Is your business worth more when AI writes faster—or when you show up as an authentic leader your team actually trusts?
You’re under constant pressure to communicate clearly, move quickly, and keep up with AI without losing your voice in the process. In this episode, Jim Schleckser talks with Allison Shapira about the real tension leaders face today: using AI to gain efficiency while still sounding human, credible, and genuinely connected to the people who matter most.
By listening, you’ll gain:
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Clear guidance on how to use AI to strengthen your voice instead of diluting it as an authentic leader
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Insight into why AI-generated communication can quietly erode trust—and how to prevent it
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Practical ideas for balancing speed, clarity, and culture in leadership communication
Hit play to discover how leading with authenticity—while using AI wisely—can increase trust, impact, and the long-term value of your business.
Why AI Is Testing the Authentic Leader
00:00 – Setting the stage
Jim Schleckser introduces the episode and welcomes Allison Shapira, outlining why leadership communication—and AI’s role in it—has become impossible for CEOs to ignore.
05:20 – Why Allison wrote the book before leaders were asking for it
Allison explains how she recognized AI as a leadership inflection point years before it became mainstream—and why waiting until it feels urgent is already too late.
10:40 – When AI-generated communication starts eroding trust
You’ll hear why emails, speeches, and messages that don’t sound like you can quietly damage credibility, even when the words themselves seem “right.”
15:55 – The hidden risk of sounding efficient instead of human
This segment explores how leaders chasing speed and output can unintentionally weaken culture—and why an authentic leader must protect connection, not just productivity.
21:30 – Why leaders hesitate to use AI at all
Allison breaks down the real reasons leaders resist AI—from regulation and fear to overwhelm—and why avoidance is becoming a bigger risk than experimentation.
How Authentic Leaders Use AI Without Losing Their Voice
27:10 – Training AI to sound like you
A practical explanation of how leaders can interview themselves, feed AI their values, and create tools that reinforce—not replace—their voice as an authentic leader.
32:45 – Using AI to strip out jargon and clarify meaning
You’ll learn a simple way to use AI as a mirror—spotting confusing language so you can rewrite it in a more human, relatable way.
38:20 – Adapting one message for different audiences
This section shows how AI can help you translate the same idea for sales, engineering, or the board—while still sounding like the same authentic leader.
43:50 – A cautionary tale: trusting AI over your team
Allison shares a powerful example of a CEO who deferred to AI instead of lived experience—and how that decision quietly signaled mistrust across the organization.
49:30 – The future of AI, authenticity, and leadership
The episode closes with a forward-looking conversation about where boundaries should be drawn, why authenticity will matter more—not less—and what leaders must decide now.
About Allison Shapira
Allison Shapira is an executive advisor, Harvard lecturer, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and trained opera singer who helps senior leaders speak with confidence, clarity, and authenticity—especially in high-stakes, high-visibility moments. Since 2003, she has advised leaders from prime ministers to Fortune 50 executives and has designed leadership communication programs that drive trust, alignment, and measurable results. An entrepreneur and global expert in leadership and communication, Allison brings over two decades of experience to every engagement. Her practical frameworks integrate cutting-edge AI tools to help executives sharpen their message, amplify their voice, and Speak With Impact℠. An adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School since 2015, her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The New York Times, and Harvard Business Review. She is the author of three books: the Washington Post best-seller Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others (HarperCollins Leadership), the companion e-guide Speak with Impact VIRTUALLY, and her newest book, AI for the Authentic Leader: How to Communicate More Effectively Without Losing Your Humanity (Spa Creek Press).