TODN Presents
Change SIG (Special Interest Group)
Is It Cheating, Laziness, or Genius?:
Changing the Way We View AI-Assisted Work and Creativity
with Susan Westbrook
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Date: Friday, October 24, 2025
⏰ Time: 8:30 – 10:00 AM ET (note the new time!)
Location: Online via Zoom
How We Arrived at This Critical Conversation
When we launched Change SIG in January 2025 with Matt Fumento and our first exploration of AI, we had no idea where the journey would take us. Starting with a focus on AI probably took a lot of us by surprise. AI? In Change SIG?
February brought us Michael Franken—exploring the metaphor of jazz to create stronger teams through improvisation, creativity, and adaptation. By March, we were deep in conversations with Dani Choi about burnout and its impact on our work and our identities.
In May, Tim Kellogg helped us better see the world of "difference" in the current changing politcal and social culture through his vulnerability and authenticity about living with cerebral palsy.
Looking back...it was Abby Yanow's August session about change as a form of loss that got me thinking back to AI and how we view it. People aren't just struggling with AI adoption—in many cases, they're grieving. The tools meant to enhance their capabilities feel like threats to their professional identity. Then, at the TODN 2025 Conference, as we explored various parameters of AI use in business settings, a realization surfaced at our table discussion..."I feel like I'm losing control of my own work."
That's when it clicked. Much of the resistance to AI isn't just about learning new technology—it's about a fundamental loss of autonomy and agency. Business owners and consultants who built their reputations on expertise and strategic thinking are questioning whether AI assistance makes them replaceable. Writers and teachers fear that the "special sauce" they bring will be overshadowed by voracious AI creative predators. (OK. That was dramatic.) They're caught between competitive pressure to adopt AI and fear that it diminishes what makes them irreplaceable.
This October session of Change SIG represents the culmination of our year-long exploration of AI, change, difference, overwhelm, identity, and loss—moving from "What is AI?" to "How do we preserve our professional identity while embracing AI's potential?"
Here we go...
Are YOU questioning whether using AI in your work diminishes what makes you valuable to clients, students, or readers?
Susan Westbrook will facilitate an interactive presentation of the complex feelings surrounding AI use in our creative and consulting work. Together, we'll examine why 73% of creative professionals worry that AI undermines their authentic voice, and why 67% of consultants resist AI-assisted analysis—not because clients object, but because WE fear losing what makes us irreplaceable. This isn't about managing client perceptions—it's about wrestling with our own sense of professional identity and value.
Susan will guide us through current research on the psychology behind our resistance to AI integration. Drawing from Harvard studies, industry research, and real-world case studies, we'll collaborate to examine our fears about losing creative agency, professional authenticity, and the unique expertise we've spent years developing. Together, we'll explore what it means to maintain our irreplaceable human value while potentially embracing AI's capabilities.
Rather than prescriptive answers, Susan will facilitate a collaborative inquiry where we'll share our own experiences, wrestle with questions of professional integrity, and co-create frameworks for thinking about AI integration that honors both our need for authentic work AND our desire to serve clients excellently. Whether you're secretly experimenting with AI, avoiding it entirely, or somewhere in between, this session offers a safe space to explore what AI adoption means for who we are as professionals.
Through our collaborative exploration, we'll address:
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Why do I feel resistant to AI in my work, and what does this tell me about my professional identity and values?
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What might I lose—and what might I gain—if I integrate AI into my creative or consulting practice?
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How can I experiment with AI while preserving what I believe makes me irreplaceable and authentic in my work?
Our Presenter/Facilitator
Susan L. Westbrook, PhD, PCC
Susan Westbrook is a transformative educator, coach, and author with four decades as a change-maker. From public schools to university research, she consistently challenged educational paradigms, leading her to found and lead a charter high school in North Carolina that embodied her vision of educational transformation.
From the education sector, Susan moved into the realm of coaching and deeper personal work. A professionally certified coach (CTI, ICF) and Reiki Master, she uniquely bridges traditional coaching methodologies with spiritual practices. Susan's book, The Five Tibetans Yoga Workshop (Findhorn Press, 2014), exemplifies her holistic approach to personal development and growth.
Susan empowers her coaching clients to transcend limiting beliefs by dismantling restrictive narratives. Together, she and her clients create expansive pathways to uncover their most authentic selves. Through creative partnership, Susan helps her clients transcend surface-level changes to build the Futures they dream about.
Our Zoom Host
Dani Choi, MS, ACC
Dani Choi (She/Her) is the founder and owner of Dani Choi Coaching. She is a professional coach, consultant, and educator who empowers purpose-driven helpers to effectively manage time, energy, and impact inside and outside of work. Dani wants her clients to do what lights them up…not what burns them out. She is passionate about helping people navigate overwhelm, prioritize what truly matters, and take actionable steps to live more in line with their values. Dani is an ICF ACC-Accredited coach and has an M.S. in Human Services Management & Program Development from UMass, Boston. She has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and public service sectors & is an instructor with OLLI at Duke University. Dani lives in Durham, NC.
About TODN’s Change SIG
Change SIG is a special interest group within the Triangle Organization Development Network (TODN), offering programs focused on supporting OD practitioners in leading change.
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