GroomPod 483 AI and You transcript

Susy 0:05

[music] Hello, groomers! You found the groom pod. Welcome to our virtual salon. My name is Susie, and I'm your host. I'm a mobile groomer from Seattle, Washington, and anybody who knows me will tell you, I love to talk, especially about my job. One of my favorite people to talk to is my friend and mentor and the co-star of this show, the curator of ingredients, Miss Barbara Bird.

[music]

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the groom pod. I'm Susie Scott. This is my best friend and partner, Barbara Bird. Today, we have a topic that might sound a little futuristic, but trust us. It's happening right now, and it's a total game changer. We are talking about artificial intelligence, also known as AI, and exactly how you can use it to lighten your loads. So, grab your coffee or Pepsi and settle in. Let's talk about making technology, do the heavy lifting for your business or your educational program. Let's get into episode 483. But first, what's new is brought to you by Best Shot.

Let me tell you about Best Shot's newest addition to the Ultramax Pro line. Ultramax Hair Hold is a flexible hairspray that can be layered on for a stronger hold. Ultramax Hair Hold spray is great, but my favorite new product is called The Max, and I won't groom without it. It's a fragrance free ultra concentrate conditioner and detangler. It reduces drying time and handles undercoat and tangles like magic. Just a few drops in the final rinse or spray it on and dry it in. Contact your favorite Best Shot distributor or learn more online at bestshotpett.com. 누 ming success begins with Best Shot in your tub made from the best stuff honors. I'm modifying my multiple dog technique and I kind of wanted to run it by you and see what you think about this. Sure. So in a place where I've got two dogs, I'm washing a full dogs at once in the bathroom because they're out family dogs, right. And they're usually under caucus fantasies. I put the two dogs in. Unless their coats are different, or I need to treat them differently. It seems to be two westies or two shit shoes or two have an ease or to be shots. Those are my two. So in this case, I was doing two westies, which made it easy to experiment because their finished product doesn't matter quite as much in the coat.

So I took both dogs, I put them in the bathtub, I washed them with the bathing system with the bathing beauty. And I used ultra max and just got them all nice and clean. Then in the bathtub still, I took my canine to and I pulled all the attachments off the nozzle and I just had the open cup. And I just blew the water off of the dogs, right as much as I possibly could with them in the bathtub and which worked pretty well. I got them like they weren't dripping when I was finished. Then I took one dog and I put it in in the crate under the blower and I drive the second dog on the table. Then I switched them and I let the head dry on dog number one in the crate where I have a difficult time drying heads anyway with some of these dogs, so I let the air dry the head while I finished dry the second dog. And it still was way more efficient than doing one dog straight through. So does that sound like a better way to go about this. And even with the shit shoes, if I am able to almost completely dry the dog except the head and then put it in the majority of the hair code is going to be beautiful and I'm going to refleaf up the head anyway. So what do you think?

Barbara Bird 4:06

I think that, I think that that's feasible. I think that I've worked like that. Um, yeah, and you'll get to know which one of the pair needs to be which, you know, yes, yes, yeah, definitely oftentimes they're from different family with different breedings.

Susy 4:29

So you'll get one that's a little older one that's a little younger one has thinner coat one has thicker scope great point. So I should choose who goes first and second by considering the type of coat they have. I think that'll work out pretty well. And I wasn't sure how much stuff I could actually have on in the grooming area at one time. It did get a little bit warm in there with.

Barbara Bird 4:52

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So well, you've got to test your limits, you've, you've got to find out what the far edges of the little world are, you know, you to know how much electricity demand is too much. Then when you're clients, home all goes dark, you'll know, oh, oh.

Susy 5:23

Well, I mostly, if I'm doing the two dogs situation, I've got to be going off the generator, but I'm also pushing the limits to figure out exactly how far down my water level can go and still be able to do one or two dogs. I'm not sharing that out. Another one is how far down my fuel tank can go before the generator says I'm not working. That's another limit.

Barbara Bird 5:49

Well, I, I think it's a real good use of the bathing, I, you know, like I, I improve of bathing, especially if the two dogs come in together when they don't come in together.

