DO GOOD X Podcast

Ep. 2 Relieving the Financial Burden on Families at the End of Life Through Tech with Martha Sylla Underwood

• Do Good X • Episode 2

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We're thrilled to introduce Martha Sylla Underwood to the DO GOOD X community. Martha, the Founder and CEO of Prismm, is committed to transforming the wealth transfer process at life's end with innovative technology. Join us as she discusses her career path as a black woman in a male-dominated industry. Martha will also offer insightful advice on scaling your business and provide expert insights on AI that you won't want to overlook. Tune in to DO GOOD X to elevate your expertise and capabilities and discover ways you can contribute to the community through acts of Doing Good.

IN THIS EPISODE:

(00:00)  Kimberly introduces Martha and describes her professional history
(03:15) Martha shares what inspired her to create Prismm and what problem it addresses
(08:18) When Prismm was developed, Martha admitted her family was in crisis mode
(10:15) Martha discusses how AI can assist seniors in cataloging documents and items in Prismm
(14:28) Martha shares some biases she has faced as a Black woman in the tech industry and, particularly in building scale 
(21:47) Martha shares that Chat GPT and Gamma have been game changers in her business, and she has advice for entrepreneurs who want to start a business
(24:25) Martha gives tips on how best to use AI efficiently
(26:38) Martha responds to Stephen’s rapid-fire questions
(32: 16:) Mystery Segment: Unveiling Personal Rituals for Mindfulness
(34:26) Your Personal Practices for Slowing Down

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • Martha describes the disturbing situation with her parents that fostered the beginning of Prismm
  • You only know you may need something once you are in crisis mode. However, there is a better time to realize there are tools you cannot access, and that is before you are in crisis. 
  • AI can be used as a helpful tool, and it is being implemented within Prismm to make tasks easier for senior adults to navigate.

RESOURCES:

DO GOOD X - Podcast

DO GOOD X - Linkedin

Kimberly R. Daniel - Linkedin

Stephen Lewis - Linkedin

Prismm - Website

Prismm - Instagram

Prismm - Facebook

GUEST BIO

Martha Sylla Underwood is a highly accomplished software technology industry veteran who has built a storied career spanning from IBM in Florida to Silicon Valley and now Birmingham, Alabama. With a background in developing enterprise solutions for insurance carriers, creating early versions of healthcare patient portals, and positioning startups for acquisition through her business modeling and product optimization expertise, Martha is a true innovator in the industry.

Today, she serves as the Founder and CEO of Prismm, a company dedicated to revolutionizing the wealth transfer process at the end of life through technology. By leveraging best-in-class digital practices, Martha and her team take a fresh, creative approach to handling documents and assets. The company recently partnered with award-winning actor Dr. Malik Yoba.

Martha’s commitment to philanthropy and community engagement, combined with her expertise in business operations, women's advancement, and the impact of social programming on business interactions, has made her a highly sought-after speaker, advisor, and consultant.

