Episode 47 - The Maestro Effect - Reinvention, AI, and Owning Your Voice

In this episode of Three Questions, I sit down with Dr. Shanté Cofield, better known as The Movement Maestro, to talk about reinvention, self-trust, and what it really means to own your voice in a rapidly changing world. From leaving traditional career paths to navigating AI with curiosity instead of fear, this conversation is about knowing when to stay, when to shift, and how to keep showing up as yourself through it all.

We explore how boredom, safety, and curiosity quietly guide our biggest decisions, why “doing the thing” matters more than perfect planning, and how community, family, and honest support shape who we become, both online and off.

In This Episode You’ll Hear:

• The difference between pivoting and evolving
• Why action creates clarity (and overthinking keeps you stuck)
• How curiosity, not hustle, fuels long-term growth

Whether you’re a movement professional, an educator, or someone feeling the pull to reinvent what you do next, this episode is an invitation to trust yourself, stay curious, and move forward, even before everything feels clear.

Links & Resources For This Episode:
Connect with Shanté on Instagram
Check out Shanté's offerings on her website
Shanté's Podcast - Maestro on the Mic
Shante's Podcast - ChatGPT Curious
Find a Neuro Studio Teacher Near You
Connect with me on Instagram
Connect with me on Threads

Transcript

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Welcome to Three Questions where critical thinking is king, and my opinions research and my guest opinions are only here to support your learning and deeper understanding. Hey, I'm your host, Meghann, and I'm so honored you clicked on three questions today because we have a very, very, very, very, very special guest.

That was a lot of verys and I could have gone on because Shanté AKA better known as the Movement Maestro is here today. And before I get into it, I'm gonna make her super comf uncomfortable. Not comfortable, yet uncomfortable because this podcast would not be going on if it wasn't for her kick in the butt and telling me to, what's your saying?

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Do the thing. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Do the thing. Always just do the thing. Love it. So welcome Shanté, and if you don't know the movement maestro, do you live under a rock? Do you not have Instagram? So stop the recording right now. Go to Instagram, give her a follow check out her stuff. I'm not gonna go through the huge whole bio because I'm gonna post it and we're gonna talk about it throughout the um, episode.

So how are you doing today? 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: First off. Two things. One, thank you for having me. This is such a fun role reversal. I know I need to be on your show and watch you do your thing. Uh, so thank you. Second, when you did the intro there, I thought you were gonna say, you were like, questions are, and being curious is king.

And I thought you were gonna say, and my opinion is queen. I was waiting for it and I was like, yes it is. Yes it is. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Now I am no queen. I'm the motherfucking king. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I lied. I was waiting for it. I was like, oh, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: oh God. But seriously, it is such a pleasure to have you today. And quick backstory is I have been on your podcast twice, which is such an honor.

'cause you don't always have people back twice. No. And it was when the neuro studio was starting out and when I was just starting to put stuff out there. I just want to personally thank you for always seeing the value in what I had to say even before I saw it, so 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Absolutely. You know, I believe in you since day one.

There's a, I will, I will toot my own horn and say that is one of the things I think I have a gift at is you can just see that person that has it and you know, they're, they're legit. And since the first encounter we had way, way, way, way, way back when it was a no brainer to ask you to. Do your thing at the moving with the maestro course.

And she just like, I was like, this chick has it and the interactions we had online and, and via email. And I was like, this chick has it. And then, you know, getting to meet you in person and, and eating Oreos and you got it. So it's been my pleasure to, uh, hold up the mirror. That's what I do. Hold up the mirror.

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Yes, but this is not about me. Everything else is about me. Let's make this about you for a sec. So I totally echo that, the gift that you have, but unlike most people who see that. They try to dull that light. You don't. So question one, a soccer star to a pt, to an educator, an online business coach and podcaster.

And now digging into ai, also an an expert at spotting shit, you wear a lot of hats. I do have to say my favorite hat is the DJ Jazzy Jeff Hat. That's my favorite hat. Do you still have that hat? 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I have like eight of them. It's my volleyball hat. Absolutely. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Oh my God. It cracks me up. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I at least twice a week, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: it's just, it's my favorite hat.

I feel like I see you in that hat all the time, but more seriously, what was the internal shift there? What told you it was time to pivot from each of those things? So let's just start there. I've got question one and one B. How do we know when to shift? 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Totally. I think that, and it's something you have a ton of.

It's that self trust. Where it's boredom paired with self-trust. Uh, I am also, uh, a planner in the sense of I want safety and I will bet on myself 12 outta 10 times. 'cause I know I can create that safety. Uh, who is it, Seth? Uh, Seth Godin, I think is the one that says it. Playing it safe is risky. Hmm. Uh, and so the traditional path safety's someone that sexy.

