Birmingham, Alabama, January 15, 2026 — AI should make a leadership team faster, calmer, and more aligned—not busier. If AI increases motion without improving decisions, it is not a strategy. It is a distraction. But when AI strategy is built around real outcomes, strong guardrails, and a repeatable operating rhythm, it becomes a durable competitive advantage that improves customer experience and deepens customer engagement. That conviction got reinforced on Thursday, Janua

Birmingham, Alabama, January 14, 2026 — AI is only a competitive advantage when it moves from "interesting" to "operational." If it stays as a handful of experiments, a few clever prompts, or a side project owned by no one, it becomes noise. If it becomes a capability with ownership, guardrails, and measurable outcomes, it becomes leverage that improves customer experience, strengthens customer engagement, and accelerates strategic growth. That conviction felt especially real

Category: Events & Innovation  |  Issue #4  |  January 2026 From Stormie Andrews and Shawn Andrews, Co-Founders, BREATHE! Exp We just returned from CES 2026, and after producing events at this show for over a decade, we can say definitively: this year was different. The hype around AI has been building for three years. CES 2024 teased AI's potential. CES 2025 showcased AI prototypes. But CES 2026? This was the year AI became operational . Real products. Shipping dates. Actual

In Glen Allen, Virginia, leaders in CEO advisory groups rated this AI workshop 5/5 across content, deliverability, and applicability, with 100% recommending it. The key lesson: AI Leadership is a practical discipline that turns Customer Insights into action, improves Customer Experience, and builds Competitive Advantage through repeatable workflows, guardrails, and KPIs. Here’s how to start.