We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bethanie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bethanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Corporate America is moving fast on AI — but often, not smart. In the race to not fall behind, many companies are investing in the tech but skipping the strategy, structure, and human readiness that make AI stick.

AI is moving fast — but let’s be clear: the biggest threat to corporate America isn’t a lack of technology. It’s a lack of action. Leaders are investing in tools but stalling on transformation.

Teams are stuck in fear, unclear on how to use what’s been rolled out, or quietly resisting what they don’t understand. And the cost of waiting?

It’s bigger than most leaders realize.

In fact, we’ve seen this story before, many times — and it didn’t end well.

Let me show you what happens when companies wait too long to change.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

AI Educator. People-First Technologist. We Humanize AI.

If we haven’t met yet — I’m Bethanie Nonami, and I teach humans how to actually use AI to solve real problems, work smarter, and unlock new possibilities in their everyday work. I help organizations move from AI anxiety to fluency — building confidence, clarity, and capability at every level of the business.
Now here’s something you might not expect:

I did start in tech — in the trenches, working with complex systems and solving operational problems. Then I went into sales, which taught me how to listen, simplify the complex, and meet people where they are. It was in those moments — watching people light up when things finally clicked — that I realized: this isn’t just about technology. It’s about transformation.

That mix of tech + empathy + strategy?

That’s my superpower.

Today, I help companies bridge the massive gap between AI investment and AI adoption. They’ve bought the tools — but their people aren’t using them. Why? Fear. Uncertainty. Overwhelm. Lack of training. Leadership silence.

That’s where I come in.

What I Do:
I deliver AI adoption strategy, leadership alignment, and hands-on team training that demystifies AI, builds trust, and equips people to use it confidently and responsibly.

Some of my most requested services include:
o AI Adoption Programs designed to drive real behavior change — not just checkbox rollouts.
o Executive Workshops that get leadership aligned, clear, and modeling the mindset needed to lead with credibility.
o Team Training that meets people where they are, helps them let go of fear, and gives them the tools to integrate AI into their everyday work.
o Keynotes and Speaking that spark possibility and shift perception — turning skeptics into explorers and “I’m not techy” into “I got this.”

I focus on the human side of AI — because that’s where the transformation actually happens.

What Makes Me Different:
– I don’t speak in buzzwords.
– I don’t sell hype.
– And I don’t believe AI belongs in the hands of the few.

My work sits at the intersection of technology, learning, and behavior change. I don’t just teach what buttons to press — I help people understand why it matters, how to use it responsibly, and how to evolve with it instead of being left behind by it.

I bring structure, strategy, and soul to the AI conversation — so people feel empowered, not replaced.

What I’m Most Proud Of:
I’ve had the honor of teaching over 4,000 people how to understand, engage with, and integrate AI into their work — across industries, departments, and skill levels.

Participants consistently describe the sessions as transformational, with 99% of attendees reporting they found the training valuable, informative, engaging, and immediately actionable.

And truthfully? I’m most proud of watching someone go from saying, “I’m not techy” to “I can actually do this.”

Because that shift — from fear to fluency — is what changes everything.

What I Want You to Know:
AI isn’t just coming. It’s here — and it’s moving fast. But you don’t need to be an expert overnight.

You just need someone to guide the path from where you are to where the future is going — with clarity, empathy, and real-world know-how.

That’s what I do.

And if you’re leading a team, a department, or an entire organization that’s struggling to make AI stick — I’d love to help you get there.

Let’s make AI make sense.

Let’s get your people ready — for real.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn that I wasn’t allowed to ask for money — that I somehow needed to earn the right to be paid, especially when it came to my own business.

When I was in Corporate America, I could sell multimillion-dollar deals with confidence. I could pitch, negotiate, and close without hesitation — because I wasn’t selling me. I was selling a brand, a product, a company.

But when I started running my own business, something shifted. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about the offer — it was about me. And that brought up everything I had never been taught to navigate.

I was raised by a single mother who taught me hustle, independence, and self-efficacy. She taught me how to survive, how to figure it out, how to take care of others.

But she wasn’t taught self-worth — so she couldn’t teach it to me. I didn’t grow up hearing “you deserve to be paid well for what you bring to the table” or “your gifts are valuable because you are valuable.”

So I had to learn that on my own.

And then I had to unlearn the story that I wasn’t allowed to own my greatness.

Unlearning that meant I had to stop discounting my expertise.

Stop over-delivering to prove my worth.

Stop waiting for permission to charge what my work was worth.

That shift didn’t just change my business — it changed me. It reminded me that worth isn’t something you earn by doing more.

It’s something you own — and you teach others how to value it by how you value yourself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Right after I graduated high school at 18, I didn’t go off to college like most of my peers. I went straight to work.

My mom had been diagnosed with COPD and was on full-time disability, so I didn’t have the luxury of “figuring things out.” I had to step up. Fast.

Because I had been obsessed with computers since 4th grade — programming while other kids were still playing Atari — I landed a job in tech consulting. I had already been working at the firm for over a year while in high school, and I made it a point to learn everything I could get my hands on.

When I graduated, they hired me as a supervisor.

At 18.

I was now leading a team of adults — people I used to eat lunch with, joke with, share weekend stories with. And just like that… everything changed. They stopped talking to me. Stopped inviting me to lunch. Some of them had kids older than I was. And now I was their boss?

It was hard. I didn’t want to be the enemy. I didn’t want to be resented for getting promoted — I just wanted to be respected for the work I had put in.

But instead of shrinking, I kept my head down and focused. I learned everything I could. I let my work speak louder than my title. And most of all, I remembered what my mother taught me:

“You still show up with grace and class, even when people mistreat you. That’s what they can never take from you.”

That lesson carried me through every single company I worked for.
Because no matter how many times I faced bias, disrespect, or people underestimating me — and it happened a lot — I learned how to turn that into fuel.

I started embracing being seen as the underdog.

I used it as leverage.

I worked harder, learned faster, and built credibility one challenge at a time.

Eventually, I earned the confidence and respect of my peers — even if it took longer than it did for my college-educated counterparts.

But when I walked into a room, I knew I belonged, not because of a degree or a title… but because I had the grit, the grace, and the receipts to prove it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marleynonami.com
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/bethanienonami

Image Credits

Credit: Bethanie Nonami