What happens when learners reach for AI before they reach for understanding?

In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle sits down with Devika Toprani, creator of the IP-protected Sonographic Learning framework, to explore what might be missing in today’s AI-integrated education landscape.

With a background in psychology and quantitative sciences from the University of Illinois, and global academic experience across Oman, Dubai, India, and the United States, Devika brings both data and lived insight to a pressing question:

Are we moving too fast for real learning to happen?

Together, they unpack what it means to slow down thinking before refining with AI — and why that sequence matters more than ever.

Time-Stamped Highlights

[00:01:00] Devika’s global journey and the origin of Sonographic Learning

[00:03:00] The data behind AI disruption: workforce impact and Gen Z questioning degree value

[00:04:00] The overwhelm problem: dense text, speed culture, and procrastination

[00:06:00] What goes wrong when learners use AI too early

[00:07:00] “Learning is not AI-made. It is soul-made.”

[00:08:00] The sense-making gap: reels vs. 150-page textbooks

[00:10:00] Attempt → Map → Refine: the Sonographic Learning sequence

[00:11:00] AI-enabled observation and academic integrity considerations

[00:12:00] The medical student example: what happens if we skip foundational understanding

[00:15:00] When AI should enter the learning process — as a follower, not a leader

[00:16:00] Shape-emotion grammar: circles, squares, spirals, and meaning-making

[00:18:00] Gartner’s prediction on critical thinking atrophy and AI-free assessments

[00:20:00] What Sonographic Learning is not — and how it scaffolds traditional education

[00:21:00] What about learners who “don’t draw”? Universal shapes and cognitive mapping

[00:22:00] Where to connect with Devika

[00:23:00] A parent’s concern about AI dependency in young children

[00:24:00] Who this framework is truly for — institutions and learners who need structured struggle

Conclusion + Call to Action

If this conversation shifted how you think about AI and learning, don’t let it stay theoretical.

Try one simple thing this week:

Before prompting AI, draw your understanding first.

Then refine.

If you want to see demos and additional walkthroughs from guests, head to the Empowered by AI YouTube channel and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

And if you’d like to support the show and represent this movement of women building with AI intentionally, explore our merchandise here:

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Every conversation builds the culture.

Thanks for being part of it.

What if your marketing problem isn’t traffic… but friction?

In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle sits down with Heather Robson, UX copywriter and content strategist, to unpack how unintentional friction in your messaging may be quietly costing you trust, clarity, and conversions.

Heather specializes in bringing user experience principles into marketing copy. Instead of assuming more visibility is the answer, she helps founders look at how people actually move through content and what happens at each step.

You’ll also hear a powerful reframe on AI. Instead of treating ChatGPT like an output machine, Heather demonstrates how to use it as a thinking partner to clarify your ideas without flattening your voice.

This episode is practical, honest, and especially relevant for women building businesses who want their marketing to feel aligned, clear, and human.

About Heather Robson

Heather Robson is a content marketer and UX copywriter who helps businesses remove friction from their messaging so the right clients can move forward with confidence. She blends user experience principles with marketing strategy to improve clarity, build trust, and strengthen the customer journey.

She works with founders and creative professionals who want messaging that feels human, intentional, and effective.

Timed Show Moments

00:00 – Welcome to Empowered by AI

Michelle introduces the episode and the focus on readiness, literacy, and taking action with AI.

01:00 – What Is UX Copywriting and Why It Matters

Heather explains how user experience principles apply to messaging and how improving clarity helps customers see where they fit and what to do next.

02:00 – The Truth About Friction

Not all friction is bad. Heather breaks down the difference between unintentional friction and qualifying friction that strengthens your funnel.

04:30 – Event Boundaries and Why People “Forget” Why They Clicked

The neuroscience behind walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there—and how that applies to landing pages and marketing transitions.

07:00 – Start with the Destination

Why marketers should think backward from the landing page instead of starting with the ad or email.

08:00 – Diagnosing Email Marketing Issues

Heather outlines the signals she looks at: open rates, click behavior, replies, segmentation, and on-page activity.

09:00 – The Three Ways Email Marketing Fails

Breaking trust

Being confusing

Being irrelevant

10:30 – Customers Don’t Follow Neat Funnels

Heather introduces the “highway” metaphor. People enter from multiple on-ramps, take side quests, and skip ahead. Your job is to make the next step clear.

13:00 – Building Trust Through Values and Voice

Why leaning into your values and clearly defining your brand voice helps you stand out in an AI-saturated world.

16:00 – Transparency as a Trust Strategy

Heather explains why saying “This is not for everyone” can actually build credibility and connection.

18:00 – Where AI Increases Friction

The risk of sounding like everyone else when you over-rely on AI for writing.

19:30 – Using AI as a Thinking Partner

Heather demonstrates her process: asking AI to interview her instead of generate the article.

21:00 – Live Demo: AI Interviews Heather

She walks through a prompt structure that helps founders clarify their own ideas before drafting.

27:00 – AI as Editor and Thought Partner

Heather shares how she uses AI to identify confusion, boredom points, and unanswered questions in her drafts.

29:00 – Protecting Your Voice in the AI Era

Why writing is thinking—and why outsourcing all of it to AI weakens your clarity.

31:00 – Where to Connect with Heather

Heather shares how to find her on LinkedIn and access her content service built for the...

In this episode of Empowered by AI, Michelle Muncy-Silva is joined by Michelle Singh for a deep, human-centered conversation about disengagement, burnout, belonging, and what it really means to design learning and leadership systems that allow people to stay fully themselves.

Drawing from more than 20 years in education and leadership, Michelle Singh introduces her EQUAL Methodology, shares how her lived experience as a Jamaican immigrant shaped her work, and explains why disengagement is often self-protection rather than a lack of care. The conversation explores how equity, rest, boundaries, and intentional use of technology can support more sustainable, humane systems.

Time-Stamped Discussion

00:00 – Introduction and Michelle Singh’s background in education and leadership

01:30 – Why “disengaged” does not mean “doesn’t care”

02:45 – Disengagement as self-protection, not apathy

04:00 – Navigating systems that were not designed with you in mind

05:30 – Invisibility, compliance, and people-pleasing as survival strategies

07:00 – Why disengagement is human data, not disruption

08:15 – Introducing the EQUAL Methodology

09:30 – Equity and belonging as daily practices, not add-ons

10:45 – Evaluating context and examining assumptions and bias

12:00 – Qualifying learning without lowering rigor

13:30 – Belonging, emotional safety, and identity affirmation

15:00 – Collaboration and creating communities of care

16:30 – Leveraging evidence beyond grades and test scores

18:00 – Using technology and AI to support reflection and feedback

19:30 – Making online learning more human through voice and language

21:00 – Burnout as a systemic and cultural signal

22:30 – Overwork, exploitation, and “doing it for the good of others”

24:00 – Why rest is a leadership strategy

25:30 – High-functioning versus over-functioning

27:00 – Letting go of perfectionism and productivity as identity

29:00 – Redefining rest and honoring different nervous systems

31:00 – Small, intentional rest practices that sustain energy

33:00 – The question shift: what can I release or no longer tolerate

34:30 – Boundaries, outsourcing, and protecting capacity

36:30 – Naming what no longer serves you

38:30 – Designing learning and leadership with intention and care

40:30 – Using technology cautiously and ethically

42:30 – Learning as relational rather than transactional

44:00 – Final reflections and how to connect with Michelle Singh

You can connect with Dr. Michelle at connectwithmichelle.com

Watch the full episode and future conversations on YouTube:

youtube.com/@EmpoweredbyAISLAI

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