Last month, I began my journey at Stanford University through the Latino Business Action Network Scaling Program. Nearly 100 entrepreneurs from around the world came together to do what we do best—build bigger, better, and more profitable businesses that shape our economy.

The coursework covered many topics that are highly relevant to today’s business challenges. But what stayed with me most wasn’t just the content; it was a shift in perspective.

When I went to Stanford to study AI, I expected to come back talking about models, tools, and technology. And yes, I learned all of that.

But the most meaningful takeaway had little to do with the technology itself.

It came from Professor Michael Lepech, Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. He kept returning to a simple but powerful idea: AI is not a technology problem. It is a people problem.

That stuck with me.

As a Latina entrepreneur, I’ve always built with people in mind first – relationships, trust, and understanding how people actually experience a product or service. So hearing this in the context of AI didn’t feel abstract. It felt real.

A recent New York Times article explores how AI is reshaping jobs, not just eliminating them. That resonated, too. The work isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving. And the people who will thrive are those who learn to work with AI, not against it.

Stanford helped me understand why so many companies struggle with this shift.

There’s a statistic I keep coming back to: 85% of AI projects fail. Not because the technology doesn’t work, but because organizations don’t know how to apply it in ways that create real value.

That’s the gap.

AI is powerful, but it can’t repair a broken understanding of your community. It can’t heal lived experiences or past trauma, and it can’t spark the passion required to transform systems so they truly serve people.

It doesn’t fix processes that were never designed with ALL people in mind.

A reminder that the work we do at SE2 matters deeply. Slow down. Pause. Sit with people. Listen to their stories. Build real connection.

At its core, the SE2 PowerMap® framework is about people. We help individuals navigate important decisions. We build trust in moments that matter. We operate in complexity that is not just technical but also emotional.

That kind of work isn’t something AI replaces. It’s something AI should support.

One of the biggest mindset shifts for me was understanding the difference between automation and augmentation.

• Automation is about efficiency—handling simple, repeatable tasks.
• Augmentation is about empowering people to make better decisions, especially when the stakes are high.

SE2 operates in that latter space.

The decisions our clients, governments, elected leaders, and communities face require context, trust, and judgment. That’s where people matter most.

So when I think about AI in our world, I don’t think about replacing human interaction; I think about improving it.

Another framework we explored at Stanford was Product, Organization, and Process.

Most companies focus heavily on the product; they want to add AI features, build smarter tools, and move fast. But what I’ve seen, both in my own work and through this lens, is that organization and process matter just as much.

At SE2, relationships aren’t an afterthought; they’re the foundation. And that’s a strength, especially right now. Because the more AI becomes embedded in how we work, the more valuable human connection becomes.

That’s the biggest shift in how I think about all of this.

AI isn’t just artificial intelligence; it’s a way to scale collective intelligence. But that only works if people are at the center.

• People are still the ones making decisions.
• People are still the ones building trust.
• People are still the ones accountable for outcomes.

Quitting tobacco isn’t a straight line. It’s personal. Sometimes messy. For many, it takes time, support, and more than one try. 

We believe in telling stories that reflect the full experience—not just the outcome.

With the Colorado QuitLine Stories campaign, we focused on honesty over perfection. When people see themselves in someone else’s journey, it builds understanding, reduces stigma, and makes change feel possible.

We’re honored that this work earned Best of Show at the Web Marketing Association’s 2026 Internet Advertising Competition, but what matters most is the brave people behind the stories and the impact of their stories

The campaign videos, which won Best Government Online Video Campaign and Best in Show – Online Video Campaign, are available as a supercut on Vimeo, offering a taste of the stories and creative approach.

In support line work, we spend a lot of time measuring what happens.

We track call volume. Clicks. Conversions. We look at what drove someone to reach out and what happened after they did. Our systems are designed to capture action because action is what we are trying to drive.

But there is a moment that sits just before all of that, and it is largely invisible to us: The moment when someone almost reaches out but stops short.

Someone sees a number or a button. They pause. They consider. Maybe they hover over a link. Maybe they open a page and read for a few seconds.

