Part of the “My Why with AI” series by Women Applying AI

It starts with a familiar nightmare.
The kind where you show up completely unprepared – for work, for a test, for something that matters.

For Sherri Crowley, that feeling wasn’t a dream. It was her daily life for years as a psychotherapist.

“In the therapy room, I was calm and professional. We’d have a good laugh occasionally (as appropriate). But behind the scenes, I was carrying a big secret.”

That secret? She was months behind on her clinical notes.

“I was weeks… I’ll be real, months behind!”

Then one day came the call every therapist dreads: an audit.
A government agency was coming to check compliance, and the rule was strict. Notes had to be completed within 48 hours.

“I panicked,” she said. “I spent the whole weekend ignoring my husband, ignoring food, patching up months of notes.”

It was a low point. One that left her exhausted.

A Life-Changing Discovery

Fifteen years later, Sherri found she was struggling with the same issue. Now in private practice and running an ADHD women’s coaching business, she was still falling behind on notes. Until one day, she discovered an AI tool called Blueprint AI.

“And it was life-changing, that’s not an exaggeration.” she said, noting the company was recently on the Time100 Next List of the World’s Top Healthcare Companies.

The tool helped her generate accurate, compliant notes automatically, giving her back about 10 hours a week.

“It literally felt like somebody had given me oxygen that I could breathe,” she said. “It gave me life.”

From Panic to Possibility

For the first time, AI didn’t feel intimidating, it felt liberating.

“If this one tool could be so life-changing for me, where else could I apply AI in my life?”

Curiosity took over. She started experimenting with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and even presentation tools like Gamma AI.

“Next thing I know, I’m making all of these presentations – for no one,” she laughed. “Then I’m making apps – things I never imagined I’d do. I’m a clinician, we aren’t known to be ‘tech people,’ but I’m on my way.”

Eventually, she realized something that would guide her entire AI journey:

“All the thousands of tools in the world are useless unless they’re solving the problem right in front of us.”

Reclaiming Time, Rebuilding Connection

Today, Sherri serves as the Director of Clinical Outreach and Provider Engagement at Lumin Health, a leading innovator in ketamine/esketamine-assisted mental health care – still in the mental health world, but now using AI every day.

“I use it to strip away the administrative, time-consuming tasks,” she explained.

“For instance, summarizing my outreach emails so I can focus on connecting better with clinicians.”

For her, technology isn’t about removing humanity. It’s about making more room for it.

“I’m using AI to deepen our person-to-person connections with our collaborative providers.”

Why She Joined Women Applying AI

Connection, the kind that restores rather than replaces, is what drew Sherri to Women Applying AI as a founding member.

“It’s not about memorizing or mastering thousands of tools,” she said. “I get to be part of this community where women help each other – hands-on – to learn the tools which actually solve our individual problems, in our individual lives.”

For Sherri, AI is less about disruption and more about breath – a way to reclaim time, confidence, care, and connect with real humans.

“AI gave me tools. It gave me life. It gave me breath,” she said. “And now, I get to help others find their own breath for the problems that matter to them.”

Sherri’s story is a reminder that sometimes, the most meaningful innovation is more than just about speed or scale. It’s about space. Space to breathe. To connect. To lead.

That’s her “why.”