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Rebel Soul Media Musings

What Live TV Captioning Taught Me About Using AI Wisely

    This morning, Levi and I had Breakfast Television on in the background while the kids were doing what kids do best: being loud and chaotic.

     

    We had the closed captioning on because it’s the only way to get the gist of the news when you’ve got toys clattering and negotiations happening over who touched whose Lego first.

     

    Watching the captions roll by, I found myself wondering when live morning TV made the switch to AI captioning. I assume it has. It would make sense. Faster. Cheaper. More efficient.

     

    But it unlocked a memory I hadn’t thought about in years. In my early twenties, when I worked in television, there was a woman (I think her name may have been Carol?) who did live closed captioning for the show. She worked from home. Typed everything. In real time. Every word the hosts said, every stumble, every laugh, every tangent.

    And every once in a while, Kevin Frankish, who hosted the show for decades, would do a segment where he’d talk to Carole. She’d type her responses on screen. The audience loved it. It was human. Playful. Imperfect. Alive.

     

    That memory stayed with me because it highlights something important about where we are now.

     

    Yes, AI can caption live TV.Yes, it can write your emails, your posts, your blogs.Yes, it can help you stay efficient and relevant.

     

    But Carole wasn’t just transcribing words. She was listening. Interpreting tone. Keeping up with the rhythm of live humans being human.

     

    And that’s the piece I don’t want us to lose.

     

    Use AI. Absolutely.But don’t hand it the wheel without bringing your own thoughts, memories, opinions, and lived experience into the process.

     

    Because when you skip that part, everything starts to sound the same.Flat.Predictable.Like AI slop.

     

    Time for this week's Digital Marketing Made Simple lesson of the week:

    Peeps can tell when we overuse AI.

     

    It's not just via the telltale M dash —

    And I repeat - it's OK to be using it! I know I do! It's just important that we use it wisely. The internet rewards original content - and the stuff you get from AI without adding in YOUR perspective? Well, it's just the same sh*t regurgitated by every other person in your field who's not adding their unique spin.

     

    A Simple Framework for Using AI Without Losing Your Voice

    Here’s the framework I teach (and follow myself) so your marketing stays human, clear, and effective; not generic or soulless.

     

    1. Origin First, AI Second

    Start with you.

    Before you open ChatGPT or any AI tool, ask:

    • What did I actually experience?

    • What do I believe about this?

    • What do I want to say that might not be popular?

     

    Write the messy version first. Notes, voice memo, bullet points, half-sentences.

     

    2. Use AI as an Editor, Not an Author

    Once your idea exists, bring AI in as:

    • An editor

    • A structure builder

    • A clarity filter

     

    Good basic prompts sound like:

    • “Help me tighten this while keeping my tone.”

    • “Organize this into a clear flow without adding fluff.”

    • “Make this easier to understand, not more impressive.”

     

    3. Preserve Friction

    Not everything needs to be smoothed out.

    Your pauses.Your edge.Your weird analogies.

     

    Those moments of friction are what signal:

    “A real human is behind this.”

    If AI removes all the bumps, put some back in on purpose.

     

    4. Let AI Handle the Boring Stuff

    This is where AI actually shines:

    • Formatting

    • Repurposing

    • Captions from long-form content

    • Subject line variations

    • Summaries and excerpts

     

    5. Final Human Pass (Non-Negotiable)

    Before you publish, read it and ask:

    • Would I say this out loud?

    • Does this sound like me on a good day?

    • Would my people recognize my voice?

     

    If the answer is no, revise.

    AI should never be the last touchpoint.


    When life blows up, your marketing systems matter

      Life does not always go according to plan.

       

      Recently, my kids and I helped celebrate the grand opening of a local business (one I helped with their website) and there were easily 30+ kids running around at the event. Which, in hindsight, was basically a stomach-bug incubator.

       

      Sure enough, my kids were struck down almost immediately. 🤮

       

      What made it extra layered was that this all happened right before my daughter’s very first day at a new school.

       

      We made the decision over the holidays to move her from the elementary school I attended growing up (where we were technically cross-bordering) to our local school. It’s about one-third the size, which means more care, more attention, and (hopefully) fewer of the challenges we were bumping up against.

       

      On her first morning, our whole family walked her in. She was nervous, but excited. A little girl invited her to sit with her. From everything we heard, the day was great… until it wasn’t.

       

      Just before the final bell, she told her teacher she needed to lie down - and then she got sick. By the time we were driving home (a ten-minute drive), she had thrown up several times, quietly saying, “I wish this was all a dream” (bless her innocent little heart).

