What Happened When I Asked AI to AMA
Yes, you read it right. I asked the aliens to ask me anything. Here's what I told them.
Happy Thursday!
So.
Many of you know I’m slightly obsessed with podcasts and YouTube videos that cover wellness, diet, travel, career, fashion, manifestation, the afterlife, and woo. I’m here for all of it.
I mean, why do you think I include so many podcasts and YouTube roundups? Perfect excuse to “do research for my newsletter.” And speaking of newsletters, I subscribe to a ton of newsletters that I look forward to each week. (Fyi, You can see my newsletter lineup on my homepage.)
At any rate, no matter what show/newsletter I’m tuning into… I always like it when the creator runs an AMA… or Ask Me Anything.
Maybe you’re wondering …what the heck is an AMA?
An AMA works like this: Content creators reach out to their audience and say, “Hey guys, you can ask me anything!”
So, while the anything part is always pretty intriguing (and maybe a bit terrifying to the creator), it’s not even the outlandish anything possibilities that lure me in. I nerd out about even the most mundane details of a creator’s life - what they eat, what they do for fun, how they schedule their days, where they shop, where they got their cool shoes, etc.
Maybe you like that kind of dirt too. I mean, we’re all a bit nosy, right?
I thought maybe you guys wanted some scoop into my life.
So, I decided to try an AMA.
But I felt a little weird about throwing it out there, to “ask me anything.” I mean, maybe no one has questions. (Which is totally cool, btw.)
So, I thought I’d start with the aliens. Let them AMA based on details I fed them about an unnamed over-40 woman who happens to be a travel writer, content creator, and yoga-loving running golfer who fell in love with Spain at age 9. I added some other things, too, but the bottom line is that I didn’t say, “Read What I’d Rather Be Talking About and come up with AMA questions based on that.”
So, without further adieu, let’s see what the aliens asked me.
Because I wanted to keep things professional (definitely not wanting to get friendly with the 👽), I stuck to questions about my profession and routines.
I may let them get personal in a future newsletter, but before that, I wanted to give my readers a chance to AMA.
So, go ahead and read today’s interview, and then send me any additional questions. (There's more on that at the end.)
👽: It looks like you do a lot of different kinds of writing. What exactly do you do?
A: That’s a great question. Some days I don’t know. (* I hope the alien has a sense of humor.) I help clients with storytelling (company origin stories and employee bios), updating or creating fresh website content, and social media posts. In addition, I do interviews/features, speeches, blog posts, and newsletter content- from ideation to content creation. Basically, if someone needs help with content, I would love to help.
My niches are golf, golf tourism, Spain tourism, wellness, interviews, and lifestyle content.
For my personal writing, I do this newsletter and travel pieces, and I’m working on a book with my dad’s writings.
👽: I’m so curious—what inspired you to start this newsletter? Was there a specific moment that sparked the idea?
The idea came to me in a meeting at school. With no offense intended to anyone who’s ever led one of my school meetings, those meetings sucked the life force out of me. I had difficulty concentrating, so I mastered the art of looking like I was paying attention while thinking about things I’d rather be talking about or writing about.
At the time, Substack didn’t exist, and I don’t think newsletters were a thing either. I just knew I wanted to share fun things, not ‘meeting monotony.’ My only real outlet then was to write notes to the person sitting next to me. (Very mature, and if you’re reading this, I’m sure you want to hire me right now.)
It’s not so much I was bored (🤥); it was just that I had all of these creative downloads and general facts to share… and they always popped into my head right in the middle of something like a meeting.
Since most people don’t like to be interrupted to hear about the newest clean energy drink I’d discovered (I actually tried this during a meeting, and it turns out they didn’t want to hear)… I needed to find a place to express What I’d Rather Be Talking About.
I started this newsletter in December 2022 so I’d have a place to share the stories of people, places, and things I uncover daily.
I refer to What I’d Rather Be Talking About as “the newsletter that helps you do life better.”
👽: How do you come up with the topics you write about? Is there a process you follow, or do you just follow what inspires you?
Ideas come to me at the weirdest times, usually inspired by something someone says. I’ve been inspired in the middle of a yoga class, on the golf course, on a plane, in the dentist’s chair, in line for the bathroom. I’ve even had revelations while sitting at my CPA’s. Anywhere is fair game. When I have a revelation, I need to write it down right away. That one sentence is usually enough to get the whole thing started.
If I have a week where I’m not particularly inspired, I pay attention to my podcasts and try to take one of those themes as a launching pad. Or, I turn to a list of ideas that I’ve jotted down at random times. Somehow, it always works out.
