#598 AI + Creativity: The Future of Authentic Innovation with Mona Bavar

What if artificial intelligence wasn’t something to fear—but something to co-create with?

In this inspiring episode of Talking with the Experts, host Rose Davidson welcomes Mona Bavar, the visionary behind BlueApples.ai and DLISH. With over 16 years of experience blending business strategy and emotional connection, Mona shares how AI can serve as a creative partner—not a cold replacement.

Her message is clear: your voice still matters. In fact, it’s more important than ever.

With the overwhelming pace of technology, entrepreneurs often feel pressure to automate everything and sacrifice authenticity. But Mona’s approach flips that narrative. She shares how AI can actually strengthen your brand voice, amplify your storytelling, and help you create deeper, more meaningful relationships with your clients.

This episode explores:

• How to integrate AI tools that support—not replace—your creativity
• The secret to refining workflows and saving time
• How to lead with purpose in a digital world

Whether you’re a solopreneur or small team, this episode is your roadmap for navigating the evolving tech landscape with confidence and clarity.

 🎯 Three Key Takeaways for the Audience:

1. How to use AI as a creative partner to amplify your voice, not erase it.
2. Practical tools and frameworks that blend tech with storytelling and brand clarity.
3. How to simplify workflows and scale your impact—without burning out or disconnecting.

✨ CONNECT WITH MONA

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bavar/

Website: https://www.blueapples.ai/
Website: https://dlish.us/

📍 PROMOTION

https://www.blueapples.ai/category/all-products

#TalkingwiththeExperts #RoseDavidson #AIforBusiness #CreativeTech #BlueApplesAI #PodMatch #AuthenticBranding #SmallBusinessGrowth

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👉 Rose Davidson is a podcast host, producer and coach who helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and business owners navigate the process of starting their own shows through her signature OPAL system—Organise, Produce, Arrange, and Launch.

DISCLOSURES: This description contains affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I trust and believe will add value. Thank you for your support!

Transcript

Voiceover | 00:00
Welcome to Talking with the Experts. This is where we discuss great ideas to take your business to the next level. How do we know these ideas work? 
 Well, it's because we're talking with business owners who are using these ideas. Business owners who have years of experience and expertise. All things business, by business owners, for business owners. And now, here is your host, Rose Davidson. 

 Rose | 00:30
Hello, welcome to Talking With The Experts. I'm your host, Rose Davidson from rosedavidson.com.au. Talking with the experts is all about business by business owners for business owners. You can find it on all podcasting streaming platforms and on YouTube. And today it's my great pleasure to introduce you to Mona Bavar. And Mona is going to be chatting with us about AI as a creative partner for your business. Mona is the founder of blueapples.ai, which is a consultancy that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses integrate artificial intelligence in ways that amplify creativity and maintain authenticity. With a passion for blending technology with human connection, Mona creates practical tools and guides that show how AI can be a partner in refining workloads, sparking innovation and building meaningful relationships. In addition to her work with BlueApples.ai, Mona is the visionary behind Delish, a brand known for its curated gifting and sensory dining experiences that celebrate connection and storytelling. Her ability to merge creativity with strategy makes her a sought-after voice for entrepreneurs looking to embrace innovation without losing their unique identity. Mona, welcome to Talking with the Experts. It's lovely to meet you. 

 Mona | 01:55
Thank you very much, Rose. It's very nice to meet you. And it's very, it's a pleasure to be here speaking with your audience. Thank. 

 Rose | 02:01
You. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Tell me a little bit. How did you get involved with AI? What interested you most about it? 

 Mona | 02:09
So AI, after being an entrepreneur, solopreneur, and then having a team for so many years with Delish and other companies that I had prior to that, I realized that We all need to bootstrap. So about two years ago, when ChatGPT started to get momentum, I started to play with it just to experiment and see how I can come up with ideas, use it to create content and. As ChatGPT evolved, I evolved with it and realized that, There are so many ways of using it in an effective way that. Helps me move forward with my business. At the same time giving me space to recognize my creativity, Prior to that, I had no idea that I had that in me, mainly because I was so busy trying to do all the operations. For DLISH, making sure that everything was being executed, that we were on time, that looking at the numbers, looking at the processes, the logistics, all of that. That you don't ever as an entrepreneur have time for your creativity but we all have realized that Whatever position we're in, When we decide to take a step into this journey, we all have that creativity within us. 
 So whether you're an accountant or you're an artist, you're still creating, right? So I think that's where... AI started to take over my world. Not take over. I invited it into my world and helped, decided to start helping other businesses do the same. 