Isn't it the traditional path of like traditional job or like these external things catching you? That's very, feels very unsafe to me and risky, whereas I trust myself to figure it out. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Toilet, let's go back. I loved the, um, let's create a, uh, what do you call it? An algebraic equation there. Boredom plus self-trust equals.

Success, love all of the above, all of the, I love that boredom. Yeah. I don't know if I ever heard somebody put those two combinations things so we can have self trust, but sometimes when people get bored, I hate when people complain about their jobs. It's my leave. Oh my God, are you married to it? You can even divorce them.

Something. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Exactly this. Like we get one life and there's a big self-trust component and I get it. Society will tell you otherwise and feed you a bunch of whatever. Mm-hmm. To go against that or just the narrative that's out there, the traditional narrative that's out there, I don't necessarily agree with, uh, but I've been very fortunate.

My mom is my biggest supporter and it's, you know, I think it's a perfect storm of. I am born this way and then was also nurtured this way, and self-trust will get you. Absolutely everywhere. Uh, there's also a, like I said, I kind of thrown in there about this I this need for safety, right? There's that as well.

So like, I'm calculating with things. It's not that I'm like a super risk taker. Uh, you know, the biggest shift you, you, you discuss there of going from, you know, playing soccer, becoming a pt, leaving PT to go into like the education space. Those things happened gradually, you know, someone looking from the inside, looking from the outside in may have been like, wow, you're just like.

Did these changes and moved across the country. And I'm like, yeah. But they happened over the course of a few years. Right. Even something like my, my business, I was teaching for rock tape and that gave me many years to learn how to put on my own courses, which is how I met you. Mm-hmm. So I, I taught for rock tape for five years.

Uh, I taught for them probably for, uh, maybe four years before I did my own course. And then I knew how to do it. I was like, yeah, I have to just find a host. I need to make this amount of money. I understand how to teach. I've been doing it a zillion times. Put it out there on social media gets, you know, get a, a fish on the hook in the form of Meghann and she's like, would love to host and do these things.

And so the, this. Transitions happen and maybe outwardly it looks like it's quick, but like behind the scenes it's over the course of a few years, uh, which we talked about a little bit before we hopped onto the episode. Like, you know, I don't have a five year plan and I do know that I have like five year cycles, but no five year plan.

Meghann Koppele Duffy: I get itchy every five years. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: But I don't like to plan on what that's gonna be. No. 'cause then it closes like I get this television. Totally. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I hate it. Yeah. I'm just like, I'll be where I am and I trust myself to lean into where. I want to go, I, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: let's go back to, before I go to question one B one A, um, I'll, um, you weren't just like, oh, I like casually played soccer and I it was a casual pt.

It's like you were very good at those things and I think a lot of times in life when we excel at one thing. Mm-hmm. Right. Especially when it comes to sports, it's, you kind of get in that you're in that lane and you can't get out of that lane. And some people stay in that lane too. Long. So as someone who you didn't drop out, I mean you played at a collegiate division one level, so it's like, why didn't you become a soccer coach?

It's like how did you know when it was time to like get out before the door closed? It almost seems like your timing is impeccable. Was there anything you started to notice that could almost, we could ask, maybe we can ask our. What questions were you asking yourself? So maybe the audience, we can ask them these questions.

How do they know when to pivot? Pivot. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I love this. I love this. I think that I would call it an evolution more than a pivot. Pivot feels. We use that word and, and it's, it sell. Um, but pivot to me feels a little bit. After the fact, and maybe like, it's too late. Not that it's too late, but it's like all things are happening already.

Say it so sharp, like Yeah, exactly. And I'm like, that's, that's fine. And I, you also have to have that level of self-trust. But I love this question. That's, I don't think I've ever been asked this and I've been on a lot of podcasts. Uh, but I do agree it's kind of getting out before the door closes. And I'm gonna use rock tape actually as the example, because with college it's like, well, you, you graduate and then you're like, like, damn out there.

Stay there, bitch. I have a, I also have, I have self-trust, but also self-awareness and I'm like, I wasn't that good at soccer. Like I was good, but like this is ending. I, I knew my limitations with that. Mm. Uh, and also had no desire to, like, I was not drawn to coaching. I have friends that I. Play professional.

I have friends that have gone to the Olympics. I have friends that coach professionally, but it was very clear that that was their path. I'm like, this is not my path to. Do you think 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: it was your calves that were at the pro? I'm just kidding. Shanté and I joke about her calves 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: sticks. They look like this thing.

If you're watching, literally, this is my calf. It was like, they're 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: adorable. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: They wear a lot of pants. Right? It's genetics, man. Genetic. I can jump high though. I have a long tendon high calf muscle. Uh, but the getting out, like kind of seeing the writing on the wall. I think that that is a very important question to ask, and this ties into my need for safety.

One of those things that I asked myself and why I shifted away from PT and in person was like, can I see myself doing this forever? Now, I know that before we had talked about five year cycles, so I know that nothing's gonna be forever, but like, can I see myself really doing this? How do I feel about this?

