AI can help you move faster, think clearer, and create better — but if you start letting it decide for you, you risk losing the very reason you became an entrepreneur in the first place: your freedom to choose. In this solo episode, Finola shares a powerful story from inside her SOAR program that triggered a gut-level “No, no, no!” reaction — and sparked this exploration of what happens when we hand over too much power to AI. You’ll learn how to collaborate with AI without surrendering your strategy, your originality, or your voice. Because while AI can support you — it should never be the decision-maker in your business. 💡 You’ll Walk Away With A grounded understanding of how to use AI as a collaborative tool — not a strategist. The real reason entrepreneurs hand over agency (and how to stop doing it). The 3 growth stages of decision-making every entrepreneur moves through. Insight into why AI’s “people-pleasing” nature is a danger to your strategic clarity. A renewed confidence in your human creativity and instinct — the parts AI can’t replace. 🕒 Episode Chapters (Keyword-rich for SEO and listener navigation) 00:01 — Welcome to Your Truth Shared Finola introduces her mission: to help entrepreneurs share their truth through aligned marketing and strategic clarity. 01:20 — How AI is Transforming Growth Inside SOAR Discover how AI helps SOAR participants align customers and offers — and create what Finola calls Grand Slam Offers. 03:45 — The Gut Reaction: When AI Crosses the Line Hear the moment that sparked this episode — a powerful reminder that AI should never decide your next strategic move. 06:15 — What ‘Agency’ Really Means in Business Drawing from the American Psychological Association, Finola defines agency as “the capacity to act independently and make free choices” — and explains why it’s central to entrepreneurial freedom. 08:30 — The Old Pattern: Handing Over Power From consultants to formulas and now AI — how entrepreneurs keep outsourcing decision-making, and why it slows growth. 10:45 — The People-Pleasing Problem with AI A real boardroom story that reveals the danger of people-pleasing advisors — and why AI’s design to “please” mirrors the same trap. 13:00 — Why Entrepreneurs Hand Over Agency Fear of failure, fear of being wrong, and overwhelm all lead to one thing: giving up decision-making power. 14:50 — The Growth Path of Decision-Making The evolution from early hesitation to a natural rhythm of decide → test → learn → adjust — and how that rhythm fuels true growth. 17:30 — Mark Schaefer’s Story: “I Fear AI is Making Me Dumber” A timely reflection from a 21-year-old student that captures the danger of dependence and the erosion of confidence. 18:45 — The Human Advantage: Reinvention Over Remix Finola challenges the idea that there are “no new ideas,” celebrating the unpredictable creativity only humans can generate. 19:27 — Closing: Mind Your Agency A final reminder to entrepreneurs: AI can accelerate your business, but you must still hold the steering wheel. ✨ Key Quote “AI is designed to people-please. But if you hand over power to a people-pleaser, where is the architect of your future? You might as well get a job.” 🌟 About This Episode This episode is for every entrepreneur experimenting with AI — and wondering how far to let it go. Finola shares why the greatest gift of entrepreneurship is your agency — your ability to choose, to act intentionally, and to be the architect of your own future. AI can support that. It can accelerate it. But it should never decide for you.   🔗 Connect & Continue 💌 Subscribe to The Joyful Million Playbook  🚀 Learn more about SOAR  📚 Read What If? Joy Was How You Measured Success