Human-First AI Marketing Podcast by Avenue9

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Human-First AI Marketing, host Mike Montague of Avenue9 sits down with Dr. Anastassia Lauterbach , AI and robotics expert, professor, and creator of the Romy and Robby educational book series, to demystify artificial intelligence and explore how it really works. From breaking down common myths about generative AI and “artificial consciousness” to explaining what...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Jason Berkowitz , founder of Break the Web Agency , to unpack what it really means to do SEO in 2025, without losing your mind (or your humanity). They explore how small and midsize businesses can stop chasing Google updates and AI trends and instead focus on timeless marketing principles th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Michael “Buzz” Buzinski , author of The Rule of 26 and host of the Buzzworthy Marketing Show . Together, they unpack what it really takes for small and midsize businesses to thrive in today’s AI-driven marketing world. From avoiding “random acts of marketing” to building scalable strategies,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with  @SebastianChedal    co-founder of Fountain City and Testfox.ai, to talk about what really drives success when implementing AI inside small and mid-sized businesses. Spoiler: It’s not the tools. It’s the people, the process, and the problems you’re solving. Together, they unpack what it means to...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Monague sits down with Jonathan Kvarfordt , Head of Growth at Momentum.io, to explore how AI is transforming the way SMBs approach sales, marketing, and customer success. From eliminating tedious CRM updates to capturing the authentic voice of your customers, Jonathan shares how AI tools can give go-to-market teams...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, host Mike Monague sits down with Grant Fuellenbach of Go First Consulting to unpack what it really takes for small and mid-sized businesses to scale sustainably. From builders and contractors to growing SMB teams, Grant shares how predictable systems and smart AI integrations can help business owners escape the chaos of juggling bids, paperwork, and project manage...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when small business owners and marketing leaders stop trying to do it all themselves? In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Jaime Jay , founder of Bottleneck Distant Assistants , to explore the power of delegation in a world transformed by AI. Together, they explore the critical distinction between task delegation a...

Send us Fan Mail What if AI wasn’t just another shiny object but a way to get back to what actually works in marketing? In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with David Berkowitz , founder of the AI Marketers Guild and author of The Non-Obvious Guide to Using AI in Marketing , to talk about how small and mid-sized businesses can avoid the trap of AI slop and instead use smart tools to create re...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Social Shift, Mike Montague (Avenue9) sits down with Katie Brinkley (Next Step Social and Podcast) to unpack how AI is changing social media and why the brands that win will be the ones that sound most human, not most automated. They explore the rise of “AI slop” in our feeds, why going viral isn’t a business strategy, and how local and B2B businesses can us...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with Alexander Schlager , founder of Alceberg.ai, to unpack the hidden cybersecurity challenges lurking beneath the surface of AI adoption. From the rise of agentic AI to the evolving threat landscape of autonomous tools and prompt injections, this conversation goes deep into why observability, m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Podcasting Made Simple Live, special speaker Mike Montague, founder of Avenue9 and host of the Human First AI Marketing Podcast, shares how artificial intelligence can transform the way you prepare for podcast interviews. Drawing on over a decade of experience behind the mic, Mike reveals how AI can help guests show up sharper, more relevant, and more confident...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Let the Robots Do the Work: Finding the Human Edge in AI Marketing, Mike Montague sits down with Chris Singel ,  AI Optimist, Delta Digital Agency owner, and TEDx speaker, to explore how small and midsize businesses can embrace AI without losing what makes them unique. From automating the “work that sucks” to unlocking new levels of creativity and strategy, Chris...

Send us Fan Mail What if you could automate 90% of your business without losing the human touch? In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with  ⁨@BradfordSCarlton⁩   , founder of Automate Business AI, to explore what’s actually possible when small business owners and creators stop doing everything themselves and start building intelligent systems. From AI-generated content and task automation to b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, Mike Montague sits down with AI strategist and founder of AIaSystem.com,  ⁨@dustinjensen0351⁩   , to explore how small and mid-sized businesses can harness AI to drive real business outcomes. From workflow discovery to the rise of AI agents that ‘close the loop’ on automation, Dustin shares frameworks, use cases, and practic...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode celebrating #internationalpodcastday  2025, Mike Montague gathers top voices from the world of marketing, sales, tech, and strategy to answer one big question: What will sales and marketing look like 10 years from now? The answers might surprise you. From personal AI agents and decentralized trust systems to the rise of AI burnout among executives, this con...

Send us Fan Mail What if you could clone your mindset, values, and decision-making style into an AI-powered version of yourself, one that never sleeps, doubts, or second-guesses? In this episode of the Human First AI Marketing podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with AI and blockchain expert  ⁨@manujagro⁩   to explore the groundbreaking concept of the AI Digital Twin . Together, they unpack how...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when AI stops being a gimmick and starts being your creative partner? In this episode, Mike Montague chats with Amer Tadayon , founder of LuciHub, about how AI video tools are opening new doors for small businesses, nonprofits, and solo marketers. From script writing and shot lists to voiceovers and final edits, AI is now a creative co-pilot, not a replacement for hum...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing® podcast, we’re joined by Chris Panteli and Nick Biggs, founders of Linkifi , to talk about how digital PR is evolving in a world dominated by AI, LLMs, and search engines that think like humans. We unpack what white hat link building actually looks like in 2025, why traditional press releases are outdated, and how AI is rewarding br...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing® podcast, Mike Montague sits down with Owen Lawlor , VP of AI at CoachEm, to explore how AI can be used with humans, not against them. You’ll hear how CoachEm is helping sales leaders move beyond dashboards and activity metrics by using causal AI and machine learning to uncover why performance is lagging and what reps can do about it...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing® podcast, Mike Montague sits down with veteran CMO David Poulos to diagnose one of the most common but costly mistakes in small business marketing today: relying on AI without a clear strategy. They unpack how AI often becomes a shortcut to mediocrity, amplifying generic content, skipping the hard questions, and ignoring the very thi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Montague sits down with  ⁨@thechadburmeister⁩   , host of the AI for Sales Podcast and veteran AI entrepreneur, to explore how small and mid-sized businesses can harness AI without losing the human touch. Chad shares practical, battle-tested strategies for building custom GPTs in under an hour, using AI to create p...

Send us Fan Mail Most salespeople dread roleplay training. It’s awkward, unrealistic, and rarely reflects the real challenges they face with prospects. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with Michael Ocean, founder of Sell Me This Pen AI, to talk about a better way. Instead of building AI to replace sales reps, Michael built an AI-powered coaching assistant that helps them practice, improve,...

Send us Fan Mail Too many SMBs think a new headline, a prettier design, or the latest AI tool will magically turn their website into a lead machine. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with marketing veteran James Hipkin to explain why most underperforming websites don’t have a copy or design problem; they have a strategy problem. You’ll learn why “inside-out” marketing stalls growth, how to...

Send us Fan Mail If your marketing blends in, it’s already losing. In this episode, Mike Montague sits down with  @schwedelson   , CEO of Outcome Media, founder of SubjectLine.com, and host of the Do This, Not That podcast, to talk about why “boring” is the silent killer of your campaigns. Jay shares why AI isn’t the enemy, but a partner for amplifying creativity, and how SMBs can use it to produc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Human-First AI Marketing Podcast, host Mike Monague sits down with Hunter Jensen , founder and CEO of Barefoot Solutions, to explore how AI is transforming software development, data workflows, and productivity across industries. From building custom applications to launching Compass, an AI-powered, self-hosted enterprise platform, Hunter shares how mid-mark...