And as that feeling gets like, I don't even wanna do this for another second, you have to pay attention to that. You can't just be like, well, maybe I'll. Fall in love with it again. And it's not about like, oh, I'm just gonna drop this thing. It's like, what don't I, this was very big, very big deciding factor in leaving, you know, stepping away from traditional PT is like, what don't I like?

Is it the location? Is it the demographic? Like being in New York City, I was there for nine years. That definitely played a big role. I was like, I am burned out. This is like too much. It's cold. Meghann and I was talking about that before we hot on, look at our outfit. I live in California. Look at this t-shirt.

65 degrees right now. Like I was like, I gotta, I gotta get outta here. I, with, with rock tape, this was very, very important in asking myself this and also creating safety. So what happened with Rock Tape I loved, I could have done it for a long time. Things started to change within it and I didn't necessarily agree with like what I was teaching 'cause I wasn't treating anymore.

And I was like, I can't just teach from theory and I don't really agree with all the stuff that's being taught. Um, phenomenal. Um. Phenomenal education, phenomenal company, but they got sold and before it was getting sold, I was just like, what safety and security do I have here? None really. Like I had Allison, who is still my mentor, but I was like, I need to make sure that I and the person, you know, steering the ship. And that was the writing on the wall for me was like, as soon as it got sold, I was like, what happens if this, what happens? What happens if I am not a person that, um, spirals. I am what I will call a complete catastrophizer, where I'm gonna ask myself, okay, if this, then what?

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Well, your 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: worst case 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: scenario, you 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: say yes. Like what is it and what will you do? 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Just like, can I pause you here? Because I feel like you said something really, really profound and it's something I see a lot of, and I would love everybody to walk away from this episode if nothing else is the courage to never rely on anybody else to put food on your table.

And I feel like you just saying that like the safety of. I have less control over this. I don't know where this is going. Let's maybe not wait and see. Maybe get the ball rolling 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: this 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: elsewhere. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Nailed it. Nailed it. Put the start doing the things on the side, right? I've never, as a business coach, you know, Meg List said all the things that I've done as an online business coach.

One of the things I've talked about from day one, and I do encourage people to leave their job, but I'm like, but what's the safety net? We don't just. Jump away from the job. It's like, especially people are like, I wanna go into the online business space. I'm like, great. Then you need to have a job that pays money so that you can then do this thing.

And you probably have to have a time where you're doing both things at the same time. Absolutely. Maybe you go and do home health so that you are like not brain dead from like your soul sucking job, and you can have money that allows you to then go and take your other time and, and build this other thing, build this other thing up because.

Again, for me, always ties back to safety, which I will tie into PT and the nervous system, wanting to feel safe. Right? And what can you do? You gimme a concussion 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: today. Do you see how much I'm like nodding my head. I'm like, I'm, I'm getting such a vestibular workout. You're watching me on YouTube. You're probably like, stop moving your head.

Oh my God. We get it. But from that is like, listen. I don't identify as being stubborn, as people might describe me as being stubborn. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I'm like, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: but it's more I have to understand the why. Yes. And yes, because of that, there's a lot of people giving business advice, like I, Shanté is a friend. But she's also a mentor to me because she is one of the only people I will listen to when it comes to business stuff because it's not bullshit.

And like when people are like, oh, you can do this in two weeks, it's like, on what timeline, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: please? In what world? 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: No. You know, so again, if you're looking for some business coaching or stuff like that, uh, look no further. But I think that's so important. Thank you for that honest insight. And I also. I think I love that you brought up, so let's rehash it was boredom.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Mm-hmm. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Knowing your self-worth and self safety. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Self-confidence. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Yeah. Self-confidence. And I think we both do this. You, when you first interviewed me, I think for your, um, uh, maestro dinners or what do you call that group? Mafia dinner. Mafia dinners was like, what do you think about imposter syndrome? I was like, oh.

It, it's because, but I also understand that like there's been times I don't like myself or what I'm doing, and then that's what's called therapy. Go talk to someone about it. 

Yeah.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: This, I agree. I have big feelings around it. Like I don't get that kind of demographic in my audience, and I'm not here to shame anyone. If you've, if you listening to this, watching this have said it, but I think that there's. Just Meghann and I want action, right? So I think there's two, there's like a two parts here, two directions you can take with imposter syndrome.

One, if you just fucking started, you're not that good at it. So you shouldn't feel like I'm the best and like you just shouldn't. 'cause you fucking just started like as called being humble. The other side of it is, you know, one, you do have the credentials, you have the experience, you do have the know-how.

It feels like putting a, a, a, putting a, a stick in your own bicycle tire. And it's like, cool. If you're having all these thoughts, like Meghann said, act, take action on it. And if you're like, I can't do it scared, cool, then go talk to somebody. But this like cerebral over cerebral of things as a way to like not do the thing.

