Show Notes
It's easy to believe we're watching human creativity disappear. AI can write essays, generate images, summarize books (!!), and produce ideas in seconds. So where does that leave the messy, slow, deeply human creative process? More importantly, what happens to us if we stop participating in it?
In this episode, Molly shares her own evolving relationship with technology—from years of resistance to a more nuanced understanding of AI as both a powerful tool and sidecar to what is real about being human. Through personal stories about "being" in the digital age, she explores the difference between consuming polished outputs and participating in the beautiful, imperfect process of creating. This isn't a conversation about rejecting technology. It's about remembering what only humans can do. Let us become more deeply, unapologetically human.
If you've felt uncertain, excited, fearful, or conflicted about AI, this episode is an invitation to move beyond doom and optimism—and into conscious participation in the creative renaissance unfolding around us.
You'll Learn Why AI may be inviting us into a new era of human creativity rather than replacing it The surprising difference between consuming ideas and participating in the creative process Why messy thinking, wandering language, and creative struggle are essential to being human How AI is quietly shaping the way we think, write, and make meaning (and the impact of that reality) Practical ways to preserve your creativity in an increasingly automated world Why learning new tactile skills may become one of the most important practices of modern life How books, conversation, art, and human-made language nourish the brain differently The value of creative process over polished outcomes Why your body—not just your mind—is central to creativity A hopeful vision for cultivating deeper humanity in the age of AI Resources: Jeanette Winterson, Cal Newport, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira
Why This Episode Matters The conversation around AI is often trapped between fear and blind enthusiasm. This episode offers a third path: one rooted in embodiment, curiosity, and human creativity. If you're wondering how to remain fully alive, imaginative, and connected in an age of accelerating technology, this conversation will re-ignite your desire to lean into the creative capacities that no algorithm can replace.
STAY CONNECTED Website Modern Mammaling (free weekly newsletter, or $5/month paid with extra prompts to match theme of the week) Mammaling Monthly (2-hour online workshops around mammal archetypes) Your Mammal Body Retreat: in-person Vermont, Sept 16-20 Bring me to your community
Welcome to The Modern Mammal! Molly Caro May bridges neuroscience, story-weaving, and the relational field to support people to inhabit their full body mammal intelligence despite (and because of) the Modern Digital Era. Known for her warmth, straight-talk and emphatic expression, she is here to shine a light on what is possible for humans as we stand at this shared crossroads. She is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, author of two acclaimed literary memoirs, devotee of attention, creator of The Modern Mammal Framework and had led thousands of people through her transformational workshops and retreats for two decades. No, she isn't anti-tech, but she is pro-responsibility and believes in the importance of developing sacred discernment.
The Modern Mammal Podcast is a combination of WEEKLY raw Solo episodes that offer real-time practicing and clear ways to reclaim yourself in this era plus unscripted, lively interviews with thinkers, makers, and practitioners who are asking the same question: how do we stay human in a world moving too fast?
More from The Modern Mammal
What happens when even the good stuff becomes too much?
What would a life without rushing look and feel like?
What if making your world smaller could actually make your life feel bigger?
What if you’re not failing to heal—you simply don’t have the conditions your body needs?
Most of us have been taught to see pain, movement, posture, and healing as separate things. Fix the shoulder. Strengthen the core. Improve the posture. But what if the patterns living in your body are connected to something much deeper?