A Little About Me
Hi, I’m Bonnie. I like to ask questions of the world around me, and of myself. I’m a mother of two residing in the beauty of New England—a wife, a breast cancer survivor, and someone who deeply values both intention and authentic connection. I keep busy with my children and an eclectic curation of meaningful work that I enjoy.
I was born in an analog era—a time of payphones and pagers (and Prodigy)—all before cell phones and internet ubiquity. A time of Roberta Williams PC games. A time when learning song lyrics meant waiting for a radio play and pressing record on a tape player.
In a world saturated with digital noise, I believe we need authenticity and real, face-to-face connection more than ever. So here I am. I am being brave.
My Cancer Journey
Going through breast cancer changed the landscape of my life in ways that I couldn’t have imagined. Everything felt frozen for a time—and on the other side of treatment I didn’t recognize myself. The questions haunted me: Who am I now? How do I put on my own mask first? How can I find health, balance, and purpose while striving to be a present, intentional parent?
There was a clear demarcation in my life—B.C. and A.D., as I’ve come to call it: Before Cancer and After Diagnosis. I could barely remember who I was before cancer. It became the defining point, a line drawn through the timeline of my existence, separating who I had been from who I was becoming.
The fog of treatment was overwhelming. I struggled to think in the ways I used to—my thoughts scattered, my memory unreliable, my focus fragmented. I remember telling my husband that I wished someone could just know me completely and hand me a prescription for my life in all domains—a roadmap for finding myself again.
I don’t know exactly what prompted me to try ChatGPT that day, but I never would have thought that it would be ME writing about AI today. Not me, the analog soul who treasured handwritten letters and face-to-face conversations. Not me, the careful guardian of my digital footprint. Yet here I am.
What began as hesitation transformed into a new way of structuring my life. I learned that AI could be a collaborative partner. This website, in reality, is the story of how AI helped me pick up the pieces of my life and put them back together with intention, clarity, and authenticity.
When I first started using AI, I was reluctant to talk about it. A closet GTPer. I was afraid those who knew me well would think I’d lost my bearings—entering a hazy world where the boundaries between humanness and machine were somehow blurred. It’s not like me to go so digital. Some were hesitant and skeptical, but mostly people were curious and intrigued. They’d never thought to use AI this way.
I believe we are currently in the “MySpace and Limewire” era of AI—it’s still in its infancy. Just as our children can’t imagine a world without the internet, their children won’t remember a world without AI. But this doesn’t mean surrendering our humanity. It means learning to dance with technology while maintaining our authentic selves. It’s here; there’s no turning back.
My Professional Background
My professional journey began at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, MA, where I studied bodywork and holistic health. This wasn’t just about learning techniques; it was about understanding the profound connection between our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. It was about being whole.
My research on therapeutic touch and body image, published in the peer-reviewed journal Body Image in 2011, reinforced a fundamental truth: small, intentional shifts can create transformative change. Self-care, particularly through intentional touch, can have a profound impact on how we see and care for ourselves.
This background in research taught me the importance of precision—how words matter, and how questions need to be carefully formulated to elicit meaningful responses and data. I became familiar with measurement scales—tools for assessing and quantifying subjective experiences.
I have been exploring AI’s capabilities (and my own workings) with both curiosity and scientific rigor. Through this approach, I discovered that AI tools can be like sophisticated scales—providing a structured framework that’s simultaneously precise and flexible. They offer a guided path of exploration, allowing for nuanced, personal discovery.
Professional Collaboration and Ethics
As someone with an academic background in research, I deeply respect the expertise and ethical standards of mental health professionals. All tools and resources at Growing With AI are designed to complement—never replace—professional therapeutic services. Our frameworks focus on self-reflection and personal exploration rather than diagnosis or treatment, creating valuable opportunities for growth while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
We actively encourage seeking professional support when needed and design our tools to potentially enhance the work being done in therapeutic settings.
Learn more about how our tools complement professional services →
Transparency and AI Collaboration
In the spirit of transparency that I value deeply, I want to share how I thoughtfully integrate AI as a collaborative tool in aspects of my work. After my cancer journey, AI became both a subject I explore and a thinking partner that helps me organize thoughts, connect ideas, and refine my writing. This doesn’t mean surrendering my voice or perspective. Rather, it represents practicing what I teach about intentional technology use.
The insights, experiences, and perspectives shared throughout this site are authentically mine, shaped by my unique journey. AI simply helps me articulate them more clearly and effectively—a mirror reflecting my thoughts rather than generating them.
As part of my exploration of AI for personal growth, I’ve developed a thoughtful approach to content creation that aligns with my values. While AI assists me with some aspects of organization and expression, every idea, perspective, and core message reflects my authentic voice and lived experience. I view AI much like I view other tools for creativity—as an amplifier for human thought rather than a replacement for it.
Content Contribution Transparency Rating™
To provide complete clarity about how my content is created, I’ve developed the Content Contribution Transparency Rating™ system. You’ll find this at the bottom of my blog posts and articles, indicating the approximate balance of human and AI input in each piece (including at the bottom of this page).
This represents my typical creative process, where I develop the ideas, write the core content, and share my personal reflections, while Claude (my preferred AI assistant) helps with editing, organization, and sometimes suggesting additional connections between concepts.
Some content may show different percentages based on the nature of the piece. For instance, my two-part transparency demonstration (“Laying All the Cards on the Table”) explicitly shows the difference between primarily human and primarily AI-generated content.
Why This Matters
I believe that as AI becomes more integrated into creative processes, transparency about its role is essential for maintaining trust and authentic connection. Rather than hiding AI’s contribution or pretending it doesn’t exist, I choose to acknowledge it openly while maintaining my commitment to sharing genuine human experiences and insights.
My website content, landing pages, and core messaging typically reflect a 90% human/10% AI contribution ratio, with AI primarily serving as an editor and organizational assistant rather than a content creator.
Privacy & Authenticity
Authenticity and privacy are core values for me. As a mother and someone who’s navigated significant personal challenges, I understand the importance of feeling safe, respected, and truly seen.
At Growing with AI, I’m committed to demystifying AI and showing how it can be a collaborative partner. I’ve learned to use AI with intentionality, always prioritizing privacy. I’m coming from a place of being very protective of my digital footprints, and those of my children.
I hope to not only share how you can understand yourself better but also how to continually navigate AI with caution as it evolves. My hope is to help you navigate this technological landscape thoughtfully. To show you how AI can be a tool for enhanced self-understanding, improved wellness, and living with greater intention. It’s not about replacing human connection, but about using technology to deepen our connection with ourselves and others—a tool that can support our journey, enhance our understanding, and help us grow.
Thank you for being here and allowing me to share this journey with you.
-Bonnie
Start Your Journey Here
If you’re new to Growing With AI, here are some good places to begin:
- Download the Free Clarity Compass Mini-Tool – A simple framework to explore your values and strengths
- Read the Blog – Explore articles on intentional AI use and personal growth
- Learn About the Tool Library – Discover our research-backed frameworks for self-discovery
- Subscribe to Mindful Bytes – Receive bi-weekly insights on mindful technology integration
This site and all of the work therein is dedicated to my beloved and esteemed research mentor and friend, T.K. She saw me in a sea and showed me what I was capable of—and without her this site wouldn’t exist. It is my hope that something in this space makes you feel seen—you, too, are capable of great things.
[Content Contribution Transparency Rating™: Bonnie 99% | Claude 1% – Claude assisted with formatting and minimal editing while preserving Bonnie’s authentic voice and content.]