In the latest episode of The Queen of Automation, I got to sit down and chat with Jacob Pegs, a conversation two years in the making. We’ve been orbiting each other online, commenting, sharing, and supporting each other's content on LinkedIn, but this was our first real face-to-face (well, Zoom-to-Zoom) chat, and it did not disappoint.

Jacob is one of those rare operators who actually lives what he preaches. He walked away from a half-million-dollar agency not because it wasn’t working, but because it wasn’t working for him. We got real about what burnout really looks like, and how building something successful doesn’t mean it’s sustainable, especially when you’re doing it at the expense of your creativity, your energy, and your identity.

He shared his journey of moving from proposal-writing and endless calls to something radically simple and sustainable: one offer, one post, one email. That’s the Modern Maker model, and let me tell you, it just works. His systems are elegant, simple, and human. They reflect a founder who actually wants to live the life he’s building. And now with a daughter in the picture, Jacob’s “Dad Funnel” concept hits even harder.

We talked about designing a lifestyle-first business, and what it actually takes to unlearn the toxic hustle narrative that keeps founders locked in cages of their own creation. I opened up about my own experiences too, working in SaaS, running ops for multiple companies, managing my own tech business, and how even with 20+ years of experience, you still need people in your corner to bounce ideas off of and keep you grounded.

This episode is for every founder, ops nerd, and tech-savvy entrepreneur who’s wondering if there’s a simpler way. Spoiler alert: there is. And Jacob’s doing it brilliantly.

If you’re building your own thing and feel like you're drowning in complexity, you're going to love this episode. You’ll walk away with a permission slip to make your business boring, in the best possible way.

Connect with Jacob Pegs on LinkedIn to see exactly how he’s rewriting the rules of simplicity, systems, and showing up fully as yourself.

In this episode of Chronically Automated, Anthony and I dive deep into how nonlinear minds (like mine) are shaping the future of systems, tech, and workflow design, and let me tell you, it's a ride.

This one was personal. We expanded on last week’s episode, where we talked about my habit of spotting patterns and thinking ten steps ahead (even if those ten steps don’t always happen in a straight line). I opened up about how my brain doesn’t operate in a linear way, it time-hops. I jump from today to five years ago to three days from now, and somehow it all ties together when I’m building systems, mapping workflows, or implementing tech. I call it “non-chronological bursts of processing,” and if you’ve ever experienced hyperfocus followed by complete apathy, you’ll get it.

Anthony challenged me in the best way. He asked how I manage to be strategic and systems-driven while operating in such a chaotic creative flow. Spoiler alert: it is chaotic, but it works. We talked about ADHD, parenting neurodiverse kids, and how understanding your brain's operating system changes the game, especially when building a business that doesn’t follow the traditional playbook.

We also got into the difference between order and productivity. Just because something is in order doesn’t mean it’s actually moving the needle. I shared how I attack my daily task list based on ROI, not in the monetary sense, but in terms of what’s going to move me closer to my big three goals. The task list always ends up rearranged, and that’s intentional. Because linear productivity is a myth for most of us. And trying to force your brain into that mold? Wasted energy.

This episode is for the builders who think sideways. The ones who feel like they’re operating in chaos, but are actually ahead of their time. If that’s you, you’re not broken, you’re just not wired like the old system. And maybe that’s exactly what makes you the one who’s going to change it.

This week on the Queen of Automation podcast, I finally sat down with Raja Sampathi. If you don’t know him yet, you will soon. He’s an ex-Deloitte consultant turned AI strategist, but that barely scratches the surface. Raja is one of the few people out there bridging the gap between AI implementation and actual human leadership. He’s not just talking about the tools. He’s talking about the people who are supposed to use them and why they’re frozen in fear, stuck in confusion, or completely overwhelmed by where to even start.

This conversation was powerful because it pulled the curtain back on a very real issue in the world of AI and automation. People want the results, but they’re not building the habits or communication skills to get there. Raja’s approach focuses on what’s often ignored, the internal mindset and leadership gaps that keep companies from ever seeing an ROI. He’s not selling hype. He’s helping leaders build clarity, calm, and confidence so they can actually make strategic moves with AI instead of just reacting to it.

We also talked about the therapy bot he built. Not just what it does, but how he trained it, why it works, and what makes it different from the thousands of generic GPT clones out there. It all comes back to quality input. If your prompt is vague, rushed, or poorly thought through, your output is going to reflect that. The good stuff happens when you treat the tool like a collaborator, not a vending machine.

This episode ties back to what I always say. Tech only works when it works. And it only works when you train it to serve a specific purpose. If you’re throwing tools at problems without clarity or communication, you’re going to waste time, money, and energy. Raja and I unpack what it actually looks like to approach AI with intention and how the right mix of executive coaching, automation, and strategy can move the needle faster than any shiny new platform.

Connect with Raja on LinkedIn to see how he's helping leaders approach AI with less fear and more clarity. Tell him the Queen of Automation sent you.

On the latest episode of Chronically Automated, Anthony and I went full throttle into something that lives rent-free in my brain: the way neurodivergent business owners, especially those of us with ADHD, build pattern-based systems that become the backbone of how we operate and survive in business.

We talked about how our brains are literally wired to anticipate chaos and find order before the rest of the room even realizes something is shifting. I broke down my pattern loop: spot, validate, track, automate, act, and how it connects directly to how I build businesses, processes, and even manage my household. If you’ve ever found yourself automating in your head before you’ve even written it down, this one’s going to feel like home.

