We crowded around a too-small table, singing happy birthday to a sheet cake topped with black frosting and a plastic tombstone.
“OVER THE HILL, RIP KATHI” was spelled in shaky off-white icing.
It’s my first memory of someone turning 40.
My too-literal brain didn’t understand what ‘hill’ my aunt Kathi was over. Something was ending for her, but I didn’t know what.*
Honestly, I never thought I would get to 40. But here I am, as of yesterday.
Not having a midlife crisis, but a midlife recalibration.
From a small child confused about a cake to a grown-ass woman running multiple businesses—I shouldn’t be surprised by the speed of life.
Meanwhile, AI has cranked the content creation dial to 🚀 TURBO SPEED in under a year.
Which has forced me to recalibrate my role as a copywriter for therapists and wellness professionals. 🛠
AI is a tool, and I’m all for you being a wise, informed user—or opting out, too.
Know this: AI writes copy geared to catch our attention in whatever way possible. It sifts through all the most urgent, scarcity-inducing terms and phrases and offers them to you.
(And if you don’t want them, it will nudge you, “Would you like language that offers more urgency?”)
In doing this, it might:
→ Filter out nuance of your speech that creates subtle safety.
→ Miss the energetic pull that makes someone lean in with curiosity.
→ Trigger a fear response in readers, resulting in them clicking away, bypassing their critical thinking, or acting from urgency.
Or…it might just make them fall asleep. 🥱
On a recent call with my colleague, Louisa, she said, “I get so BORED when I read AI writing. I tune it out.”
This applies to her audience, too. Her highly sensitive clients want to deeply feel the nuances of her words, pick up on the subtle energies of what she says, and sink into the heart of her message.
Yes, she optimizes for SEO (because we all need to make sacrifices to the Google gods), but that’s not where she creates from.
She continued:
“I felt so held back by all the shoulds of blogging and what I was supposed to talk about with SEO and AI. When I trashed all of that and started speaking to the audience at the heart of my practice...things just started flowing.”
Where do you create from, Reader?
→ The soft hum of certainty in your stomach?
→ The courage of sharing what’s closest to your heart?
→ The spark of insight from a recent session?
Sometimes I get so sucked into the tenets of bro-marketing. More. Faster. Bigger. GRAB ATTENTION! GRAB EVERYTHING!!!!
I fall into that trance of hustle capitalism and forget the core of who I am and why I write.
Does this happen to you, too?
If so, this is my invitation to lovingly recalibrate. Your mission, your vision, your message.
Is there an area in your business that you’re recalibrating?
Hit “reply” to share with me what’s shifting, if you feel comfortable doing so.
I would truly love to hear more.
Xo Ari
P.S. *My newly-40 self understands what that tombstone meant. My relevance to the patriarchy has died. Good riddance. 🔥
P.P.S. A big thank you to Louisa Lombard for letting me share her words from our recent Cozy Chat. Our heartfelt conversation sparked this email.
P.P.P.S. If you're looking for a more intuitive way to create, I love writing alongside the phases of the moon. Get a glimpse here. 🌑 🌒 🌕 🌘
🤖 More AI Musings: If you want your copy to have emotional resonance with your clients, I invite you to be discerning in your use of AI. It's helpful for many, but even Google is getting wise to AI-generated content. If you work with me, my AI policy tells you'll know exactly how I do and don't use AI. Need help infusing more of you into your copy? Let’s see what we can create together.
