If you’re a health or life coach who knows you probably should be making more of AI, but every time you think about it you get that slightly squirmy, unaligned feeling… this one’s for you.

I get it. I really do. Because not that long ago, I was right there with you. I dabbled with AI, found it pretty disappointing, and then developed what I can only describe as a near-physical reaction every time I spotted that flat, soulless, AI-generated content online. You know the stuff. The word salad. The suspiciously perfect bullet points. The writing that sounds like a person but somehow really, really isn’t.

And yet, here I am, using AI every single week in my coaching business, and genuinely loving it. And look I’m not going to lie – most of this blog post was generated with AI – but from my own original content – and this is obviously me popping in here to edit it up and make sure it’s right! So what changed? That’s exactly what I’m digging into in this episode.

Listen to this episode on The Wholehearted Business Show Podcast: Listen on Apple Podcasts / Listen on Spotify

Why AI Feels So Icky (And Why That Reaction Makes Total Sense)

Let’s start here, because I think it’s important to acknowledge that if AI has felt unaligned for you, you’re not being dramatic or overly precious about it. Especially if you’re a heart-led, highly sensitive person (hi, we’re all here together), there’s a really good reason it can feel off.

For me, the best way I can describe it is: it feels like it’s missing a soul.

And the truth is, a lot of AI content is missing a soul, because the people creating it are using AI without any real skill or intention behind it. They’re hopping into ChatGPT, asking it to write their blog post or their Instagram caption, getting a mountain of generic output, and posting it as if that’s fine. It’s not fine. And I think most of us can sense that.

The problem isn’t AI itself. The problem is how the majority of people in the coaching industry are using it, and that’s what we need to change.

The Biggest Mistake Coaches Make with AI

Are you ready for it? The number one reason coaches are getting rubbish results with AI is this: they’re using it to replace themselves.

And that will never, ever work.

Your essence, your lived experience, your creativity, your point of view, the specific way you see the world and help your clients, that is your magic. No AI can replicate that. If you go into any AI tool expecting it to generate your magic for you, you will be disappointed every single time, and the content you put out will reflect that.

This is also why skill matters so much. AI doesn’t bring the skill or strategy, you do. You have to go in knowing what you want, directing it clearly, being the person in charge of the process. If you let AI lead, you’ll get generic, flat output that sounds like nobody in particular.

So here’s the reframe that changed everything for me: AI is not here to replace your magic. It’s here to do the heavy lifting on the tasks that don’t require your magic.

Why I Switched from ChatGPT to Claude

This was a big one. I moved away from ChatGPT and over to Claude, and honestly, they are like two completely different universes. I’ll be going into more detail on exactly why in my upcoming masterclass (more on that in a sec), but the short version is: Claude just works better for the kind of nuanced, specific, thoughtful work I need it to do.

How I Actually Use AI in My Coaching Business

So what does aligned AI use actually look like in practice? Here’s a peek behind the scenes at how I use it week to week.

1. Automating client session notes

This one alone has been genuinely life-changing. After a coaching call, I can hand the transcript over to Claude and it creates structured session notes for me, ready to go. It even drafts the follow-up email to my client, which I can review and send with one click. On top of that, it saves everything automatically into my client’s dashboard. No more scrambling to write notes after a draining session. I can be fully present in the call and know that the admin is handled.

2. Supporting show production (without replacing my voice)

I want to be really clear about this one because I think it’s the area where people get most confused. I am still the one coming up with episode concepts. The ideas come from me, always. I record the podcast myself, and the original content is entirely mine. What Claude does is help me take that content and turn it into all the different formats I need: blog posts, descriptions, emails, YouTube content. That work used to take hours. Now it takes a fraction of the time, and I get to spend what I’ve saved going on wild swims and out on my paddleboard. No complaints there.

3. Research and audience insight

Staying genuinely connected to what’s going on for your clients and audience is such an important part of running a coaching business, and Claude is brilliant as a research assistant. I have things set up inside my Claude that pull together insights about what my audience is experiencing, in their own language, so I always feel close to what’s actually going on for them. That feeds straight back into how I show up, what I talk about, and how I position my work.

4. Voice-trained for speed and quality

One of the things I’ve done is train Claude in my voice and brand, so when it’s supporting any of the above, it’s working from a really clear picture of who I am and how I communicate. That makes everything faster, and honestly, better.

What Aligned AI Use Actually Looks Like

Here’s the thing: I could get into all the big ethical debates around AI, and I don’t dismiss those conversations. But my personal view is that AI isn’t going anywhere, so the question becomes how do we use it in a way that feels genuinely aligned?

For me, that means using it only for tasks where my presence, creativity, and lived experience aren’t the thing that makes it valuable. It means staying in charge of the creative direction. It means never using it to generate the actual substance of my programmes, my coaching, or the ideas I build my business around.

And it means, honestly, asking myself: what would be the point? I wouldn’t want to work with a coach who was just posting AI-generated content and calling it done. And I’d bet you wouldn’t either.

Ready to See This in Action?

If this has got you curious about how you might use AI in a way that actually feels good, I’d love you to come along to the Calm Coaching Business Reset, my free live masterclass on Wednesday 17th June. I’ll be doing a live demo of how I use AI in my coaching business, walking you through what my system looks like on the back end, and showing you how to start building something similar for yourself. Systems and tech can sound intimidating, but I promise you don’t have to be techy to do this well. The replay will be available too, so do sign up even if you can’t make it live.

Grab your spot here.

And if you want ongoing support to build a coaching business that feels sustainable, aligned, and genuinely enjoyable, here’s how I can help:

• Wholehearted Business® is my 12-month group programme for coaches in the first couple of years of business who want a clear, heart-led path to getting clients consistently.
• 1:1 Mentoring is for coaches who are ready to scale, create group offers, and build something that works beautifully without burning out.
• Or if you just want to pick my brains, a Clarity Call is a great place to start.

AI isn’t going to build your cosy coaching business for you. But used well, it can absolutely help you get there faster, with more energy left over for the stuff that actually matters.

Laura 💖

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