Angela Wiley, Executive Assistant to the SVP of Americas Sales and the SVP of Global Corporate Sales at Equinix, talks about her experience supporting newly minted leaders and executives who had never experienced support until Angela! In this episode, we discuss the typical areas that first-time founders need coaching or direction from their EAs and specifically, how Angela built both a thoughtful and meaningful partnership with her former executive at Inkling. When supporting a new executive, your role takes on a different responsibility in that you become both an ally and a coach. As Angela puts it, supporting a fist-time founder is a tremendous opportunity to leave a legacy as an executive assistant for years to come. So, whether you?re supporting an executive who has never been an executive before or has never had an assistant before, Angela knows what it?s like to be in your shoes and is here to offer you advice and encouragement.

Shelley Trask, Senior Executive Assistant to the CTO/Co-Founder of Slack and avid thought leader in the administrative community, joins us to tackle one of her favorite topics: How to Support a Difficult Executive. (And in case you were concerned, no, she's definitely not referring to her current exec!) Listen in as Shelley shares her strategies for how to get around said difficulty and how you can help coach your executive?s behavior & influence their habits or even draw the line when a situation is simply incorrigible. Whether you?re dealing with the new exec, the too-busy exec, the non-responsive exec, the no-boundaries exec, the perpetually-late exec, or even the brilliant a**hole (as Shelley puts it,) we promise you?ll be taking notes throughout the entire episode & leave feeling equipped with practical knowledge you can begin implementing as soon as tomorrow!

If you?re looking for advice on all things salary negotiation, performance reviews and mentorship, you?ve stumbled upon the right episode. Mentorship is something Senior Business Partner, Autumn Heard, is incredibly passionate about. She currently manages a team of three admins at Medallia but has helped mentor, train and develop many administrative professionals over the years. In this episode, Autumn mentors our community by sharing her tips for things like how to prepare for a performance review, how to ask for feedback, how to provide support that aligns with your executive?s goals, how to negotiate the salary you want and deserve, and also what to look for in a mentor.

If you couldn?t join us for our first REACH Roundtable Livestream, we saved our audio playback for you. REACH Roundtable is an extension of our podcast where we invite former guests back to discuss all things hot topics in the Executive Assistant world. For our first Roundtable, we tackled the single-most relevant topic: ?Returning to the Office.? In this episode, you?ll hear from the guests you know and love, Lauren Pelusi, Rowe Hoffer, LJ Cohen, and Kristin Beatham as they share their unique perspectives on whether EAs should be expected to return to the office alongside their executives and if not, how that forever changes the landscape of executive support. Join us for the next livestream and we'll address your questions in real-time. Plus you'll be able to enter our giveaways!

The Chief of Staff topic isn?t going anywhere! In this episode we interview Jenna Miller, Chief of Staff at Betterworks to share her perspective on the CoS role. With all of the hype around this somewhat squishy and nuanced position, we?re making an effort to bring you the insight and perspective you?re looking for. Jenna talks about her recent promotion to Chief of Staff and the ways in which the Chief of Staff role differs from her experience as an Executive Assistant. She also unpacks her expectations vs the reality of the position now that she?s in the thick of it. One of her clear distinctions is that in the EA role, you experience ?quick wins? as you focus primarily on executing tasks on behalf of your executive. While in the Chief of Staff role, your wins and rewards take a bit longer to come to fruition since your initiatives are focused on not only the executive, but the entire org.

This is part-two of our two-part series with event planner extraordinaire Heather Keenan, President and CEO of Key Events.  Heather and her firm have orchestrated events the likes of which have been attended by queens, US Presidents, celebrities and the A-list of the business world. If you missed part 1, definitely give it a listen (Season 1, episode 16) where Heather shared how Executive Assistants could pull off a successful virtual event.  As in-person events resume, we wanted to bring Heather back on the show to hear her advice around carrying out a meaningful and successful in-person event (the best kind)!  Whether it?s a casual team happy hour or a formal executive dinner party, Heather says that every event exists to push business forward and it?s an Executive Assistant?s responsibility to nail that objective. One of her favorite tips when it comes to brainstorming and executing an event is ?to paint with a big brush.? Join us for a conversation with tons of practical tips and lots of laughs! And you won?t want to miss her answer to our infamous REACH question with a twist. 

You?ve probably heard the term ?seasoned? or perhaps even been labeled or felt as such. And in the Bay Area tech arena especially, it?s not uncommon to work alongside colleagues or even support executives who may be in their early 20s or 30s. So, we?ve decided to tackle the ambitious topic of what it means to age gracefully in your career as an Executive Assistant and, in particular, how you can avoid ?aging out? of the EA career. Nicole Hawkins, Senior Manager of Administration at Patreon, who supports CEO Jack Conte, has volunteered to share her experience of being a ?seasoned? EA and what it?s like to work with and support individuals who are younger than she is. We?ll be talking about how to stay relevant amidst younger talent, how to relate to an executive team and group of colleagues who seem to get younger not older, how to provide invaluable support despite age differences, and how to confidently package your experience when interviewing.