You know, Meghann started the show with like, that is my phrase. It's like, do the thing. Action creates clarity there. Like I feel like there's this like mental masturbation of just like, talk about it and I feel this way, and like, yes, have the feelings and act. Yes. Think about this and act. I just don't like seeing people, you know, uh, Fred Flint stoning it and just like.

Staying in, in the same spot. Running, running the wheels there. It's with those flat 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: feet, we can't have 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: flat feet. That's can't come on. Staying in 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: the same place. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Come on. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Oh my God. So, uh, question two, nerd alert, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: let's go. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: So everybody give, we gotta go here. Put on your nerd hats, put on your glasses. Um, we are gonna need to talk shop a little bit.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: So. The last thing that you're digging into is you've really kind of shifted even your podcast to talking about ai. And I joke about Nerd Alert, but I think as my dad always said, nerds rule the world. Give me your sales pitch on ai and can you also include in that sales pitch, maybe some things for people to avoid?

'cause that might be a better way to get them started. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah, so, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: so whichever one you wanna tackle first. I'm 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: writing things down here. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Yeah. And I can repeat the question and I'm very good at repeating myself. As I've been told. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Sales pitch for ai, I left the business of convincing a long time ago, and so to me, I'm like, if you don't use ai, don't use it.

Uh, be aware that. You are using it in many ways in your day to day, but most of the time when people say AI as, as we're currently and colloquially using it, they mean LLMs, right? They means large lang, large language model chat bots, things like Chad, GPD, uh, Claude Gemini. Can you 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: repeat what it's called? L 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Large Language Model L lms.

Meghann Koppele Duffy: LLMs. Thank you. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: All right, so that's what. Those. That's what CHATT PT is, right? It as we know it, it is a large language model. Large TT does not refer to the data set it was trained on, but that's like super nerd alert. Understand that when people say ai, they're like thinking about these, these chat bots, right?

Mm-hmm. To me, I'm like, if you don't wanna use it, don't fucking use it. I actually don't care. I will never push anyone to use anything for folks who are curious about it. My, I think that that's our best approach to anything is to, to be, to be curious about it. I do believe that there are numerous ways that you can use it.

My belief, my goal in helping people use it is to live more right, to be more human. It's not to like replace things, replace themselves. It's literally just to be like, how can I outsource, offload the shit that I don't really like doing? And so I can go outside more, so I can have more time with my family.

It's not at all to be like, how can I go further into the computer? But for folks that are like, I actually have put in, so I have two podcasts now, right? My second podcast is ChatGPT Curious, and it's all, all things ai. And what's the first podcast called? So 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: people can just kind of note it. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Maestro on the mic.

So my main one that I've brought Meghann on twice is called Maestro on the Mic. We are, I just hit episode 700 on that. So I've been doing that thing for years. Wow. On my other podcast. ChatGPT Curious. I think we're on episode 28, right? I just started it. That's amazing. In August. So I needed to like have a place for these, all this, um, I, I'll call it research, but all the learning flex nerve muscle.

Yeah. Literally, I needed a place specifically for that. Uh, but for people that are, like, the episode that's coming out is like, why is AI so polarizing? Right. There's like no middle ground for it. And again. I do not care if you use it or not. If you're like, I hate it, I'm usually like, okay. The discussion that I have on that with myself, 'cause this is my own episode, is that to me, AI represents the ification of everything.

That's why people hate it, right? Ification was actually the 2024 word of the year. Uh, can you define that word? Everything getting worse, everything being made worse typically by big companies. You know, just the aftermath, the effects of corporate capitalism. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Hmm. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: And we see it, right? We know it's every part of our lives where it's things we don't want.

Things are made so poorly, they're just like made to, you know, use 'em for one time or they break so easily we, and it's being shoved down our throats. We know this. People have taken that argument or that reality rather, and attach it to AI because it is getting forced on us in many ways. Like you go into your Gmail and you're like, I don't need this thing in here.

Or you're like trying to watch something. You're like, I don't need this ai. It feels very much like that U2 album that was forced on to all of our phones back in like 2014. Like we've never forgotten about that. We never forgotten about that shit. You know what? It 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: is so funny. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: It feels like that. I haven't 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: thought about that in forever.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: But we, when it happened, are you a hater? I, I am a forced adoption hater. Yeah. We don't want that, right? Yeah. We wanna be able to opt in, not opt out of things. Yeah. And that's what's happening right now. So then we pair that with the perceived environmental impact, right? And I say perceived because what's being said is not, it's not correct on both sides.

These companies are very shady, but also. The, the actual energy usage of the using Yes. The energy and the water. They're not being super transparent, but also what's being reported is wrong. Right. Got it. So it's just like super inflammatory. And we also, whenever have you, uh, thought about anything you do in terms of bottles of water consumed Never, but suddenly 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Hello 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: almond 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: milk.