As far as a process goes, I wish I could say, “I follow these five steps each week to create this newsletter.” I’m not that kind of writer (or person, really). I try to be as organized as possible and let the newsletter take shape when I’m in the zone. Oh, and one critical part of the process… when I’m done with it, I send it to my editor. (Who also happens to be my husband.) And that guy is ruthless, let me tell you. ;)
👽: How do you balance writing the newsletter with your travel and wellness pursuits? Do you have a routine that helps you stay organized?
Since I also have client work and travel assignments or press trips, I have to be pretty disciplined when it comes to getting things done. My secret weapon is getting up early—I can get five times the amount of work done early in the morning than I can throughout the day, so I try to barrel through as much as possible in the morning.
In addition, I always travel with my laptop. If my husband and I are on a road trip, I’ll work in the car, using my phone’s hotspot. I also work in airports, buses, trains, and at breakfast in hotels. I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but taking advantage of times like those frees up time for travel, golf, and my other daily activities.
👽: What inspired you to pursue a career in travel writing, and how has your perspective on travel changed over the years?
My love for Spain really is what got my travel career going. Since my first trip to Madrid at age 9, I’ve looked for ways to return to Spain. And even though I found a way to travel & volunteer in Spain each summer, I wanted to find a way to keep coming back… and share stories of my travels.
Bit by bit, I tried to learn all I could about travel writing and Spain. I listened to podcasts, read books, and even took a course to become a Spain Specialist. Then, while surfing around on LinkedIn, I discovered the Tourist Office of Spain had an office in Chicago. I sent a connection request to Patricia Wood Winn in the Chicago office. At the time, I had no idea how press trips worked. Patricia walked me through the process and told me to keep brainstorming ideas for trips and that something would pan out in the future. I did, and eventually, the stars aligned. In 2022, I went on my first press trip to walk the Camino and did a second press trip in 2023 to write about Holy Week in Zamora.
The moral of the story is to pursue your passion and don’t be afraid to take risks, make connections, and ask questions along the way. Each step you take gets you closer to your goal. (And it might be completely different when you get there.)
👽: How did you get into golf writing, and how has your golf writing evolved into the world of travel?
Somewhere around 2007, I got the idea to write a Father’s Day Tribute to golfing dads, encouraging them to take their daughters golfing, as my dad always had. I wrote the piece and pitched it to my local paper, Golf Digest, and other golf publications. Nobody bit. So, I contacted the LPGA since at the time they had a Girls Golf Blog. I pitched that they not only publish this letter but also future blog posts that would offer inspiration and advice to young golfers and their parents. The LPGA liked the idea, which led to a freelance gig for a couple of years. This led to my current gig writing for the LPGA Women’s Network.
Then, last year, the Women’s Solheim Cup was in Spain, so I decided I wanted to combine my golf writing with my love of Spain. As I was looking for someone to publish a story on the event, I pitched a woman named Pam Shaheen of Let’s Golf Travel. While she didn’t take international stories, she does golf FAM (familiarization or media) trips and asked if I’d be interested in doing one. I said yes and made my first trip to Lake Charles, LA. Now I do several a year!
👽: If you could play a round of golf with any historical figure or celebrity, who would it be and why?
Not a historical figure or celebrity, but… my dad. I’d give anything for one more round.
👽: Can you share some memorable golfing experiences abroad?
Three, all in Spain! (surprise) - The first was when I was 15 - my dad and I played on the naval base in Rota, Spain. (My brother was stationed there.) I thought it was so cool to be playing in Spain. The second time was with my friends Beatriz and Rocio, just outside Madrid. The course we played was beautiful and overlooked the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial. Finally, the last time was this past June. My husband and I were in Pamplona, and our new friend/Pamplona native Jose, arranged for us to golf with a family friend just outside of Pamplona. The course was beautiful, as was the hospitality shown by our friend and his golfing relative.
👽: How do you maintain your wellness routine while jet-setting around? Any tips for us busy gals?
I’m committed to working out daily - even when things get tricky. This might mean getting up at 4:30 and going to the hotel gym. Or working out to a video on YouTube. Also, I carry healthy snacks, plus all of my powders and supplements with me wherever I go so I can keep things as normal as possible. My tips would be to go the extra mile to carry healthy things and seek out healthy options while you’re traveling. You’ll end up feeling better and enjoying the experience more.
👽: How do you balance your love for travel with your personal life and responsibilities?
When I know I’ll be traveling, I get ultra-organized the week before a trip so I can get my client work done and be able to focus on the press trip. If I still have things to do, I’ll get up early or stay up late. (Lucky, I don’t need a lot of sleep!) I also am sure to touch base with my husband throughout the day, with texts and FaceTiming.
And that’s a wrap… except if you’re a paid subscriber… then you *might* find more alien answers in an upcoming pop-up newsletter. :)
I’ll see you back here next week! In the meantime, if you have questions for a future AMA, message me!
Thanks for reading! I really do appreciate your showing up here each week! ❤️