       

      That night, her little brother followed suit.

       

      And of course; because: impeccable timing - this all landed during a week when I was under the gun:

      • A client website that needed to be done ASAP

      • A two-hour workshop to prep

      • Pre-batching newsletters, podcasts, and breathwork sessions

      • And now I’m home with two sick kids… with a cold myself, barely breathing through my nose

       

      Here’s the digital marketing lesson in all of this; and it’s an important one:

      If your business only works when everything goes smoothly, it’s not set up sustainably.

       

      Real life doesn’t pause for deadlines.Kids get sick.Energy dips.Plans change.

      Tech crashes.

       

      This is exactly why I teach simple, intentional marketing systems.

       

      Because good digital marketing should:

      • Support your life, not compete with it

      • Allow you to prioritize when things go sideways

      • Still function when you need to slow down

       

      This is also why I’m so clear that Instagram is a tool, not the foundation of your business. When everything feels urgent, the goal isn’t to do more; it’s to know what actually matters and what can wait.

       

      What I mean when I say “simple, intentional marketing systems:

       

      When I talk about marketing systems that actually support your life (especially in weeks like this one I had) I'm talking less thinking, fewer decisions, and more support baked in ahead of time.

       

      Here are a few of the systems I personally rely on (and recommend) to keep things moving even when life shows up.

       

      A) Tools that reduce friction (not add to it): I’m a big fan of tools that do part of the work for you.

      • Riverside + their Magic AI: This is how I record podcasts and long-form content quickly and then let AI help with transcripts, clips, and summaries. Fewer steps. Less mental load.

      • Later: I don’t want to think about posting every day. Scheduling content in batches means my business doesn’t grind to a halt when my kids are home sick or I’m on a plane.

         

      The question I always ask with tools is: Does this simplify my life or just give me something else to manage?

       

      B) Automations that work quietly in the background

      This one is huge and often overlooked.

      If someone:

      • books a session

      • buys a product

      • signs up for your list...

       

      There should be automations doing the follow-up for you: confirmation emails, next steps, calendar links, onboarding info.

       

      Not because you’re cold or impersonal; but because clarity builds trust, and you shouldn’t have to manually re-send the same emails during an already-full week. Good systems hold people for you.

       

      C) Get ruthlessly honest about who you work with

      This is a marketing system too, even though it doesn’t look like one.

       

      At this stage of my life, I only work with clients I know will be understanding when life happens. People who don’t expect perfection or constant output.

       

      People who respect nuance, timing, and humanity.

      One of my clients, Natrishka, shared on my podcast that one of the reasons she loved working together was because we held a business container that was both structured and free-flowing.

       

      Clear timelines.Clear expectations.And room for real life.

       

      That didn’t happen by accident; that was intentional. Your marketing attracts the kind of clients you end up in relationship with. 

      If you market from pressure, you attract pressure.If you market from clarity, you attract people who can meet you there.

       

      Know exactly who you’re talking to (and who you’re not)

      Refining your target audience isn’t about boxing yourself in; it’s about relief.

      When you’re clear on:

      • who your work is for

      • what stage they’re actually in

      • what they value

       

      Your messaging gets simpler.Your decisions get easier.And your content stops feeling like performance.

      You don’t need everyone.You need the right people.

       

      D) One anchor channel you can always return to

      This is another quiet system that matters more than people realize.

      For me, that’s long-form content; this newsletter, my blog, my podcast.

       

      When Instagram feels loud or life feels chaotic, I always know where to come back to. One place. One thread. One consistent way of communicating.

      Everything else can be repurposed from there.

       

      A question I’ll leave you with

       

      If your week went sideways tomorrow…Which parts of your marketing would still function and which ones would collapse?

       

      That answer tells you exactly where simplification is needed.

       

      And it’s also why this week’s podcast episode about pivoting with integrity feels so timely; because building a business that actually supports your life sometimes means changing direction, even when it’s uncomfortable.


      🎙️ New Podcast Episode: The Power of the Pivot: Building a Values-Based Business Without Losing Yourself

       

      Weeks like this one have a way of clarifying things.

       

      When life gets messy; sick kids, missed sleep, deadlines stacking up - you don’t have the luxury of pretending something fits when it doesn’t. You feel it immediately. In your body. In your energy. In your patience.

       

      And that’s actually what this week’s podcast episode is about.

       

      The power of the pivot, not as a rebrand, but as an act of integrity.