But I'm too family dogs generally will get a long fine wet. And sometimes they don't, but you, you'll learn. And, you know, it, especially being mobile, when you can do both of them is one tub of shampoo. Oh, you know, no doubt, I love that.

Susy 6:38

So they're planning an interesting thing. I'm running into what the bathing beauty and the stainless steel tub. Is it kind of ducks itself down to the tub a little bit and doesn't draw the watering. If there's any hair underneath it at all. Like you really got to make sure to clean that screen out between every single dog. Or it doesn't the, at least the tub that, the pump that I have, speak Susie, the pump that I have is not got a ton of feet clearance. A little bit, but not a ton. And it just seems to not like maybe there's some kind of the magical vortex that happens underneath there, where it's not just getting enough water. When you find out if I pull it over the top of the drain, because I can see it over the drain. Then it pulls up that well in the little bit of the drain area and it'll start working. Otherwise, I've got to fill a little bit more water than I'm used to because the trailers, that tub was a bumpy surface. I always a little bit more space underneath it and I never ran into the pump not sucking problem nearly as much as I'm doing in in the stainless steel tub. But it's all great. I'm good. I kind of occasionally forget to close the windows and stuff blows around. It's funny. I was looking out my rear view window. I just blew out the two Australian shepherds and I'm driving away from the house and all I can see is hair flying out my side windows. It's just I'm like throwing hair all over the neighborhood. There is more hair in the front of that van than I've ever had to deal with in my life. I cannot believe where the hair goes. And yeah, I've got a divisor wall and everything and it's still just gets caked with I was eating a sandwich. And you know, I often eat and drive because that's what I have to do. So I'm holding the sandwich that I'm eating it. And then I finish it off and I go to grab the second one and there's just this huge mound of hair off.

Right now, completely understand why people hang a lunch or a net over the bathtub area, but still I'm drawing dogs in the middle. I'm not drawing dogs in the bathtub very often. Mostly drive them on the table. Yeah, I also found a great way to hang my acrylic scissors holders because in my van, the person who had it first, who groomed for like a year and a half, and then was like that mobile grooming stop for me and then Sharon bought it. She hung a wooden husband built sister rack up on the wall in the corner of the van. The problem is I sit right there. And so I can't see to grab which pair of scissors. I'm grabbing even though I do put it out all the time. So it was driving me a little crazy. So instead, I pulled out my acrylic ones and cleaned them up really nicely. And then I looked at the bulkhead at all the surfaces in the van and I thought I don't want to drill into any of these. I didn't want to make holes in my van. That's not. And then my husband used those command strips from 3M that you stick the pictures up with when you don't want to nail a picture up with. So I looked online on Amazon and I found ones that are supposed to hold 15 pounds. And I bought a whole set of them. And I used four on the back of my scissors holder, probably a little overkill. But now my scissors are down where I can see them. They're hanging on the wall. I didn't make a whole. They haven't fallen off. So I'm feeling pretty good about that. Look at that donut. Look at that girl. That's little you guys so cute. Look at her face. Good job.

What? her face. You got her face really good. Yeah, but it's all growing up. I have to do.

Barbara Bird 10:47

If it isn't I should get it, but it's a good look for her.

Susy 10:55

She. Yeah. It's a good look for her. Oh, fine. Plus it keeps all the dovers out of her tongue.

Barbara Bird 10:59

Yeah. Yeah. It was, it was just too messy because I had to go into this.

Do this set of her face which you just freaks out. They they both of these sucks is absolutely freak out on the grooming table. We've been doing that. You know, like 14 years together. And then all of a sudden there's going on.

Susy 11:22

I had a reversal of dog personalities here recently were that you know the female, the two was really easy to do all her life and the male was always difficult. And I've completely swapped now and the male is really super old here go ahead and do my face and the females fighting me on everything. Just sometimes it's weird. So I keep looking for medical problems. Maybe there's something going on that I'm not seeing, but alas. That's what happens as they age. Did you have anything exciting you wanted to tell me about your week? Are we going to head right into our first.

