On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad welcome Lauren B. Jones—founder and CEO of Leap Advisory Partners and author of Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI—fresh off the farm in Northern California where the roosters clock in at 4:30 a.m.
With nearly 30 years in staffing and recruiting under her belt, Lauren cuts through the AI hype with a no-BS reality check: most companies claim they’re using AI, but only a fraction are seeing real ROI because they’re chasing shiny tools instead of solving actual problems.
She breaks down why leaders still need to get the basics right, how to stop the “slop,” and why policy, education, and enablement—in that order—matter more than ever.
Plus, they dig into why women approach AI differently, what parents should be teaching their kids, and why treating AI like Google is a fast track to garbage output. It’s practical, a little snarky, and exactly the kind of conversation HR’s Most Dangerous Podcast was made for.
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Lauren B. Jones and episode overview
02:01 - The current state of AI adoption in staffing and recruiting
04:09 - How leaders can start educating themselves about AI capabilities
06:10 - Framework for organizations: eliminate, automate, AI
07:53 - Using surveys to identify automation opportunities
10:13 - The importance of policy, education, and enablement in AI adoption
11:59 - Global policy landscape and the need for regulation
14:08 - The evolution of AI tools like Jasper and ChatGPT
16:04 - Research findings on women and AI in the workplace
17:54 - The motivation behind writing 'Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI'
20:10 - Overcoming overthinking and confusion in AI adoption
22:10 - Advice for parents and children on AI safety and skills
24:02 - The impact of social media and AI on society
26:00 - The role of quality input and human oversight in AI outputs
27:57 - Connecting with Lauren B. Jones and final thoughts
