309. AI as a New Language: Practical Tools for Physicians and Small Business Owners
The challenge with AI for most of us is not a lack of intelligence or even willingness. It is a lack of good, effective translation — someone helping us understand how to communicate with the tool in a way that is relevant, practical, and human.
This is part two of a conversation with Slade Mahoney about using AI. We share real examples from our own lives.
Slade shares how he used AI to review a 15-page lease and flag the clauses that mattered for his family. He used it to discover a company he had never heard of that turned out to be a perfect job fit.
I used it to understand what the internet thinks of me and my business, and to learn that my blog — which AI described as exceptional — was essentially invisible because I had never tagged it for search.
We talk about the process of teaching AI my voice for this podcast's show notes. It took many rounds of refinement to create an AI assistant I love. And they still require my eye and my judgment.
It turns out that the skills that make AI work are the same skills we teach in coaching. Get clear on your end goal. Offer the right context. Know where your own judgment and voice still matter. AI does not tolerate vague, ambiguous communication — and neither do most of the important relationships in our lives.
In this episode, we explore:
Why AI struggles are usually translation problems, not intelligence problems. Real use cases include lease review, job searching, SEO discovery, and show notes creation. How communicating with AI mirrors mindful communication with humans. Three principles for getting better results from AI — clarity on the end goal, relevant context, and knowing where your judgment still matters. Why AI cannot replace your authentic voice — and why that is good news. How Slade is helping individuals and small businesses build their own relationship with AI.
PEARLS OF WISDOM
• The challenge with AI is not usually a lack of skill or willingness. It is a lack of good translation — someone helping make the tool relevant, practical, and human.
• AI cannot be you. Its output always needs your voice, your judgment, and your eye. There is real job security in being authentically yourself.
• Communicating well with AI uses the same skills we teach in coaching — knowing what you want, offering clear context, and staying connected to your own wisdom.
• AI can help amplify work that already matters so that more of the right people find it.
• Knowing what AI can and cannot help with brings simplicity and protects against the overwhelm of endless possibilities.
• AI makes mistakes, just as humans do. Getting comfortable with iteration and imperfection is part of the process.
Reflection Questions
Where in our work or life might AI help with tasks that are not our unique gift — freeing energy for the work that is?
What would it look like to approach AI the way we approach learning a new language — with patience, curiosity, and a willingness to ask for help?
Where might we be avoiding AI out of frustration rather than due to true limitations? What would one small, practical experiment look like this week?
Closing Invitation
This episode is really about acknowledging feelings — the cautiousness, the skepticism, the overwhelm, the self-judgment for not understanding something that seems like everyone else already gets. In coaching and in mindfulness, we always start there. If we do not acknowledge the feelings, there is no way to change the relationship.
In the next episode, Slade and I dive into the practical side — real use cases, real tools, and how communicating with AI is a lot like learning a new language. If this first conversation resonated, I think the second one will feel like a relief.
Slade will also share his wisdom and answer questions in a live Zoom session for the Mindful Healthcare Collective and Pause & Presence.
April 24th, 9:30 am Pacific
Register here:
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/curious-about-coaching
He will share a practical, grounded, and mindful approach to AI. You will leave able to relate to it more easily, effectively, and efficiently — so you can spend more time on what matters most in your practice, your business, and/or your life. This session will be clear, honest, and jargon-free. No technical background required.
About Slade
Slade Mahoney is an AI consultant and strategist based in San Diego — and the son of Dr. Jessie Mahoney, founder of Pause and Presence Coaching and Retreats. He got into this work because he believes AI should make us more human, not less. Too many brilliant, accomplished people are spending their most valuable hours on things that have nothing to do with why they became brilliant and accomplished in the first place — the emails, the scheduling, the follow-ups, the research — tasks that have nothing to do with why they built something of their own. The work that means most to him is helping people like his mom: smart, accomplished people who are curious about what AI can do and want to explore it for their business, their work, or their life. In his career, he has built AI tools for organizations ranging from small businesses to Kaiser Permanente, The Walt Disney Company, and the CDC — giving him a rare view into how AI is actually being deployed at every level and what it means for the rest of us. He works one-on-one with physician entrepreneurs and small business owners — teaching them how to use AI to build real tools for their businesses and get back to the work only they can do.
And if what you are looking for right now is not AI help but human support — in navigating change, identity, burnout, or how you want to show up in medicine and in life — I would love to connect with you.
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats
www.jessiemahoneymd.com/jessies-blog
Nothing shared in the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.
The Healing Medicine Podcast was formerly known as the Mindful Healers Podcast.
FAQs
What is this episode about? This is part two of a conversation about using AI in mindful, practical ways. It covers real use cases, communication principles, and why the skills that make AI work are the same skills we teach in coaching.
Do I need to listen to part one first? Part one covers Slade's background and a broader introduction to AI and mindfulness. This episode stands on its own, but listening to both gives you the full picture.
Who is Slade? Slade is Jessie's son. He has a background in public policy, tech sales, and digital fluency, and he is launching a business helping individuals and small businesses use AI effectively. You can find him at AIWithSlade.com.