Stephen Lewis: [00:00:00] So I want to welcome our listeners to the Dougodex [00:00:03] podcast. I am Stephen Lewis, a catalyst for [00:00:06] positive change in communities and business. And for [00:00:09] over two decades, I've inspired leaders and [00:00:12] entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose. With [00:00:15] intention, faith, and a [00:00:18] commitment to their wellbeing. And I'd like to briefly introduce [00:00:21] my co host, Kimberly Daniel.[00:00:24] 
Kimberly Daniel: I'm Kimberly Danielle. Thank you, Steven. I [00:00:27] am a community builder, a coach, and a [00:00:30] communication strategist who comes from a generations [00:00:33] of faith driven entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who [00:00:36] believe that our purpose should drive [00:00:39] us to contribute to the common good. And [00:00:42] we are so excited for this episode today.
We [00:00:45] have our very first guest in our [00:00:48] season of our podcast. And so today we [00:00:51] have Martha Silla [00:00:54] Undruid. On the show. And she is an [00:00:57] innovator. She's a highly accomplished [00:01:00] software technique, technology, industry, veteran, [00:01:03] a founder, an advisor, a mother, and so [00:01:06] much more. And today with Martha, we are [00:01:09] driving, we are really diving into tech.
We're [00:01:12] diving into AI entrepreneurship, being a [00:01:15] black woman in the tech industry. And [00:01:18] speaking of which, did you know that last year in [00:01:21] 2023, the tech industry comprised. [00:01:24] Just of 25 percent of women, and within [00:01:27] that, only 3 percent are black women. [00:01:30] And then when looking at tech startup founders, [00:01:33] 15%. Our women, but the data [00:01:36] around black women is very hard to find because [00:01:39] it is so low.
So it's a [00:01:42] gift to have Martha here with us today [00:01:45] and to have her in the industry, really showing what a black woman [00:01:48] can do and be in a male dominated space and paving the [00:01:51] way for others. She has a storied [00:01:54] career spanning from working at IBM [00:01:57] in Florida to being in Silicon Valley, [00:02:00] and now in. Birmingham, Alabama, [00:02:03] Martha has developed enterprise solutions, [00:02:06] created early versions of healthcare patient portals [00:02:09] and position startups for [00:02:12] acquisitions, which that is so huge.
And now in [00:02:15] Alabama, she serves as the founder and CEO of [00:02:18] Prism, a company dedicated to revolutionizing [00:02:21] the wealth transfer process at the end of [00:02:24] life. Through technology. [00:02:27] And this is amazing. Her company recently [00:02:30] partnered with award winning actor, Dr. Malik [00:02:33] Yoba. So Martha, [00:02:36] thank you so much for joining us today.
You come with a [00:02:39] wealth of experience and we are grateful to have 
Martha Sylla Underwood: you. Thank 
Kimberly Daniel: you for having 
Martha Sylla Underwood: [00:02:42] me. I'm like, you made me sound real good.[00:02:45] [00:02:48] [00:02:51] 
Kimberly Daniel: So I'm just going to go ahead and dive right in. [00:02:54] I have, we've had previous [00:02:57] conversations before, obviously. Well, not to listeners. They don't [00:03:00] know that, but we've had previous conversations and other ways [00:03:03] that you've been involved with do you get X. And I'll also [00:03:06] recently read some articles. Uh, [00:03:09] Around what really inspired your journey with [00:03:12] prism and how that's so connected to your personal [00:03:15] story.
So can you just share with us a bit about your [00:03:18] story and what led to the birth of prism? [00:03:21] And within that specifically shared the [00:03:24] problem you are addressing [00:03:27] Through Prism. Sure. So within [00:03:30] technology, yeah. 
Martha Sylla Underwood: So I'm a, um, I'm a Gen Xer [00:03:33] and I take care of my boomer parents [00:03:36] who are 85 and [00:03:39] 86. Um, and they live [00:03:42] 700 miles from me.
They live in Miami, Florida where I was raised, [00:03:45] and I'm in Birmingham, Alabama. And [00:03:48] in, um, 2017, hurricane Irma [00:03:51] hit Miami. And we were blessed [00:03:54] that nothing happened to my, my family home, [00:03:57] but my dad went over to the neighbor to [00:04:00] help them out because a huge tree had fallen onto [00:04:03] their roof. And my dad is, you know, the, [00:04:06] the consummate, um, Caribbean man who thinks he can [00:04:09] still do everything.
And he was about seven in his late seventies at the [00:04:12] time. Um, he gets on the roof with his chainsaw and he [00:04:15] tries to cut the tree off and he slips and he falls and he [00:04:18] goes unconscious. And [00:04:21] my mom is frantic. She doesn't know what to do because my mom goes [00:04:24] everywhere with them. So she was with them at the neighbor's house [00:04:27] and she calls me, you know, 700 miles away.[00:04:30] 