Anthony shared this super raw story about how back in 2002, way before tech culture was mainstream, he tried to launch a hyperlocal communication platform right after living near Ground Zero post-9/11. That platform was essentially what Nextdoor became, except 20 years earlier. Hearing him talk about trying to build something like that in a world without Zapier or Make, no off-the-shelf tools, no developers, just vision, really hit hard.

We also riffed on burnout in a way that most people don’t talk about, how neurodivergent folks can burn out without realizing it because we’ve normalized high-stimulation environments and don’t notice the fatigue until it’s too late. And why we default to building automation and systems not just because it’s smart business, but because our brains literally need the relief from constant overload.

This episode is for you if you feel like you're always on, if you’ve been told you move too fast, or if you’ve ever tried to reverse-engineer your own burnout.

Let’s be real. Automating laundry might still be out of reach for now, but building systems to reclaim your time, energy, and actual brain function is something we can do. And we’re talking all about it.

This episode is all about getting your time and focus back without adding another tool to your stack. I’m walking you through three simple switches you can flip inside Gmail, Google Calendar, and Slack that will instantly cut down distractions and stop the nonstop notification chaos.

These aren’t hacks. They’re built-in features most people don’t even know exist. I’m showing you how to train your existing systems to actually support deep work instead of interrupting it every five minutes. You’ll hear exactly how I set up my own tools to stay in flow, stay on task, and stop the swirl of context switching that wrecks productivity.

If your brain’s been feeling fried by 10am or you’re constantly pulled in a hundred directions before lunch, this episode is for you.

We’re not adding more. We’re turning down the noise.

I promise, fewer pings, more done.

In the latest episode of The Queen of Automation, I sat down with Jon Weiskopf, a brilliant former Apple engineer turned real estate investor who’s building an empire by rethinking everything we thought we knew about the industry. His journey from racing lawnmowers in Pennsylvania to running global engineering projects for Apple is wild enough. But what’s even more powerful is how he walked away from all of it to reclaim his time, rebuild his purpose, and build a business on his terms.

We talked about burnout, ambition, and the myth of work-life balance, especially when you're used to high-performance environments like Silicon Valley. Jon got brutally honest about the toll of 100-hour workweeks, parenting during a pandemic, and the shift that happened when he realized he’d spent 20 years building real estate but never owning any of it. That moment changed everything.

What really stood out in our conversation was Jon’s ability to blend hardcore engineering thinking with practical entrepreneurship. He’s building systems and processes for his real estate business that pull directly from his time leading projects at Apple. Except now, he’s the boss. We dug into why owning your time is the real currency, and how automation, operational clarity, and delegation are the tools every entrepreneur needs to build sustainably.

This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a “successful” career that no longer fits. Jon’s story is proof that it’s never too late to pivot. Sometimes your biggest leap comes right after you burn it all down and start again, smarter, simpler, and on your own damn terms.

Connect with Jon on LinkedIn to follow his journey and get inspired by the systems he's building from the ground up.

In the latest episode of Chronically Automated, Anthony and I basically turned a chaotic morning into content therapy. I forgot my own intro, my kid had a dentist emergency, dopamine was at zero, and that’s exactly why this conversation needed to happen.

We ended up talking about what it’s really like trying to run a business when your brain isn't cooperating. Like how when dopamine drops, everything feels harder, slower, and less worth doing. Even the systems I usually love felt heavy, until we started laughing about it, which somehow brought my brain back online.

We talked about how hard it is to stay consistent when your neurodiverse brain just decides “nope.” And how automation, when it’s built right, can actually carry you through those crashes. Not the fake productivity hacks or robot cold-callers, but real systems that give you breathing room when you need it most.

I even joked about building Anthony a “Lobo Dialer”, which, let’s be honest, I could do, but I won’t, because sales should still feel human. Just like ops should feel fun. And it actually can, when you build it around how your brain really works, not how it’s “supposed to.”

If your brain’s ever betrayed you mid-launch, mid-project, or mid-conversation, this one’s for you. The chaos is real, but so is the magic when you stop fighting it and start designing around it.

Go listen. It’s the most honest conversation I’ve had in a while, and if nothing else, it might make you feel a little less broken.

This episode of Chronically Automated hit hard in all the right ways. Anthony and I dove into one of the most misunderstood and misapplied tools in the entrepreneurial toolbox: the morning routine. But this wasn’t your typical "5 AM club" nonsense.

We unpacked why traditional morning routines just don’t work for founders, solo entrepreneurs, and especially those of us navigating chronic illness, neurodivergence, or shifting mental/physical baselines. Spoiler alert: rigid systems don’t serve fluctuating realities. What we actually need? Flexible frameworks and reset rituals that change with our energy, not fight against it.

Anthony brought the with his lived experience. From sales pressures to managing MS flare-ups as the weather cools, his daily reality is a masterclass in resilience. He shared how he structures his mornings using AI, seasonal tracking, and customized templates for “foggy,” “crisis,” “focus,” and “low-energy” days, yes, real automation meets real life. We even talked through how founders can pre-build sales flows, onboarding systems, and energy-specific workflows before you crash, not after. Build for the bad days. Always.

We also tied this episode back to our last one (which has been blowing up, by the way) on layoffs and AI-driven job loss. If you missed that one, go queue it up. People are still DM’ing us about the Salesforce cuts and how it hit home. Automation is happening whether you like it or not, this episode shows you how to use it on your terms.

Oh, and one more thing, this is your reminder that Anthony isn’t just my cohost. He’s a damn blueprint for what it looks like to build a life and business that fits you, not the other way around.

Go listen. Reframe your mornings. Reclaim your time.