       

      In the episode, I talk honestly about my own pivots over the years; from television, to wellness and breathwork, to digital marketing and business strategy - and why those changes weren’t about chasing trends or “what sells.”

       

      They were about listening when something no longer felt true.

       

      I also name something I’m seeing more and more right now, especially online: how real, values-led pivots are happening alongside a wave of performative ones.

      Same people. Same tactics. New language.

      And the difference matters.

       

      We talk about:

      • pivoting because integrity demands it, not because an offer stopped selling

      • personal brand alignment after major life or career shifts

      • why some changes are quiet, uncomfortable, and costly; before they’re ever rewarding

      • and how misalignment in business often shows up first as exhaustion

       

      Because the truth is, when your business, your values, and your life are out of sync, everything feels harder; especially in weeks like this one.

       

      This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads.Anyone questioning what still fits.Anyone who knows something needs to change, but doesn’t want to burn everything down just to feel relevant again.

       

      🎧 Listen to *The Power of the Pivot: Building a Values-Based Business Without Losing Yourself here. 📖 Or read the blog version 


      What Costa Rica reminded me about Instagram strategy


        When this newsletter lands in your inbox, I’ll be two days into a week-long trip to Costa Rica.

         

        For many of you, you know this was home for me for nearly a decade. This time, I’ve flown down as a guest facilitator for a women’s real estate retreat; speaking on nourishment, intuitive eating, breathwork, and what it actually means to care for the woman who leads.

         

        Because these women are leading empires in their own right.

         

        I came down a couple days early to soak up the sun and sand, to reconnect with a few old friends, and to let my nervous system remember a place that once held so much of my life.

         

        I’m in a very different season now. Living in Canada again. Raising young kids. Building a business in a new direction. And I’ve had to grieve what that shift has meant.

         

        Not just logistically, but socially.

         

        Moving back to Canada meant accepting that I would become out of sight, out of mind for some people I once saw every week. That certain friendships would naturally evolve… or dissolve. And that even though I’m hopeful about building community here, making deep friendships as an adult (especially as a Gen X mom with little kids) is no joke.

         

        And all of this mirrors business more than we admit.

         

        As I’ve moved into digital marketing work, my social media following and newsletter list have shifted too. Some people who resonated with my old work no longer do. They unfollow. New people arrive; slowly, intentionally - who are here for this chapter.

         

        I’m not upset that my follower count isn’t skyrocketing.

        Because what I’m seeing instead is alignment.

         

        Roughly the same number of people leave as arrive. And the people who stay or come in; are actually here to learn from me. To work with me. To have conversations that make sense for where I am now.

         

        This is something we don’t talk about enough.

         

        When you make a values-driven change; in life or in business — there is always fallout. Social circles shift. Audiences recalibrate.

         

        And if you’re paying attention, that “plateau” you’re afraid of?It’s often just your ecosystem reorganizing.

        Which brings me to Instagram.

         

        So many entrepreneurs panic when numbers don’t climb fast enough. They chase tactics. Hacks. Trends. Without first asking: Who am I actually here for now?

         

        (read on)

        🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Instagram Best Practices for Entrepreneurs Who Are Marketing on Instagram

         

        This week’s episode is for anyone who’s using Instagram for business; but knows, deep down, that they’re not actually being strategic.

         

        Not because you’re lazy.Not because you’re “bad at marketing.”But because no one ever really taught you the basics.

         

        In this episode of Analog Girls, Digital World, I’m breaking down Instagram best practices for entrepreneurs who are marketing on Instagram - and I want to be very clear about what this is and what it isn’t.

         

        This is not an episode about hacking the algorithm.It’s not about posting every day. 

        And it’s definitely not about chasing trends that disappear in two weeks.

        It is an Instagram 101 conversation; the foundational stuff most business owners skip, even though it directly affects whether Instagram actually works for them.

         

        We cover things like:

        • Whether Instagram is even the right platform for your audience

        • The different content formats and what each one is actually for

        • Basic sizing, specs, and technical details that quietly affect trust

        • How to write captions that sound human; even if you use AI

        • How often to post without burning yourself out

        • And the three pinned post strategy almost no one uses properly

         

        If you’ve ever felt like you’re “doing Instagram” but not really getting anywhere - this episode will help you clean things up, simplify your approach, and start using the platform with intention instead of guesswork.

         

        You can listen to the episode below, or read the full blog version if that’s more your speed.

         

        And if nothing else, let this be your permission slip to stop trying to do everything; and start doing the right things, consistently.

         

        🎧 You can listen to the episode here. 📖 Or read the blog version 

         

        With love and strategy,


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