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The Missing Manual Show

The Missing Manual Show

By: Julia Levy Jenny Cotie Kangas
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Summary

The Missing Manual: Documentation for the Doers

In the world of work, there are the skills that get you the job, and then there’s the tradecraft required to actually build. Hosted by Julia Levy (Fortune 500 Talent Acquisition Executive) and Jenny Cotie Kangas (Future of Work Disruptor), this is an unscripted deep-dive into the high-stakes execution that doesn't come with an instruction book.

We go beyond "career hacks" to provide a forensic look at organizational navigation and institutional tradecraft. From the mechanics of a multi-million dollar RFP to the front lines of Agentic AI and Talent Operations, we explore how the corporate machine actually moves so you can build within it effectively.

What we document:

  • The Future of Work: Moving beyond the "cracked" resume infrastructure and into Agentic AI handoffs.
  • Organizational Mechanics: Navigating the "unwritten rules" of cross-functional execution and budget defense.
  • Operational Strategy: Using Design Thinking and lean execution to save work from failure.

We don't believe in "easy buttons." We believe in the hard, intentional work of building something that lasts. If you are a builder looking for the map to the modern corporate landscape, this is your manual.

2026 Julia Levy, Jenny Cotie Kangas
Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Stop Building Better Bad Processes: The Missing Manual for AI Troubleshooting
    Apr 30 2026

    In this episode of The Missing Manual, JCK and Julia Levy go "under the hood" of their own AI experiments to discuss what happens when the tech fails to meet your standards. From Julia’s frustrating experience cloning her voice to JCK’s "agentic design" approach, they break down why AI is a "one-size-fits-one" solution.

    They explore the "Step Zero" of process mapping, the power of handoff documents, and why you should treat different LLMs (Claude vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini) like specialized team members rather than a single source of truth.

    THE BREAKDOWN:

    [00:00] Intro: The Missing Manual for TA leaders and practitioners.

    [01:06] Julia’s Use Case: Building a Talent Intelligence web app and the frustration of "bad" AI voice clones.

    [02:15] Defining "Good": Why AI reverse-engineers the wrong results without established guardrails.

    [03:15] The Golden Rule: Don’t use AI to automate a broken process (Stop making "better bad processes").

    [04:36] Model Switching: When to use Gemini vs. Claude vs. ChatGPT for specific tasks.

    [09:31] The "Learning Out Loud" Community: Curating your own AI news pulse.

    [11:18] Beyond Business: How Julia used AI to plan a multi-generational family trip to Moab, Utah.

    [15:54] The "Challenge Me" Prompt: How to stop your AI from being a "Yes-Man."

    [19:39] Final Summary: The critical role of Handoff Documents in grounding your AI.

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    22 mins
  • Stop AI Hallucinations: The Handoff Secret for Claude & ChatGPT
    Apr 23 2026

    Tired of your AI losing the plot mid-conversation? Learn why Agentic AI requires Handoff Documents to prevent hallucinations and maximize your token usage in Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT.

    As we move further into the era of Agentic AI, the biggest hurdle isn't the AI's capability, it's its memory. In this episode of The Missing Manual, Julia Levy and JCK (Jenny Cotie Kangas) break down the "handoff" workflow. We explore how AI weights the end of long conversations more heavily than the initial guardrails, often leading to "side quests" and errors.

    Whether you are building custom agents for home improvement or managing complex HTML coding projects, a Handoff Document acts as a strategic SOP for AI. It captures model numbers, root causes, and version history, allowing you to "collect the dots" and restart fresh without losing progress.

    What you’ll learn in this episode:

    • The technical "hockey stick" effect of AI credit usage.
    • How to force an AI to generate its own version-controlled handoff.
    • The difference between a "Calibration" and a standard audit.
    • Real-world demo: Troubleshooting a gas fireplace using a specialized GPT.
    ⏳ Timestamps (For SEO Chapters)

    00:00 Intro: The Missing Manual Part 3

    01:15 What is a Handoff Document in Agentic AI?

    02:30 Why Claude and GPT-4o "forget" your instructions

    04:00 Julia’s secret to stopping Gemini hallucinations

    06:15 LIVE DEMO: Building a Handoff Doc for home repairs

    09:45 The "How would you improve this?" power-prompt

    12:30 Organizing your AI Handoffs: Folders vs. Trackers

    15:00 Why your business needs AI SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)

    20:00 How to share AI context with your team

    21:00 Final Tips: When to hit the "restart" button

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    17 mins
  • How to Bake Your Voice into AI (Part 2 of 3)
    Apr 21 2026

    In Part 2 of our Agentic AI series, we get tactical. Julia and JCK discuss the Brand Voice Artifact—a project designed to ensure AI never misses your tone, style, or specific "guardrails" again.

    We explore how Julia used her book, transcripts, and frameworks to create a custom "Gem" in Gemini that acts as her professional voice clone, and how JCK uses "Usage Guardrails" to push back on the AI when it gets too generic.

    What you’ll learn today:

    • How to collect 'The Dots' (transcripts, writing samples) for your AI.
    • Creating a Brand Artifact vs. a simple prompt.
    • The 'Nuance' check: Getting AI to understand your specific audience.
    • How to handle usage limits and 'maxing out' Claude/GPT.

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    15 mins
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