Having spent time exploring AI and entrepreneurship, Sarah Pirie-Nally says this time barrier is often the biggest hurdle that she sees through her work as CEO and Co-Founder of Wonder & Wander, a strategic advisory helping people and brands unlock their full potential, including through efficient AI adoption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMany women leaders are already stretched across multiple roles, so carving out headspace for something new feels impossible, even with obvious benefits,\u201d says Pirie-Nally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cCost and training are considerations, but if you can\u2019t even stop to look into what\u2019s out there, those become secondary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sarahpirie-nally-1024x682.jpg\"\/)
Sarah Pirie-Nally<\/p>\n
Where can women leaders start?\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to become an \u2018AI expert\u2019 to get value out of its tools, says Pirie-Nally, adding that \u201cin reality, small, incremental steps make a huge impact\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI particularly see this with neurodivergent leaders,\u201d she says, noting that \u201cAI tools can act as a \u2018second brain\u2019 that handles context,\u00a0memory\u00a0and pattern recognition, which\u00a0opens\u00a0up\u00a0cognitive load for creative and strategic work.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first step, Pirie-Nally says, is to start by\u00a0identifying\u00a0one repetitive task that\u00a0eats up\u00a0a lot of time and consider how AI can make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Pirie-Nally, these time-eating tasks came in the form of meeting notes and follow-ups. Now, she uses AI note-takers that not only transcribe but build context over time, referencing\u00a0previous\u00a0conversations automatically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is game-changing for someone juggling multiple projects,\u201d she says. \u201cThe key is to test small changes rather than overhauling your whole workflow.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPick one pain point. We call this a \u2018use case\u2019 and experiment with a tool for a week to see how it feels.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0wait until you \u2018know it all\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah Pirie-Nally\u2019s\u00a0picks for\u00a0easy AI tools and platforms to save time\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarify and\u00a0organise\u00a0complex work: Notion AI\u00a0can help\u00a0structure\u00a0ideas,\u00a0drafts\u00a0content and\u00a0manages\u00a0tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Turn meetings into actionable insight: Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai\u00a0can help\u00a0capture conversations and surface key takeaways.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Produce on-brand visuals fast: Canva AI\u00a0can help\u00a0create polished graphics and presentations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Generate professional slide decks in minutes:\u00a0Gamma.app\u00a0can help\u00a0build clean, ready-to-use presentations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Building confidence\u00a0<\/p>\n
With so many AI tools ready and available, Pirie-Nally says the key for women leaders is to\u00a0steer clear of\u00a0the notion that they need to wait until they \u2018know it all\u2019\u00a0in order to\u00a0adopt\u00a0new technology\u00a0for their business needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPick one tool, use it for a real task this week, and let yourself learn by\u00a0doing,\u201d Pirie-Nally says. \u201cThe sooner you experiment, even in small ways, the faster you\u2019ll build confidence and spot more opportunities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of trying to be an AI expert, aim to create AI confidence\u2026 embrace a wonder mindset.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pirie-Nally also says\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important to remember that AI\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0there to replace your\u00a0expertise\u00a0or creativity, but rather to protect it by saving you precious time on more repetitive kinds of work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUse the tools to handle the repetitive work so that you can focus on only what you can do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sarah Pirie-Nally\u2019s go-to checklist for choosing the right AI tool\u00a0<\/p>\n
Identify\u00a0the core problem you want to solve (be specific)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Choose your comfort level (you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to go all-in\u00a0immediately)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Look for tools that integrate with your current workflow (switching platforms creates friction)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Test with small, real project (not a hypothetical one)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Check data privacy and security, especially with client information\u00a0<\/p>\n
Make sure there\u2019s accessible support if you get stuck\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with these tips, Pirie-Nally has developed an AI capability maturity model for\u00a0organisations\u00a0she advises. She also offers AI coaching<\/a>\u00a0to clients who are keen to take their AI capabilities to the next level.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reclaiming time and energy\u00a0<\/p>\n By applying these strategies and mindsets, Pirie-Nally hopes to see women-led businesses gain a deeper sense of agency in their work and in themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want them to feel confident again, clear again, powerful\u00a0again. I want them to remember they can reclaim their time, release the overwhelm and focus on what\u00a0actually creates\u00a0impact,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a companion to take back time and energy, AI technology is a powerful tool for making grounded business decisions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Pirie-Nally says she hopes women leaders who take advantage of AI \u201cexperience the magic of reduced cognitive load\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLess mental clutter.\u00a0Less\u00a0pressure to hold everything in their heads. More clarity and ease in their nervous systems so their decisions feel grounded instead of frantic,\u201d she says, adding that, \u201cat the core, this is about creating more space\u201d for more of the life women leaders want to live.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Thanks to our\u00a0partner\u00a0CommBank<\/a>. CommBank supports women in business and the community across all industries and sectors through its Women in Focus team. For more information head to WomeninFocus.com.au<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This article\u00a0represents\u00a0opinions and views of the interviewees\u2019\u00a0personal experiences\u00a0only. It does not have regard to the situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as advice. It is not intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product or service. Before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness to your circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CEO and co-founder Sarah Pirie-Nally shares tips and strategies for women small business owners to unlock meaningful, time-saving…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437611,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[28,158],"class_list":["post-437610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}