By: Chuck McCarthy
Published Date: June 23, 2026
Nerding out over Claude, being able to ditch spreadsheets, and what it takes to build a diversified tech stack (it’s not as complicated as you think).
Welcome to To the Power of X, Xponent21’s podcast about AI, marketing, and the tools and strategies actually worth your time. In episode 1, Chuck, Kayleigh, and KO break down how marketers should approach the overwhelming world of AI tools, with 5,000+ MarTech options out there and new models dropping every couple of weeks.
In our inaugural episode, we get into:
- Building an AI strategy before you buy anything
- How we use AI tools to become more efficient marketers
- How to test tools without getting lost in the fun
- When to choose a foundational LLM vs a purpose-built tool
KO (Senior Account Strategist & Resident Tool Nerd) explains the difference between Claude Code and Claude Cowork, why model choice matters at every step, and how prompting turns into reusable skills you can share across your team. Plus: why voice AI like Wispr Flow is an easy two-hours-a-week win, and the case for diversifying your AI stack instead of betting on one model.
Whether you’re AI-curious or already building agentic workflows, this one’s for you.
Our favorite quotes from this episode:
- “The one problem I see—customers, businesses—they’re going into this implementation of AI without having a strategy. You’ve got to roll back. You need to figure out what your needs are: your business processes and marketing processes. You have to have the business as a whole come together too.”
- “Why not make the computer more efficient? Many of us don’t want to go through a bunch of spreadsheets. That’s not why we have passion for our work. But we certainly know that spreadsheet data empowers the work that we’re doing. I think that’s something that everybody could be doing, marketing or not, is consolidating data.”
- “As long as you don’t call me a tool.”
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Chuck McCarthy
As our Director of Client Services, Chuck provides coaching, direction, and leadership to our account strategists and digital strategists, in addition to working directly with clients to deliver outsized results. When not at work, you can find him playing guitar in his rock band, watching sports, or enjoying a local craft brew.
Affiliate Disclosure: This site includes affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click through and take action—at no extra cost to you. I only promote tools and services I trust and use myself.