And there, you know, with families, there's always [00:04:33] someone that gets called. And I'm that person, myself and my older [00:04:36] sister. And I felt helpless, but [00:04:39] I really couldn't express that because she was already in a state [00:04:42] of, of shock, right? Finally get [00:04:45] them to the hospital. She hands the doctors, [00:04:48] you know, the phone to me and they're asking me [00:04:51] questions, but I can't really answer because [00:04:54] I mean, I don't know, for one, and [00:04:57] two, some of the things they really couldn't get into because I didn't [00:05:00] have consent.
I didn't have the proper paperwork, [00:05:03] even though my mom was there. She was just too distraught to be able to [00:05:06] answer questions. And so it dawned on me because one of the [00:05:09] questions they asked was like, does he have, [00:05:12] um, like his life, his will? [00:05:15] Like end of life stuff like if something happens because at the time [00:05:18] we didn't know if he had internal bleeding we didn't know what was happening [00:05:21] and We were [00:05:24] blessed that he ended up just having cracked ribs and [00:05:27] he is fine today But during a span of eight [00:05:30] hours, it was kind of touch and go like what's happening here.[00:05:33] 
What if he doesn't make it? Where are the bank accounts? You know, [00:05:36] where all the information, where's the life insurance policy? What's [00:05:39] all this so that my mom could be okay? Because [00:05:42] my mom and dad this year would be married 62 years and [00:05:45] he's taking care of everything Like [00:05:48] she doesn't know where anything is So asking her for [00:05:51] that in the midst of her being distraught even if she knew where [00:05:54] something was She wouldn't be able to tell us she wouldn't be able [00:05:57] to handle the administrative aspects of that [00:06:00] and so I said being in [00:06:03] technology, we can solve this.
I need to be able to get [00:06:06] access to all of this important information pretty quickly at my [00:06:09] fingertips, no matter where I am. And so [00:06:12] that's when prism was born. And I always say [00:06:15] prison was born out of love for my parents because [00:06:18] there's 7 of us and. We're [00:06:21] very close knit family, so if anything happens to either one [00:06:24] of them, we know that we will need time to [00:06:27] grieve and we did not want to be overly burdened by the [00:06:30] administrative side of things, of having to go into the [00:06:33] house and look for all of the documents, [00:06:36] even though my dad keeps, you know, immaculate records, [00:06:39] you know, we'll start looking at it and we'll start crying because [00:06:42] we're going through and starting to see just different [00:06:45] Things right?
Pictures here, birth certificate there, this [00:06:48] document here. And so I said, you know, [00:06:51] let let's solve this using technology. And so [00:06:54] prism was built to where we can now pull in all of their assets. [00:06:57] We know where all of their money is all the financial accounts. [00:07:00] We know where all of their. Important [00:07:03] documents are marriage certificates, deeds, car [00:07:06] registrations, um, life insurance [00:07:09] policy, living will, all of those things.
And then, [00:07:12] um, all of their assets, like, fine [00:07:15] china, my dad has a medallion for the taxi, like all of those [00:07:18] different things that we now have in prism. [00:07:21] Locked it down and shared it with the family members [00:07:24] that need to share it because everyone has different roles We handle [00:07:27] myself and my older sister handle financials and then my other sisters [00:07:30] handle the health And so all of that information is [00:07:33] in there and we share that information with who needs to see [00:07:36] it um, so we could keep privacy because my Again, my [00:07:39] dad's like I don't want them to see that or I don't want them to see this [00:07:42] so we wanted to make sure that um, We took [00:07:45] care of that.
So I used all of my My technology [00:07:48] background, my experience with helping build [00:07:51] products, um, for the healthcare industry, for the [00:07:54] banking industry, for the retail industry to create [00:07:57] something that can be basically a life planning [00:08:00] tool for those of us that need it. 
Kimberly Daniel: Thank you, [00:08:03] Martha. That's amazing to see how [00:08:06] your background, the different areas of your background [00:08:09] and your own personal story really [00:08:12] kind of.
intersected with one [00:08:15] another and birth this thing, birth [00:08:18] prism. 
Martha Sylla Underwood: Yeah. And, and, and that's the thing, [00:08:21] right? Because when you're looking at building a company [00:08:24] and you know, I'm just been put on this path, [00:08:27] right? It just, it wouldn't leave me. [00:08:30] Because I created something for just the family internally [00:08:33] to use, but then when 2020 hit [00:08:36] and we had COVID and I had friends and, [00:08:39] and, you know, sorority sisters and people at work [00:08:42] saying, Hey, Martha, I remember when you had this thing and [00:08:45] you were having this issue and you created a product, like, [00:08:48] can I get on it?
