About me
Hi, I’m Carley.
I lead the Seller Content team at Etsy.
I love building things with AI - content tools, random iOS apps, my 1990s website, automations. I think AI is one of the most powerful tools of our time for working smarter, thinking deeper, and creating space for what actually matters. But I also think we’re at risk of losing ourselves to it if we’re not intentional.
My take on AI: It should make us more creative, not less. More human, not less. It should give us time back for long walks, craft nights with friends, and deep work that requires our full presence. The goal isn’t to optimize every moment - it’s to use AI strategically so we can protect the messy, analog, beautiful parts of being human.
I write about using AI well (prompts, builds, marketing tactics) and living well (boundaries, rest, community, unlearning perfectionism).
Before Etsy: I co-founded Lucky Sweater (VC-backed community marketplace for secondhand fashion), was one of the first 500 employees at Uber, where I co-launched Uber Eats (DM me for photos of me testing food in fridges/signing up our first restaurnat partners) and ran global Trust & Safety marketing, and started my career at Ogilvy & Mather doing digital strategy for Ford, SC Johnson, and Jim Beam.
What you’ll get here
Every week: The top, need-to-know curated AI and marketing links - tools, tactics, trends, and what’s actually worth your attention. No fluff, just the stuff that helps you and your team work smarter.
Occasionally (when I have something to say): Longer essays on the messy middle of work and life. Like:
Building with Claude Code and other AI experiments
Managing teams without burning out
What I learned living in Amsterdam for 5 years
Unlearning perfectionism and anxiety in my 30s
Post-startup founder life and what comes after the hustle
Community over individualism
When to use AI strategically and when to log off
Vision boards, craft nights, and analog tools that still work
Navigating your 30s without losing yourself (adult braces, botox, et al.)
Why subscribe
This newsletter is for people who want to level up with AI and wind down without it.
If you’re ambitious but tired of being tired, want to use AI strategically without losing yourself to it, and believe that efficiency should create space for joy (not just more work) - this is for you.
What this newsletter is:
Practical: Tools and tactics you can actually use
Honest: I’ll tell you what works and what doesn’t
Human: Professional expertise mixed with personal mess
Free: No paywalls, no bs
What this newsletter isn’t:
AI hype without critical thinking
Another hustle-culture echo chamber
Some of my fun facts (more of the human stuff)
I’ve been told I have the style of “a grandma mixed with a middle schooler on their first day of school.” I’m a valley girl at heart who’s lived in San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Amsterdam for 5 years, and now in Brooklyn.
I have two brother and sister cats, Billy and Lizzie, who are my guardian angels. I’ve seen Britney Spears perform 5 times. My proudest accomplishment is helping my grandmother find late-in-life love online at 87 - Grandma Gen and Vic just celebrated 7 years together.
I’m in an unlearning chapter right now. Letting go of perfectionism, anxiety, being so hard on myself, and worrying about what people think. Focusing more on things that keep me present: meditation, running, comedy shows, long walks with just music (or nothing), secondhand finds, friends new and old.
Let’s connect
Hit reply to any email - I read everything.
Find me elsewhere:
Thanks for being here.
Love y’all,
Carley
