Yifat Cohen on AI, Authenticity, and Why You Should Mess Up on Purpose

In this episode of the Own Your Awkward Podcast, Yifat Cohen joins Andy Vargo to explore how AI can amplify thought leadership without sacrificing authenticity. From her Krav Maga training to her “human prompter” services, Yifat shares why messing up on purpose is one of the fastest paths to growth. If you are building a business, redefining success, or navigating the evolving role of AI in relationships and marketing, this conversation will challenge how you think and inspire how you act.

Embracing Mistakes as a Strategy

Yifat does not just tolerate mistakes, she recommends making them on purpose.

In a world where entrepreneurs are constantly trying to appear polished and perfect, she argues that imperfection is actually what builds connection. When you allow yourself to be human, to try something and fall short, you become relatable. You also learn faster.

Her philosophy is simple: the more mistakes you make, the faster you grow. The only real mistake is failing to extract the lesson.

For business owners, this mindset removes the pressure to get everything right the first time. Instead of obsessing over whether a webinar will have 500 attendees or whether a launch will hit a specific revenue number, you shift your focus to improvement. Each attempt becomes data. Each awkward moment becomes feedback.

Owning your awkward is not about celebrating failure. It is about recognizing that discomfort is often the doorway to mastery.

AI for Thought Leaders: Faster Does Not Mean Fake

Yifat is an expert in engagement marketing and AI, and she sees artificial intelligence as a powerful accelerator for experts, not a threat to authenticity.

Tools like ChatGPT allow thought leaders to take ideas that once lived only in their heads and bring them to life quickly. Instead of spending eight hours wrestling with a draft, you can clarify your thinking, outline your ideas, and refine your voice in a fraction of the time.

AI can:

• Spark new content ideas

• Help structure complex thoughts

• Assist with research and learning

• Streamline marketing processes

The key, according to Yifat, is to treat AI as a collaborator, not a replacement. Your insights, experiences, and perspective are still the engine. AI simply helps you move faster.

For entrepreneurs who have big ideas but limited technical skills, this is a game changer. The barrier to entry for sharing your message is lower than ever.

AI and Relationships: Connection in a New Era

The conversation also explores how AI could reshape relationships.

Yifat mentions Replika, an AI companion app designed to provide nonjudgmental conversation and emotional support. She notes that some users feel more connected because the AI checks in, encourages them, and creates a safe space for expression.

This raises a broader question: what happens when people start communicating more with machines than with each other?

Yifat suggests that AI could actually improve human relationships by helping people articulate what they want more clearly. If you can practice expressing your needs with precision, you may bring that clarity into real life conversations.

Like any tool, AI can be used in ways that deepen connection or distance us from it. The responsibility remains with us.

Krav Maga, Sparring, and Business Growth

One of the most powerful analogies in the episode comes from Yifat’s experience training in Krav Maga.

In sparring, she expected that years of practice would make her immediately successful at dodging punches. Instead, she found herself stiff, overthinking, and getting hit. The breakthrough came when she learned to relax, get out of her head, and respond fluidly in the moment.

Business works the same way.

Entrepreneurs often train for years, take courses, hire coaches, and then expect instant mastery. When results do not come quickly, they spiral into comparison or try to stack multiple strategies at once.

Yifat advises something different: focus on one consistent tweak.

Instead of launching a course, hosting a webinar, starting a podcast, and running ads all at once, choose one area to refine. Improve it. Then improve it again.

In sparring and in business, progress comes from presence and repetition, not frantic movement.

Redefining Success on Your Own Terms

Another theme woven throughout the episode is the importance of defining success for yourself.

Chasing external milestones, becoming a multi million dollar CEO, hitting a certain follower count, or earning a specific title, can lead to burnout if those goals are not aligned with your values.

Yifat challenges listeners to ask a deeper question: what actually makes you happy?

She shares how achieving milestones, like earning a green belt in martial arts, can feel surprisingly anticlimactic. The belt does not change your daily routine. You still show up and train. The journey remains.

If your everyday process is miserable, no peak moment will fix that.

True fulfillment comes from enjoying the daily work, building meaningful relationships, and creating impact in a way that feels aligned.

Trust, Pricing, and the Shift Away from Course Culture

The online world is crowded. There are more coaches, courses, and certifications than ever before. As a result, trust has eroded.

Yifat believes that high ticket services can act as a filter. When someone invests significantly, they are more likely to show up fully committed. The price point creates mutual responsibility.

Rather than selling low cost courses to massive audiences, she focuses on deeper engagement with fewer clients. Her unique “human prompter” services, called 727 and 747, involve extracting powerful insights directly from clients and transforming them into large volumes of branded organic content.

It is not about automation for the sake of scale. It is about clarity, positioning, and alignment.

What Does It Mean to Own Your Awkward

At the end of the conversation, Yifat brings it full circle.

Life is not a performance where you must look flawless at every moment. It is more like a play where you are allowed to experiment, stumble, and get messy.

Owning your awkward means giving yourself permission to try, fail, adjust, and try again. It means recognizing that discomfort is part of growth. It means choosing curiosity over perfection.

When you mess up on purpose, you remove fear from the equation. You stop waiting for the perfect conditions. You start moving.

And movement, even awkward movement, is what builds momentum.