The Power of Story: What AI Can't Replace

Send us Fan MailThe Power of Story: What AI Can't Replace Featuring LaQuita Cleare, Founder of Clear Communication AcademyEpisode SummaryIn a world where AI can generate content on demand, the ability to tell a genuine, human story has never mattered more. LaQuita Cleare, founder of Clear Communication Academy and a communication coach who has worked with leaders across more than 50 countries, joins Myles and Patrick to make the case that storytelling has moved from important to essential. The conversation opens with a sharp observation: AI has leveled the playing field on information, which means the only thing that separates a forgettable leader from a memorable one is the stories they tell and how well they tell them.LaQuita traces her path from an eight-year-old rejection outside a Chicago theater workshop all the way through years in Hollywood as an actress and producer, and explains how those experiences shaped the framework she now teaches executives. She unpacks what she calls the Engagement Code, connection plus content plus delivery equals engagement, and walks through why most leaders skip the connection piece entirely and wonder why their teams, prospects, and audiences are not moved. The Hollywood analogy runs throughout: leaders who do not know who they are outside of their title cannot tell a compelling story, and audiences can feel that immediately.The episode closes with a nuanced take on AI in the storytelling space. LaQuita draws a clear line between using AI as a ghostwriter (reductive, often damaging) and using it as a thought partner to mine your own experiences and find the stories worth telling (genuinely powerful). Patrick shares how he extracted years of meeting transcripts to surface the stories he was already telling without realizing it, and LaQuita ties it all back to what AI cannot replace: presence, authenticity, and the willingness to fully commit to your own story.What You'll LearnWhy LaQuita says storytelling went from "important" to "essential" in the age of AIThe lesson she took from her first rejection at age eight and how it still shapes her approach todayWhat Hollywood taught her about separating personal identity from professional outcomes, and why more leaders need to make that separationHow the Engagement Code (Connection + Content + Delivery = Engagement) applies to everything from sales calls to company town hallsWhy small, everyday stories are often more powerful than blockbuster moments, and how the belief you have in your own story determines how others receive itThe right way and the wrong way to use AI in your communication and storytelling practiceWhy every leader needs their own value story, not just the company's version of itFeatured GuestLaQuita Cleare is the founder of Clear Communication Academy and the creator of the Engagement Code framework. She has coached CEOs, politicians, royal families, and Fortune 500 leaders on the stages and in the boardrooms of more than 50 countries. Before building her academy, LaQuita spent years in Hollywood as an actress and producer, where she learned the mechanics of storytelling from the inside out. She holds a master's degree in psychology and brings together the science of human behavior and the art of performance to help leaders communicate in ways that inspire action, not just understanding. Her work is rooted in a simple conviction: brilliant people lose the room every day because they lead with logic and skip the connection.Connect With LaQuitaLinkedInClear Communication Academylaquitacleare.comConnect With the ShowFollow Good Enough Isn'tConnect with Myles Biggs on LinkedInConnect with Patrick Patterson on LinkedInHow to Support the ShowIf this episode hit, the best thing you can do is leave a review and share it with one person who needs to hear it. It helps more people find the show, and it means the world to the team.