Can I use it? And the [00:08:51] thing is, with people, we [00:08:54] aren't as proactive or organized as we think we are, right? [00:08:57] We. Just like me, I [00:09:00] wasn't thinking about it. It was a crisis that [00:09:03] made me think about it, which made me say, we need to [00:09:06] be prepared before there's a crisis because the [00:09:09] worst time to prepare for a crisis is while you're in the [00:09:12] crisis.
And so, um, [00:09:15] that's when I said, okay, I guess this [00:09:18] is the path that I should take, um, that God put [00:09:21] me on. Because I, I [00:09:24] had a personal story, I created something [00:09:27] to solve it. And then so many other people are going to need [00:09:30] this with, you know, the boomers kind of aging out and [00:09:33] transitioning and so much are on the Gen [00:09:36] Xers cause we've got our own families.
I got two boys, right? [00:09:39] And so you might not be able to just pick [00:09:42] up and leave and travel to wherever your family [00:09:45] members are or who you're helping. You know, provide [00:09:48] care to, to handle that [00:09:51] situation in person. And so how [00:09:54] can you leverage technology to be able to manage those [00:09:57] things through paperwork, through, [00:10:00] through a portal, a secure portal, through [00:10:03] having that information at your fingertips so that they can give the [00:10:06] care that they need.
You can make sure, you know, where the assets [00:10:09] are and those things aren't lost. I'm going to hand 
Kimberly Daniel: [00:10:12] it over to Steven to ask the next question. 
Stephen Lewis: [00:10:15] Yeah, Martha. So earlier this year, your team was. In the [00:10:18] final stages of introducing an AI feature [00:10:21] to the prison's products that will revolutionize how your [00:10:24] clients catalog their assets.
And you and I [00:10:27] both know that the use of AI has continued to grow [00:10:30] and we don't foresee it going anywhere. [00:10:33] So what do you see as your team's role and [00:10:36] responsibility? In your use of AI and [00:10:39] maybe more broadly speaking, what should be the responsibility of [00:10:42] others interested in using AI in their entrepreneurial [00:10:45] and social impact ventures?
Martha Sylla Underwood: Sure. So it's always about [00:10:48] using AI for good, right? And the way we've [00:10:51] leveraged AI in our platform is to make it easier [00:10:54] for people to catalog their [00:10:57] personal items. And so you can take a picture of a room [00:11:00] and say, you know, identify all of the things [00:11:03] that are a value in this room. It might say [00:11:06] 85 inch TV.
It might say laptop computer, [00:11:09] and it'll catalog that for you. 1 helping you save [00:11:12] time by not having to type it in [00:11:15] and 2, I'm, I'm, Also recognizing things [00:11:18] that you might not have thought was of value, [00:11:21] right? Like a vintage armoire that [00:11:24] grandma or grandma might have, grandpa might have, [00:11:27] or, um, some fine China that they might [00:11:30] not have thought was worth anything AI can pick up [00:11:33] and catalog that for you within Prism.[00:11:36] 
And that's a feature that we're [00:11:39] finalizing and putting into the system. Um, also being able [00:11:42] to take pictures of. Of documents [00:11:45] and put that information in there as well to just make it as [00:11:48] seamless and easy for you as possible. Because again, [00:11:51] older generation, they aren't as technically savvy [00:11:54] as the younger generation is, you know, their [00:11:57] their digital natives.
It takes some [00:12:00] time for the older generation to be able to [00:12:03] work through the technology to. To catalog their [00:12:06] information, so we wanted to make it as easy as taking a [00:12:09] picture because they could take pictures of their grandkids. They can [00:12:12] do that. And so if you could take a picture, then you [00:12:15] can, you can, um, catalog this [00:12:18] information into prism and the [00:12:21] larger responsibility that we have 1 is a [00:12:24] couple of things.
I would say as black and brown [00:12:27] entrepreneurs is to use it. Make [00:12:30] sure that we are using [00:12:33] AI in training the models with our [00:12:36] culture. You know, with what we like and [00:12:39] some of the things that, um, we are [00:12:42] building so that it can learn and not be biased, [00:12:45] right? Because it's all about who uses it and talk [00:12:48] about training and, and learning how to be a prompt engineer [00:12:51] and prompting properly.
There's [00:12:54] a lot to be said about that because we need more people that look [00:12:57] like us. Inputting into the different [00:13:00] models because every day there is another AI [00:13:03] product that, that hits the market. Right. And I [00:13:06] have seen some great uses of AI. I think there's a [00:13:09] company called track AI for [00:13:12] disabilities where it can like track eye [00:13:15] movement for children and help [00:13:18] identify if there's going to be any issues, or they [00:13:21] might have a propensity to become blind.[00:13:24] 
