#384: The Value Shift—Where the Money Goes When AI Makes Content Creation Effortless
Release Date: 11/19/2025
#384: The Value Shift—Where the Money Goes When AI Makes Content Creation Effortless
High-Income Business Writing
Freelancers everywhere are feeling it. The ground beneath our feet is shifting, because AI isn't just changing how we write. It's also changing where value lives in our industry. In this episode, I break down what few people are talking about: your writing skills might still be world-class, but they're now solving the wrong problem. Much of what I discuss was inspired by the brilliant new book Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Restacks the Knowledge Economy by . The constraint that once made your writing indispensable has moved. And if you don't move with it, you risk becoming the business...
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#383: The Art of ‘Conversing’ with AI
High-Income Business Writing
Imagine walking into a friend’s house and rattling off a 20-minute monologue with every single detail of a challenge you’re facing. No pause. No space for questions. Just a nonstop, 20-minute word vomit. That’s how most of us are using AI. We dump a giant wall of text into a prompt, cross our fingers, and hope for magic. Instead of working with AI, we’re treating it like a command line. No wonder the results often fall flat! In this short episode, I share a better way—one that mirrors the way we’d talk with a trusted colleague. When you approach AI as a conversation...
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#382: The Truth About AI and Freelance Writers — What 157 Writers Just Revealed
High-Income Business Writing
The AI adoption picture is nuanced In this episode, I share some fascinating insights about AI usage among writers and the impact it’s having on their business. Last month, I sent out a simple 10-question survey to my community about AI usage, fears, and business impact. I received 157 complete responses from writers across every experience level, from brand-new freelancers to 15+ year veterans. What they shared was, in some ways, congruent with what I’ve been saying for the past few months on the topic of AI integration in our businesses as freelancers. But in other ways, the...
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#381: How to Have Better, More Productive Conversations with AI
High-Income Business Writing
AI is changing how we work. But many freelancers are falling into the trap of using it in the least effective way possible: by relying on massive, fully pre-written prompts that remove you from the creative process. In this episode, I share a better, more natural approach that treats AI like a trusted collaborator rather than a black box you dump instructions into. You’ll learn my simple 3R Prompting framework and see how an iterative, conversational workflow can help you get sharper insights, stronger ideas, and better final results. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why...
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#380: The AI Writing Debate — Moving From False Dichotomies to Creative Synthesis
High-Income Business Writing
The conversation around AI and writing is heating up. But too often, it’s framed as a false choice: AI is either “bad” and deceptive, or it’s the ultimate shortcut to productivity. In this solo episode, I challenge that binary thinking and unpack the real issues at stake for freelance writers. Sparked by a provocative LinkedIn post from Mariya Delano, CEO of Kalyna Marketing, this discussion dives into the myths and misconceptions that keep us stuck in unproductive debates. I lay out 10 false assumptions fueling the AI writing controversy. And I explain why the future belongs to...
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#379: 15 Reasons Why Hourly Billing Is Holding You Back
High-Income Business Writing
Hourly billing is the default pricing model for many writers. But it’s also a hidden trap that can sabotage your growth, undervalue your expertise, and limit your income. If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the ceiling on your earnings or struggled to position yourself as a trusted partner rather than a hired hand, this episode will change the way you view pricing forever. In today’s episode, I break down 15 compelling reasons why hourly billing is actively working against you — and what you can do instead to unlock your earning potential and build trust-based, outcome-focused...
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#378: Why AI Change Is Happening Faster Than You Think (and What That Means for Writers)
High-Income Business Writing
If you're feeling like your freelance business is shifting beneath your feet—but you can’t quite name what’s changed—you’re not alone. Most writers sense something is different… but they don’t know how to respond strategically. In this solo episode, I dive into what I believe is the real driver behind the changes we’re seeing in the freelance writing space. Yes, the economy has cooled, and that’s still a big factor, since marketing is one of the first areas to get cut when business is slow. But AI is now playing a much bigger role than most writers realize. And the pace...
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#377: When a Referral Goes Sideways (and How to Recover)
High-Income Business Writing
What do you do when a dream referral turns into a nightmare-in-the-making? One of my coaching clients recently found herself in a tricky spot. Her best referral partner had sent her what initially seemed like a solid lead. But after a few back-and-forths, things started to feel… off. The red flags were waving, and she could sense this prospect would likely become a difficult client. She wanted out. But she didn’t want to burn bridges with either the potential client or the trusted source who referred them. In this week’s short episode, I share the guidance I gave her — a...
