Overcoming Anything

Overcoming AI Resistance with Al Kushner

• Anne Vryonides • Season 1 • Episode 19

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Episode 019 — Overcoming AI Resistance with Al Kuschner

AI can feel overwhelming, intimidating, and even threatening—especially if you don’t come from a technical background. In this episode of Overcoming Anything, host Anne Vryonides sits down with Al Kushner, a thought leader, award-winning author, and innovator in AI-driven personal branding, to explore how anyone can overcome resistance to AI and use it as a powerful ally instead of a threat.

Al shares how he went from navigating steep learning curves to becoming an AI authority—building his own AI “board of advisors” and using AI agents to save time, grow his business, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing world.

About Al Kushner
Al Kushner is the author of The AI LinkedIn Advantage and host of The AI Authority Edge podcast. He helps professionals and entrepreneurs leverage AI authentically—without losing their voice—to build influence, visibility, and competitive advantage.

3 Key Takeaways
• AI won’t replace you—people who know AI will
• Authenticity matters more than automation
• Small daily habits beat perfection when learning new technology

Timestamps
00:00 — Welcome & introduction
04:20 — Procrastination and building daily habits
09:30 — The biggest challenges learning AI
15:10 — Staying authentic while using AI
22:40 — Creating AI agents as advisors
30:15 — Using multiple AI platforms strategically
38:00 — AI for business, marketing, and claims disputes
46:30 — Beginner steps for AI-resistant professionals
54:10 — Recommended tools, podcasts, and books

Links & Resources
Website: https://www.alkushner.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alkushner
Podcast: The AI Authority Edge

Books Mentioned (Amazon Links)
The AI LinkedIn Advantage by Al Kushner, https://a.co/d/6TwuKG7

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, https://a.co/d/7P4Xl7i

Credits
Host: Anne Vryonides
Guest: Al Kushner

Disclaimer
The content of this episode is for informational and inspirational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional business, legal, or technical advice.

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❤️ Anne

Speaker:

Welcome to Overcoming Anything, the podcast where we dive deep into stories of resilience, transformation, and growth. I'm your host, Anne Vryonides, and today we have an incredible guest who has overcome ai. So joining me today is Al Kushner. He has an amazing story of really learning AI and becoming an expert in the field. He's a thought leader and award-winning author and an innovator in AI driven personal branding. So welcome to the show.

Speaker 2:

Thank you. Glad to be here.

Speaker:

Absolutely. So before we dive in, I love to ask, what's one quote or mantra that keeps you going in tough times?

Speaker 2:

I would say it's about finding procrastination and you have to always be on top of it because it just, you know, creeps up behind you and it just won't let you go until you address the issue. So that's why I'm always fighting procrastination all the time.

Speaker:

Awesome. So do you have any tips on how you personally overcome that procrastination?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean, I try to develop, daily habits and I try to understand that, you'll have, off days and you'll have good days, and you just have to roll with the punches, you know, that's really what it's all about. So, you know, you take every day as it comes, but, always move forward.

Speaker:

Love it. All right, so let's start at the beginning. So, what is the most difficult thing that you've overcome with ai?

Speaker 2:

I would say the most difficult is always, there's a certain learning curve depending on the new technology that's out there.'cause there's always different technologies that become available and there's a certain learning curve that you have to adhere to. So I'm always, you know, on top of things, I think for the most part. I find AI to be a great tool to use because it really helps you to, whether it's creating content, whether it's creating scripts, it's just, invaluable asset for one's, growth and development.

Speaker:

So what made learning AI particularly challenging for you?

Speaker 2:

Well in, in the beginning was always about trying to use it, strategically and also to come across being authentic. And that's something that can be a challenge for a lot of new people because a lot of times they'll rely on the output of the AI and just use that and. Roll with it and see what happens. And that's really not good because people can sort of see through that. And you wanna be authentic. You gotta put more of your own thoughts into what you're trying to come across because that's really what's gonna come across as being sincere. So I think that's the challenge of being authentic.