Those things, right? There's also cancer [00:13:27] screenings where they can detect cancer earlier. [00:13:30] All of these things are how AI can actually [00:13:33] be used for good. And we want to continue to [00:13:36] be, um, participants in that [00:13:39] to make sure that we are designing products and [00:13:42] leveraging AI for good, 
Kimberly Daniel: that's good. [00:13:45] Because a lot of the resistance is.
[00:13:48] About using it, but in order to yield the results [00:13:51] that we desire, we have to use it. [00:13:54] So that's really good. I've mentioned [00:13:57] earlier in the episode about some of the, [00:14:00] um, data around black women in [00:14:03] tech and tech founders who are [00:14:06] women. I want to hear a little bit [00:14:09] about the challenges that you [00:14:12] face as a black woman in the tech industry.
[00:14:15] And for people who are listening. who [00:14:18] are on the same or similar [00:14:21] trajectory. Share with them how you navigated those [00:14:24] challenges in ways that might be instructive or [00:14:27] insightful for 
Martha Sylla Underwood: their own journeys. One of the things is, [00:14:30] um, I would say the main challenge is [00:14:33] being the only and not having [00:14:36] someone in leadership that looked like me that I can go [00:14:39] to for guidance to help navigate that particular environment [00:14:42] that I might've been in.
[00:14:45] Um, and so that's a challenge. And one of the things that I did was I [00:14:48] looked outside of the four walls that [00:14:51] I had to go to every day to networking events to find other [00:14:54] women, even though they might not have been in tech, but they were in [00:14:57] leadership that can help me navigate [00:15:00] or Guide me with some of the [00:15:03] strategies to employ in corporate, [00:15:06] right?
Um, that that's big, expanding your [00:15:09] network and finding people that look like you, that might [00:15:12] be in leadership roles, that where you might want to go, even though it [00:15:15] might not be in tech, because there are just some [00:15:18] things across the board that that is relevant, [00:15:21] like how to present yourselves in meetings, like how to leverage [00:15:24] meetings, right?
People go to meetings all of the time. [00:15:27] And as women and especially black women, sometimes [00:15:30] we. We might hold our voice back and [00:15:33] not put forth an idea for fear that [00:15:36] it won't be heard or to be stolen. And [00:15:39] so how to navigate things like that and, and how to gain the [00:15:42] confidence to be able to, to one, have a [00:15:45] confident in your ability that yes, my idea is valid [00:15:48] and I should voice it here, but [00:15:51] just having someone else that looks like you say, I've dealt with that and this is [00:15:54] how I handle it.
I made this [00:15:57] friend or I made this ally that can echo me, [00:16:00] you know, that says, Oh, that was Martha's idea or Martha [00:16:03] had a great point. Why don't you bring that up again? [00:16:06] Right? Those are just small little strategies [00:16:09] that you can kind of put into place. But it was difficult being [00:16:12] the only because going into.
Or a [00:16:15] meeting or coming into the office or meeting with the [00:16:18] client, typically, you know, I kind of rose up the ranks [00:16:21] pretty, pretty quickly. So I was in leadership. And so [00:16:24] I'd come in and they would think that I'm an analyst [00:16:27] or, you know, an entry level person while [00:16:30] I'm there to really lead the meeting. And I was [00:16:33] actually just telling this story the other day that.
I [00:16:36] would start to purposely go to meetings late because people [00:16:39] were just like, why, why, why is Martha late? But it's [00:16:42] because I wanted everyone to say, well, we're waiting on Martha [00:16:45] to start the meeting. So then when I walked into the [00:16:48] meeting, Precedent was already set. It was already said that. Oh, [00:16:51] she is the decision maker.
She is the 1 that we're going to [00:16:54] have to win over for this account, or she is the 1 that we're going to have [00:16:57] to talk to about capacity or this new [00:17:00] project or to approve this this [00:17:03] budget. Right? Because if I'm there, and I typically was the 1st 1 there, I'd be [00:17:06] there early. And it's just like, well, [00:17:09] okay, Martha, it's small talk.
And how did you do this? [00:17:12] And how did you do that? And I'd start to try to talk about the things [00:17:15] that were relevant to the meeting. And they'd just be like, nah, we'll, we'll wait for, [00:17:18] you know, the stakeholders to come and I'm like, [00:17:21] well, I am the stakeholder, right? [00:17:24] And so those were, those were some of the challenges [00:17:27] that can get frustrating, but [00:17:30] finding other women.