 Rose | 03:58
Interesting journey. I love chat GPT. I don't. Know how I ever lived without it. 
 I mean, I don't. You give it a prompt and it writes you out this stuff and you think, geez, I couldn't be that creative. But then I look back at the stuff that I used to write before. AI and I think yeah I was creative I could write things And I sometimes think maybe AI makes us a little bit lazy. What are your thoughts on that? 

 Mona | 04:30
That's a beautiful point. And I agree. 
 So I come from a family of writers. And my father was a journalist, and he was an entrepreneur, and so on and so forth. 
 So writing has always been my medium for expression. And words always inspire me. 
 So I'm more... Drawn to the word than I am necessarily to the visual. 
 So, I, too, After I started using ChatGPT, I realized that I... Tend to become lazier. But The one thing with that I will tell you is that And it's a mistake because we sit there and we say, do this right for me, write this, write a blog, write a newsletter, write an email, all the things that we give it to do, all the tasks. We can't forget that we have a unique brand voice and we have a unique brand identity that differentiates us from our competitors. 
 So if we're not using it. Catchy BT prompting it in an effective way. We're only going to get. Generic content. Or results. And that's one of the things that we do at Blue Apples. And it's one of the pitfalls that I, unfortunately, in the beginning fell into. 
 And then I had to start working with myself again. And it involves a little bit of discipline, I have to be honest, where you sit down and you say, what is the reason I started my business? What is my story? And once you understand that, Then you know your brand voice. Then, and we say, brand voice is just a bunch of adjectives. It's not because a brand's voice can fluctuate from time to time, depending on what it is that you're going to be promoting or what it is you're going to be talking about. 
 So your brand voice, when you're talking to a customer is different than when you're talking to, about a promotion. So it's all these little things that if you're not already doing the homework prior to sitting down in front of ChatGPT, then you have this really dangerous experience. Pitfall where you say, I will become one of the many. Last year it was 4 billion content was created. This year is projected to be 8 to 10 billion. 
 So you'll just become one of those. And if you just want to be one of those, then the probability of you getting lost in an ocean of content is very high. And that's where I think the laziness comes. Where we say, you know what? It's not about that. It's not about me sitting and saying, write me a blog about the top 10 luxurious gifts to give your employees. Or your boss who's retiring. Because I still have to say, you know what, my brand tends to be a niche, luxurious brand. 
 So maybe I want to make sure that ChatGPT just doesn't throw out Amazon gifts, for example. So you have to have the information in order for you to understand what it is you want and the strategy that you want to take. ChatGPT becomes a partner. 

 Rose | 07:51
Absolutely. And I agree that it becomes a partner because I was using it for quite some time. 
 And then I asked it to write me a brand voice. And it was so spot on. Because it had taken everything that I'd asked it to write and put it into this brand voice document. And so I told then, I then told ChatGPT to use that brand voice in all of my future conversations. Things that it spat out at me. And it hasn't steered me wrong yet. 
 So I'm really happy that I, you know, had been using it for a time so I got to know me as a person. I mean, I don't know if it knows me as a person, but a couple of other questions I've asked it and it's actually pinpointed me right down to. Being so accurate that it was scary. And I think There is a benefit of using AI to build your brand voice. 

 Mona | 08:50
Absolutely. And like I said, if you do the homework before. It's going to make your life so much easier. 
 I mean, there's a reason they call it prompt engineering. And it's mainly because it is such a precise science. That you can very easily say, write me a blog post, make sure it has my tone of voice, my brand's tone of voice, which is elegant, refined, inspiring. And it will generate it. But there are, sentence structures that it uses that is so LLM. There are vocabulary words that they use like unleash or spark or tapestry, like these words. 
 I mean, I didn't even realize that they're there. I may have used them before ChatGPT, but now everything that comes out is that. 
 So if you don't sit down and say, you know what, this is who I am and say it firmly, then. Because you've done the work, you've done the research on your brand and you know your why. 
 So you're more confident. Then you can't stand out. And you won't stand out. And that is what I think when people talk about the many dangers of AI. And what we should be wary of, I think one of the most important thing for businesses, especially the solopreneurs or the small to medium sized businesses that are learning about AI, is the danger of AI. Just becoming generic. Because branding, there were so many years that we spent on developing this whole concept of branding and the way it connects with your audience on an emotional level. We can't lose that. 
 So we worked hard. I am so grateful that I started my journey so many years before Chachi BT because I did the research. I did the work. I went through the textbooks and I learned it and I got my MBA. I worked in corporations. I did. 
 You know, all of that we've done. So it's not like some... 
 Someone now that says, you know what, I'm going to start a business around honey. And I'm going to sit down and ChatGPT is going to give me all the ideas and I'm going to connect the dots and I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that. And I have my first newsletter and I have my marketing campaign. And here I am. And I'm going to go post on Instagram because ChatGPT gave me one month's worth of Instagram posts. Great. Okay, good for you. But when I read the first sentence, There's nothing different than your competitor that's using chat GPT in the same way or the thousands of other honey, producers or manufacturers out there. 
 So what's going to make me. Attracted to you. Probably your story. Right. When you're going to be sharing that here on your podcast or on social media or through your packaging, because our packaging is our brand story. Right. 
 So it's all of these things that I think they come together. And they... They make it. 
 So that we use AI in an effective and authentic way. 

