059 How to Use AI in Your Business Without Losing Integrity

In this episode, I opened up about something I’ve been leaning into more and more in my own business: how AI can be a supportive tool — not a replacement — for those of us in health and helping professions.

I shared my thoughts on the ethical concerns that come up (because let’s be honest, they’re valid) — but also how AI, when used well, can help us work smarter without losing the heart and integrity of what we do.

I introduced my own AI tool — Sarah AI — and walked through how it can support you with content creation, business planning, and repurposing, all while keeping your voice and values intact. This isn’t about automating away your expertise — it’s about creating space for deeper work, clarity, and yes… breathing room.

Inside the episode, I talked about:

• Why AI can be a powerful assistant for health freelancers — if used intentionally
• How to keep it ethical and personalised (think: clarity, context, and cues)
• Ways to use AI to overcome creative blocks, get organised, and make marketing easier
• What it looks like to embrace support without outsourcing your soul
• And how I personally use AI to make my business more balanced and joy-filled

This one’s for you if you’ve been curious (or cautious) about AI — and you want to explore how to work with it in a way that feels good and still puts people first.

Lets keep in touch!

Website: https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietitiansinbusiness/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dietitiansinbusiness
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheClinicPodcast

FREE Workbook - The Master Plan

Discover the 22 steps you need to take (in the right order) to build a successful business so you can earn enough to live the freedom lifestyle you dream of. https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/master-plan

Work with me:

• Business Coaching: https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/mastermind
• Sarah AI: https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/offers/AYjozgYc/
• Book a discovery call: https://thechildrensnutritionist.as.me/discovery

Transcript

You've probably noticed it. AI is everywhere right now. And for freelancers like us, dietitians, health professionals, it's being pitched as the next big thing. 

A shortcut, in fact.

An absolute time saver and a way to finally stay on top of your content, of your admin, of even your marketing without losing hours every single week to your laptop. It does sound amazing, doesn't it? From chatbots to content generators to recipe planners to Canva tools, I think that AI promises to take a lot off our plates. 

And if you've ever sat staring at a blank screen, trying to write a blog post or felt overwhelmed by what to post on Instagram today, it's really, really tempting, especially when you're doing this completely alone. You've got no team, no VA, just you spinning all the plates, fitting it around school pickups or clinic hours and squeezing in business building between actual life, you know? So the idea of getting a little bit of help from tech, well, yes, please.

But there's usually a but, isn't there? Because when it comes to health, to people, to regulated professions like ours, things aren't quite so simple.

And here's where it gets sticky because as regulated health professionals, we can't just jump on the AI bandwagon and start using it like influencers or online marketers do. It's different for us. It isn't just about saving time, batch creating our social posts. It's about our credibility. It's about our duty of care, our professional reputation. And if you're anything like the clients that I work with, the thought creeping in probably sounds something a bit like this. If I use AI, does that mean I'm not doing my job properly? Well, people think I've cut corners. What if it writes something inaccurate and I don't notice and a client gets hurt? Who's liable then? Me or the software?

And what if AI becomes so clever and it replaces me entirely? You're not alone in wondering this. These are all completely valid concerns because let's be honest, as health professionals, we are trained to be cautious. We work within codes of conduct. We've seen what happens when someone Googles their symptom and then spirals. And so the idea of using a robot to generate content, especially anything that sounds remotely clinical, sets off alarm bells. It's not that we're anti-innovation, it's that we deeply care about doing things properly, with integrity, with safety, with evidence-based accuracy. And so while AI might sound exciting and even a little bit magical, it can also feel risky and a bit murky.

So what do we do with all of this?

It's a bit like discovering a shiny new kitchen gadget. It says it will slice your veg in half the time, but you're not sure if it'll cut corners or cut your fingers in fact. How do we actually use AI in a way that helps and not harms? On the one hand, AI promises more time, more freedom, more space to do the work that really matters, but on the other, it stirs up something deeper.

Uncertainty, resistance, even a little bit of fear. And I think what's sitting underneath all of that is a much, much bigger question. Is the room for innovation in a profession built on evidence, built on ethics and built on trust?

Can we actually embrace these new tools without compromising what makes us us? Because here's the thing, you've spent years building your clinical expertise, you've earned your credibility the hard way. So how do you reconcile that with using something that wasn't written by a person, let alone a professional?