Again, even if it's outside [00:17:33] of your industry or outside of your company is [00:17:36] invaluable because those are the, the people that can help [00:17:39] you navigate once you step into that room and [00:17:42] give you the confidence, or you can text or call when you need to, [00:17:45] um, that just kind of gives you that extra boost that you [00:17:48] need.
Stephen Lewis: That's good. And, you know, when I think about, [00:17:51] you know, other women and the challenges, it [00:17:54] reminds me of what I heard Ryan [00:17:57] Wilson. Um, had mentioned who is the [00:18:00] CEO and co founder of the gathering spot is about how [00:18:03] the barriers of entrepreneurship and particularly for [00:18:06] black and brown folks and women. Um, [00:18:09] and specifically that is the barriers are not [00:18:12] about starting as much as about scaling.
And [00:18:15] so with your background beyond prison [00:18:18] in positioning startups for acquisition, [00:18:21] what barriers have you seen entrepreneurs in [00:18:24] general, black women in particular, facing the ability to [00:18:27] scale and position their business wealth acquisition? [00:18:30] 
Martha Sylla Underwood: I'd say the main thing is the [00:18:33] networking and the access to the business and the contracts.[00:18:36] 
What I've seen from of our [00:18:39] counterparts is that they would refer them and say, [00:18:42] Hey, Oh, you got this platform. [00:18:45] I know this executive at this company that I'm going to [00:18:48] connect you to because I know that they're looking for enterprise level [00:18:51] software and they walk you in the door. [00:18:54] Right. And you don't have just 1 [00:18:57] of that.
You have 5 of that or [00:19:00] 10 of that. Right. And so [00:19:03] that is critical to scaling [00:19:06] because typically the other thing that I've seen is they would want to [00:19:09] put. So if you can get black women founders in a [00:19:12] program or in an accelerator or in a [00:19:15] workshop and maybe give them a grant, a 5, 000 or a 10, [00:19:18] 000 grant, that might help them with their business.
[00:19:21] But what's really helpful is a signed contract, [00:19:24] which helps them then deliver the product, [00:19:27] right? Um, cause the thing is, get, [00:19:30] get the contract to us and then [00:19:33] let us either succeed or fail. We're not saying [00:19:36] that if the product doesn't do what it says it [00:19:39] does, that you need to keep it. [00:19:42] Go ahead and cancel the contract, but I bet you will [00:19:45] find that the product does exactly what it says.
[00:19:48] It does. And it will probably exceed your expectations. [00:19:51] And I think that that's 1 of the biggest hurdles [00:19:54] and the differentiators between, um, [00:19:57] some black founders and them scaling and our counterparts [00:20:00] because. They're networking, [00:20:03] they're referring business and they're walking [00:20:06] contracts in the door for them and we're [00:20:09] not necessarily getting that.
And so it's harder for [00:20:12] us from a sales perspective to get to the [00:20:15] closed deal. And our sales cycles are [00:20:18] longer because we're hurtling biases. We're [00:20:21] hurtling, you know, the doubt is this, this is [00:20:24] really built. Like it needs to be built, you know, [00:20:27] did they pass compliance? Do they have the security in [00:20:30] check all of those things?
That [00:20:33] our counterparts may have to deal with but not [00:20:36] as deeply as we do um, and so that's the [00:20:39] differentiator where it comes to scaling because For [00:20:42] scale they're looking when you talk about acquisition. They're looking at [00:20:45] revenue that you bring in How many [00:20:48] contracts what's your annual recurring revenue?
What's your [00:20:51] monthly recurring revenue and contracts give you that? You [00:20:54] Grants don't and that's [00:20:57] the biggest differentiator that I would see, you [00:21:00] know, when you talk about that it's access to the deals [00:21:03] is really what it comes down to. 
Kimberly Daniel: Thank you, [00:21:06] Martha. That that is well said and need needs [00:21:09] to be heard on so many levels by so many [00:21:12] people.
Yeah, it's on point. I'm going to shift [00:21:15] just a little bit. Each episode we host [00:21:18] with a guest, we will have a special segment. [00:21:21] And today we're going to have that special segment with Martha [00:21:24] around our resource roundup. And [00:21:27] so here we will explore various resources and [00:21:30] practical tools that we equip and support [00:21:33] underrepresented social entrepreneurs as you [00:21:36] build your business.
So Martha, [00:21:39] can you tell us what is one [00:21:42] piece of technology that has been a game changer for your business? Oh, [00:21:45] CheckTTP, OpenAI. 
Martha Sylla Underwood: I'm like, AI [00:21:48] is it. I will say most recently gamma [00:21:51] dot a, um, dot app. It's a AI [00:21:54] app that creates presentations [00:21:57] from a, um, from a prompt. [00:22:00] It's pretty amazing. I was able [00:22:03] to create a, um, [00:22:06] presentation within like two minutes, [00:22:09] full end to end.
