Kristina Martinelli never saw it coming. At 55, after decades of climbing the corporate ladder in technology and finance, she was suddenly let go from her role as a portfolio manager executive at a Midwest bank.
Instead of hunting for another corporate job, she took a bold step. Just 24 hours after losing her position, Martinelli told Business Insider that she launched her own company, an AI consultancy called coaigence.
“I grappled with whether I should return to corporate America,” she said. “I asked myself, ‘Do I stay in an industry that refuses to value my worth as an older worker with institutional knowledge?’”
Laid off at 55, she rebuilt her career with AI and never looked back
Speaking to Business Insider, Martinelli said she was nervous, but she leaned on her long experience working with large companies and decided to build something of her own from scratch.
By the end of the first day, she had already created a name, a framework, and a direction for her business. Of course, she says the legal and financial setup, like forming an LLC, getting tax support, and opening business accounts, took time. But the real step, she said, was simply starting.
“Starting a business is not about overthinking it. It’s about taking the first step,” she explained. She already knew her target clients would be corporate leaders, based on her decades of consulting experience.
Learning AI from scratch and building a “sidekick”
Even though she had used AI tools before, Martinelli revealed she had only scratched the surface. After launching her business, she rushed to teach herself how to work deeply with AI and became a “prompt engineer.”
She began creating custom GPTs and built her own digital assistant. “I poured everything into a PDF: my thoughts, my vision, and my goals. Then I uploaded it to ChatGPT and named my GPT sidekick Raivyn,” she said.
She wanted communication that sounded like her. “I don’t want emails and communications that sound robotic,” she added. She also created her own rule for using AI: 80% human thinking and 20% AI support. In her view, human judgment must always stay in control.
The tools she now relies on
Martinelli now uses several AI tools in her work, including ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Grok. She said each one serves a different purpose. Claude helps her structure ideas clearly, while Perplexity is useful for research because it shows sources.
She also uses creative tricks in her workflow. For example, she colour-codes handwritten notes, then uploads them so her AI assistant can organise everything, red for urgent tasks and other colours for different categories. Over time, she has also learned that not every tool needs to be used long-term.
The mistake she warns others about
Looking back, Martinelli says one of her early mistakes was subscribing to too many AI tools at once.
“It’s very easy to get pulled into subscriptions,” she said. “I’ve gotten burned so many times thinking I’d get some dollars off.”
She also warned that heavy usage, especially for audio or visual tools, can eat into costs through token limits and extra charges. Her advice now is to test tools carefully before committing, and don’t assume one subscription will stay useful forever.
“AI is just another tool”
Despite all the changes, she doesn’t see AI as something to fear. “I use this mantra all the time: feel the fear and do it anyway,” she said.
She believes many people are scared of AI, especially workers worried about being replaced, but she sees it differently.
“AI is like anything else. You have to learn how to use it effectively,” she said. In her view, the biggest risk is not trying at all. “Most people quit right before they would have turned that corner,” she said. “Don’t be that person.”