What's deeper still is what kind of business do you want to build? A one that's efficient and scalable and smart, but also deeply human. Because that's the real question here, isn't it? Not should I be using AI, but actually how do I use it well in a way that protects my values, my clients, and my voice? Because when you know how to do that, you stop fearing the tools and you start feeling empowered by them.

Okay, I want to give you a really big reframe. AI is not the future. It's now. And we're not preparing for some distant day when this might affect your business. We are living in it already. Some experts are calling the year 2026 the age of singularity where AI knows more than any human does.

Essentially, it becomes more powerful than we can predict or even control. But here's what matters. In this new world, people will no longer pay for information. Instead, they'll be paying for personalization, the lived experience, and actually they'll be paying for you. Because AI can't replicate your energy in the room, it can't respond to a client's tone of voice or...pick up on what they didn't say, but you knew that they meant. And it certainly can't draw from your story, your humanity or your intuition. And so if you're worried that AI is here to replace you, I want you to flip that script.

Because AI isn't here to discredit your expertise, it's here to activate your creative genius and actually to amplify the voice that you do have. It mirrors what you've already got, your values, your tone, your unique way of explaining things. And when it's used well, it becomes your assistant, the quiet but really powerful support behind the scenes. When I say AI should be your assistant, I don't mean some cold or faceless algorithm running your brand or your business. Just to be clear here, AI is not replacing your strategy, but it is supporting it.

So I like to think of it as hiring a junior assistant, an intern perhaps, someone who's fast, available 24 /7 and actually surprisingly clever as long as you give it good direction. And used well, AI won't make your content generic, it helps make your content go even further, faster. So if this sounds like something that you would like to get on board with, here are six ways to start using AI today with no burnout and absolutely no compromise.

Okay, number one is when your brain feels blank. You can let AI brainstorm for you because we've all had those days where the mental fog is thick. Maybe you've just come back home from a full clinic and you're squeezing your content creation in between school runs and getting supper on the table. And now you're supposed to come up with some insightful blog content or an engaging Instagram post.

But you know what? You're exhausted and nothing is landing. Now that's where AI becomes a kind of creative partner. It doesn't replace your ideas, it helps you find a starting point. So instead of spending 45 minutes trying to land on a topic, you'll get a menu of options in seconds. And then you can pick, refine, and make it your own. So you might ask, give me 10 blog ideas that bust common myths about weight gain and perimenopause? Or what are some toddler feeding struggles that I could turn into Instagram posts?

So you're staying firmly in the driver's seat, but the pressure to come up with everything from scratch, well, that's lifted and that's where real momentum can start to build.

Number two is when you want to repurpose and not reinvent. So you've likely already poured some time and care into creating blog posts and emails or even podcast scripts, content that's rooted in your experience. But most of us post it once and then it just sits there. But with AI, you can give that content a second or third or even 10th life. It isn't about doing more. It's about doing things smarter.

So for example, you could ask your AI tool to turn this blog post into a five slide carousel or pull a 30 second real script from your podcast. You could ask it to summarize a really meaty blog post into a warm digestible email. When your time is precious, repurposing becomes one of the best uses of AI. It helps you shift formats, it helps you adjust the tone.

Or it can tailor one great piece of content across multiple different platforms without you having to reinvent the wheel each time. So instead of always chasing new, you're leveraging what's already working for you.

Number three is when you're stuck on the first draft because nothing slows you down quite like the pressure of a blank screen.

And when you've only got a 30 minute window to get something written before dinner or the bedtime routine kicks in, that pressure can make things feel impossible. So AI can take the edge off that starting point. It helps you get something from zero to actually something. And that's often all you need to get rolling. A rough draft, it's still a draft. It's the words on the page. And often that's just the hardest part. So whether it's a caption to introduce your one-to-one support, or a nurture email for new subscribers or a subject line that actually makes people click.

AI is there for you. Now, it won't sound exactly like you, not at first, but you can tweak, can edit, you can shape, and you can layer on your own nuance on top of that. And over time, the more you feed your AI, your style, and your past content, the more it closely mirrors your voice. It's like mentoring a junior team member. The more they learn from you, the better they're going to become.

Number four is when you're planning a launch or a promotion. Because planning launch content can feel like juggling flaming batons whilst walking on a tightrope. You've got the offer, you've got the timeline, there's people to tell, but then there's the how. What emails need writing? What do you need to post on social media? What goes into the lead up? And I think this is where AI really shines as a systems thinker.