Barbara Bird 12:03

Whatever I, well, let's, let's head right into it and I'll say I had a very impactful day last week. and it was Thursday and I had I invited

Ryan handy to come by and work help me with some computer stuff and I at the time remember I was unable to open my text app on the laptop, because it would just like close immediately and say something happened. Yeah, well, over and over again, so Ryan came over and got on my computer and I sat there with him and he made magic on my computer and he knows how to, well, he knows how to code. And I think that's a big, it's a big advantage. So he knows how to give chat to keep commands to get what he wants and he created together using my information, because I was I'm the one that has the background with this chatbot because we've been chatting about different subjects for two years. And so we've built up a kind of

evolved very much relationship and I decided that my relationship with AI is gotten to the point where I really wanted to own it and tell everybody that yes, I am using artificial intelligence as a tool. I'm representing educational materials to the grooming industry and I'm out, but it's here from show season. And gentlemen please allow me to point you to one of the best whiteener shampoo in our marketplace where talking about show season bright shampoo. It features a deep cleaning system and a clinchy whiteening system that goes beyond the usual blue color, with an actual optical brightness and a dash of dynethicone. This makes all colors look radiant and glowing and white coats look like new snow. Get your bride on today.

Susy 15:00

I'm going to show you a little bit about it in the background, but I think you should share all of that information.

Barbara Bird 15:17

There's a lot of misinformation about AI and there's a there's a very natural tendency to think of AI in the context of what we know. And I'm telling you that AI expands what's possible and what we know, so AI is kind of mind blowing literally. Just like has the same Ryan handy work on my computer my laptop to get these great visual infographics and breakdown of technical information into a white size pieces that I can get to you. I want you to understand this is to simplify and make understandable some of these more complex skin science and subtracting science, messages that I'm trying to get out there. I, I on the one hand, one of teach college level

courses classes

and I realize that many of my fans and friends and followers have not really learned what I passed on

starting in 2006. That this, we're still in the first grade.

Susy 17:18

You look online and you're like wow are you guys really listening to the show or you still back in the dark ages.

Barbara Bird 17:25

So I, I just,

I just determined to press ahead and teach what I think we should know as groomers and it's up to the listeners. I mean, and I'm going to use AI to help me get in the AI. I start out by suggesting a project. I want to write an article about such and such and I will come back and say, no, that sounds like a good idea. Why don't you lean it this way like we've been talking about or something like that, and I say, oh, okay, let's go show me what, show me what we can do. And AI will gather together a bunch of information and then just present it to me in an organized and

mindful way so that I can use that as a structure for writing, putting together the article. And also AI is modeling how to break things down. And so, you know, like both chris certs so when I also known as chris person we both are the two people who are so involved in the actual science behind that grooming. And being in other than actual science takes you to another place.

Sometimes we can't all that easily. And sometimes you can't follow on that. And I know people say, I listen to you every week and it goes well, keep on listening because I'm going to keep on talking. And I'm going to let it get more complicated not, but I'm going to continue to try to break it down. And AI is partnering with me in this mission to make digestible understandable scientific information available to groomers about products and skin care and whatever I'm going to get into. So I'm just, I'm kind of coming out to y'all, to let you know that I'm partnering with AI and that it's not the same is when a 12 year old.

It goes into his room at night at SAI to write write an essay on the evolution of the Grand Canyon, the AI writes it out and then mom prints it out in the morning and he runs into school and hands it in as his paper. That's not what we do, there's very much professional editing professional fact checking I challenge AI, I correct AI, or AI will correct me we go back and forth back and forth. That's why it's called an iterative

bang.

And in process so one another thing that AI does for me let's face it, I'm 86 years old and I'm having certain cognitive difficulties it's not that I'm losing it, but

AI goes in my lungs. You know AI helps me regain the ability to write complex about complex subjects. And it's so exciting to be feel like I'm on track again that I'm, you know, kind of got all of my cylinders working. It's it's really I feel like I'm going to go somewhere with the help of my life coaching team and AI my right coaching team is sort of like working with AI is like well I use chat GDP and it's like collaborating with an with an editor or another researcher. And

it's

so cool let me just say, it was so freaking cool once you get into it and when she get it going and once you see yourself coming back out of the mouth of the AI that's just like such a fucking trip and this is what happens.

