Lead With AI – Episode Summary

Episode Title:
Cold Emails Destroying Your Focus? See how AI ‘Cold Defence’ Saves Your Inbox & Time
Host: Dr. Tamara Nall
Guest: Justin Abrams, CEO of Aryo Consulting Group
Date: October 15, 2025

Overview

In this episode of Lead With AI, Dr. Tamara Nall sits down with Justin Abrams, the mind behind CO Defense—an AI-powered solution designed to defend your inbox against the onslaught of cold emails. The two dig into how AI is reshaping email management, the massive impact of filtering digital noise, ethical considerations, and what the future might hold for proactive digital protections. With real-world examples and practical insights, listeners get an unfiltered look at how targeted AI application can be a game-changer for professionals drowning in unwanted messages.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Personal Toll of Cold Emails

• Dr. Nall starts by sharing her own struggle: "I was looking at my inbox the other day and I have 30,000 unread emails, and I’m pretty sure 90% of those are ones I don’t even want to look at." (01:36)
• Justin Abrams explains the inspiration behind CO Defense: as a consultant focused on growing businesses, he was losing substantial time to distracting emails—time clients paid him to stay focused.

2. What is CO Defense and How Does it Work?

• Definition & Approach:
  CO Defense uses AI to scan incoming emails for specific keywords and cross-filters, learning over time what’s truly unwanted versus potentially important.
  • "We don’t actually read your emails. We scan them for certain keywords and then we cross filter... We've gotten really good at figuring out what looks like a cold email versus what could be a really honest question..." (04:05)
• Customization:
  Users can add their own keywords and refine the system as it learns, especially in the crucial first week.
  • "You can certainly add in your own custom keywords...and it will slowly learn over time." (05:38)
• User Feedback Loop:
  Early users are encouraged to monitor spam for misflags; corrections feed back into the algorithm.

3. Differentiation from Mainstream Email Filters

• Standard Filters vs. CO Defense:
  Justin emphasizes that while providers like Google and Microsoft do spam filtering, they primarily catch only "really bad, malicious" emails, not the sheer volume of cold sales pitches.
  • "In the last...month, I've probably got 10,000 spam emails that we've caught just in cold, just for myself." (06:43)
• Aiming to Disrupt Cold Emailing:
  “That's the goal,” says Justin, referring to undermining the entire cold emailing ecosystem. (05:06)

4. Real-World Results and "Holy Smokes" Moments

• Recruiter Use Case:
  CO Defense surprised even its creators by distinguishing valuable unsolicited resumes from spam, despite never being explicitly trained for recruiting.
  • "...the AI figured this out without us even planning for this use case... That was my holy smokes moment." (07:57)
• Expansion Requests:
  Users are so satisfied, they’re requesting similar defenses for platforms like LinkedIn.

5. Privacy, Security & Ethics in AI Filtering

• Top Priority:
  Justin reassures: "We don’t read the emails themselves...and we actually don’t store the data." (10:58)
• Minimal Intrusion:
  Only metadata and keywords are scanned; user review is optional, purely for algorithm improvement.

6. Technical Implementation

• How it Integrates:
  Currently a Chrome extension, with ongoing development for Microsoft 365 compatibility. (13:28)
• How It Works:
  Emails are filtered before reaching the inbox with “only a few seconds” delay—improving over earlier prototypes where emails appeared and then disappeared.

7. Vision for the Future

• Thousand True Fans:
  "If I can get a thousand people that love this, I really do believe it will flourish forever because it's just such a hated thing." (14:02)
• Lack of Direct Competition:
  While there are “email improvers,” few tackle the issue at the level CO Defense does.

8. On Productivity and the Value of Time

• Justin invites listeners to observe how much mental space cold emails take up—and to consider how valuable their own time is. (15:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Justin on the Focus Epidemic:
  "Focus is the number one thing that customers ask for." (03:44)
• On Disrupting Cold Emailing:
  "That's the goal." (05:06)
• The ‘Holy Smokes’ Moment:
  "The AI figured this out without us even planning for this use case... That was my holy smokes moment of like AI's done this job way better than I could have thought." (07:57)
• On Privacy:
  "We actually don't store the data...we don't read it at all and not interested in looking at anyone's emails." (10:58)
• On Cold Emails:
  "People are just stealing this time from you." (14:02)
• Ethical Standpoint:
  "My job was never to, to see your data, to read it. That was not my intention." (10:58)
• Self-Reflection on AI Dependency:
  "I just don't know how I would live without it. I would have to hire teams of people to do this." (16:40)
• Closing Thank You:
  Dr. Nall: "Thank you for your service. Because CO defense is out there on the front lines making sure that... we're not using this mental space trying to say, oh, should I read that email or even scan it?" (22:18)

Rapid Fire Segment (18:40–22:18)

• Most overrated tech trend:
  "The meta ray bans that are coming out and the VR goggles... I just don’t see it happening." (18:51)
• Under-hyped AI breakthrough:
  "A lot of the video marketing stuff that's coming out now is pretty phenomenal... In the next six months to a year, 30% of ads will be video AI." (19:36)
• Tools Used:
  "VO" for video, "Midjourney’s animate is fantastic," and some advanced tools from China. (20:17)
• Book recommendation:
  “Fooled by Randomness” by Nassim Taleb – "talks about how you can use data incorrectly to convince yourself of the wrong decision." (20:53)
• Biggest boldest AI prediction:
  "We're gonna see a lot of robotics, robotic AI... Jobs...haven't really seen the people in the storefronts and the plumbers and the landscapers...that's my biggest worry." (21:43)

Actionable Takeaways

• Try It Yourself:
  CO Defense offers a 30-day free trial; consider evaluating your own inbox for cold email overload first. (15:20)
• Reframe Productivity:
  Even just noticing the time cost of cold emails is a step towards reclaiming your mental bandwidth.

Exploring Human-AI Relationships

• Dr. Nall shares her research: “If you use [AI] every day in your life...and then it went down...that means that you, too, are in relationship with AI.” (17:21)
• Both note that dependency on AI is now both a reality and a relief.

How to Connect with Justin & Try CO Defense

• LinkedIn: Justin Abrams (Boston)
• Websites:
  • reocgforconsultinggroup.com
  • cold-defense.com
• Open Invitation: Justin welcomes coffee chats and offers a free trial to listeners. (23:05)

For anyone overwhelmed by their inbox, this episode offers not just hope, but a clear, practical solution—and perspective on the bigger impact of AI on our daily focus and digital wellbeing.