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#376: The Capability Revolution: Why You’ve Been Using AI All Wrong (and What to Do About It)
High-Income Business Writing
AI isn’t just a tool for writing faster. It’s the key to systematically expanding your professional capabilities and breaking free from the “experience prison” that’s been capping your income. In this week’s episode, we dive into a powerful shift in mindset for freelancers: moving from viewing AI as a speed or productivity tool to leveraging it as a capability multiplier. I share how I used AI to confidently take on new, high-value projects I would have previously turned down. And how you can do the same to expand your business without months of study or expensive training. ...
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#375: The Lies We Carry With Us (and How They Hold Us Back)
High-Income Business Writing
What if a story that’s haunted you for years… was never true? In this short but powerful episode, we dive into a jaw-dropping true story that will make you question the narratives you’ve been carrying — especially the ones that have shaped your identity and decisions for years. It’s the story of Derek Sivers, entrepreneur and author, who spent 16 years believing he had ruined a woman’s life in a devastating car accident. The guilt became part of who he was — until a shocking encounter revealed the truth: the story he’d built his life around was never real. And that...
info_outlineFreelancers everywhere are feeling it. The ground beneath our feet is shifting, because AI isn't just changing how we write. It's also changing where value lives in our industry.
In this episode, I break down what few people are talking about: your writing skills might still be world-class, but they're now solving the wrong problem.
Much of what I discuss was inspired by the brilliant new book Reshuffle: Who Wins When AI Restacks the Knowledge Economy by Sangeet Paul Choudary.
The constraint that once made your writing indispensable has moved. And if you don't move with it, you risk becoming the business equivalent of a brilliant typewriter repair shop in 1975.
I dive deep into the real economic shift happening under AI's rise, revealing how to follow where value is migrating in your market before your competitors do.
What You'll Learn
- Why AI hasn't destroyed demand for writers; it's just moved the constraint
- How to spot the new "value zones" in your market before others see them
- Why "average" AI content isn't your protection (and what is)
- The critical shift from creation to curation, and how to monetize your judgment
- How to reframe your positioning around risk, coordination, and confidence
- A simple 3-step method to identify where your next big opportunity lies
- Why your future role looks less like a writer and more like a producer or orchestrator
Key Ideas and Takeaways
1. The Sommelier's Secret
Your clients aren't drowning in a lack of content. They're drowning in options.
AI made creation cheap, but it didn't make discernment easy. The most valuable freelancers now sell confidence and clarity, not just words.
2. Follow the Constraint
The value constraint has shifted:
- From scarcity to risk (ensuring AI content doesn't harm the brand)
- From production to coordination (helping teams align their AI use)
- From creation to curation and orchestration (judgment, taste, and integration)
3. Be the Fugu Chef
Like a sushi master trusted with a poisonous fish, your job is now about managing risk and trust. Clients will pay more for your judgment than your keyboard.
4. The Rick Rubin Lesson
Think this is all outside your wheelhouse? I urge you to reconsider. You have more skill, wisdom, and capability than you think. Music producer Rick Rubin can’t play a single musical instrument or read music. But he produces masterpieces.
Your value is no longer in typing faster or crafting prettier sentences. It's in creating the conditions for the right ideas and messages to emerge.
5. Rebundling Your Business
The future isn't about resisting AI. Instead, it's about rebundling your value around new constraints:
- From "I write blog posts" to "I ensure your content strategy doesn't become an AI dumpster fire."
- From "I write email campaigns" to "I orchestrate customer journeys across your entire AI-powered stack."
- From "I create copy" to "I protect your reputation while scaling your message."
6. Your 30-Day Constraint Hunt
Start finding your next opportunity:
- List what clients pay you for today.
- Ask what happens when AI makes each thing 10x faster and cheaper.
- Find the break points, the new problems that emerge when your old services get automated.
That's where your next business model lives.
Action Steps
- Run a "Constraint Audit": Pick one client and map where things break when AI enters the picture.
- Test a Micro-Offer: Solve one small constraint (e.g., "brand safety audit for AI content").
- Rework Your Positioning: Stop describing what you do. Start describing what you protect or enable.
- Experiment with New Framing: "I manage [CONSTRAINT] so you can [OUTCOME] without [RISK]."
Memorable Soundbites
"Your writing skills are now solving the wrong problem."
"The constraint that used to keep your skills in demand is moving rapidly."
"AI has removed that obstacle, that constraint."
"This is the dumbest and most incapable these tools will ever be."
"The constraint is rapidly moving from 'create content' to 'ensure content doesn't erode or destroy our reputation.'"
"We're becoming the fugu chefs of content."
"The break points, that's where you might just find your next business model."
"You're not selling writing. You're selling judgment, coordination, and confidence in a world where writing is free but trust is expensive."
"Stop asking 'What can't AI do yet?' Start asking 'What does AI break?' Because in that break, in that new constraint, that's where your next level lives."