Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy

Kathy Swanson
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Welcome to "Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy" where we have real conversations and talk about practical strategies for visionary experts and creators who want to scale without sacrificing their voice, values, or sanity; as well as ways real people use habits, processes, and systems to uplevel their lives and legacy. Our host, Kathy Swanson, a Business AI and Automation Guide, author, and speaker with Integrated Marketing Werx, is known for cutting through the noise and translating big visions into practical workflows that actually get implemented.

  1. 17h ago

    Imperfect, Excited, and a Little Scared: My NaPodPoMo Challenge

    What could be scarier, learning how to build a functional app in public… or taking on the National Podcast Post Month challenge to release 30 episodes in 30 days?   Catch up with Kathy Swanson on this Automating By Design sub-series as she shares why she is both excited and scared about taking on this challenge and what to expect.   The app at the center of this series, Thrive Here, is designed to fight social isolation in San Antonio by connecting adults through curated, small-group in-person experiences.   The app is functional and moving toward public launch, and this series on the Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy channel will follow every milestone, decision, and hard-won lesson along the way.    ✅ Tune in to the full playlist to watch the build unfold in real time at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Th9MAhokg&list=PLPxPa2L2HZsE __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ COMING SOON! Thrive Here for San Antonio and beyond __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at no additional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. __ #NaPodPoMo #VibeCoding #PodcastChallenge #AdultFriendships #SocialIsolation #CommunityBuilding#SocialConnection #CommunityApp #ConsumerApp #Entrepreneurship #ContentStrategy #ProductDesign #ProductThinking #BuildInPublic #AppDevelopment #AIAppDevelopment #AIAppBuild #MarketingAutomation #BusinessAutomation #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #ThriveHere

  2. Oct 20

    Concept Day: Mapping Thrive Here's Audience and Features

    In this next video of our Automating By Design sub-series documenting our live build of Thrive Here, a social connection app for San Antonio adults 30+; Kathy Swanson gets to the core of what the app is actually for — and who it's built to serve. Working through the concept live on camera, she maps out the target audience: adults 30 and beyond who are craving realconnection but finding that work, volunteering, and community organizations just aren't filling the gap. 👉 Kathy walks through audience segmentation across geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral, social, contextual, and interest dimensions — covering everything from income and lifestyle to shared interests like food, music, board games, and outdoor experiences.   👉 She also digs into how the app is designed to function: a freemium subscription model with automatic enrollment in small-group dinners (Tuesdays or Thursdays) and Saturday coffees, plus tools for members to communicate. Along the way, Kathy shares a candid take on why she's skipping Wednesday nights. Raw, honest, and exactly how good products get built — in public, with real questions still on the table. The app is functional and moving toward public launch, and this series on the Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy channel will follow every milestone, decision, and hard-won lesson along the way.   ✅ Check out the journey as it unfolds at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Th9MAhokg&list=PLPxPa2L2HZsE   __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ COMING SOON! Thrive Here for San Antonio and beyond __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at no additional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. __ #AdultFriendships #SocialIsolation #CommunityBuilding #SocialConnection #CommunityApp #ConsumerApp #Entrepreneurship #ContentStrategy #ProductDesign #ProductThinking #BuildInPublic #AppDevelopment #AIAppDevelopment #AIAppBuild #MarketingAutomation #BusinessAutomation #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #ThriveHere

  3. Oct 19

    The Hidden Forces Killing Real Human Connection | SWOT Deep Dive

    In this next video of our Automating By Design sub-series documenting our live build of Thrive Here, a social connection app for San Antonio adults 30+; Kathy whiteboard-maps the real challenges and threats her app concept must overcome — not just the obvious ones.   👉 On the personal side: cocooning, social atrophy, over-reliance on digital convenience, loss of presence, and the trap of performance mode over authentic vulnerability.   👉 On the external side: venues actively engineering people out of their own spaces through table churn, and existing social apps that ignore what users actually tell them about budget and experience.   The goal is an honest minimum viable product that actually listens.   The app is functional and moving toward public launch, and this series on the Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy channel will follow every milestone, decision, and hard-won lesson along the way.   ✅ Check out the journey as it unfolds at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Th9MAhokg&list=PLPxPa2L2HZsE   __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ COMING SOON! Thrive Here for San Antonio and beyond __ References to: Vanessa VanEdwards | https://www.youtube.com/@Vvanedwards __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at no additional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. __ #BuildingInPublic #SocialConnection #CustomerExperience #ThirdSpaces #RetentionMarketing #ConsumerEmpathy #ProductDesign #AIAppDevelopment #AIAppBuild#MarketingAutomation #BusinessAutomation #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #ThriveHere