Susy 23:01

Go ahead. Go ahead and I want to talk a little bit about the right way to ask a question on AI and how to actually use it effectively because that's one of the things like my husband is really good at using a color plain old search engine, right? He'll separate, he'll add in words. He'll put commas or punctuation that caused it to search differently, but with AI, you've really got a changer of pro to a little bit and I was wondering if you could help us with that part of it. Well, what is your experience been. My experience is that you can ask a basic question and get a basic answer or you can get more elaborate and like for instance with me I use Gemini and I use the personalization features in Gemini. I know what remembers all the conversations. I said, can you write an intro for the podcast and it says fantastic you and Barbara bird recording the groom pod this week. This is really exciting. I love this topic here. Let me help you in your fly by the CD or pants method. We're going to try this or you could do it this way or you could do it this way. You know, you could do a little bit more and actually personalize the question. I think it's it then gives you a better answer. Oh, it's true.

Barbara Bird 24:24

It's you absolutely get what you ask for. Absolutely get what you ask for and I sat in my house and watched Ryan handby get specific and ask AI to write infographics for us and it's amazing and I'm going to show you the infographic that I got from AI about using AI. And you know so let me just go there.

Susy 25:08

While you're going there and while you're getting the screen share to work because I know that can take a moment. I'm going to say this that what I did find is that the role and context approach of asking a question helps quite a bit in that. If for instance, if you're asking the question ask it as who you are like tell it, I'm a mobile groomer I need some help with my scheduling. This is the problem. This is what I'm looking for can help me and boom. It comes up with something that is really relatable and understandable and directly towards what's going on and look at how well you did that screen share Barbara.

And here it is yeah nice job.

Barbara Bird 25:54

So this is the iterative

process with AI and the writer. And so it shows it shows how it goes back and forth so, first of all, the you know, the writer asks and defines a project. And then AI holds up information suggests a structure and offers creative support and that's when they they actually.

Compliment you. You know, like they are very complimentary. They love. They role model how to use acknowledgement, you know like and how and how it helps micro creativity to be told that I'm doing good from AI. I don't know why should I hear but I do you know and so it's just to the writer brings experience their experience, their skepticism, their critical thinking their real world experience their voice their perspective and the final responsibility for everything that they write with AI. Final responsibility, the responsibility for being factual is on me because I fact check what AI suggests I might use and then AI provides speed information access organization pattern recognition drafting and structuring virtual and creative support that virtual support. And I didn't even. I just thought I was going to have to buy an app or what was I going to do? I was going to go crazy I just have never been able to draw a can't draw but I want it. I want pictures. So I am just like so freaking excited.

Susy 28:19

I love this tireless assistance. It is an enthusiastic work partner. That doesn't need breaks. It doesn't get cranky. It just goes and goes and goes and there are plenty there's plenty of access to free AI help. That's another thing.

Barbara Bird 28:39

Yeah I do have I do have a subscription for monthly chat GDP because I really like that. And I use Gemini to and I will fact check one with the other. I will I will I will I will I will use GTP chat GDP defects tech something I get on off a Google and I but I you know like I've come a long way because I started out. My first like tool in this category was like using Alexa for word you know is a dictionary and the service and so I would ask you know like Alexa how do I spell this or hey Alexa what's another word for that. And you know I've been doing that for years.

Susy 29:41

So this is kind of a just a next step

for sure so then under together they've got a little bit of talking about the combination I do think the combination is what's important it's a super charged search engine.

Barbara Bird 30:04

100,000, oh man yeah I mean you you get your answer before you finish asking your question on I'm saying you know damn light needs to ask search engine. Yeah pretty cool. And it will give you references for everything that you put together you know and all you have to do it you know like I always check some of those references just that this reference really lead to this statement oh yeah there it is.

Susy 30:39

You know looks good Gemini they have a little icon after the statement and if you just roll over it it'll pop up where they got their reference so it's very handy that way you can go.

