The Shortcut Was Never the Problem
Why AI Isn’t Cheating—It’s Choosing Sovereignty
Let’s get one thing straight:
AI doesn’t diminish the work.
It exposes who still believes you should suffer for your success.
There’s an old system clinging to relevance right now—a system that rewards exhaustion, glamorizes the grind, and whispers to women:
“If it came easy, it can’t be real.”
But ease isn’t the enemy.
It’s the evidence.
And I’m done apologizing for building in a new way.
When Did Struggle Become the Standard?
I was on the phone with a brilliant, capable friend the other day. She said:
“I use ChatGPT all the time, but I still feel like I’m cheating.”
And I told her the truth:
So do I, sometimes.
Because we were raised to equate complexity with credibility.
We weren’t allowed calculators. We were graded on how long it took us to get the answer—not how accurately or efficiently we solved the problem.
Meanwhile, Gen Z is out here building revenue engines, launching personal brands, and flipping strategy decks with AI on their hip like muscle memory.
They’re not asking if it’s okay.
They’re not waiting for permission.
They’re designing futures in real time.
And the rest of us?
We’ve been too busy proving we earned our place to claim what’s already ours.
This Isn’t About Tools. It’s About Power.
The shame around AI isn’t really about technology. It’s about tradition—who gets to move fast, and who’s still expected to crawl to be taken seriously.
I once had a client tell me:
“You just used ChatGPT to make it look professional.”
Not, “Thank you for protecting my brand.”
Not, “Thank you for vetting the offer, crafting the language, tracking the deadlines, and ensuring I was paid on time.”
Just that.
Let me be clear:
I vet brands to ensure alignment, not just opportunity.
I translate voice into positioning, not just words.
I use AI to assist—not replace—my discernment.
I craft deliverables that reflect strategy, not scramble.
I manage backend logistics to ensure clients get paid in full, not in feelings.
That’s not cheating.
That’s executive-level stewardship.
The Corporate World Already Got the Memo
Harvard Business Review recently wrote:
“Decision‑making in sales and marketing is accelerating… fast, reflexive action—driven by real‑time insights—is increasingly key to relevance and results.” (HBR, June 2025)
In other words:
If you’re still debating whether using AI is “fair,” you’re already late to the conversation.
Corporations are not moralizing over whether it's cheating.
They’re leveraging it to scale.
Quickly. Quietly. Unapologetically.
So why should women—especially women of color—be expected to defend the efficiency of our brilliance?
We Don’t Need to Be Productive
If AI lets me reclaim time, elevate precision, and reduce decision fatigue—
I’ll use it.
If it helps me write in 10 minutes what used to take two hours—
I’ll use it.
If it helps me think through a brand’s next move faster, clearer, and more cleanly—
I’ll use it.
And I’ll still charge accordingly.
Because ease doesn't cheapen the result.
It often reveals your mastery.
Here’s What I Use—And Why
Not as a disclaimer. As documentation.
ChatGPT: For frameworks, client bios, pitch positioning. It’s my sounding board, not my ghostwriter.
Notion AI: For transforming mental clutter into organized systems.
Fathom: For recording Zoom calls so I stay present while strategy is captured in real-time.
Blaze: For automating repeatable workflows without stripping soul from the brand.
Claude / Perplexity: For research that respects my time.
Descript: For elevating voice and video without outsourcing the tone.
TLDV / Otter.ai: For turning conversations into clarity.
GrammarlyGo: For refining what my brain skips when I’m sprinting.
I don’t list these to justify anything.
I list them so other women can see what’s possible.
The New Rules
Let’s stop calling it a shortcut when it’s simply a shift.
Let’s stop waiting for gatekeepers to applaud the way we build.
Let’s stop holding back brilliance just because it’s efficient.
You weren’t sent here to perform exhaustion.
You were sent here to innovate how power moves through your hands.
This isn’t the future of work.
It’s the correction of what never should’ve been the norm.
We don’t owe reverence to systems that asked us to bleed to be seen.
We owe our energy to what actually builds equity.
AI doesn’t replace your genius.
It reveals where you’ve been underpaid for it.
