Fixing Credibility with Debbie Jenkins
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(And using AI to write your book won't help)
In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter is joined by Debbie Jenkins - founder, publisher, author, marketing strategist, Stevie Award winner, and self-described horse tickler and wine enthusiast. Jenkins has written 18 books under her own name (plus ghostwritten others) and has been mentoring authors since 2004. Her company Intellectual Perspective Press is one of many businesses she runs.
Debbie's central message around AI and publishing is clear: Faster isn’t better, it’s just faster.
Charlotte and Debbie explore what AI is doing to publishing, leadership, and credibility and why the biggest risk isn’t speed, but reputation. Debbie says that when authors outsource their words to AI, they risk creating work they can’t defend over time. If someone can’t stand behind what they publish in 10 years, they may be building a trust liability rather than a lasting asset.
The conversation also celebrates the messy creative process: nonlinear thinking, detours, doubt, and effort. She describes this as ideas being forged in fire - where the struggle is not a bug, but the source of authenticity, depth, and value.
Debbie shares insights from her award-winning book Stop the Credibility Crisis, which introduces a practical framework: credibility sits at the intersection of trust and desirability. In a world where AI can fake both, she encourages genuine experts and leaders to take control of their trust and desirability clues.
To get better leaders, we must become better followers, says Debbie. The onus is on us to be more discerning about who we elevate in an age of manufactured personas.
In this episode of Speech Bubbles, host Charlotte Otter is joined by Debbie Jenkins - founder, publisher, author, marketing strategist, Stevie Award winner, and self-described horse tickler and wine enthusiast. Jenkins has written 18 books under her own name (plus ghostwritten others) and has been mentoring authors since 2004. Her company Intellectual Perspective Press is one of many businesses she runs.
Debbie's central message around AI and publishing is clear: Faster isn’t better, it’s just faster.
Charlotte and Debbie explore what AI is doing to publishing, leadership, and credibility and why the biggest risk isn’t speed, but reputation. Debbie says that when authors outsource their words to AI, they risk creating work they can’t defend over time. If someone can’t stand behind what they publish in 10 years, they may be building a trust liability rather than a lasting asset.
The conversation also celebrates the messy creative process: nonlinear thinking, detours, doubt, and effort. She describes this as ideas being forged in fire - where the struggle is not a bug, but the source of authenticity, depth, and value.
Debbie shares insights from her award-winning book Stop the Credibility Crisis, which introduces a practical framework: credibility sits at the intersection of trust and desirability. In a world where AI can fake both, she encourages genuine experts and leaders to take control of their trust and desirability clues.
To get better leaders, we must become better followers, says Debbie. The onus is on us to be more discerning about who we elevate in an age of manufactured personas.
Chapters
- 00:03 Introduction to Speech Bubbles and Debbie Jenkins
- 02:54 The problem with AI-generated content and authentic voice
- 05:44 The value of the creative process and non-linear thinking
- 08:54 Debbie's passion for publishing and creating tangible things
- 09:52 Response to career advisor and book economics
- 10:44 The addictive nature of writing multiple books
- 12:20 Winning the Stevie Award in New York
- 14:07 Understanding the Credibility Crisis Framework
- 17:03 Essential questions for aspiring business book authors
- 18:29 The emotional and physical demands of book promotion
- 19:15 The emotional rollercoaster of book writing and publishing
- 21:04 Learning leadership through making redundancies
- 22:43 The importance of mentorship during crisis leadership
- 23:28 Defining diversity as hearing all voices
- 24:24 How AI flattens diversity and individual voice
- 25:39 Positive uses of AI for language and communication
- 26:23 Managing personal reputation
- 27:48 Coaching relationships and human connection
- 29:29 Changing leadership archetypes through better followership
- 30:33 Individual responsibility in leadership selection
- 31:26 Book recommendation
- 33:05 Leadership advice: don't go it alone
- 35:58 Finding joy
