Jun 1, 2026
With host retail coach Wendy Batten
https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/
Episode Overview
In this episode, I sit down with my friend Deanne Fitzpatrick of Deanne Fitzpatrick Rug Hooking Studio for an honest and raw conversation about AI, authenticity, and what it means to run a meaningful business. We talk about the parts of AI that feel helpful, the parts that feel icky, and why trust and real connection matter more than ever for small business owners.
As business owners who have both embraced technology over the years, neither Deanne nor I are anti-AI. But we are cautious and curious about how it’s changing what feels like pretty much everything. We share our thoughts on where AI has the ability to support small business owners. We also chat about where we draw the line with AI when it comes to content, creativity, and showing up for our audiences.
This conversation is really about staying grounded in what makes our businesses valuable in the first place: real people, real relationships, and building a community through connection.
Our Key Topics
-
Authenticity and trust are becoming more important as AI-generated content grows
-
What feels helpful versus “icky” when it comes to AI use in business
-
Meaningful community building matters more than polished marketing
-
How shop owners can use AI technology without losing their voice
-
What happens when businesses prioritize efficiency over real connection
-
Why in-person shopping and human experiences are becoming more valuable
-
How creating your own work helps deepen creativity and personal growth
Key Takeaways For Shop Owners Around AI and Connection
-
Real connection is becoming a competitive advantage.
As more content becomes automated and polished, people are craving businesses that feel human, trustworthy, and personal. Showing up as yourself matters.
-
Technology CAN support your business without replacing your voice.
We talk about using AI for organization, editing, or idea generation while still keeping the creative and relational parts of the business deeply personal and human-led.
-
Your community wants authentic connection, not perfection.
Small imperfections, real conversations, and honest communication help build trust. Customers and communities are looking for businesses that feel genuine and grounded.
-
Creativity and communication should still feel meaningful.
Writing your own newsletter, recording your own podcast, or having real conversations may take more time, but those experiences also help you grow as a business owner and human.
-
Simplicity still matters.
In a world focused on speed and efficiency, there is real value in slowing down, creating intentionally, and building a business around connection, beauty, and joy.
“I think when we show up as we are and we offer our ideas and our creativity and our energy as we are…it's a worthwhile offering.” -Deanne Fitzpatrick
I hope this conversation gives you space to reflect on
how you use AI, how you want to show up in your business, and what
kind of connection you want to create with your community.
Resources Mentioned and Related Podcasts:
Episode 167: Protecting Your Passion in Business with Deanne Fitzpatrick
Summer School Workshop Placeholder
Let’s hang out in a private coaching session!
Follow along and chat with me on Instagram and join my love list.
Deanne, in Her Own Words
“I hook nearly every day. I cannot stop myself. I like the feel of wool slipping through my fingers. My goal is to live simply, and make hooked rugs that are unmistakably art.
Rug hooking is full of possibilities. It has changed my life, and been a powerful force in changing the lives of the people I have met through it. I have learned that art, craft and handmade can totally change the way you view the world and how you feel about it.
My style of rug hooking, with its meditative qualities, and its freedom from rules adds beauty to our world and is therapeutic on its own. It is joyful, powerful and transformative. It is not about being perfect, it is about creating beauty everyday.
I have a retail studio in Amherst Nova Scotia where I work with an amazing group of talented people. We create classes, kits, patterns and supplies available online. I have written eight books about creativity and rug hooking, and exhibited widely in public and private galleries.”
Visit Deanne in her studio or online at www.hookingrugs.com.
Check out her Instagram, including the story she shares about being duped by AI, here.
About your host, Wendy Batten
In case we haven’t met…I’m Wendy Batten. I’ve been a
small business owner, coach, and mentor for over 25 years. I help
thoughtful, established entrepreneurs step into their role as CEO
and build businesses that are profitable, meaningful, and
supportive of the lives they want to live. My work blends
real-world strategy with a life-first philosophy, shaped by lived
experience, not theory. I’ve been there! Through honest
conversations and practical insight, I invite you into bigger
thinking about leadership, possibility, and how to build both
business and life on purpose.
For more support from Wendy
Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG
All
of Wendy’s current programs and services for shop owners can be
found HERE.
Never miss an episode!
Subscribe to the Creative Shop Talk Podcast and get the tools,
inspiration, and strategies you need to thrive as an independent
retailer.Click
here to subscribe to iTunes!
Loved the episode? Leave a quick review on iTunes- your reviews help other retailers find my podcast, and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. So grateful for you! Thank you!