But do you know, like it takes a lot of water, like all this almond milk conception, like almonds. So stop drinking almond milk people. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: So this is the thing, right, where I did a whole episode on of like, if you're truly concerned about the environment, there's so many bigger dials to be moved. But my point being with this, people have latched onto it because.

We are upset. I am upset about the enshittification of everything. So now we have this kind of tangible thing, ai, we don't really understand it. It's nebulous. It doesn't really necessarily directly help many people. They're like, I don't even see the use case for this. Right? From the marketing perspective, it's backwards instead of with good marketing.

You find a solution to a problem that people have with ai. They said, here's a solution, go find a problem. And people are like, but I don't even need this thing. So it's being forced on us. And then they attach this very sticky, uh, environmental issue and people are like, I hate it. And then, so I'm never here to convince anyone otherwise, I have found tremendous.

Tremendous, uh, benefit me too, and fun and enjoyment with this. Uh, and so the, the, to circle back to your, you know, original question of kind of my sales pitch is like, if you're interested, just stay curious. Like that's the only, the, the number one thing. There's no like, here's the best way to use it.

Here's the only way to use it. There are so many different ways to use it. I am, most personally, I am most excited about what I think it could do for education and kids and adults learning 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: things. Same. And they taught us like, I think it's incredible. And for the doctorate studies, they taught us how to use AI ethically.

And I think this was like my husband and I were talking about this. I think a lot of people think it's replacing work. Now, here's the deal. If you type in, write me a paper about uh, cos education model, you're going to get, but to me the output is based on the input. So the cream is still gonna rise to the top 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: always, Meghann?

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Always, I feel like places, it's like a conversation I can have with myself because. Listen, it's only like a few people that like when we talk, do you remember, this was like years ago when I was trying to get your shoulder, when I was like trying to show you like that shoulder blade around the arm thing.

You're like, yo, this is hard. And I was like, I know. And it was so funny 'cause you're like, what's the obsession with this? And I was just like looking at you like you were crazy and you got me to be, it's the most mobile joint in your body. You're not moving and you're like that. So you are my AI that, so it's like I still have these conversations, but I'm able to talk to myself and like I'll yell at ai.

Yes. That was a very bad answer. Let's do this again. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Me too. I, I use a lot of voice to, so I use a, a service called Whisper Flow. Um, it's 'cause it is, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: maybe that's a better question. Hold on. Rewind there. Yeah. Maybe that's a better question of than the sales pitch. I don't always get the questions right the first time.

Is, are there AI platforms that you find to be the best? And you just mentioned one. Can I ask you to repeat that again? Yeah, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: yeah. So, um, one of them that I use is called Whisper Flow, and it is talk to text. Meghann and I we're from Jersey, but at Whisper, quickly whisper will 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: it allow me to use it? I don't whisper.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: It'll be like, bitch too loud. Turn it down. And then it will also, then it'll transcribe whisper 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: flow. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: It's amazing. Um, I love it. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Microsoft co-pilot's not great. When I do voice text, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: a lot of the things just can't pick up the words. I don't, and I will speak very, very fast and you, you nailed it. One of the reasons, one of the best, one of the main things, my main reasons why I love AI is that it can keep up with me, is that I can have these conversations and like.

Never saying what? What do you mean I love it for that? So whisper flow allows me to actually speak as quickly as I want and talk to text and it gets it love and it'll make lists. It's amazing. So that's probably one of my favorite types of ai. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: So people who like to process by talking like me, who aren't ones who write notes and journal.

Yep. Whisper, flow. Flow. Check it out. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah. Whisper flow. It's, I, I think it's spelled W-I-S-P-R. Flow. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Got, it's awesome. Absolutely. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: One of my favorites. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Any others for maybe people who like to process writing more that maybe don't use the voice or that's not your thing? 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I know. I mean, if you're just processing writing, you can just go right into the, into the, into the LLM, into whatever you want to use.

Okay, so like ChatGPT copilot. Yeah, so I will say. As it, because I think people do have this question of like, well, which one do I use? Literally whichever one you want. Mm-hmm. For the average user, it doesn't matter. They all are the same. LLMs are begun are, if they haven't already gonna become a commodity.

Okay. Uh. So you wanna use copilot, you wanna use Gemini, you wanna use statute pt, you wanna use Claude, use whatever you want. As people get further into things and they're like, I do a lot of coding with it. Uh, so as you get like more into and more specialized with things, I do think people will have multiple agents that are multiple LLMs that they're gonna be using.

But for the average person that's just like. I'm, I'm curious. I'm curious. I wanna get started. Which one? They all do the same thing. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Oh my God. My ears stopped listening when you said coding, they just like 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: jumped off. I'm really excited about the, I gotta let me decline that. I'm really excited about the possibilities.

