Last week, I was coaching Elias, a thoughtful leader preparing for a high-stakes presentation. He had all the right instincts, a clear message in his heart, but the words just weren’t coming.

“I know what I want to say,” he told me. “I just can’t seem to say it the way I want.”

It’s a challenge I know well. So I asked him, “Have you ever tried using AI as a sounding board?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You mean like ChatGPT?”

“Exactly,” I said. “Not to do the work for you, but to help you hear yourself. Sometimes I open a blank chat and start typing raw, messy thoughts. It helps me reflect. It asks questions, suggests structure, and sharpens my thinking. It’s like a partner who’s endlessly patient and totally focused on helping me get to what I really want to say.”

I shared a story of my own of when I was writing a deeply personal letter. I had the emotion, but the words came out flat. I turned to AI. It didn’t hand me the answer. But it helped me find better questions, clearer phrasing, and the tone that matched what I truly meant.

Elias sat back. “I’ve always thought of AI as a shortcut, and maybe even the negative perception of cutting corners. But maybe it’s more like a mirror, or even a coach.”

“Exactly,” I said. “It’s about refining your voice to make it clearer for others to understand.”

He left the session intrigued. A week later, I got a message from him: “That presentation was the most well-received I’ve ever given. It sounded like me, only clearer.”

This is what I’ve come to believe: when your thoughts are foggy, sometimes you need to borrow a little light. And sometimes, that light can come from an unexpected source, like a machine trained to help you think.

I’ve used AI to:

• Clarify my ideas by organizing, reframing, and pressure-testing them.
• Turn insights into letters, leadership messages, and coaching frameworks.
• Visualize leadership metaphors and design learning tools.
• Write in the voice of my late wife to comfort my grandchildren with words she might have said.

The key? Curiosity and intentionality. When you treat AI not as a shortcut but as a creative companion, it helps you move your best thinking from your mind into the world, with more clarity, empathy, and impact.

So if you’re staring at a blank page or stuck trying to say something that matters, try starting the conversation not with someone else, but with yourself. With a little help from a patient, responsive partner who’s ready whenever you are.

Because sometimes, clarity comes from conversation, even if it’s with a machine.