A Plan Is Not an AI Strategy: Smart Cookies with Julie Averill

Julie Averill, former CIO of Lululemon and author of Chief Impact Officer, joins Bryon Scharenberg on Smart Cookies to explore what it takes to turn AI ambition into real business impact, and why strategy, culture, trust, and data remain central to successful transformation. Her New York Times op-ed challenging the idea of “AI wishing” sparked conversations well beyond the tech world. In this episode, Julie shares lessons from leading technology transformation, her work advising executives and boards, the difference between an AI plan and a true AI strategy, and why people remain the hardest part of organizational change. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:28 Gold Thread and family influences 02:10 What Julie wanted to be when she grew up 03:10 TRS-80, RadioShack, and early lessons from technology 05:24 Grit, hustle, and doing hard things 06:09 Where the New York Times op-ed came from 09:57 Why the article resonated so widely 11:05 What a real AI strategy looks like 14:07 Why leaders fall into the efficiency trap 15:01 Culture, safety to fail, and innovation at scale 18:19 Honesty, trust, and why it matters for AI founders 22:40 What prior innovation cycles teach us about AI 26:39 The Nordstrom omnichannel story 31:53 What leaders and boards are bringing to Julie today 34:03 Closing reflections for leaders feeling overwhelmed Connect Julie Averill: https://www.julieaverill.com Kalles Group: https://www.kallesgroup.com Smart Cookies Community: https://www.kallesgroup.com/smart-coo...