Beautiful. I'm like, [00:22:12] I only had to make like two edits. [00:22:15] So that's a game changer. It's called gamma dot [00:22:18] app. Wow. 
Kimberly Daniel: That is, it just came out last [00:22:21] week and I was 
Martha Sylla Underwood: just like, Oh, I mean, before that chat, [00:22:24] GDP, you know, and open AI absolutely was a game changer [00:22:27] with all of the tools that they have. But most recently [00:22:30] I'd say I'd been doing a lot of presentations.
Gamma dot [00:22:33] app is definitely a time saver and it's [00:22:36] high quality. 
Stephen Lewis: Okay. So let me ask you a follow up question for [00:22:39] aspiring entrepreneurs who do not have any tech [00:22:42] background, but have an idea for a tech business. [00:22:45] How can they get started in pursuing their business [00:22:48] idea? 
Martha Sylla Underwood: So funny enough, I'm going to say [00:22:51] ask AI.
[00:22:54] Um, and I would say put in a prompt [00:22:57] and ask chat GTP. That's one. The [00:23:00] second thing is there are some thought leaders [00:23:03] out there. One that I [00:23:06] follow is Andrew Ng. He is [00:23:09] on, um, Twitter and he has his own [00:23:12] site. He does a lot around machine learning, [00:23:15] data science and AI, and he puts out some [00:23:18] really good content.
Um, I'd say that that's the [00:23:21] leader in, in that space from, uh, AI and how to [00:23:24] get start started. Yes. From beginner [00:23:27] intermediate to advanced and then [00:23:30] for fun, I would say, follow a Luna. [00:23:33] Dot AI on Instagram, they put out a [00:23:36] lot of really good content as well. Um, [00:23:39] that gives you practical advice of how to use it.[00:23:42] 
And, um, and just also, [00:23:45] also they're always on top of like the new [00:23:48] things that come out, the new cool things that come out, whether [00:23:51] it's image generators or just [00:23:54] new, um, tools that you could use new prompting tools [00:23:57] that can really help someone get ideas around [00:24:00] businesses. Um, but then also. Tutorials on [00:24:03] how to use it as well.
Kimberly Daniel: Let me ask you this, Martha, [00:24:06] what I have learned with AI is that you. [00:24:09] When putting in a prompt or a question, [00:24:12] the way you put it in is going [00:24:15] to have an impact on the results that you receive. So can [00:24:18] you give us an example, when you say use AI for [00:24:21] this, can you give us an example of a prompt [00:24:24] that someone might put in?
Sure. 
Martha Sylla Underwood: So typically [00:24:27] I give it a role. So let [00:24:30] me think of something. Okay. So [00:24:33] if I'm to say I want to [00:24:36] create a new curriculum, if I'm a teacher, [00:24:39] it's like you are an expert [00:24:42] in curriculum building for K through [00:24:45] 12 students in education. You've been in [00:24:48] education over 30 years. You have deep [00:24:51] knowledge around curriculum building.
[00:24:54] That's the first prompt, right? That's the first thing you want to say. [00:24:57] Then the next thing you say is, I'd like to build a [00:25:00] curriculum specifically for third graders to [00:25:03] increase their proficiency around reading. [00:25:06] And then you can say, give [00:25:09] me five ideas on how I can do that. [00:25:12] Then follow up with, ask me, [00:25:15] before you give me the ideas, ask me any other [00:25:18] questions that you need to know to help you answer this question to [00:25:21] the best of your ability.
And then once it, [00:25:24] once you put that in, it'll ask you questions. And they're like, I didn't [00:25:27] think of that. I didn't think of that. And now you can ask different [00:25:30] questions, right? Now you can answer those different questions [00:25:33] and then it will give you an answer back. And I like to [00:25:36] follow up with, is that all?
Have I missed [00:25:39] anything? Is there anything else that you can think of [00:25:42] that will make this curriculum better? And then it typically [00:25:45] comes back with a lot more. That is how you kind of [00:25:48] do that, that chain of thought, um, [00:25:51] prompting of here are the different steps. [00:25:54] Who, who are they? Like, tell them who they should, what [00:25:57] role they should assume.
Give it what you're trying to [00:26:00] do. Make sure they ask you clarifying [00:26:03] questions. Get the answer and then ask them, is there [00:26:06] anything else that you can do or say to me that makes this even better? [00:26:09] And that's the way you could kind of do it. 
Stephen Lewis: So we [00:26:12] got to ask better questions and we had to be more [00:26:15] specific about the questions we ask.
All right. So Martha, we want to [00:26:18] move to this last round, which is [00:26:21] our round that we call off the cuff. So we have a [00:26:24] series of questions that we have, um, that we haven't [00:26:27] typically share with our guests that we'll ask at a fast pace. [00:26:30] And here we want to, um. [00:26:33] Think about the first thought that comes to mind.
[00:26:36] That is an uncensored response. So what's the best [00:26:39] advice that you received on your entrepreneurial [00:26:42] journey? 