In this episode, Mallory Drury, former Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of Marcus & Millichap, shares her personal experience of being at a crossroads and thinking through next steps in her career. After eight plus years as an Executive Assistant, she finds herself in a reflective state of mind as she tries to determine what?s next for her, whether that?s another Executive Assistant position or something completely different. Jessica tackles this conversation interview-style by asking Mallory questions about what makes her tick, what contributes or detracts from her enjoyment and satisfaction and how she finds fulfillment. We hope that Mallory?s story offers some guidance and encouragement to those listeners out there who find themselves in a similar place. If you?re feeling similarly ambivalent or unsure about where you are with your Executive Assistant career, we hope hearing Mallory?s story will give you some ideas to ponder and reflect on, or even help you reignite your passion for EA work. This episode promises to be raw, heartfelt, enlightening and hopeful.

The topic you?ve all been waiting for!  These days it feels like Chief of Staff and EA are used almost synonymously and with all the buzz  around the Chief of Staff title, we decided to dive into what it actually means to be in this role, what the day-to-day of a Chief of Staff can look like, and how it differs from the EA role. In this episode, we explore why an Executive Assistant makes a great choice for a Chief of Staff. While there is no ?one size fits all? definition of Chief of Staff, our goal is to share multiple perspectives on this role and the variety of ways in which a Chief of Staff can contribute.  To kick off this series, we?re thrilled to have Julia Quijano on our program, who served as Chief of Staff at Aera Technology, a venture-backed startup in Silicon Valley where she wore many hats including leadership development and building the company?s DE&I program. Julia started off her career as an Executive Assistant at Salesforce where she supported the Chief Revenue Officer and the Chief Customer Officer before deciding to pursue a master?s degree in Counseling Psychology. 

If there?s anyone who knows how to break a glass ceiling it?s Lorena Legarreta, Executive Assistant to the President, CFO and CSO of Bumble. Today?s discussion promises to be an empowering one as we hear Lorena?s story. Growing up in Mexico, Lorena is a first-generation Latina who became an Executive Assistant sort of through happenstance because of her ability to speak Spanish and English fluently. She?s also been the first EA to many of the executives she?s supported throughout her career AND she supported her first ever female executive at Bumble. Bumble recently went public and made history as Bumble?s CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, became the youngest female founder in history to take a company public -- she even rang the bell with her baby perched on her hip, talk about breaking glass ceilings!

Did you know the Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO of Box started her career off in broadcast journalism at companies like CNN, NBCUniversal and Forbes? This episode is all about how Mandy King?s background in media influenced how she operates as an EA to CEO today. For those listening who also have work experience in a completely different field and may be wondering how to incorporate those skills into your current role as an EA or how to speak to the unique value your background lends in the interview process, this episode is definitely for you! And for those of you who are just curious why and how someone in TV/Media/Journalism became an Executive Assistant, stay tuned. The best part? She loves being an Executive Assistant a thousand times more than being a producer even after working alongside Anderson Cooper, meeting Ryan Gosling on the red-carpet and interviewing the Saturday Night Live hosts!!

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! In this bonus episode of REACH, we?re celebrating the often-unsung heroes and backbones of our companies. Our mission at Maven Recruiting Group and through our podcast is to elevate the support role and give it the props and appreciation it rightfully deserves. Gillian Lopez, Director of Accounts and Growth at Maven Recruiting Group, joins Jessica and together they highlight all of the problems EAs solve, all of the ways they save the day, all of the areas they provide leverage to their executives and companies. Plus, stay tuned for a special treat at the end... a few of our clients wrote in personal notes of appreciation for their admins and you just might receive a special shout out from your exec! We hope this episode reminds you how valuable you are, how critical your role is to your organization and how much we appreciate all that you do behind the scenes. 

If you?re feeling lost among the shuffle of applicants, you?re not sure what to ask or how to assess fit in the interview process, or you?re looking for tips on how to spice up your LinkedIn game, this episode is for you. In this episode, Katie Thomas, Senior Executive Business Partner at Uber, talks about how to stand out and position yourself for success in the interview process, as well as how to assess fit with a potential company and executive. And if there?s anyone who knows how to network, stand out on LinkedIn and make a lasting first impression, it?s Katie! Spoiler alert: Katie received two job offers by simply making a memorable first impression. PS: If networking isn?t really your thing, this episode is still relevant! Katie, an introvert at heart, views networking in a non-traditional light and offers tips for how others can step outside their comfort zone and make meaningful connections even via Zoom. 

Today?s episode is geared to those Executive Assistants who may be feeling bored, apathetic, unmotivated, or simply burnt out in their role. Parke Davis, Executive Assistant to the SVP, Products, Cortex, at Palo Alto Networks offers ideas for how to expand your role to create new learning opportunities and a renewed sense of excitement. We?re talking video editing, voice-over recording, event planning, culture building, you name it! In this episode, you will learn how and when to approach your executive as well as all of the work you need to do in advance to ensure you get a strong ?yes? at the end of your conversation. If you feel like you can do your job backwards and forwards with your eyes closed, and you?re just going through the motions every day, this episode is for you!