Yeah, it's, it's really cool, Meg, to live in this space right now of, I have this movement background, I have this marketing online business background, branding background, and now I'm like entering the coding space and it's very. It's fun and the social media side of things as well. It's very fun to just be on social media and, and watch and watches people in this coding world, the, the shortcomings and the siloing that exists.

Mm. Right. Because I'm seeing like at the front, you know, the, the, the frontline of what is out there and people are, this is changing everything. This is a game changer. It's gonna change everything. And then I talk to you and you're like, I didn't even know what that fucking thing, I didn't even heard of that thing.

Right. The average person like, has not, right? So there's this massive disconnect as to like. What is, is it actually helpful? What can it do? Mm. Right. But it's, for me, it's exciting to be at that kind of interface and then to also see, because I'm such a, you know, agency forward, autonomy forward person, what this has the possibility to do for the individual who does have some tech tenacity or has friends that have tech tenacity, and basically you being able to do things yourself and maybe be less reliant on these companies that are just.

Being in ified and run by some of the worst people like that is very exciting to me as to like the possibilities and what's coming down the pipeline. It's very far from the public. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Um, yeah, but I keep hearing like the word again, curiosity. You're curious. And I think sometimes guys, it's just the people I'm around.

The people with successful businesses. Are never done. They're always curious. Yes, always. And it's just, that's my motivator. And I feel when I'm not curious about something, I feel very in quicksand almost. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Mm-hmm. Right. I think that that, that ties into what you had asked before of kind of seeing the writing on the wall or like knowing when is the time to evolve, pivot, lean into that.

And it's like when the curiosity stops, I'm not trying to try to force it to be like, I gotta be more curious. It's like. I am done. And now what? Where is my attention? Yeah. I don't think curiosity killed 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: the cat. I think can't 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: think the cat 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: died because it wasn't curious anymore. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I'm like, I'm good with that.

Like, cool, let me go on to the next thing and, and lean into that and what is, what is pulling my attention? And now they have to monetize everything, right? Like become a, that's your next thing, but. Curious is the through line. And it's why I actually named my podcast out of, I wanted, I wanted the, the alliteration.

I couldn't get as much as I wanted because it's like a soft, that's chat. Uh, but I wanted that curiosity piece because it does for me very much lead where I'm going and what I'm doing very 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: much. Yeah, I kind of love that. So again, you might be like not going in the AI direction, but it can be really helpful as a practitioner.

But always remember like when I read emails, guys. You can tell when it is AI generated. Yes. Um, those big thick dashes, number one. Number two, it's just usually not in your actual voice, but when you speak in your voice and ask questions, it's going to give you results. And as someone who, um. There's really not a diagnosis for it.

I say things backwards and I spell like it. It's hysterical. When Maris and I are using the Google Doc, she'll literally be like, because I'll write like MGE, like my own name. I always flip letters. So I didn't realize how many mistakes I've been making in emails. So I also sometimes just throw it in ai. I say, do not change any words and just please spell, check it for me.

And it has been. Honestly so, so helpful for me guys even using it then now there's much more sophisticated, but maybe just dip 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: a little. That's the best way to be using it. That is the be, in my opinion, the best way to be using it. I think that if we take a step back and we really stick with this like curiosity piece, one of the things that I believe ai, something like AI is helpful.

For, if you like, zoom out is highlighting what you care about. Right? And if you're like, and like why you're doing things, if you're like, ah, I just wanna like have this ai, write this email. And it's like, okay, why are you writing the email in the first place? What is the goal of, do you actually care about this thing?

Maybe you shouldn't be doing this thing at all as it relates to school. And you had said earlier, and I think this is a big, big issue, school can suck. What we're teaching and the way we're teaching and that we want, we expect people to sit in this fucking chair and just learn stuff they don't care about.

And the teachers are overworked. That's why people wanna outsource and be like, I'm just gonna have this thing, write the paper for me. They have no curiosity. They have no tie to this thing. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: And can we talk about, I dealt with this last semester. I'm at the doc, a doctorate, PhD level. I have had some terrible professors.

I'm in an doctorate in an education program. But what's interesting is I, I feel like we need to move away from busy work. And how is this assignment? Kids will do an assignment if it's exciting and they're gonna learn something. This, it's busy work to like prove we were there and like, it's interesting, my husband is a high school teacher.

It's not easy, but like, no. For example, he did an assignment. I actually said to him, I'm like, yo, that's. An amazing assignment. We had the kids, it was like Paul Revere, you know, like the British are coming, the British are coming. He made them do tiktoks of if, if this happened, dude, if you were Paul Revere and you had TikTok, what would you do?

And the kids got so into it because it, they had to figure out how to send a message, be clear and concise with it. And I was like, that is teaching. That's really, really smart. I, I really, I had a whole episode. He agreed to it, to interview Brian about coaching. That's, and teaching. He was like, I don't want do, it's really good.