  4. Sep 7

    AI App Build in Public: Starting with Purpose, Not Code

    In this next video of our next Automating By Design sub-series, Kathy Swanson — a 30-year marketing and automation veteran — announces she's building a real app using AI, live and in public, with no coding background.   Using a Canva whiteboard session, she walks through the structured approach she brings to every build: today we start with purpose, then we will define the challenges your target user faces, determine who the app is really for, and map out how it serves them.   The app at the center of this series, Thrive Here, is designed to fight social isolation in San Antonio by connecting adults through curated, small-group in-person experiences.   Kathy identifies the five core problems the app addresses — connection, convenience, in-person third spaces, choice withoutoverwhelm, and the opportunity for Level 3 conversations — and explains why getting those initial requirements right before a single line of code is written makes everything that follows clearer, faster, and more effective.   The app is functional and moving toward public launch, and this series on the Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy channel will follow every milestone, decision, and hard-won lesson along the way.   ✅ Check out the journey as it unfolds at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Th9MAhokg&list=PLPxPa2L2HZsE   __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ COMING SOON! Thrive Here for San Antonio and beyond __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a smallcommission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at noadditional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. __ #BuildingInPublic #AIAppDevelopment #RelationshipEconomy #SystemsThinking #CommunityBuilding #AIAppBuild #MarketingAutomation #BusinessAutomation #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign#ThriveHere

  5. Sep 4

    Can a Non-Developer Build a Real App Using AI? Watch Me Try

    In this introductory segment of our next Automating ByDesign sub-series, Kathy Swanson of Integrated Marketing Werx kicks off her public AI app-building challenge — a live, unfiltered journey documenting what it actually looks like to develop a real, functional app using AI tools, without being a dedicated developer.   After 30+ years in marketing and automation, Kathy accepted a colleague's dare to learn in public, and over the past several weeks she has been building Thrive Here: a social connection app for San Antonio adults that curates small-group, in-person experiences — intimate dinners, coffees, and other events — designed to fight the growing epidemic of social isolation.   The app is functional and moving toward public launch, and this series on the Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy channel will follow every milestone, decision, and hard-won lesson along the way.   ✅ Check out the journey as it unfolds at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Th9MAhokg&list=PLPxPa2L2HZsE   __ Subscribe to Automating By Design here: https://www.youtube.com/@automatingbydesign?sub_confirmation=1 __ COMING SOON! Thrive Here for San Antonio and beyond __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2👈 👉 Paperback: https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a smallcommission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at noadditional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. __ #AIForBusiness #LearningInPublic #MarketingAutomation#BusinessAutomation #NoCode #AITools #AIAppDevelopment #AppDevelopment  #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #Shorts

  6. Jul 31

    The Hero Entrepreneur Myth — And What Actually Changes Communities | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    “How I Built This” is one of the best business podcasts out there. But Mark Larson of Early Matters San Antonio noticed something: it’s all about the solo founder. The hero entrepreneur who figured it out alone. 👉 That’s a great story. It’s just not how communities actually change. Systems change — the kind that rewires how a city cares for its youngest kids — doesn’t come from one visionary leader. It comes from 700 people being part of the process together. From organizations that facilitate rather than control. Froman ecosystem where no one gets to be the hero because everyone is. 👉 Mark calls it “How We Built This.” I think that framing also matters for every consultant, coach, and business owner who’s quietly doing the behind-the-scenes work of making businesses and other people more effective. The work that doesn’t make headlines. The work that actuallymoves things. Watch the reel. And if this lands for you, share it with someone who leads from the side rather than the front. 👉 What would the “How We Built This” version of your work look like? 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the last of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BAYlBFz4n2Pge3DeewExK?si=yhz47-goTvGBGBFC3jUr4A   #EarlyChildhood #CollectiveImpact #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityChange #EcosystemThinking #SystemsChange #EcosystemLeadership #SystemsThinking #SanAntonio#CollaborativeLeadership #FacilitativeLeadership #LeadershipMatters #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA #Shorts __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ References to: ◼️How I Built This | NPR https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a smallcommission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at noadditional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  7. Jul 24

    From “Not My Problem” to “We Need to Act” — One Breakfast at a Time | ft. Mark Larson #Shorts

