Backstory
For 20 years I worked alongside some of the brightest minds in technology, including Mo Gawdat (former Chief Business Officer of GoogleX), who would later change my entire trajectory with a single sentence.  To say I’m a fan of technology is an understatement, especially AI.

Toward the end of my tenure with Microsoft and into the next 2.5 years at VMware - I heard a call.  It began as a whisper I simply ignored.  It wasn’t entirely clear, but it was quite persistent.  Then the volume increased.  And increased again, until the volume levels in my brain were matched only by the level of certainty in my heart.  It was time to go.  I had no idea what that calling was, nor which direction I was headed - I just knew I needed to take the first step.

I immersed myself in ‘non-corporate’ personal growth and explored many entrepreneurial avenues until themes began to emerge: human potential, children’s potential, humanity.
I adopted the hashtag “#itsabouthumanity” and bought the domain. In fact, I bought every domain I could find related to humanity and human potential.  I had no idea what I would do with those domains, I just listened to my instincts. Fast forward a few years, and several “failed” attempts at a variety of business ideas - I knew then as I know now, they were all simply a means to revenue, not fulfillment.

It wasn’t until I launched High Vibration Coffee, I began to feel I was finally moving in the right direction.  The funny part is it wasn’t the coffee that first attracted me - it was the stories of schools and orphanages in Kenya being funded by specialty coffee sales; the farmers and their families who hand-picked beans at precise ripeness in the extreme elevations of Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia, meticulously handwashing the crop before drying in natural sunlight.  It was learning about the history & genealogy of each specialty bean, similar to grape varietals and profiles being nurtured over decades.  It was the humanity aspect of it all that grasped my attention and desire to learn more.

During that time, I shifted most of my personal development back to business development.  For all my shortcomings, my ability to go deep is not one of them.  When I’m interested in a subject, I go down the rabbit hole.  My rabbit holes included: humanity, specialty coffee and AI.

One random day, listening to yet another business podcast while walking my dog (true story), I couldn’t believe I had stumbled upon my friend Mo Gawdat being interviewed about AI. While at Microsoft, I had the incredibly good fortune to work quite closely with Mo for almost three years.  He was one of the most ethical (and humble, authentic, humorous) human beings on our global team.  I was a big fan of Mo’s Happiness work but had not been aware of his deep involvement in AI while at Google.  In that podcast, Mo said something that completely stopped me in my tracks.  His message was clear, “Be good parents to AI.”

What I heard that day has never left me:  Whether or not you believe we have a moral obligation to participate in the “raising” of AI, at the very least, consider humanity’s self-preservation - and by default, your own.  From that point on, I began evangelizing that message to anyone who would listen.

Yep, down another rabbit hole, but this time it was the “humanity” aspects of AI.

Here's what else I discovered
We could be living through the most consequential moment in human history.  The promise of artificial intelligence, combined with its equal potential for peril, is becoming even more complex on a daily basis, and often daunting.  Knowing about AI and how to use AI are not the same as having agency over AI.  It is increasingly unclear how to gain the benefits of AI without compromising our children’s safety, compromising their cognitive development, and critically, what it means for our children to lose human connection.

It’s no secret the leading AI companies prioritize metrics like number of users, user dependency and market dominance over user wellbeing.  We hear terms like "attention hacking," but the latest version is "attachment hacking" - replacing human connection with simulated, artificial relationships.  There are precious few guardrails in place to protect children whose identities are still forming.  Replacing friendships, human mentorship, and familial bonding with AI companions could permanently impair our children's ability to form healthy relationships in the future. 

In December 2025, the White House issued an executive order pressuring the states into abandoning AI safety legislation, including quashing an Utah bill that required AI companies to publish child protection plans and report safety incidents.  The administration said it was “unfixable.”  As of today, there are no federal laws or guardrails requiring AI companies to prove their products are safe for children, nor are there any legal requirements to report when a child is harmed.  No warning system.  No minimum requirement.  Nothing.

Agency means you stay in control
Parents are struggling to decipher and balance the positive-negative impacts of technology as it unfolds so quickly.  It’s no longer enough to have the latest information – parents need a guide; a coach - someone who understands the technology, loves the technology, but can help them navigate the risks and opportunities without jargon or fear mongering - and without making them feel like the “technology police” to their kids.

Agency means you and your family decide how AI shows up on your devices, in your home and in your lives, not the six mega-companies in a race for dominance.  It means your children use AI as learning tools, to develop critical thinking & language skills; to cure disease, explore galaxies and fix climate change - not for validation, not as a substitute for learning, and certainly not as a substitute for human connection.

For such a time as this
I do not mean that in a religious sense.  I mean it in a most historic and urgent sense.  I believe there are times we’re placed in specific circumstances for a purpose.  As difficult as those circumstances might feel, they always offer opportunities for growth, to act with courage, to positively influence people and events.  Who knows, perhaps even change the course of history.

I believe we are being called.  I know I am.  I also believe the families who make a proactive decision to understand AI, who choose to demonstrate agency over AI, will be the families who thrive.  That means the conversations happening at kitchen tables right now will shape how the next two generations navigate this unknown tsunami rapidly approaching. Quite literally, the future of our children, and perhaps humanity, is dependent on the choices we make today.

I'm building a movement of families and individuals who also hear the call.  If that's you, let’s get busy!