Curiosity Led to Action
And a New Website
When something no longer fits, you have two choices: keep paying for it out of habit, or get curious about what else is possible.
For me, that “something” was my website platform. I had built my coaching and consulting site on a platform that made sense when I launched — it bundled my website, community, and digital products in one place. Over time, though, I found myself using only a fraction of what I was paying for. The community wasn’t active. The features I needed most weren’t the ones the platform did best.
I knew I needed to make a change. What I didn’t know was if I could do it without a developer, a big budget, or weeks of time.
So I got curious.
What happened when I stopped pushing and started exploring
I decided to treat this as an experiment. Instead of immediately hiring someone or signing up for another platform, I asked: what if I tried to build this myself, with AI as my thought partner?
It’s the same question I encourage my coaching clients to sit with when they’re at a crossroads — before rushing to a solution, get curious about what’s actually possible.
Over the course of a single day, working with Claude (Anthropic’s AI), I rebuilt my entire website from scratch. Not a template. Not a drag-and-drop builder. An actual custom-coded site, deployed on a professional hosting platform, with automated lead capture, a contact form that routes to my Google Workspace, and a fully working email system — all built through conversation.
I directed. Claude built. I reviewed. We iterated.
I am not a developer. I have never written production code. And yet, by the end of the day, fischthalconsulting.com had a new home — and I had cut my monthly platform costs in the process.
What this taught me about AI — and about change
This experience reinforced something I believe deeply, both as a coach and as someone working at the intersection of AI and institutional leadership:
AI doesn’t replace your judgment. It amplifies your agency.
I still had to know what I wanted. I had to make decisions about design, content, messaging, and brand. I had to push back when something didn’t feel right, and advocate for my own voice throughout. Claude was a remarkably capable collaborator — but the thinking, the values, and the vision were mine.
This is what I try to help leaders and organizations understand when they’re navigating AI adoption: the human in the loop isn’t a formality. It’s the whole point.
For non-technical entrepreneurs especially, tools like Claude are genuinely democratizing. Things that once required hiring specialists — building a website, automating workflows, creating lead capture systems — are now within reach for people who are willing to stay curious and engaged in the process.
Curiosity led to clarity. Clarity led to action. And the action produced something real.
A new chapter — and an invitation
This newsletter, Curiosity · Clarity · Action, is part of that same forward movement. I’ll be sharing reflections like this one — drawn from my work in coaching, consulting, AI literacy, and leadership — with intention and without noise.
Some of you are joining from my AI for Business Entrepreneurial community. I’m glad you’re here. This is where the conversation continues.
If you’re not already connected, I’d love for you to explore the new site: fischthalconsulting.com
And if you’d like to subscribe to this newsletter, you’re welcome to join the conversation there.
Onward —
Dr. Michelle Fischthal
Fischthal Coaching & Consulting
Curiosity · Clarity · Action
*This newsletter was created with the support of AI for clarity and structure