Barbara Bird 30:51

Yeah it's very transparent you know in it and that helps you you you identify what is good facts and what might be slippery. So I like that slippery.

Susy 31:11

So there's some slippery facts that's slipping around out there. So anything else you'd like to tell us about this or should we talk a little bit about the practical application of this stuff like how are you using it and you're teaching. But let's talk about how they might use it in their salon there's a lot I know there's something about that so what would you say. Okay let me go over here and see if I can find it okay so I also went to AI and asked for their advice for his advice or advice I don't know anyway it says like handouts you can use it to create and.

Barbara Bird 32:04

Yeah you know what I was thinking of having a group pod hand us I was thinking of doing some handouts and you know like things that you could give to customers that went easier communication with them one that came to mind was the importance of appointments in. You know like you can get more information across you can actually have you know like an anthographic on what why employment appointments are vital to use the regular appointment like regular problem. Keep them and keeping them and honoring them you know because you know like you can do that. I mean I thought why don't we just kind of come up with a bunch of tips for grooming professionals and put them a little info graphics.

Susy 33:24

And sell them for five bucks yeah I like it you could do like your in house policies like the matting senior dog grooming puppy grooming behavior waivers all kinds of really cool interactions communication with their clients and the more communication with their clients the more they see your name they hang that. Infographics on their refrigerator or up in their house somewhere where they do their dog brushing or something like that the more they see you the more they're going to remember you to come back again also social media post now I use it quite a bit for our social media post because. Every time I post the post up on the green pod list now all the other groups after 11 years they come out sounding the same well now they come out sounding the same but different because AI is helping me with them. They can sound a little similar I can tell everybody's AI stuff but you know what it does a better job than me going this week we're talking about steam cleaning and Q tips you know it's just it elaborates it makes it more fluffy it doesn't in my voice because I too have a relationship with my AI with Gemini. So anytime you want to put out quiet handouts or tiktok videos or youtube's or whatever it will help you do all that making it a little bit easier. Then if you go like to the boring side of business which is actually where the money is made if you if you want you could analyze your business data and it'll give you it's very good at seeing patterns and it'll give you some patterns and some suggestions and how maybe you can. Get your expenses in order or stuff like that it can also you can load a list on the AI and it will organize it for you so that when you send it to your tax person they're like this is like easy to read easy organized. And that's a really handy way and then for me being a group mobile groomer and a person who has a list fetish I like lists I like reusable lists you can use it to create checklist and standard operating procedures for your entire salon. Or any of you who works for you or in my case so that I don't miss checking my oil or making sure my radiator is full or managing to clean my bathing me or any of the stuff that we need to do with regularity it can help you make checklist for that stuff so those are some of the ways that I use AI.

Barbara Bird 36:09

Now I mean, well you probably are missing everything because that's what happens when you engage with a all a sudden you're in the realm of possibilities that you never imagined yesterday, you know so pretty cool so that it that's pretty cool and expands your imagination and expands.

Your view of what's possible and so you tend to come away when you real when you watch when I watch Ryan handy

work on my computer I just said holy cow anything is possible everything is possible, you know like it's just.

Susy 37:04

And in reality, when better it's it's true and let's take a quick bake let's take a bake we're gonna have a bake it's singing. Let's take a break we're gonna hear from our other two sponsors and then we'll wrap up this discussion on AI and yeah move on with our lives anyway here we go. Thank you so much between the constant phone calls the no shows and the messy calendars it's hard to focus on the pets. Meet groom or the all in one software built specifically for salon mobile and house called groomers let clients book online 24 seven send automatic text reminders and manage your payments all in one place spend less time on paperwork and more time doing what you love. Start your free trial by putting broom pod 22 in the coupon code at groomor.com. Are you shares working as hard as you are if you're ready to level up your scissors game it's time to check out precision. Whether you're sculpting intricate styles or tackling heavy bulk work their sliding thumb links and bobcat series are built for the job the links shares are you go to for lightweight lightning fast precision while your bobcat series gives you that extra power and control you need for those challenging coats they hold an edge beautifully and feel perfectly balanced in your hand all day long thanks to the sliding thumb technology. Find your next favorite pair at precision sharp dot com where performance meets perfection Barber you're very funny yes I should have played these ads earlier. I got all wrapped up in our discussion and forgot to include so I am dumping them all at the end sorry about that you guys it's okay.