It helps you map out all the moving parts, giving you a skeleton plan so that you're not stuck figuring it all out alone. You could ask, map out a five day email sequence for promoting my new IBS course. You could ask it to outline a two week warmup campaign for my webinar launch. You're still bringing the clinical know-how, you're still bringing the strategy, the heart.

But now you've got something, a structure to build upon. And when your brain's tired from seeing clients all day or running around after a toddler, that clarity can feel like gold.

And then number five, when you want to reach more people and not work more hours. And I think, you know, most of us decided to do this to help people. We didn't want it set out to be copywriters or SEO experts. We wanted to help.

But if you want your expertise to reach more of the right people without having to spend more time shouting into the social media void, your content needs to work smarter. And AI can help you refine and polish what you've already written so it's easier to read, it's more searchable, and it's more likely to connect with people. So you might use it to improve clarity and suggest headings for time poor parents who skim read things.

You might use it to suggest popular long-tail keywords that your ideal client types into Google. That might mean improving the flow, suggesting clearer phrasing or helping you blog so that it actually gets found on Google.

It's like having an invisible editor and strategist in your corner, helping you say what you already know, but in a way that lands better and travels further with your ideal clients.

And then number six, when you're tired or you're busy or you're actually just feeling like you're running behind, we all miss a post. A newsletter, a content deadline that we set for ourselves. Because life happens, especially when you're doing everything solo. And it's in one of those moments where AI can be the lifeline that keeps your consistency going without you burning out.

So you can prompt, write a short Instagram caption about why meal plans save time for busy moms. You don't need a perfect final draft, you just need a start. And even if something is clunky or imperfect, it is something. And something is always easier to shape than silence.

And I often say that done is far better than perfect.

When you know AI is there to catch you on the days where you just can't do it all, that's when it stops being a gimmick and that's when it starts becoming a genuine support system. So think of AI tools as your junior assistant, the one who's available 24 /7, the one who never takes lunch breaks and can draft content in seconds. But like any assistant that you have on your team, it still needs direction from you as the expert.

There are three things that it absolutely needs. Think of these as the three Cs. It needs clarity. It needs context and it needs cues. So we'll break them down really quickly for you. Clarity. First of all, you need to be really clear on what you're asking AI to help you with. So that means what's the goal of this task? Who is it for? What do you want the end result to actually look like? So for example,

Are you writing a caption to promote an offer or a story led post to build connection with your audience? The more specific you are, the better AI can support you.

So instead of saying, write me a social media post, you would say, write a friendly Instagram caption that introduces my new one-to-one offer for mums of picky eaters. Keep it short, keep it warm, and keep it story led. That's the clarity piece. The second C was context. So this is the second thing your AI needs to know when you're creating this content. It needs to know what it's for. Is it part of a launch?

Is it a nurture sequence? Is it a brand awareness push? Context helps the AI tool understand the tone, the purpose, and the timing. So for example, write an email introducing my new guide. The audience is already on my list, but hasn't bought from me yet. I want to build trust, and I want to offer value before I pitch.

So that one sentence gives AI the guardrails that it needs to create something aligned with your overall intention and message. And then the third and final C is the cues, the final piece.

This is what helps AI sound like you. So cues can be examples of your past content. It could be templates of things that you've written. It could be your brand voice or your tone of voice. It could be custom instructions that you upload or this, not that type of preferences.

The more cues that you give it, the more the output will sound like you. And this is the difference between a generic email that feels a bit meh and a polished one that reads like it came straight from your head. So think of the three Cs, a bit like ingredients in recipe, really. So clarity is your main ingredient. Context might be the cooking method and the cues are the spices that make it taste exactly like you. If you miss one, the output might look okay.

But it just won't feel right and that's when people tend to go, "hmm, did AI write this?"

So this is where most people go wrong. They treat AI like a magic wand, expecting it to read their mind. But the truth is, AI is only as good as the direction that you give it. And when you give it clarity, and you give it context, and you give it the right cues, it becomes really, really powerful. 

I got so many questions from clients who were struggling to use AI in a way that felt ethical, for one, but safe and also like them, that I decided to build a tool that could help them. And I'm calling it Sarah AI, and I'm really excited to finally share it with you. 

