Why Human Experience Still Matters In The Age Of AI featuring Sara Loncka

In this episode, I'm joined by Sara Loncka – experiential learning designer, leadership strategist, and CEO of Experience Institute – for a conversation about why human experience may matter more than ever in an increasingly AI-driven world. Sara's work focuses on leadership development, experiential learning, and organizational transformation, but this conversation goes far beyond workplace training. It's about what happens when people become disconnected from themselves, each other, and the environments shaping their lives – and why intentional experiences can interrupt the routines, assumptions, and identity patterns we often move through unconsciously. At the center is Sara's distinction between "little e" experiences and "Big E" Experiences. Little e experiences are the stories, habits, and assumptions people accumulate over time. Big E Experiences are intentionally disruptive moments that create reflection, discomfort, curiosity, and transformation. We talk about why growth often requires stepping outside familiar environments, embracing beginner mindsets, and placing ourselves in situations where certainty and competence disappear. We also explore the origins of Experience Institute, why traditional corporate training often fails, how experiential learning creates lasting behavioral change, and the challenge of building organizations that remain deeply human as technology accelerates. Along the way, Sara reflects on founder transitions, reinvention, identity, discomfort, and how even small experiences can quietly reshape the direction of a person's life. Toward the end, the conversation becomes more personal as Sara shares how pregnancy and motherhood have challenged her relationship with control, embodiment, and uncertainty – becoming a different kind of transformational experience entirely. If you're thinking about leadership, personal growth, reinvention, or how to stay connected to what feels deeply human in rapidly changing times, this conversation is for you.