Episode 10 — ChatGPT Custom GPTs: Build an AI Brain That Works Exactly How You Do

Welcome to Episode 10 of the 25 AI Tools of Christmas 🎄
If you’re new here — we’re Ariel and Justin, two founders learning AI in public, one real tool at a time.

This series isn’t about hype or surface-level demos. Each episode features a real professional who actually uses the tool in their day-to-day life and business. No experiments. No theory. Just workflows that work.

Today’s gift under the tree is one of the most powerful — and misunderstood — AI capabilities available right now: Custom GPTs inside ChatGPT.

⭐ What Are Custom GPTs (Inside ChatGPT)?

Most people think of ChatGPT as a blank chat box.

That’s the mistake.

Custom GPTs let you turn ChatGPT into a reusable, trained AI brain that:

• Knows your goals
• Knows your tone
• Knows your rules
• Knows your data
• And stays in its lane

Instead of re-prompting ChatGPT every time, you build a version once — and reuse it forever.

Think of it like this:
ChatGPT is raw intelligence.
A Custom GPT is intelligence with rails.

You can create GPTs for:

• Social media content
• Marketing strategy
• Crypto or investment analysis
• Writing in your voice
• Therapy-style check-ins
• Personal goal tracking
• Thought leadership
• Entirely separate “personalities”

And yes — this all lives inside ChatGPT.

💬 Who We Interviewed

Today’s guest is Russ Cersosimo founder and CEO of I Speak AI.

Russ is building AI products for real estate, runs a marketing automation platform, records music, writes thought-leadership content, and actively trades — all with the help of Custom GPTs.

He doesn’t dabble in AI.
He builds his life around it.

🧠 Why Custom GPTs Matter (A Lot)

This episode was a turning point for us.

Russ showed that Custom GPTs aren’t just about productivity — they’re about mental clarity and leverage.

With the right GPT, you can:

• ✔ Eliminate repetitive thinking
• ✔ Remove decision fatigue
• ✔ Separate work and personal life
• ✔ Turn hours of work into minutes
• ✔ Capture your thinking style once — and reuse it forever

Russ shared that well-built GPTs regularly cut his time spent on tasks by 90%.

Not by working faster — but by not having to think from scratch anymore.

🎥 How Custom GPTs Work (Simple Breakdown)

1. Open ChatGPT
2. Click Explore GPTs → Create
3. Name your GPT
4. Write instructions (this is the brain)
5. Define:
   • What it does
   • What inputs it expects
   • What outputs you want
6. Upload reference files (optional)
7. Add conversation starter buttons
8. Save & reuse forever

No code. No setup headaches. Just clarity.

🔥 Real Workflow Example: Social Media GPT

Russ built a Custom GPT live on the episode.

In under 10 minutes, he created a DefineMe Social Media Strategist that:

• Researched the website
• Generated platform-specific posts for:
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Google My Business
• Adjusted tone (Mel Robbins–style storytelling)
• Added CTAs and hashtags
• Output ready-to-post content

Instead of staring at a blank screen wondering “what should I post?” — the thinking was already done.

Copy. Paste. Done.

🧩 Beyond Business: Personal GPTs

One of the most powerful moments in this episode wasn’t about marketing at all.

Russ shared how he built:

• A morning check-in GPT after a breakup
• A goal-focused GPT that kept him out of emotional spirals
• Multiple GPTs trained on his personality for writing and thought leadership

These GPTs:

• Knew his goals
• Knew his tone
• Knew his habits
• Redirected him when he drifted

As Russ put it:
“You trust-fall into the computer — and it actually does the right thing.”

🎁 Who Custom GPTs Are Perfect For

• Founders & operators
• Marketers & content teams
• Neurodivergent thinkers
• People with ADHD
• Investors & analysts
• Creators & writers
• Anyone overwhelmed by starting from scratch
• Anyone who wants AI to think like them

If you’ve ever said:
“I know what I want… I just don’t want to think it through again.”

This is your tool.

🎄 Episode 10 Takeaways (From Ariel & Justin)

• Most people don’t know Custom GPTs exist
• This is one of the biggest leverage points in AI right now
• GPTs are not prompts — they’re systems
• Separating GPTs by role or personality is a game-changer
• Once you see this, you can’t unsee it

This episode genuinely changed how we think about using ChatGPT.

📚 Explore This Tool on the DefineMe Stacklist

We’ve added ChatGPT Custom GPTs to the DefineMe Stacklist so you can explore it alongside every other tool in the series:
DefineMe Stacklist — Episode 10: ChatGPT Custom GPTs
👉 https://stacklist.app/defineme

🎬 Watch the Full Episode

See the full walkthrough, live GPT build, and real examples here:
👉 Watch Episode 10 on YouTube

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👉 https://defineme.ai/pages/25-days