Demystifying AI: Real Tools You Can Use Right Now

Cindy Zuelsdorf is a marketing strategist, author, and founder of Kokoro Marketing, where she helps small businesses, high-tech companies, and nonprofits take the overwhelm out of marketing and automation. She led sales, marketing, and service for a high-tech company, selling video equipment to clients like NBC, NASA, and Netflix. After years of working in broadcast media and high-pressure sales environments, Cindy discovered the power of marketing automation and never looked back. Long before AI became a buzzword, she was using tools that quietly integrated intelligent automation into everyday marketing—from lead follow-up to customer engagement. What she loves most is helping people get the word out about their business and set themselves up for real success. That insight led to the launch of her agency and the creation of her book and course, 7 Marketing Basics: Do Less and Sell More, which hit #1 on Amazon in the marketing for small business category. Her company’s name, Kokoro—a Japanese word meaning heart, mind, and spirit—reflects her commitment to marketing that connects on a human level. Her latest initiative, Kokoro Connect AI, helps small businesses use AI-powered phone and chat tools to scale with ease and show up like a bigger business—without the burnout. Cindy's non-profit work includes being on the board of the local SMPTE chapter, on the board of Veterans-TV, and the membership and marketing director for AMWA.tv. When she’s not working, you’ll find her skiing in the Sierra Nevada or hanging out with family and friends at the Yuba River.