Speaker:

So was there a specific moment when it just felt impossible? Because I know a lot of people feel like when it comes to AI is like drinking from a fire hose. There's like just so much they feel like, the AI train has left the station, they don't wanna get behind, but they're not coders and they're kind of scared. So when was there a particular moment when it felt like just totally heavy and impossible for you, and what did you do?

Speaker 2:

I would say in the beginning, because the, the big dog out there was chat, GPT, and you kind of had to rely on that particular you know, platform in order to really get some of your thoughts across. But I find that when other players started coming into the marketplace and different d differentiating from that, it gave me a lot more resources and certain, a lot more. Ways to use it against each other in a way that you can come out being more effective. So I would plot, you know, Chachi versus let's say Jasper or versus, Google's, AI and, and just use that in a way that seems which one comes out better. And that was really effective and I've used that to this day of, of using, not just relying on one source, but multiple sources.

Speaker:

Okay. So was there anyone to support you through this process? Did you have a mentor, a coach?

Speaker 2:

I would say that I, I listen to a lot of podcasts and I read a lot of books on the topics of the people who are pretty much on top of it and what's happening in the industry. So you really need to be aware of what, what resources are available to you. I mean, there are, trade shows you can attend, webinars, that really, you know, keep you on top of the game and what's happening in ai. So I, I just have multiple sources that I return to for, information.

Speaker:

Do you have a tech background or did you have another business that you just brought AI into?

Speaker 2:

Well, I, you know, had a, you know, publishing company and I published a number of books and I found that by having AI it really helped to enhance, my ability to. Create ideas, content. So this was just a natural way to use technology like AI to help to, develop ideas for content scripts for videos and marketing and other aspects that really were essential. So it just was natural transition using ai.

Speaker:

Okay. So did you have a consultant that came in or was there a particular, challenge that you were just like, I don't know how I'm gonna solve this. We're bringing in ai, we're going to all these resources to figure this out?

Speaker 2:

I would say that I created my own AI agent, actually, that helps me along the way, and it's my own consultant that I trained based on some of the top leaders in the industry.

Speaker:

Amazing. That's great. So was there a specific like mindset shift that you embraced to really say, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna learn ai, I'm gonna master it, I'm going to, you know, implement it into my business and make my life easier?

Speaker 2:

I didn't need to master it, but I need a team of advisors that I can turn to when I have questions about certain things when I'm moving forward. So I created that team of advisors, of the top leaders in the industry, and they're all my AI agents.

Speaker:

Amazing. So are those like live people or just their AI agents that they created to assist you?

Speaker 2:

These are AI agents that work 24 7 don't get paid. Okay. And they only answer to me based on what I give, the information. And I train the AI agents based on the certain skill sets that I'm looking for. And I developed, that team that's available. To me to handle anything from, creating a press release, to finding out a, strategy to get on more podcasts. These are all specialized in their field and they are available to me whenever I need them.

Speaker:

Wow. So you kind of have like your own AI board of directors that you consult in that you know, influences your business.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. That's the best kind of directors you want to have on your team.

Speaker:

And they work for free on top of it. Amazing.

Speaker 2:

Absolute, don't complain. And they, don't, use the F word either. You know, they're just very respectful. I like that

Speaker:

too funny. So was there a single ai like strategy or action that you implemented that made the biggest difference in your business? Or just one that you started with that was like the big shift?

Speaker 2:

Well, I, I started with, Google Workspace and I had available their particular tools, that I've used,, ones called, gems and there's Gemini, and I was able to work within that platform to develop my AI agents to, build a, team. To help me in growing my business. And that for me was essential. And I just, brought that on this year and has RA made an incredible difference in terms of my strategy, in terms of my, marketing reach. So I'm really impressed of how AI was able to, do all these amazing things that were never done, can never be done years ago.

Speaker:

So how did you figure out how to do that? Did you hire, an expert to help guide you in creating that and then now you just run it on your own?

Speaker 2:

Oh, no. I had AI as the expert, help me. I turned to a platform, let's say a perplexity. Mm-hmm. And I helped ask the perplexity to, create an AI agent based on my specifications. And it gave me the exact information I needed in order to, to create the AI agent.

