368: Are We All Having an AI Identity Crisis? With Cassandra Worthy

In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin talks with Cassandra Worthy—founder and CEO of Change Enthusiasm Global — about the emotional side of AI-driven change, and why “just adapt” isn’t exactly a strategy. As AI reshapes jobs, workflows, teams, and professional identities, Cassandra explains why people are experiencing a very real sense of loss, or what she calls “AI grief.” Cassandra breaks down her Change Enthusiasm® framework (Signal, Opportunity, Choice) and explains how emotional awareness can help us navigate uncertainty with more agency. Whether you’re navigating AI at work, leading a team through transformation, or trying to make your next move with more clarity, this episode will help you start treating emotions as data. Inside This Episode: AI Grief Is Real: Discover why AI can trigger feelings of loss, mourning, fear, and identity disruption + why leaders shouldn’t rush people past those emotions. Emotion Is Data, Not Weakness: Cassandra explains why difficult emotions are signals that can help us understand what’s happening beneath the surface during organizational change. Build Your Signal Literacy: Learn how to recognize the physical and emotional cues that show up during change, and why getting better at reading those signals can help you move through uncertainty faster. Turn Signals Into Opportunities: Cassandra walks through the second step of Change Enthusiasm® and shows how curiosity can help you move from “What is happening to me?” to “What are my options?” Choose Your Response: Explore the final step (Choice) and how making an intentional decision can turn anxiety into anticipation and help you navigate change with greater agency. What to Do Now: Name the Signal: The next time you feel anxious, frustrated, angry, or discouraged at work, pause before trying to fix it. Ask: What is this emotion trying to tell me? Get Curious About the Opportunity: Once you’ve identified the signal, brainstorm your options. What could you do, learn, ask, change, or try? Make a Choice: Pick the response that feels most aligned with your values—not necessarily the one that eliminates all uncertainty. And if you’re stuck, talk it through with a trusted mentor, colleague, or friend. About the Guest Cassandra Worthy is the founder and CEO of Change Enthusiasm Global, a consulting and leadership development firm helping organizations build the emotional resilience to thrive through change. A former Fortune 100 innovation leader and chemical engineer, Cassandra spent years leading global teams through major corporate transformations before turning her own experiences with change into the Change Enthusiasm® framework. She is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and trusted advisor to CEOs, HR leaders, and culture-shapers at organizations including Google, Microsoft, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, and Kellogg. Through her work, she helps people move from simply going through change to growing through it. Leadership Playground Free Info Session on 9/29 Looking for a scalable, engaging way to support your HiPo talent with leadership development? Join improve it! for a 25-minute information session to explore Leadership Playground, our experiential leadership development membership designed to extend learning beyond one-time workshops.  Discover how organizations are using live, improv-based learning to help HiPo managers strengthen communication, adaptability, confidence, and other essential skills. We'll walk through how the program works, what's included, and how it can complement your existing leadership development strategy. Register here! Connect with Cassandra Worthy Cassandra’s LinkedIn Cassandra’s personal website Cassandra’s company website, Change Enthusiasm Global Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Leadership Playground online membership community Erin’s website Erin’s Instagram Erin’s TikTok Erin’s LinkedIn improve it!’s website improve it!’s Instagram Connect with Erin Diehl🌟 Learn more about Workday Playdate: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/podcast-page 🎤 Book Erin to speak: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/keynote-speaker 📚 Workshops & Team Experiences: https://www.learntoimproveit.com/experiential-training 💌 Learn more about Erin: https://www.itserindiehl.com/meet-erin 📱 For more information on improve it! visit www.learntoimproveit.com.Loved this episode?If this conversation made you think differently about work, leadership, or building joyful teams, please follow Workday Playdate on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who could use more play in their workday.