After 25 years in social work and homeless services, Michele Williams built MS Works Learning — an AI-driven training platform for the human services sector with the potential to reach up to 85,000 volunteers nationwide. Michele joins Michelle to talk about becoming a founder later in life, landing her first major national contract through a single colleague referral, why she sets impact goals instead of financial goals, and how AI made building and launching her platform possible on her own. She also opens up about reinventing her life and business after her husband’s stroke, and what it means to take a real risk on yourself at 56.
In This Episode
- How 25 years in homeless services and 10 years of consulting led to founding MS Works Learning
- The colleague referral that turned a long-held idea into a national training contract
- Why Michele says the launch “wouldn’t be possible” without AI — and what AI actually changed in her business
- Setting impact goals instead of financial goals (and trusting the money to follow)
- Learning to charge her worth after years of underpricing her own work
- Reinventing her vision for life and business after her husband’s stroke
- Handling family skepticism about entrepreneurship — twice
- What’s next: growth goals, and her long-term vision for the business
Timestamps
[00:00] Welcome + meet Michele Williams [00:00] From social worker to founder — the 25-year path [00:00] The colleague referral that led to a national contract [00:00] “This wouldn’t be possible without AI” — the launch [00:00] Charging your worth and setting impact goals over financial goals [00:00] Reinventing at 56, after life didn’t go as planned [00:00] What’s next, and where to find Michele
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About Michele Williams
Michele Williams is the founder of MS Works Learning, an AI-driven training platform for the nonprofit human services sector, built on 25+ years of experience in social work and homeless services. She lives in Maryland.
- Website: https://www.micheleswilliams.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mswllc/
Resources Mentioned
- She Leads AI
- She Leads AI Certified AI Educator program
- AI Festivus
- Prince George’s County Community College entrepreneurship program