Speaker:

Wow, that's amazing. So if our listeners out there, let's say they're, maybe they're middle aged and they're kind of resistant to ai. They're like, I really just don't wanna learn. Learn it. You know, I'm probably not gonna need it and my job right now, and they're not worried about losing their job to ai, what advice would you have for them to lower the resistance and really just kind of embrace ai? Like an entry level,

Speaker 2:

very simple. The fact that, that they don't wanna learn it, their competition will, so they'll be out of a job. Not AI is not gonna take them outta the job, but the person who knows AI is going to take their job. So they have to understand that they have a limited amount of time and before their job is pretty much taken over by someone who knows how to use ai. And then it'll be their incentive to, decide whether they wanna move forward or not.

Speaker:

Okay, and like could you like maybe suggest a strategy of maybe three things that you would suggest that this AI resistant person embrace and do to learn ai, just kind of baby steps.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean there are a lot of great podcasts that they can listen to to learn about AI technology and how other people have used it to their benefit. There are certainly a lot of great books available on the marketplace, including my own book, the ai, LinkedIn Advantage, that really talks about some of my strategies that I've used and how I embrace the ai. And I find that, you know, the, the ability to learn and always, constantly be learning is something gonna give you an edge over any competition because you really, that's how you, you know, do baby steps. You know, you gotta begin opening up a book, you know, attend a webinar, get involved with certain groups on LinkedIn that focus in on AI technology and, you know, learn from various sources. So there's no reason for you not to, embrace it by, you know, learning from. The people who have been there and done that.

Speaker:

Excellent. So could you share maybe one or two AI podcasts that you recommend that are, is a great source of information?

Speaker 2:

Well, certainly my podcast, the AI Authority Edge would be a great starting point. Because I, drop episodes about four times a week, and every episode is about certain challenges that people face with ai. On Friday coming up I have q and a, on AI and some of the most frequently asked questions people ask me about. So that's one good starting point. There are other. Great podcast out there. Gary V for example, drops podcasts each week and he's on top of the marketing industry. And some of the also authority figures off the top of my head, it just comes to me, but people can go to my website and check out some of the resources available and they can certainly learn about, things that I've turned to for resource information.

Speaker:

Excellent. Thank you. So what life lessons did this process teach you?

Speaker 2:

Life lessons. It means that, I say that this is a great time to be alive in this world with, the fact that AI is available to use at your discretion. I think if I had this technology 40 years ago, it'd been a different situation. You know, I'm taking it now into the stage of my life that, you know, I'm, I'm grateful that it's available because it has so many uses. I mean, I just used it the other day, for example, dealing with a company, that was trying to, i'm trying to get refund from for a particular product I purchased and they were arguing with my bank in order to,, you know, win the case that I don't deserve a refund, even though they had a 14 day refund policy and the AI. Helped me to create a, letter to the, bank, let'em know that, that the company is wrong and they, the product or the refund policy is a joke. And, I was able to actually win the case, which no, I would've done if I didn't have that access to that. So AI has amazing uses, particularly when it comes to claims, if you have a medical claim. And because the medical insurance company says you are using AI technology to deny that claim. Mm-hmm. And guess what? If you are not, you know, embracing AI technology, your claim will be denied and you won't have a choice to recover from that unless you use it to your advantage. And a lot of people are using AI tech to, to fight the claims against the insurance companies and win, based on the information that the AI could help you develop a strategy to help compel them to pay the claim. So it's really a great opportunity to start learning and using it because there's so many uses that are beyond just writing.

Speaker:

Wow, I never would've thought of that. To use AI to fight a medical claim. So is there any other, like, unique ways that, that you're using ai? Do you have it create a work schedule for you or do you have it create recipes for you? Or how else do you use it in other non-business aspects of your life?

Speaker 2:

Well, again, I, I develop AI agents based on certain attributes, you know, for example, fighting, medical claims. I develop an AI agent for one purpose only, is to fight and dispute any type of medical claim or dispute a, credit card claim. You know, that comes in, you know, because the, those companies are using it in against. You know, so guess what? You gotta fight fire with fire. So this is the way to do that. So, and it really is an amazing tool that I think that it, it's paid for itself time and time again.