 Rose | 12:19
Absolutely. We have to make sure that we don't lose that authenticity through the use of AI. 
 You know, we still have to make sure that our voice, our personal voice is shining through at all times because that's what sets us apart from our competitor. 

 Mona | 12:37
Absolutely. If we end up. 
 So I'll give you an example. Last year, it was. March 2024. I saw in the back end that our sales were falling. And. This... Past Christmas. Strangely enough, we were flat. 
 So the business was not at all producing what it should be producing and what we had projected. And I hired a SEO. Firm to come and analyze and audit the website to see what's happening. And keep in mind during this time, I had gotten very like, So arrogant, let's say. And I said, yeah, now I've tracked it all. I I'm not an SEO expert, but I said to ChatGPT, you know, use these keywords or use the highest ranking keywords and do this and do that. And I don't need anybody. I can just do this. I'll give it to my assistant. 
 And then... When the company came and audited it, They said, you know, your H tags are off. You don't have meta descriptions. All the technical stuff. That I didn't know that I should be doing or using the wrong keywords. This is where we talk about pitfalls, where you say, I got this because chat GBT is a know-it-all. Right. It's my Yoda. It's my Oracle that I'll go to and it's going to give me everything. And most of the time it can give you a lot. But For now, it still can't give you everything. And so this is where we're trying to, that's why we say at Blue Apples, we're AI with a human touch. And the human touch is that gray area between traditional business and the new innovative way of doing business, where we're still bridging this to, and until we understand fully or that technology becomes fully capable You still need that. 

 Rose | 14:45
Yeah, I agree. I think, you know, as I said previously, you still have to have that human touch. 
 So don't just copy and paste from chat GBT. You've got to read through it and make sure that you're adding information stuff that reflects you as a person. I was just, made the mistake initially of just copying and pasting. It didn't sound like me and it, So I go back now and read it and add words or take sentences out and do things that reflect who I am as a person and who my business is, because you can't just rely on it to be their be all, end all. 

 Mona | 15:28
Exactly. Because then you're going to lose. I'll be very blunt and straightforward. You're going to lose. 

 Rose | 15:36
You will. 

 Mona | 15:36
Lose because especially today where we're so saturated. With so much and everyone is, solopreneur or an entrepreneur. 
 So there is a lot to be... Cautious about. 

 Rose | 15:54
Absolutely. Mona, what are some actionable tips that small businesses or entrepreneurs can use to gain these insights when they're using AI? 

 Mona | 16:05
First and foremost, I think you we all need to take a moment to reflect and to understand Why? Why am I here? Why am I doing this? And I know it sounds maybe a little bit cliche or it sounds a little bit woo, but it's not. It really is not. And that's the first thing we do at Blue Apples is we sit down with you and we go through these series of questions that are key. Catered for you in order to help us and you better understand your why. 
 And then once that is achieved, the next step is. Who is your target audience who is it that you want to be speaking to so if you're a wine you're producer and you have this wonderful farm in Australia and you're producing this wonderful honey that's organic, that comes straight from the bees, it's limited in numbers. The price is going to be a little bit higher, but it's okay because we know the source is 100% pure and there's a story behind it and you grew up on this farm and blah. But now your target audience. 
 So you want to make sure, first of all, they're honey lovers. They're going to love the fact that Your story is what it is that you went through X, Y, and Z to then produce this wine and put it out into the market. The price is high, but that's not important to me because I love the story and I know the value I'm getting for this wine. 
 So this is where we are. You're not going to go sell it to someone. A lot of times we say, everybody's my target audience. I was a gifting company. I am a gifting company. That in the beginning, I remember when I had my business coach, she'd say, okay, who's your target audience? And I'm like, everybody wants to gift. And she's like, okay, but They can go and buy a gift for $20 or they can buy a gift for $120. What is it? Which one are you? 
 And then you have to sit down and say, yeah, you're right. So I have to do the demographics. I have to understand my audience so then I can communicate to them and make sure I'm addressing their pain points. With that, then you can start to use ChatGPT for ideation, for strategy, for outlines, for. Even blog writing, you can then start to do all that. I still recommend you have an SEO expert check all of that. But my point is, if you don't do these little small steps... It's not necessarily that you're going to succeed. And I know in the beginning, you feel like it's like the rabbit and the tortoise race. The rabbit is like yeah, I'm winning, I'm going so fast, and it would sit under the tree and eat a carrot, and this turtle's going slowly, and still, the rabbit's like, okay, I can go fast, and at the end, the turtle wins, if you remember the... 
 Yeah. Now I'm aging myself, but the cartoon from back in the days, but that's the story. The arrogance takes over and thinks, I'm a rabbit, I'm going to win anyway. And in the beginning, it may seem like that because we're producing so rapidly that we feel like we're ahead of the game. But we're not realizing that businesses that are doing the extra work, that are doing still the organic preliminary work. Are the turtle that's going to arrive at the finish line and they're going to win. 