He doesn't like attention. I don't know what's wrong with him, so I'll tell his stories for him. So I, let me get to question three because it is, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: go ahead 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: to me. What I could have spent 45 minutes with you so.

Now it is Noah Secret that you are a legend at showing up online consistently. When you started, you committed to posting every day back in the day. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: but all, don't interrupt me when I'm complimenting you authentically. And as I said, I can speak from experience. I have interacted with a lot of social media people, lot of people, two different people.

You are always the same, and that gives people courage. I've never had a, uh, um, I've never been a necessarily a self-conscious person. But you gave me the courage to do a Instagram series called Opinions are like Buttholes. Everyone has one. And so you showing up as yourself really helps other people show up themselves.

Good, bad, and ugly. Okay, so I could ask you the boring ask question of give us advice of how to show up for yourself. And it's crazy because you've already brought her up early in the episode, I'd like to permission to elevate small talk to medium. Uh, you mentioned your mom Yeah. Earlier. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Um, would you be willing to share a story about your mom or any other role models in your life to show how their stories or actions really kind of shaped you?

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah, absolutely. I think one of the, the one that comes immediately to mind. Is, I was probably five. I've always liked wearing suits. I think that they're just so sharp. I remember being like, I probably, well fitted suit looks amazing. This is, it's just like, come on. And I wanted to get, and I was also a very big Michael Jackson fan my whole life.

Like I was actually distraught when he died. I was like, I, I could never afford to go see him. And then I was like finally an adult and had like more than one penny and I was like, I'm gonna go. And then not, I didn't go clearly, uh, but. My, I remember I wanted to, sorry, Rupert, I wanted to get a suit. We were going to, uh, what is it called?

Easter. Uh, like what was gonna be like, become my, my stepdad at his, like, I don't know his mom. What just happened? 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: We lost you, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: but wanted to go to, uh. Easter and I wanted to wear a suit and I told my mom and I was like, I wanna get like a white suit. This is Michael Jackson had, uh, his smooth criminal videos and I was like, I want a white suit, a cream suit.

And my mom was just like, people might make fun of you if you and I, and I was just like, I don't care. And she was like, okay. And that was it. There was no other, you shouldn't do that. You shouldn't dress like that or anything. It was like the expectation management. And being like, Hey, this may not be received well, are you okay with that?

Meghann Koppele Duffy: I love that. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: And I was like, yes. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: I kind love it. Because she didn't set you up like, of course you can wear whatever you wanna do, Uhhuh and everybody will love you. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Exactly. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Because that, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: because that's not true 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: breaking. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Exactly. That's not true. She was like, no, it might. Yeah, I'm be receivable. And I was like, I don't care.

And she was like, okay. Right. And I know her actions have always shown me that like she's my number one supporter. She'll always show up, she'll take me to all the things and make dinner, all, all those things like that. But that, that particular memory stood out as when someone believes in you, believe them.

When someone's in your corner, lean on that. Right. But also the flip side of that, the value of being honest and the value of being real and just being like, Hey. Kindness and directness is kind, right. We're not looking here to be nice and just be like, oh, platitudes. Uh, so I think that is probably the biggest, the best example, and one that I, that I use quite often of just like what that support looked like and how it's like she's absolutely shaped who I am and, and the success I have and, and the person that I, that I am a hundred percent, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: it's a, it was a pleasure to get to meet her and also your grandmother.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Yeah. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: And it's just, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: can, can I just interrupt? Meghann got to meet them because Meghann is the fucking best and flew out for my birthday, for my 40th birthday, which is amazing. Like she didn't have to do that 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: country. I show up for people who I care about and show up for me, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: like 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: I think, you know, um, I, uh, uh, pardon for taking the floor for a minute, but after my cousin who was more like a brother to me died, it was.

It's been my driving force of always showing up and through the years, sometimes I showed up for the wrong people and it's, it's, it's getting better at that. Um, you've always showed up for me, um, in different ways and it was important to me to be there. I mean, I got dressed up in a costume and I did line dancing.

Yes. So, I mean, right there, but it's always so interesting to see people with the people who shaped them. And so I feel like when students meet my parents, they're like, okay, you're exactly. I can see exactly why you're you. Um, and that was so cool about seeing your mom and your grandmother and your family, and it's something I always admired about you.

We have same family values. That family kind of comes first. That's, and sometimes it's not always the family you're born into. Yes. The family you create. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: That's a really, Meghann, I think that's a really huge, um, point to make there, whether it's chosen family or given family like that is. Is, that is a very, very, very important, a very, very important point to, to make there and those who show up for you and those who believe in you and, and realizing that, recognizing that, identifying that leaning into, into those things, especially just on the time that we're in, that is huge.

That is huge. Huge shoes, Meghan. I'm glad that you said that. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Do you think, do you think, and maybe I am grasping straws here, do you think. You are your mother for other people, the, the support you have, you wanna be that person for other people. Yeah. Because I kind of see you showing up in that way. I do. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I do think that, I think that, uh, I think that part of that, it's like the nature of nurture is just kind of like in you and then around you, and then you don't have a choice with things.

