by Sara Vicente Barreto
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how a moment of complete creative paralysis at a workshop led to her first experience building apps with Lovable. From redesigning field data collection workflows at the charity to creating spelling and football apps with her son in under ten minutes, this episode explores how AI-powered app building is changing the relationship between ideas and execution — even for non-coders.
AI is everywhere—but real impact is still rare. While companies rush into experimentation, few manage to scale what works.
In this piece, I share a practical AI adoption framework that moves beyond tools and training, focusing instead on how organisations actually make AI work—from early exploration to measurable impact, governance, and ultimately, re-imagining how work gets done.
In this episode, Sara Vicente Barreto explores how Claude for Excel—an AI tool embedded directly into spreadsheets—goes beyond productivity gains. From fixing complex models to building full dashboards, it compresses hours of analyst work into minutes. But more importantly, it raises a bigger question: if AI can now do the work that once helped us learn, how do entry-level roles evolve?
In this episode, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how a simple shift in using AI turned overwhelming revision into a focused, effective learning experience. Using Google Notebook LLM, information became clearer, more relevant, and easier to understand—highlighting how AI can truly support the way we learn.
In this episode, Sara explores how AI can transform the way you follow up after networking events. By using AI as a personal secretary and thinking partner, she turns scattered conversations into structured actions and real opportunities.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara shares how she used AI to automate a monthly accounting process—only for it to fail completely at first. A story about iteration, debugging, and making AI work in practice.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares a simple experiment: recording a voice note while driving, turning it into a transcript with Descript, and using ChatGPT to clean it into a structured draft. A practical workflow for capturing ideas on the go and turning messy thoughts into writing.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara shares an experiment combining ChatGPT and Perplexity to draft and verify a company briefing. Discover why AI writing and AI research are not the same — and how using both tools together can produce stronger, more reliable work.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how a small experiment with AI and Excel macros led to a deeper reflection on automation. Starting with a simple but repetitive accounting task, she explores how automation can add memory, reduce cognitive load, and support decision-making — without breaking systems that already work. A grounded, practical story for business owners curious about where to start with automation.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how she used AI to plan and (last-minute) pack for a family holiday to Sal, Cape Verde. From creating personalised packing lists to understanding hotel activities and local excursions, this experiment shows how AI can remove mental load and bring calm to everyday planning
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto shares how AI helped her transform a massive, overwhelming field report from a nine-day trip into clear actions, structured insights, and strategic direction — all in just a few iterations. A practical look at how AI can lighten cognitive load, reduce procrastination, and turn complexity into progress.
This year, I approached the Web Summit differently—less rush, more intention. Between learning, AI debates, and walking the floor, I found a new balance between insight and connection.
Sara Vicente Barreto shares the story of creating her first AI agent: a publishing partner that helps edit, optimize, and publish her blog posts while keeping her authentic tone intact. Learn the pain points that led her to this experiment, the workflow she designed, and the lessons she’s taking into future AI projects.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, Sara Vicente Barreto explores Notebook LLM—a tool designed to turn documents into audio content. After uploading a detailed NGO report, Sara was blown away to receive a conversational podcast so realistic that her team thought she’d produced it herself. With minimal input, the tool delivered something human, engaging, and ready to share. Sara reflects on how Notebook LLM can revolutionize the way we use reports, turning dense content into powerful, accessible formats. She also experiments with FAQs and mind maps, showing how even the most traditional documents can gain new life with AI.
In this episode of Try AI for Growth, host Sara Vicente Barreto shares her hands-on experience improving AI image generation using DALL·E. After many failed attempts in the past, she finally cracked the code—by defining her style upfront, using the select tool, and iterating on visual prompts to achieve a cohesive set of cartoon-style illustrations for a critical thinking workshop. She walks listeners through each step, including some comic experiments and key takeaways that anyone experimenting with AI visuals can apply.
