ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens when technology changes faster than people and organizations can absorb it?
In this episode, Jess speaks with educator, facilitator, and operations expert Sam Barrow about what organizations misunderstand when they introduce new technology.
Sam explains why telling employees to “experiment with AI” is not a strategy. Without shared goals, practical training, reliable sources, and clear guardrails, new tools can produce duplicated work, inconsistent information, and more capable individual contributors who are less effective as a team.
Their conversation also challenges the idea that a job is simply a collection of tasks waiting to be automated. Human work includes judgment, empathy, cultural understanding, risk assessment, and the ability to recognize what another person needs—even when they cannot articulate it themselves.
After Sam’s department was eliminated in 2023, she applied for hundreds of jobs while teaching, consulting, and working with individual clients. She is now building an income stream around helping people solve practical problems: learning workplace software, digitizing business processes, developing operating procedures, and gaining confidence with unfamiliar technology.
Her experience offers job seekers an important alternative to chasing every new tool or waiting for an employer to recognize their value. Sometimes the better question is not, “Which job can I apply for?” but, “Who has a problem I already know how to help solve?”
This episode explores why tools will keep changing—but the people who help others learn, adapt, and apply them well will remain essential.
Podcast Guest: Sam Barrow
Sam Barrow is an educator and operations business expert with over 20 years of experience delivering individualized training for adults from all walks of life. She works with nonprofits and small businesses to find the right mix of process, people, and technology to meet the organization's needs. Her work helps individuals and organizations make complicated systems easier to understand, learn, and use.
Interested in learning with Sam?
Sam is offering listeners a 10% discount on their first three individual skills training sessions.
Booking Link: https://calendly.com/sbarrowroyer/skills-training
Promo Code: HUMANFIRST
Podcast Host: Jess Lowry
Jessica Lowry is the founder and Sociotechnical Systems Designer at ENID Studio, a collective of practitioners who help changing businesses redesign how people, work, and technology fit together. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in research, design, and strategy, she uses participatory methods to improve services, operations, and governance while helping organizations adopt AI responsibly.
Austin Women in Technology (AWT) mentor. Jess is also a founding member of Referral Reef, a community of consultants who trade warm referrals, provide support, and get paid to do it.
Connect with Jess: Jess Lowry LinkedIn
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