Building Trust and Empathy: The YMCA’s Human-First Approach to AI Integration

Episode Overview

In this episode of HeartWired, Dr. MJ is joined by YMCA leaders George Leis and Jorge Perez to explore how emotional intelligence and intentional governance are shaping the responsible use of AI within the YMCA. Together, they discuss human-centered innovation, trust, and what it truly means to lead both people and technology with heart.

Show Notes

Welcome back to HeartWired: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for the AI World! I’m Dr. MJ, and in this insightful episode, we dive into how artificial intelligence is transforming one of America’s most beloved community organizations: the YMCA. This episode is all about blending heart and technology—showing how emotional intelligence and intentional governance can make AI work for people, not the other way around.

I’m thrilled to be joined by two incredible leaders: George Leis and Jorge Perez. George is a YMCA USA Board Chair, the EVP and Market President for CalPrivate Bank, and a trusted, mission-driven leader committed to building stronger communities.

Jorge is the President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati and a trailblazer who’s leading the charge on integrating AI across the YMCA movement with vision, empathy, and innovation.

Episode Highlights & Key Topics

The origin story of the YMCA’s AI initiative and how the pandemic accelerated digital transformation within the organization.

Why AI isn’t just about technology, but about staying true to the YMCA’s mission: fostering connection, care, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

Real-life examples of AI in action: Meet "Yasmin," the ChatGPT-based AI youth development agent, and "Harmony," the HR agent helping staff and branches nationwide.

Emotional intelligence as the core of effective AI leadership—how self-awareness, empathy, and governance ensure technology enhances (not replaces) human connection.

Lessons learned from governing AI responsibly: Building AI aligned with organizational values, and setting critical guardrails around sensitive use cases.

The evolving role of leaders: Why leading in an AI-enabled world means leading both humans and AI agents with integrity, mindfulness, and a commitment to the human mission.

Actionable advice for future leaders—how being an emotionally intelligent practitioner is now essential in a digital-first, AI-augmented era.

Key Takeaways

AI can dramatically scale human impact, but must be trained and governed with the same care—anchored in values and emotional intelligence—as we would with staff.

Empathy isn’t a “soft skill”—it’s a strategic advantage and absolutely necessary when driving organizational change and innovation.

Leading AI agents mirrors leading people: values, expectations, and continuous training/testing are crucial.

Trust and transparency drive community adoption and the ethical, effective use of technology.

The future belongs to leaders who blend heart and foresight—those who never lose sight of people, even as they embrace new tools.

If you’re passionate about human-centered innovation or leading teams through digital transformation, this episode is a must-listen! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share HeartWired with fellow leaders and change-makers. If today’s conversation sparked ideas, questions, or you want a deeper dive on any topic, reach out to us. Let’s keep building a world where technology and humanity grow stronger, together.

Stay heartwired,

Dr. MJ

Listen & Subscribe

Listen to HeartWired on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe so you never miss an episode.