True Sovereignty in the Age of AI

I'm really inspired by people like Gaya Herrington and Marianne Williamson — thinkers who aren't just acknowledging that a collapse is happening, but offering paradigm-shifting solutions in response. It's like we all know the problems exist, but social media has us watching and saying "we're cooked" instead of critically thinking our way through it. What if we actually looked at the problems and worked to fix them?

We have become so dependent on systems that we've lost touch with the sacredness of the land we live on, and the people and living beings we commune with. We can see this at every layer of society — the collapse is happening. The question is: what will we build in its place?

At the business level, the answer starts with asking how you can use your skills in a local setting. Community is the way back to wholeness. When we are truly sovereign, we don't need to give our power away to systems that were never designed for our highest good.

And yet the systems keep evolving. Goldman Sachs estimates that generative AI could automate tasks equivalent to 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. The billionaires building these systems aren't shy about it — Elon Musk has openly talked about building companies without human workers and becoming the world's first trillionaire off the back of it. The explicit goal is to generate wealth at a scale the world has never seen, with as few humans in the equation as possible. See below for a photo my friend captured in NYC - the quiet part being said out loud.

So what do we do with that?

AI is like social media, or any other piece of technology. It is a tool. It can be used for good, or it can be used to cause harm.

Social media can lead us to numb through doom scrolling, spiral through comparison, and feel like we're never quite where we want to be. It can be used to manipulate and distort — which is exactly what Nobel Peace Prize–winning journalist Maria Ressa documented in the Philippines. Duterte's government turned social media into an effective tool of information warfare, designed to intimidate and silence critics and distort the public's understanding of reality. As Ressa warns in her book How to Stand Up to a Dictator, technology is the spark that allows populism to become authoritarianism. We are not as far from that as we'd like to think.

But the flip side is also true. Social media can be a tool for community journalism — a way for real people to share what's true and for us to get closer to the truth of our own nature. I know this firsthand.

I built my business on social media, as did so many of us. It allowed me to follow my creativity and have an accessible way to distribute it. And it's actually where my personal journey really began — I was following someone I knew from school, and what she shared resonated deep within me. I was always searching for answers to my own anxiety and the struggles of those around me, and her work spoke to that. I followed that spark and reached out. Working with her cracked something open in me — the radical idea that maybe my worth isn't tied to how productive I am. Maybe I'm inherently worthy. What a concept.

Going from working in PR agencies for larger companies to working for myself truly showed me how to operate within my community. Instead of working with brands I felt disconnected from, I connected to myself through yoga and community circles.

Aside from the deep introspection, the real growth and healing — for me — came from allowing myself to be held and witnessed in community. This was such a huge part of my healing journey that it inspired the yoga class I teach every Sunday at Soul Healing Collective in Ballard. Please join me if this calls to you.

When I got clear on who I was and what I really wanted out of life, I threw myself into it headfirst. It hasn't been the easiest journey, but it's been the most fulfilling, liberating, and enlightening one I've ever embarked on. I feel more alive, more connected to my community, and more connected to something larger than myself.

So back to AI. I'll be honest — I've had mixed feelings.

On one hand, just like social media, AI helped me start my business. As a solopreneur wearing many hats, it's invaluable to have someone to think alongside, even if they're not human. But you have to be careful not to overdo it. I found myself circling the same problems over and over, rather than taking time to sit with myself and let the answers arise from within. My whole business is built on the belief that all the answers we crave are already inside us — so outsourcing that felt like a contradiction.

But here's the truth: AI helps me actualize my ideas. When it comes to my Sunday yoga class, I always theme it around what's arising in my personal life — what wishes to be seen and shared — but AI helps me put together a first draft. I bring all the pieces, and AI helps me formulate it without spending hours drafting word by word. In our fast-paced world, having that support helps me show up fully and create meaningful experiences for the people in that room.

And then there's Claude Design. Coming from a PR background, I understand how to frame a story and build a messaging campaign — but I don't have a design background. I am genuinely haunted by some of the Canva graphics I made before having Claude Design in my corner. Now, I use it to create carousel posts and visual content that actually reflects the quality of my work. It's changed things — both for my own brand and for my clients.

Even as I drafted this piece, I let my ideas flow freely and used AI to help me pull supporting research, check my facts, and clean up grammar. The thinking, the feeling, the perspective — that's all mine. AI just helped me get it out of my head and onto the page.

So for me, true sovereignty in the age of AI looks like this: know who the hell you are, and then use the tools available to actualize that vision.

When we are deeply connected to ourselves and to the people around us, we become less reliant on systems that were never designed for our highest good. Our soul is always leading us there — gently nudging us, pointing us in the right direction. But if we're consumed by the rat race, we'll never be able to hear it.

The collapse is an invitation. Not to despair, but to build differently — from the ground up, rooted in community, clarity, and care.

That's the world I'm working toward. I hope you'll build it with me.