The Podcast That Started It All
As the host of “Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership” podcast, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing industry leaders and uncovering valuable insights that help others unlock their business potential. Through these conversations, I witnessed the incredible wisdom that emerges when successful professionals share their authentic experiences and hard-won knowledge.
How Stories Shape Everything We Do
I’m Sheila Slick, the founder of Podtobook.ai, and I believe deeply in the power of story—not just to inform or entertain, but to spark action and change lives.
Stories have been the catalyst for every major pivot in my life, and ultimately, they’re what led me to create this platform.
The First Spark: Learning to Code at 36
My journey with technology began with a story that inspired me to take action. I was 36 when I read about a teenager who had created a game app just as the iPod touch was being introduced to the world. Instead of thinking “I could never do that,” something inside me said, “I can do this too.”
So I learned to code. Not because I had to, but because a story inspired me to believe it was possible.
From Code to Company: The NASA Challenge That Changed Everything
After learning software development, I took on an ambitious challenge: participating in a NASA space challenge hackathon. Not only did I compete, but our team received 2 global nominations—an achievement that opened doors I never expected.
This recognition led me to found an information technology outsourcing company, taking my coding skills from personal accomplishment to business reality. The company became my platform for proving that age, background, and gender don’t determine who can succeed in technology.
Becoming a STEM Advocate and Pioneer
My success in technology came with a responsibility I embraced wholeheartedly: advocating for STEM education and inspiring others, particularly women and underrepresented groups, to see technology as accessible and achievable.
I began conducting workshops and speaking engagements, sharing my story of learning to code at 36 and building a successful IT company. This work earned me recognition as a female pioneer in tech in Latin America—an honor that reinforced my belief in the power of representation and story-sharing.
Through every workshop and speaking engagement, I witnessed the same spark I had felt when reading about that teenage developer: people realizing “I can do this too.” It was during this period that I truly understood how stories don’t just inform—they transform.
Fast Forward to 2025: Another Story, Another Spark
Years later, as the host of “Milestone Moments in Business & Leadership” podcast, I had a guest who spoke passionately about AI and its transformative potential. Our conversation didn’t just inform me about artificial intelligence—it inspired me to try building something again, this time leveraging these new technologies.
That podcast conversation became the spark that would eventually become Podtobook.ai—proving once again that the right story at the right moment can ignite possibilities we never imagined.
The Self-Leadership Journey That Changed Everything
Around the same time, I was going through my own period of self-leadership and self-discovery. During this reflection, I realized something that felt almost ironic: I had always wanted to write books, yet I was sitting on hundreds of hours of valuable content already captured in my podcast conversations.
Here I was, someone who believed in the power of story, with dozens of powerful stories locked in audio format while dreaming of creating books.
The question that changed everything was simple: Why was I starting from scratch when I could reutilize the knowledge I’d already gathered?
The Birth of Podtobook.ai
Podtobook.ai was born at the intersection of these realizations:
- Story-inspired action (from that AI conversation)
- A creator’s practical need (to reutilize existing content efficiently)
- A personal dream (to write and create books)
- A broader mission (to help others do the same)
The tool became the bridge between my dream and my reality—and ultimately, a way to help other creators transform their audio wisdom into the written format that has always been humanity’s most treasured way of preserving knowledge.
My Background: 25+ Years of Building and Teaching
Professional Experience:
- Technology Entrepreneur: Founded an information technology outsourcing company after learning to code at 36 and receiving 2 global nominations from a NASA space challenge hackathon
- STEM Advocate & Pioneer: Recognized as a female pioneer in tech in Latin America, conducting workshops and speaking engagements to inspire underrepresented groups in technology
- Community Leader: Former Chapter Chair, SCORE Volusia/Flagler County, leading a team that mentored over 720 small business owners annually
- International Business Builder: Co-founded four businesses across multiple countries
- Certified Mentor & Trainer: SCORE business mentor, Kauffman FastTrac trainer, and certified facilitator of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Curriculum
- Educational Consultant: Former Entrepreneur in Residence at Daytona State College
- Podcast Host: “Milestone Moments in Business & Leadership”
Education:
- Master of Science in Leadership, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide
- Bachelor of Science in Business, Florida State University
Our Mission
Through Five Milestones LLC, my company is dedicated to making positive impact in our communities through education and economic empowerment. Podtobook.ai embodies this mission by:
- Democratizing book creation for creators who have valuable knowledge to share
- Making expert wisdom more accessible to people who learn best through reading
- Creating economic opportunities for creators to build new revenue streams
- Preserving important conversations in formats that can benefit future generations
Every time someone uses Podtobook.ai to transform their podcast into a book, they’re proving the same principle that has guided my life: stories have the power to inspire action.
In many ways, Podtobook.ai itself is a story about the power of stories. It was created because I believe that the conversations happening in podcasts, presentations, and expert discussions contain wisdom that deserves to be preserved and shared in the format that has always been humanity’s favorite way to pass knowledge from one generation to the next: books.
Looking Forward
As we continue growing Podtobook.ai, my commitment remains rooted in the same belief that started it all: stories have the power to change lives, and everyone deserves access to the wisdom that could transform their future.
Whether you’re a podcaster sitting on years of valuable conversations, an event organizer with recorded presentations, or an expert with knowledge to share, I understand your journey because I’ve walked it myself.
Your stories matter. Your expertise has value. Let’s make sure it reaches everyone who needs it.
Ready to transform your conversations into books? Get started with → Podtobook.ai