    Most community problems stay unsolved not because peopledon’t care — but because they don’t know. Mark Larson of Early Matters SA has a straightforward theoryof change: if you get the right people in the room and help them understand the problem, some of them will want to do something about it. 👉 So every first Friday of the month, he holds a breakfast. No agenda beyond awareness. No pressure to act. You come, you learn, you decide for yourself what — if anything — you want to do next. Early Matters is working from a $20 million, three-year planto prove what a fully functioning early childhood ecosystem can look like in a city the size of San Antonio. They’ve had 700 people involved. They’ve raised close to $10 million. And they’re still inviting people in. If you’re a business owner, concerned parent, or communityleader in San Antonio, this is worth 8am on a Friday. 👉 Cappy’s Restaurant. First Friday. 8:00am. Find the RSVP link at Early Matters SA’s website. Watch the reel and share it with someone in your network. Because systems change starts with awareness. And awareness starts with showing up. 🎙️ Clip from our Automating By Design conversation with Mark Larson of Early Matters SA Check out the last of five segments with him at https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BAYlBFz4n2Pge3DeewExK?si=yhz47-goTvGBGBFC3jUr4A    #FirstFriday #LocalImpact #EarlyChildhood#EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildCare #CommunityEngagement #CommunityImpact#CommunityLeadership #SanAntonio #SanAntonioBusinesses #WorkforceDevelopment #LeadershipCommunity #BusinessOwners #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA #Shorts __ Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/ __ Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson __ References to: ◼️ First Friday Breakfast | Early Matters SA https://earlymatterssa.org/first-friday-breakfast/ __ Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call __ Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a smallcommission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at noadditional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  8. Jul 24

    $20mm, 700 Contributors — San Antonio Is Building an Early Childhood Ecosystem| ft. Mark Larson

    In the final segment of this Automating By Design sub-series with Kathy Swanson and Mark Larson of Early Matters SA, we talk about how Early Matters San Antonio is executing a $20 million, three-year plan to build a fully functional early childhood ecosystem — and they’ve had roughly 700 people involved in writing and carrying it out.   Mark Larson shares where the work stands today and extends an open invitation to anyone who wants to be part of the solution:   ✅ First Friday breakfast at Cappy’s Restaurant, 8:00am, no prior knowledge required.   ✅ It’s a low-barrier entry point designed to move people from “this isn’t my problem” to “we need to do something” — and participation is entirely self-directed.   Mark also reflects on the model that makes this work: not a solo hero entrepreneur, but a facilitative ecosystem.   ✅ Remember, getting to a better future requires shining a light on what isn’t working yet.   And in San Antonio, that’s part of how we roll! . . . Connect with Mark Larson (Early Matters San Antonio): ◼️mark.larson@earlymatterssa.org ◼️https://earlymatterssa.org/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/EarlyMattersSA/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/earlymattersSA/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/company/early-matters-san-antonio/   Connect with Kathy Swanson (Integrated Marketing Werx): ◼️https://mktgwerx.com/ ◼️https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyswanson2samarketer/ ◼️https://www.instagram.com/samarketer/ ◼️https://www.facebook.com/MktgWerx.KathySwanson   Schedule a complimentary 20-Minute Clarity Call with Kathy ◼️https://bit.ly/20min-clarity-call   Order your copy of "Automation Works: Turning Your Marketing from a Money‑Pit into a Money‑Making MACHINE!" 👉 Kindle: ⁠https://link.amazon/B093ZcZD2⁠👈 👉 Paperback: ⁠https://link.amazon/B06zBgIEN⁠  👈 Links included in this description might be affiliate links. I may receive a smallcommission if you purchase a product or service with the links I provide at noadditional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.   References to:   ◼️ First Friday Breakfast | Early Matters SA https://earlymatterssa.org/first-friday-breakfast/   ◼️How I Built This | NPR https://www.npr.org/series/490248027/how-i-built-this    #FirstFriday #LocalImpact #EarlyChildhood #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildCare #CommunityEngagement #CommunityImpact#CommunityLeadership #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityChange #EcosystemThinking #SystemsChange #EcosystemLeadership #SystemsThinking  #SanAntonio #SanAntonioBusinesses #WorkforceDevelopment #LeadershipCommunity #BusinessOwners #CollaborativeLeadership #FacilitativeLeadership #LeadershipMatters #BusinessStrategy#LeadershipDevelopmen #VideoPodcast #AutomatingByDesign #EarlyMattersSA

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Welcome to "Automating By Design: Your Business, Life, and Legacy" where we have real conversations and talk about practical strategies for visionary experts and creators who want to scale without sacrificing their voice, values, or sanity; as well as ways real people use habits, processes, and systems to uplevel their lives and legacy. Our host, Kathy Swanson, a Business AI and Automation Guide, author, and speaker with Integrated Marketing Werx, is known for cutting through the noise and translating big visions into practical workflows that actually get implemented.

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