Martha Sylla Underwood: Um, just keep going. [00:26:45] It's hard, but just keep going. [00:26:48] And, and you, you [00:26:51] would think that that advice is, is really simple, [00:26:54] but there are a lot of times where you're like, This is [00:26:57] hard, right? And there are those [00:27:00] days.
And so, and I go back to that. [00:27:03] Just keep going because then the [00:27:06] next day something else happens. Something good happens. You're like, see, [00:27:09] if I would've stopped, I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have taken that next [00:27:12] step. Right. And so that's, that's [00:27:15] actually one of the best advice that I got is just keep going.[00:27:18] 
Kimberly Daniel: What is one of your [00:27:21] go to practices or rituals to slow [00:27:24] down, center, and connect with yourself? 
Martha Sylla Underwood: Um, so [00:27:27] I am a big, um, [00:27:30] user of like YouTube, the calming [00:27:33] music. And so I [00:27:36] have shifted from one interstellar, [00:27:39] That tip that soundtrack typically gets [00:27:42] me in a nice calm mood and it gets [00:27:45] me in a very creative mood, but it brings me back [00:27:48] down.
Right? And the reason why I love interstellar [00:27:51] so much is because it was written, [00:27:54] um, about the love [00:27:57] for. His son, right? Really [00:28:00] that, that song was written about the love for [00:28:03] his children and I have sons, so it just resonates and it's just a [00:28:06] deep song. So I would put that on and it helps me, [00:28:09] but I kind of switched to this new guy.
I think his name is [00:28:12] called Malton and where he has a hand pan, which is [00:28:15] very calming, puts me in my meditative state [00:28:18] and brings me back to center. Y'all got [00:28:21] easy ones. I thought I was going to get some hard ball ones where I'm going [00:28:24] to be stumped. Mike.[00:28:27] [00:28:30] 
Stephen Lewis: Well, you are, you are our first guest, so, you know, we want to go easy [00:28:33] on you, but you know, they will become more 
Martha Sylla Underwood: [00:28:36] challenging. I 
Kimberly Daniel: appreciate that. I appreciate that. [00:28:39] How much of your success would you [00:28:42] contribute or attribute to your faith versus [00:28:45] your own grit, will, and [00:28:48] hustle? 
Martha Sylla Underwood: I'd say 80 20, 80 faith, [00:28:51] 20 will.
Grit hustle, right? [00:28:54] Because faith is also about mindset and [00:28:57] belief, right? And so that's, that, [00:29:00] that's the most, that's the biggest piece of it. [00:29:03] You do have to execute, but you also have to believe that [00:29:06] you can execute and you can keep going. [00:29:09] And so I would give it an 80, 20, like it's [00:29:12] all really faith and mindset for me.
[00:29:15] Knowing that it's going to, it's going to work out. 
Kimberly Daniel: We [00:29:18] have one last one for you. 
Stephen Lewis: [00:29:21] Complete this sentence because of my entrepreneurial [00:29:24] endeavors, communities will be, or [00:29:27] more able to do. [00:29:30] 
Martha Sylla Underwood: They will, um, [00:29:33] communities will be able to [00:29:36] benefit from the, um, [00:29:39] lifelong work, hard work of their [00:29:42] family members, their grandmothers, their [00:29:45] grandpas, their mothers, their fathers, because [00:29:48] they would have planned to transfer the wealth to the [00:29:51] next generation that can be recycled into the [00:29:54] community for good.
Kimberly Daniel: Talk about a [00:29:57] generational like legacy about [00:30:00] legacy, generational impact, all of that. [00:30:03] Thank you so much for your work for you all who are [00:30:06] listening. If you have been enjoying this [00:30:09] conversation with Martha and you find value in [00:30:12] the resources that she is sharing. [00:30:15] First, Go find her on [00:30:18] LinkedIn or Martha, wherever you [00:30:21] desire for them to find you.
It will be in the [00:30:24] show notes as well. And we also invite you to go to do good [00:30:27] X dot org backslash podcast here. You can [00:30:30] join our do good X LinkedIn community where we share [00:30:33] tools and tips, resources, and we [00:30:36] provide entrepreneurs and change makers with a community of [00:30:39] support. And Martha is also a part of the [00:30:42] community.
So you can ask her questions. If [00:30:45] you join, we hope to see you there. [00:30:48] Martha, thank you so much for taking the opportunity to join [00:30:51] us today as our very first guest. [00:30:54] Your work is so valued and it is [00:30:57] so important coming from somebody who is. I have [00:31:00] nine siblings and so [00:31:03] there's, there's a lot, there's a lot, uh, to [00:31:06] prepare for and, and thinking ahead.
And so I [00:31:09] personally appreciate what you're up to and what PRISM is [00:31:12] providing for, for families and for people. And I thank you for [00:31:15] sharing your knowledge with our listeners. Oh, my pleasure. Thank [00:31:18] you for having me. 
Stephen Lewis: Thank you, Martha.