The Vibe Coding Adventure that Changed How I Use AI

Author

Charlene Li
June 23, 2025

If you could build exactly what you needed without technical barriers, what would you create? What could make your work easier and better? What could help your team solve problems faster and more efficiently?

This isn't just pie-in-the-sky thinking anymore. Creating software with just intent and prompts is possible now.

That's the promise of "vibe coding," and lately, I’ve been living a vibe coding world. As someone who only knows ancient HTML from my publishing days, I wanted to use AI to level up. I decided to build something I've been dreaming about for two years: a group scheduling app that could eliminate the nightmare of coordinating calendars for my ten-member Young Presidents Organization forum which meets monthly. 

Here's what happened when a non-coder like me tried to create actual software with nothing but prompts and determination…

Scheduling Nightmare Turned Code-Driven Solution

Anyone who's tried to schedule 10 busy busy for a single meeting knows the unique pain of that endeavor. Endless email chains, Doodle polls that nobody fills out, and calendar chaos. I wanted a tool that could look at everyone's calendars, find the open times, and send invites automatically.

So I jumped in, starting with Lovable (a tool many friends recommended). The interface was beautiful, with prompts on the left, and a live app preview on the right. It created a gorgeous front end, and could actually pull from Google calendars and find open meeting times.

But then it got stuck. Google authentication became my nemesis.

The Learning Curve Was Steep

Here's what I didn't expect: While the front end felt intuitive (thanks to my HTML background), the backend nearly broke me. I had to set up GitHub repositories, Google Cloud credentials, OAuthand Supabase for API keys.

I was hanging on by my fingertips.

After wrestling with Lovable, I switched to Replit, which was much more beginner-friendly. Everything happened inside their platform, with no external setup required. Plus, Google Gemini became my debugging buddy, giving me incredibly detailed instructions.

What Actually Works (And What Doesn't)

The good news? I built a working prototype in about 4–5 hours over a couple of days. My scheduling tool lets users add multiple people to invites, configure meeting preferences, account for time zones, and see available slots.

The bad news? Creating and sending a calendar invitation is a lot harder than I anticipated! The app kept getting stuck on Google authentication to sign into my calendar. In the end, I called in my son, Ben Lague, who is an AI full stack developer to do some power vibe coding with me and we figured out an approach that worked. Give the Tribe Scheduler a try! (Note - it only works with Google Calendar right now).

But here's the thing: if someone with my level of coding experience can do this today, imagine what will be possible in just a few months.

Why Business Leaders Must Pay Attention

This isn't just about coding. It's about agency at scale.

Think about it: What if your project manager could create a prototype in an afternoon without waiting for engineering? What if your operations team could solve their scheduling nightmare without calling IT?

Vibe coding shifts who has permission to build solutions inside your organization. The people closest to the problems can now build the exact fixes they need themselves.

We're talking about:

✅ Customer service reps building custom CRM plugins for their workflow

✅ HR designing personalized onboarding flows for different employee needs

✅ Anyone who sees inefficiency being able to address it directly

Vibe Coding Best Practices

After my deep dive, here's what I learned:

▶️ Think like a project manager: Clearly articulate the pain point you’re addressing, and what "good enough" looks like. Start super small. I had grand plans but had to boil everything down to the essentials.

▶️ Prompt like a human. 
Be conversational. Say things like "It's still not working, let's try something different, maybe we can start from scratch."

▶️ Build in public. 
Don't keep it a secret until it's perfect. Share your experiments, failures, and half-working prototypes. Coders are always sharing knowledge, tips, and support, and it’s one of the best ways to learn. 

▶️ Create safe places to play. 
People need permission to experiment and fail without getting in trouble. This means making vibe coding tools, data, and access to backend systems available in separate sandbox. Lower the stakes, and make it okay to break things. If your team is empowered to experiment in safety, they’ll reach for bigger goals.

▶️ Celebrate the builders.
Recognize people for taking initiative, not just for successful outcomes. Vibe coding evens the coding playing field, but traditional coding wisdom is still a valuable piece of the puzzle.

The Power of Imagination

Here's my challenge for you: Start keeping a log of everything that frustrates you. Every time you think "there should be an app for that" or "I wish this worked differently,” write it down.

Sample projects to get you started:

💻 A meeting summary generator structured exactly how you like it

🧮 A simple ROI calculator for proposals

📋 A "catch me up" tool that analyzes your project status and gives you the two best next actions to get back on track

The key is exercising a muscle we don't typically use: the power of imagination. We don't usually think this way because we've never believed we could build solutions ourselves.

But now? You literally can talk into the air, describe your problem, and have it solved…maybe with lots of troubleshooting and iterations, but solved nonetheless.

A Cultural Shift

When your employees can build their own tools, something profound happens. They feel more agency in their jobs. They become better customers of your IT department because they understand what goes into building solutions. They stop quietly quitting because they have the power to fix what frustrates them.

As one viewer noted: "Overcoming fear of failure is key to stopping quiet quitting. Mediocre innovation can lead to a happier culture."

The tools are messy right now. Vibe coding is only a few months old, and I definitely needed some technical knowledge to navigate the backend complexities. But the trajectory is clear: this is getting easier fast.

📣 Your Turn

What would you build if you could?

Don't wait until the tools are perfect—start experimenting now. Even if your prototype doesn't work (like mine!), you'll learn something valuable about what's possible.

The future belongs to the builders. And for the first time in history, that can be anyone with an idea and the curiosity to try.

What I Can’t Stop Talking About 

  • Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. I’m not the most conventional leader. I’ve built my leadership style out of the things that work. I’ve learned a lot of lessons over the years—some better than others—but a few stand out that I wish I’d learned earlier.

  • Give my group scheduling app a try, and let me know what you think! I’m learning here, and I appreciate feedback, collaboration, and opportunities to understand my code more deeply. Try Tribe Scheduler on Replit.

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