Real Girls, Real AI & Real Talk with Lauren B. Jones

On this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, Joel and Chad welcome Lauren B. Jones—founder and CEO of Leap Advisory Partners and author of Real Girls Roadmap to Mastering AI—fresh off the farm in Northern California where the roosters clock in at 4:30 a.m.

With nearly 30 years in staffing and recruiting under her belt, Lauren cuts through the AI hype with a no-BS reality check: most companies claim they’re using AI, but only a fraction are seeing real ROI because they’re chasing shiny tools instead of solving actual problems.

She breaks down why leaders still need to get the basics right, how to stop the “slop,” and why policy, education, and enablement—in that order—matter more than ever.

Plus, they dig into why women approach AI differently, what parents should be teaching their kids, and why treating AI like Google is a fast track to garbage output. It’s practical, a little snarky, and exactly the kind of conversation HR’s Most Dangerous Podcast was made for.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Lauren B. Jones and episode overview

02:01 - The current state of AI adoption in staffing and recruiting

04:09 - How leaders can start educating themselves about AI capabilities

06:10 - Framework for organizations: eliminate, automate, AI

07:53 - Using surveys to identify automation opportunities

10:13 - The importance of policy, education, and enablement in AI adoption

11:59 - Global policy landscape and the need for regulation