Uh, but I don't know. I think the things that we grew up with and we just, they become familiar to us. We lean into that and I do, I do think. Yes. I don't think I've ever necessarily like, thought about it in that way or intentionally thought about that way or like shown up intentionally because of that and be like, I'm trying to be like that.

No, but I do, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: I think it's like I've learned that so many people aren't as lucky as you and I with moms. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Oh yeah. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Like we have, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I have seen that. So, so, so, so, so much, so much. And I'm going to, I'm just like going to say it. I have a soft spot. For moms because of my mom, and I also just think that they are superheroes.

I think that they are asked so much. I think women in general, right? The world is not built for them. And 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: then the moms are doing the most, they're doing the most. They're trying 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: this 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: meaning the least. I remember, I'll never forget this story. I think it was the final straw of me not wanting to have kids.

My mother. I remember going, ma, where's my shirt? And my mom was like, wherever you left it. And it was like one of those moments, I don't know what she said to me, but like my mom was tough where it was like, if you complained about your lunch, make your own, if you, we had to iron our own clothes. So it was kind of like, and my mom was always there, like 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: mm-hmm.

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Solid. Mm-hmm. But it was kind of like, I think we took so much for granted, like. Basically when you're a mom, you only get attention when something's like not done. Like, it's not like done, someone comes go, mom, thank you for providing this dinner and this yes house to be clean. Like it was just always done.

So we didn't like, what did, I think my mom had three elves like right. So I was like, this is the most thankless job. And my mom did such a good job at it. Yes. And I joke, I haven't seen my sister sit down in like 16 years. True. I like 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: to sits. It's true. I'm like you and I, you know, like no kids. That's not, 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: yeah.

So moms, uh, uh, take this note of you're doing a good job, you're 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: doing a fucking great job. I'm the superheroes. Then they don't get any, any props for it. And so I always have a soft spot for that. And I always make a point to, you know, thank them, to shout them out, um, to give grace. With that as well. And also like, like I did earlier, just to shout my mom out because she has, you know, she was always such a, so integral, uh, but as it relates to what you had asked me, showing up that way, uh, yes, I have seen that and I've heard that from many people where they just don't have that relationship with their, their parent or their mom.

I don't think that I intentionally looked to show up in that way, but it's just like, I'm gonna get grace, give grace for that person. And then also I realized because I had it, the value of having someone in your corner in that way 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: unconditionally. And it doesn't, it's not based off accomplishment. It's like you're enough for just being here.

And I love that your story was like so simple because I think people always think like your superhero origin story is like, I got bit by a spider and now I'm flying. It's like my mom said, you sure you wanna wear a suit? Some kids might make fun of you. And you said, I don't care. And she said, let's do it.

So I kind of love how simple and how filled with love and support and honesty. That was, which kind of is you in a nutshell. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Uh, thank you for my favorite thing I do in courses. Uh, when you, at the end of the course for Rock Tape was like, what's one thing you're gonna take home and do differently on Monday?

One. And ever since I've heard it, I've done it and students like it. Just 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: one. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: And, um, action. Yeah. I'm grateful that you just said, just do the damn podcast. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I'm grateful that you actually did it. Action item. Taking action is a love language is a love language for me. I'm, I'm, I like this episode, right?

Sometimes I go on podcast and it's like very pointed at this and there's like very much like, you know, this is the, the intention. I really appreciate just a candid conversation between two people. Like again, to circle back to how life is right now. Uh. Community is the, is the antidote, right? It always will be.

And this is what community looks like, showing up for people, shooting the shit with people, enjoying other people, learning from other people, asking questions of other people. And I appreciate this conversation right now. This is like, we can sit and talk and be ourselves and reminisce like, to me is what it's about.

And I, I'm, I'm, I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for the conversation. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Yeah. Uh, thank you for that. And, um. The other thing, we had talked about this and I decided I was gonna stop doing it. Stop talking about it and start living. It is something you do naturally is shining lights on other people. Um, I wanna see more of that in the world, more of that between women.

Moms supporting moms, non moms, supporting non moms, vice versa. We're all missed together. So is uh, to create a community like this is super helpful. So I hope no matter how many jobs or hats you wear, you have the confidence, you get a little bored and have the ability to pivot. And if you don't reach out to someone like Shanté who can kind of just.

Give you that kick in the butt and the pep talk you need. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: That's my 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: favorite. She'll mama you up. 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: I said that's my favorite thing to do. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: Don't be afraid of ai. And everybody, if you have the luxury to call your mom right now, call her. Thank her, 

Dr. Shanté Cofield: please. 

Meghann Koppele Duffy: And Shanté, thank you for being here today. I love you.

Dr. Shanté Cofield: Thank you. Love you.