Jason Van Orden, Unlock Your Genius: From "Prompt and Pray" to AI Partnership - Innova.Buzz 681

Our guest in this episode is Jason Van Orden, a business strategist who uniquely combines his background as a software engineer with two decades of marketing expertise. He has dedicated his career to helping creators and thought leaders build sustainable businesses, and now he’s pioneering how they can partner with AI to amplify their impact. In our chat, Jason unpacks his brilliant approach to using AI as a "thinking partner," sharing frameworks that help entrepreneurs unlock their own genius while maintaining authentic human connection.

Key points discussed include:

* Treat AI as a creative thinking partner to enhance your own unique thinking, not replace it.

* Organize your unique expertise so AI can communicate authentically in your voice and on your behalf.

* Use discernment to ensure AI deepens your critical thinking and fosters genuine human connection.

Listen to the podcast to find out more.

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Show Notes from this episode with Jason Van Orden

It was an absolute delight to welcome Jason Van Orden back to the Innova.buzz podcast. So much has changed since our last chat, especially with the explosion of artificial intelligence into our daily lives. Jason, who has always been a master of strategic frameworks for entrepreneurs, has pivoted to meet this moment head-on, providing creators and thought leaders with a powerful new way to approach AI—not as a mysterious black box, but as a genuine creative partner.

Our conversation was a refreshing dose of practical wisdom. We moved past the hype and the fear, digging into how we, as entrepreneurs, can form a real partnership with these new tools. Jason’s insights are all about shifting our perspective to build sustainable, human-centred businesses in an age where technology is more powerful than ever.

The "Thinking Partner" Paradigm: Escaping the "Prompt and Pray" Trap

Many of us have experienced what Jason brilliantly calls the "prompt and pray" approach. You ask a generic question, you get a generic, robotic answer, and you walk away disappointed. Jason argues that this is fundamentally the wrong way to look at it. The most critical shift we can make is to stop treating AI like a vending machine and start treating it as a "thinking partner."

Think of it like Tony Stark in his lab with his AI, Jarvis. It’s a dynamic, back-and-forth collaboration. The AI isn't there to replace your thinking; it’s there to enhance it, to provide feedback, to pull resources, and to help you execute your vision. This simple change in mindset opens up a world of creative possibilities and moves us from being passive users to active collaborators.

Your Knowledge, Supercharged: Structuring Your Intellectual Property for AI

Jason works with countless experts who feel they are "sitting on this goldmine" of knowledge and intellectual property they've developed over years, but they struggle to leverage it effectively. The true magic happens when you teach AI to think like you, and that starts with organizing your unique expertise into frameworks that the AI can understand and apply.

When you provide the AI with the context of your specific business—your vision, your values, your ideal clients, and your core ideas—it can generate assets that are genuinely in your voice and based on your expertise. Instead of getting a generic blog post, you get one that reflects your unique perspective, all because you took the time to structure your knowledge for your new thinking partner.

The Art of the AI Conversation: From Simple Prompts to Iterative Dialogue

A true partnership isn't about single commands; it's about an ongoing conversation. Jas