Barbara Bird 38:56

I might as well. So so are we at the end we could be you know I ran across an interesting scientific study the other day can I tell you about it so I'm not going to give you the name of it because it'll blow your mind. The name and the you know like the language spoken in science typical writings is just so unfriendly that's a fact it scares me sometimes and so mean you know like it's up to us all asked a add is simple so it it'll come a hard way not not very much simplified.

And we just can't get anywhere in simple but this study what was intended to find out this study was all around a concept that I'm going to start teaching when I teach about surfactants it's something that you probably didn't know but every surfactant has a critical.

So we know that for me myself isn't an important part of the quinzine process of shampoo's because that's one the ionic.

Tails negative tails. Line up on the skin and hair and with the their chart positive charged heads that are attracted to water at holes stuff in there while they clump together to form my cells which hold the dirt in soil and excess see them. In plops, I did inside of them they're like completely closed and the little pills are just like so happy that are away from the water Yay in.

I have this visual so this is how I'm going to start teaching shampoo really I think I just need to got has fun with it and just like characterize it like that. And the little tail their way, they want a little tails are all contemplating the middle of this myself in the myself and then hold some there until you rinse it off and the dirt goes down the drain. So

every surfactant has a concentration at the point which it starts forming my cells before that concentration. This amount is reached it's off just single single soldiers I each one on their own finding something to grab a hold of and grabbing it and wonder how big the rent where like a little polyWag was something to catch this tail until the rents right. Oh, the critical myself concentration is a key factor in dealing with surfactants, but mostly

formulated to use that a lot. So this study actually did a measurement and it was using sodium law or a sulfate it did a measurement of the

effectiveness of the shampoo and effectiveness was all rigidly defined you know the effectiveness of the shampoo and the concentration. The primary surfactant sodium laurel Laureth sulfate as a we yes so they found that it by the dilution rate that's what it is and they do this whole study without using term dilution rate.

What they determined was that

sodium laurel sulfate would create my cells that were did all the stuff of a highly concentrated shampoo at about three thousand less concentration. Wow we knew that Suzy because we know about how greatly we dilute the self a shampoo in the bathing beauty system it's like

250 to one you know you might use one ounce of shampoo you know what guess what you can probably use I have announced because sodium laurel sulfate has a very low critical myself concentration point and what it determines is that it's counter productive to be producing these shampoos all. So we have more than 3,000 times more strong than they need to be defunction property in some time this is why

it is important to test your bathing products to see how much you can dilute them and have it still work and what you will find out is that the major sulfates sodium laurel sulfate sodium laureth. Ammonium laurel and laureth did that. C14 16, all of them sulfonate sulfonate all of those can be diluted so much more but you're

sulfate three. You have to have a little more concentration well actually a lot more concentration and that's why you will find mostly two three sometimes even four sulfate free surfactants in a formulation because they got a really loaded in order to get the same cleaning ability and

the benefits of the micellarization off of these sulfate free that have a higher critical micelle concentration so this study in it was just last year in 2025 approved what leave known it's proved to us what we've already known for years but it makes it real. And it will probably make some formulators rethink their amounts so it's you know like this is also why so many companies don't want to be totally transparent about what they're using because the truth is

some of these Are well being used in such many out of quantity in the formula that can hardly make a difference and then the big

big guys linebackers they they've been overused. So there's going to be you know like to it's going to make a difference ultimately this study verifies that knowledge interest there's your science moment for the day.

Susy 47:59

Yeah, cool all right well thanks for being here everyone thank you for tolerating our lovely videos because we're still working through that situation I think we're doing better Barbara screen share came up without. So to both stars for that one and thanks to our sponsors thanks to everyone who sports us on patreon. And also going. Happy filming everyone. See you next time. Take care of yourselves.

Barbara Bird 48:33

We love you.