47 Building Exciting Projects and Community 26:06 Outro 26:47 Automate Yourself by Chill Labs Keywords automation, AI, career development, software engineering, knowledge sharing, professional identity, leadership, community building, efficiency, emotional journey

    27 min

  7. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Welcome to Automate Yourself

    Join Dina Levitan, former Google Site Reliability Engineer and founder of Chill Labs, as she explores the transformative power of automation in "Automate Yourself." This podcast explores how embracing automation can propel your career forward. Whether you're a product manager overwhelmed with updates or an engineer tired of manual tasks, discover how to turn AI anxiety into career fuel. Ready to automate your way into the future? Tune in and let's Chillaborate! Join the conversation at ⁠newsletter.chillaborate.com⁠.

    1 min

Trailer

About

The AI Disruption is shifting the job and career ecosystem. This publication shares real stories of how we are all adapting to the new reality. Let's approach the future with excitement instead of fear! What if the best career move you could make is to automate yourself out of your job? Here's the thing - while everyone's worried about AI taking their jobs, some people are leaning into the "Automate Yourself" mindset, using automation to catapult themselves into new and exciting opportunities. They're saving 20+ hours a week, creating space for higher-impact work, and reinventing themselves.

Information

  • Creator
    Dina Levitan, Chill Labs
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dina Levitan, Chill Labs
  • Show Website
    Automate Yourself