In this episode we sit down with writer and strategist Joan Westenberg to talk about creativity and using AI without losing your humanity. We get into:

The essay that blew up: deleting her “second brain” and ditching productivity guilt
Human in the loop: why tools are neutral—and responsibility isn’t
Joan's AI rule: use it for the stuff you hate (titles, charts, video edits), never for the stuff you love (writing, music)
Editors vs. yes-bots: why Joan won’t trust AI for feedback
The real fear behind AI backlash: replacement after decades of creative devaluation
Choosing friction: manual workflows, single‑purpose tools, and keeping agency
Comms without spam: building relationships in a world drowning in AI-generated pitches

Whoa Vol. 2

This episode is part of a limited series of ten in-depth conversations put together by sublime.app with some of our favorite thinkers and creatives where we explore how artificial intelligence is changing and challenging creative work.

👉 Get your copy of the zine: https://sublime.app/whoa

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Disclaimer

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

Bernice Notenboom (journalist, filmmaker en survivalexpert)

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