Then they stop. They close the tab. They put their phone down.

In data, that moment disappears. It registers as inaction. But from a behavior change perspective, it is one of the most important moments there is.

Every call, every text, every engagement is preceded by a decision. Not a large, deliberate decision, but a small internal negotiation: Should I do this? Is this for me? What happens if I do?

That negotiation happens quickly, often in a matter of seconds. And it is heavily influenced by how the experience feels in that moment.

What is happening in that space is not a lack of motivation. In many cases, motivation is already present. That is why the person got as far as they did.

What stops them is friction

Online marketing efforts have spent billions of dollars to eliminate friction. Amazon’s success is largely rooted in its frictionless experience. Ordering a product through Amazon is always easy – you don’t have to search the web, add a payment method, type your address, or calculate shipping costs. It’s reassuringly comfortable, and a click or two is all that’s required.

Support lines also benefit when friction is reduced.

Some of that friction is practical. The pathway may not be clear. The next step may feel like more effort than they are willing to give in that moment. But much of it is psychological.

Reaching out carries weight. It suggests something about who you are and what you are dealing with. Even if the service is positioned as low-pressure, the act itself can feel like a commitment.

If the experience reinforces that feeling, even subtly, hesitation increases. It happens in small ways:

• Language that implies a process instead of a moment. Phrases like “get started” or “begin your journey” suggest a long commitment.
• Forms that appear before any interaction.
• Unclear next steps that leave people guessing what they are committing to.
• Interfaces that resemble intake systems. Buttons that feel final. A lack of clear exits.

None of these is inherently problematic. But in the moment, especially for someone already stressed, they signal weight. They make the action feel larger than it needs to be.

If the experience reduces that sense of commitment, action becomes more likely.

• Clear, specific expectations about what happens next.
• Language that defines the interaction as contained or limited.
• Visible signals of control, like the ability to leave, pause, or not respond.

Even a simple preview can change the decision.

• “This is what the first message looks like.”
• “This is how most conversations start.”
• “You can stop at any time.”
• “You will not be contacted again unless you opt-in.”
• “We won’t ever share your personal information without your consent.”

These cues do not persuade people to act. These steps make the action they’re already considering feel safe enough to try.

Change does not happen in a straight line

People move forward, then pause. They get close, then pull back. They reconsider. They wait for a moment that feels slightly easier, slightly clearer, slightly safer.

That is not resistance. That is how people make what feel like significant decisions. So what does it mean to design for the moment before action?

It starts with reducing the perceived commitment of the first step. If reaching out feels like a major decision, people will treat it as one. If it feels like a small, easily reversible action, they are more likely to try it.

This is where modalities like text and chat play an important role. They signal flexibility. They allow people to engage without feeling locked into a conversation they cannot control. But the experience around it matters just as much.

People need to understand what will happen when they take that step. What the first message will look like. Who will they be talking to? What is expected of them, and what is not.

When those elements are clear, the moment feels more manageable.

Normalizing hesitation

Most messaging focuses on encouraging people to act. But it is normal to question, to pause, to not be fully ready.

When we design experiences that make space for that reality, we reduce the internal conflict people feel in that moment. We move from a binary decision to a more flexible approach. Not call or do not call, but explore, ask, try, step away, and perhaps return.

From a measurement standpoint, this is uncomfortable territory. The “almost” moment is difficult to quantify. It does not show up cleanly in dashboards. It requires us to infer behavior from incomplete signals. But just because it is hard to measure does not mean it is not real or important. In fact, it may be where the key decisions are made.

Expand the focus

We do not have a motivation problem. We have a hesitation problem. And hesitation does not respond to encouragement. It responds to clarity.

So instead of asking how to get more people to take action, ask:

• Where are we unintentionally making this feel bigger than it is?
• Where are we asking for commitment before trust is established?
• Where are we leaving people to fill in the blanks on their own?

Then start removing. Remove assumptions. Remove ambiguity. Remove signals that this is more than a single, contained step.

Our challenge is not just to drive action. It is to make action feel sufficiently safe.