 Rose | 19:44
Absolutely. And sometimes slow and steady is the best way to go. One small step at a time, rather than big leaps and bounds, because you forget things along the way. Where you miss things along the way and that could be a detriment to your business or to yourself personally, you know, because. Then have to live with this disappointment that you've missed something and you don't know what it is, you can't put your finger on it. Because you didn't take the time. To analyse all the data. 

 Mona | 20:16
Exactly. Because that's the most important aspect of it all. 

 Rose | 20:22
Absolutely. So tell me a little bit more about blueapples.ai. What do they offer you? They're your What do you offer your clients? 

 Mona | 20:31
We have consulting services, but we are specific to... Businesses that... Are into their maintaining their authentic brand voice. We teach them, we do workshops, half day, full days, two days, workshops where we show you the process. 
 So we work with you from if you're just starting out for us to help you understand what the steps are to Discover your story. So we do a lot of story writing for people, brand storytelling. 
 And then, help with marketing, their business. Identifying their target audiences, strategizing, ideating, Mail, emails, anything that they need to do. We just started a new service called where last year we were using the Jungian archetypes, in order to identify each month There was a Jungian archetype using AI that you would go through these exercises. And this year we put it out as a guide. Last year we were doing it live. 
 So every month we would talk about it. This year we did a guide where the person can then, whoever purchases the guide, sits down and goes through these reflections, exercises, because. Me and my partners at Blue Apples believe that entrepreneurship is not just a journey of success. Look at my numbers. I arrived here. I scaled. I did this. I did that. It's more a journey of self-growth. A Journey of Self-Discovery. 
 So Applying this let's say, psychology or this idea of the archetypes together with AI and these wonderful mother prompts, I like to call them because they're so powerful, have been really effective. And it's been a tool that we use a lot to help people understand their why and to go deeper into their... Their story. 

 Rose | 22:53
It's important to know your why and to know your backstory. I mean, you should be able to articulate. The why of your business, so why you started. And you should be able to articulate, you know, some elevator pitch to say, you know, what you're doing and how you help people. 

 Mona | 23:12
Exactly. Exactly.
 
 Rose | 23:15
If you want to find out more about what Mona does, you can find her on LinkedIn at... B-I-V-A-R. She has two websites, wonderfulblueapples.ai and delish.us. And you want to promote all your products on blueapples.ai. Tell me what people can find in there, Mona. 

 Mona | 23:36
And on Blue Apples, if they want to look at the resources, we have some resources that are guides for different levels of AI. They're more than welcome to do it or just schedule a discovery call with us and get to know how we can help you. 

 Rose | 23:50
Wonderful. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience today, Mona? 

 Mona | 23:54
Just to have fun with AI, have fun with it all. This is all a journey that we're all on together. And the most important thing is learning how to have fun. 

 Rose | 24:05
Absolutely. I think that that's the idea, I think, of having a business. Don't get all caught up in everything. Have fun while you're doing it. Otherwise, it becomes a burden, I think. 

 Mona | 24:16
Exactly. 

 Rose | 24:19
Manu, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for joining me here today on Talking with the Experts. 

 Mona | 24:24
Thank you very much for having me, Rose. It was a pleasure. 

 Rose | 24:27
Bye for now. 

 Voiceover | 24:30
You've been listening to Talking With The Experts, hosted by Rose Davidson. Make sure you have a look at our back catalogue over at talkingwiththeexperts.com. And be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss out on any episode. We look forward to your company next time.