Speaker:

Okay. So a question that one of our listeners may have, so what is the difference between just going into, let's say, chat GPT and fighting? Like, how, how do I fight this medical claim against x, y, Z insurance company versus creating an agent? So. How does that differ?

Speaker 2:

Well, Anne, you can ask to look for multiple sources besides chat, GPT to rely on, as well as any type of case studies that have worked in the favor of those who have, successfully, you know, fought against, you know, the insurance companies out there. There's a lot of great resources that you can train the agent on. Again, I would say that. You don't necessarily need to develop an agent for that purpose unless you have multiple claims coming in, obviously. But, I find it to be that there are a lot of sources besides chat, GPT that you rely on to do the sources for developing a strategy to, you know, fight a claim that's been denied. So you need to rely on multiple, options or sources to get the best results.

Speaker:

And what would you suggest are like the top three AI platforms for people to kind of just dig in and get started?

Speaker 2:

Well, I love perplexity. It's a great, uh, platform and it's really taking off, I would think probably in five years from now, it'll probably be the, the Google of its time, you know, and I don't think Google will be around because the fact that, you know, plexity gives you the straight answer without the ads. And the results you're looking for. Other, other platforms I've used include, Microsoft's own ai agent. And it's really been helpful. Their, platform workspace is really great tool for collecting information from various sources. And what else? Jasper also has been really helpful. You know, for creating long content, you know, so there are a lot of, excellent tools out there and new ones coming on the marketplace. My book has a listings of all the tools that I've used and great resources. So I think those who are interested should check it out called the, ai LinkedIn Advantage. They could find it available at, um, odds and Noble, Amazon, and also Spotify for those like audio books.

Speaker:

We'll link it down below in the show notes, so people have access to finding it. So looking back, what is the one thing you learned about yourself having gone through this whole, like reinvention, ai, reinvention of yourself?

Speaker 2:

Well, I looked at myself as you know, time is finite and you need to make the most outta your time. And AI can help you save a lot of time. And, heartache, I would think, by using its capabilities because it's really an amazing tool and it helps me develop a strategy that really will be, you know, in, you know, five or 10 years, um, make a difference, uh, financially. And, I find that AI has a lot of, potential. For helping a lot of people, whether it's, diagnosing a re recent condition. I wouldn't say rely on AI for that purpose, but it could help you to access resources available that normally you wouldn't be able to find through normal channels, like, let's say like a Google search. You know, it could be more extensive. So I think there's a lot of opportunity to, learn, from this technology and, if you can overcome, your procrastination, you'll find you'll have great success.

Speaker:

Excellent. So is there a book other than yours that helped you on your journey that you could recommend to our listeners?

Speaker 2:

I mean, there are a number of books available. Some, some great authors. So I guess it depends on what, you know, what area they're looking to focus. Looking at my listings on Spotify that are, are incredible of the people that I've listened to. Of course, Gary V, which is great and he has a lot of,, interesting, talks about marketing as well. I'm a speaker, so I listen to speaker nos which helps to focus in on speaking opportunities. I listen social media marketing, which is great. I mean, these is just off the top of the head in my, my list that, that I follow. So every, I mean, there are hundreds if not thousands of podcasts to listen to,

Speaker:

right?

Speaker 2:

So it's really depending on you.

Speaker:

Okay. But any one book or maybe even, a book maybe that's not related to ai, that's like really changed your life that you would recommend that someone listen to or ex read, excuse me.

Speaker 2:

How to Win Friends and influence others. Was a famous book not off the top of my head that comes to mind, but he and as well as other books by some of the, leaders in the industry of, let's say come top of my head.

Speaker:

Okay, no problem. No problem. We'll, we will link that one. My dad made me read that, when I was a teenager. Very powerful book. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Excellent. Well, this has been such an inspiring conversation Al. Thank you for your time. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. We will go ahead and link down below all of your social media links, a link to your book as well as your podcast that people can tune into. Thank you for being on the show.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, the opportunity. Appreciate Anne. Have a good one.

Speaker:

Absolutely. So if you found this episode helpful, please share with someone who might be facing a similar AI challenge and needs to hear this message of hope. So don't forget to follow and I'll see you next time on overcoming Anything.