So this is something that could genuinely change the way you do business, especially if you're a freelance dietitian or nutritionist or registered healthcare professional, and you're trying to grow something meaningful with your clinical expertise. Because this work doesn't come with a blueprint. And when you're trying to juggle CPD and deadlines and clinic notes and patient care and a business and maybe even a family as well. It can feel like you're spinning a thousand plates on your own. So Sarah AI, what makes her different? She's actually trained on everything that I teach my clients inside Accelerate, my business coaching program. So she really understands our world of regulated practice.

She knows what our ethical boundaries are. So she knows why just batch 30 reels is not the solution for most registered healthcare professionals. And she's already helping us. My clients are using her to save hours on content creation. They're balancing evidence-based messaging with real human connection. They are navigating visibility fears, the real challenges that show up online as a professional without having to feel cringy or unethical. They are able to communicate really clearly in their own voice and not a robotic cookie cutter version. So if you've ever wished that you could stop spending three hours writing one caption, have someone sense check your sales page before you hit publish.

Or just know what to do next in your business without spending hours Googling and still feeling a little bit unsure, then Sarah AI is for you. It's like having a strategist, a copywriter, a mindset coach, a tech assistant, a marketing support person in your back pocket 24 /7. Honestly, it's the tool that I wish I had when I was still working 5 AM starts before my NHS job, trying to build my business on borrowed time and honestly blind trust. So let me paint a little bit of a picture for you. Imagine logging in at 8 p.m. after your clinic, you're tired, you're brain fogged, you know you need to write a nurture email for tomorrow's email list and you plug in a prompt, something like write a warm email to my audience about why my low FODMAP meal plan package is absolutely ideal for busy mums. In seconds,

Sarah AI will give you a full draft email in your tone of voice. It's directly aligned to your offer and it includes a really gentle call to action. It even mirrors the kind of compassionate tone that you would use directly with a client. You might tweak it and then you can press send and you can go and pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the rest of your evening.

So here's just a few more examples of what Sarah AI can help you do. And actually this is just the start. It can help you create content. So blogs, nurture emails, launch sequences, social media posts, all in minutes and not hours. She can help you plan sales strategies from outlining a full launch to troubleshooting an offer that just isn't converting.

She can help you repurpose content. So turn one idea into a blog post, an email, a carousel for Instagram, a podcast outline. She can give you SEO support, find the long tail keywords, draft optimized content, and finally start showing up on Google. She can coach you with your mindset wobbles, navigate visibility fears, pricing guilt or "what if I fail" spirals? She can map out systems and automations everything from onboarding emails to SOPs so you can hand things off to other people. She can build or edit all of these as you grow. So it's been called game changing by my early users. These are my current clients. I gave it to them a few weeks ago just to test out and see what they thought and give me some feedback.

And it's not just because it's super clever, it's because it understands nuance, our nuance. She knows that we're not just trying to grow a business. We're trying to do it without burning out, compromising our values or disappearing under the weight of shoulds. She knows you want to show up with more clarity. She knows that you want to speak with more confidence. She knows that you want to build a business with more ease and maybe most importantly, stop overthinking every single decision. That's exactly why I built here because I know what it feels like to lie awake wondering if your prices are too high or spending hours polishing a post that gets crickets or feel stuck between loving your work and hating the business side of things. So just to be clear, Sarah AI will not replace you, but it will support you.

She will help you think. She will help you write, plan and sell with more ease. Strategy with heart, systems with soul, confidence on tap. And if private coaching or a mastermind isn't in your budget right now, then this is one of the smartest ways that you can get high level support without actually stretching your finances or your energy. So.

If you've heard all of that and it sounds like Sarah AI is something that could make your business life a bit easier, then there is a way to try her out and you'll find the link in the show notes. But honestly, I'm just excited to see how she supports your business like she has mine. I wish I had something like this myself in those early days.

So there we have it, AI. It's here to stay. It's a bit like when the internet first arrived. It isn't going anywhere, and it's just getting bigger and bigger and better by the day. These tools are not here to replace you, but they are here to support you, and they give you back time. They give you creative bandwidth and a way to show up more consistently without the burnout. You don't have to become a tech expert.

You just need to learn how to work with these tools so that you can keep doing the work that only you can do with more ease, with more clarity and honestly, a bit more joy. The future, it isn't about choosing between being clinical or being creative. It's about knowing how to blend both, but without burning out. AI cannot replace your story. It cannot replace your values and it cannot replace your voice, but it can help you share them much more powerfully, and more often. 

So what do you say? Are you ready to embrace AI on your terms and build a business that's both smart and deeply human? I hope so. Bye for now.