With remote work being the ongoing and possibly indefinite reality for many of us, we thought it would be both fun and practical to call in a design expert to talk about how we can equip our work from home environments to be both functional and beautiful. In this episode, Michael Guidry offers his tips and tricks for establishing a comfortable, productive, and aesthetically pleasing home office space. Michael has designed a variety of spaces including Maven Recruiting Group?s HQ and Jessica?s home office space. Not only does he have an incredible design vision, but also a ruthless pragmatism, resourcefulness, and appreciation for functionality and frugality that make him a really unique designer and someone who can find the happy place between Gucci and Target. This is both a fun and practical episode that you won?t want to miss!

In this episode, Stacy Green, Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO of Grail, sheds light on the biotech industry from an EA?s perspective. She discusses everything from the challenges and rewards of the field, what it?s like to work with a bunch of scientists and PhDs and what to expect if you?re thinking of joining a biotech company, whether big or small. Prior to her role at Grail, a company committed to saving lives by detecting cancer early on when it has a better chance of being cured, Stacy worked as an EA at the biopharma behemoth, Genentech, for over 10 years. If there?s anyone who knows what it?s like to be an Executive Assistant in the biotech industry, it?s this gal!

After supporting the Global Chief Diversity Officer at Facebook for six years, Pari McIntyre, made the leap to Roblox supporting the General Counsel. In this episode, Pari shares her thoughts on when it?s time to change roles or companies, something she recently decided to do. If you?re like Pari and you?ve recently accepted a new role during this time, we have no doubt you will benefit from hearing Pari?s tips on how to acclimate. Or, if you are thinking of making a move, we hope hearing Pari?s discussion of what prompted her will give you additional food for thought. This episode promises feelings of empowerment, independence and confidence ? qualities Pari models well.

Alexis? journey to the Executive Assistant role begins with her previous role as a Personal Assistant to a high-profile executive and entrepreneur and her family. In this episode, we?ll be taking a deep dive into the Personal Assistant role first to understand what it?s all about and how to do it well, followed by Alexis? discussion of how and why she transitioned her career to the corporate space. Join us as we chat about both the similarities and differences of personal support and executive support, the importance of confidentiality, how to effectively set boundaries and what it takes to pivot career paths. Whether you?re a Personal Assistant, Executive Assistant or Estate Manager, you are sure to relate to and benefit from Alexis? story and advice.

In this episode, Wellness Counselor at Miraval Arizona, Anne Parker, continues the discussion around how to navigate and manage stress in the workplace. With workplace stress costing companies approximately $300 billion dollars annually according to the American Institute of Stress, it?s safe to say there?s a lot of stressed-out people out there. So, whether you?re an executive assistant, an executive, an executive assistant listening on behalf of your stressed-out exec, or just a human being in general, this episode of REACH promises to give you some expert advice on how to improve your wellbeing. You won?t want to miss Anne?s tips for daily rejuvenation, how to set expectations around stress and stress management and finding a healthy balance. Plus, stay tuned for a special promotion offered only to REACH listeners!

In this episode, Wellness Counselor at Miraval Arizona, Anne Parker, leads us in a discussion around how to navigate and manage stress in the workplace. With workplace stress costing companies approximately $300 billion dollars annually according to the American Institute of Stress, it?s safe to say there?s a lot of stressed-out people out there. So, whether you?re an executive assistant, an executive, an executive assistant listening on behalf of your stressed-out exec, or just a human being in general, this episode of REACH promises to give you some expert advice on how to improve your wellbeing. You won?t want to miss Anne?s tips for daily rejuvenation, how to set expectations around stress and stress management and finding a healthy balance. Plus, stay tuned for a special promotion offered only to REACH listeners!

In this episode, former Executive Assistant at Piper Jaffray, Chantal Perez, shares her experience and tips for job searching as an Executive Assistant in the midst of a global pandemic. We know this is sensitive and apropos considering our current climate, so we are grateful to Chantal for stepping up to the plate to tackle what is probably the single hottest topic right now. The purpose of this conversation is to demonstrate the collective reality that many job seekers are facing right now and offer some encouragement and ideas for how to prevail while job searching during COVID. Disclaimer: When it comes to job searching, there?s no ?one size fits all? approach, so cast a wide net!

In this episode, we interview Joy Caves, Executive Assistant to the Head of Cloud Engineering at Atlassian. While Joy works for a company with over 45 administrative professionals, 28 being Executive Assistants, Joy is no stranger to feeling like an island as she was the sole Executive Assistant in prior jobs. So, whether you?re feeling isolated in your role because of COVID and working remotely, or you?re the only EA on your team, this episode is for you! Join us as Joy shares a fresh perspective on some of the inherent challenges of being siloed and navigating the loneliness factor of the role. Good news: she?s learned how to push through that feeling and has tips for how you can too!

Join us for part two of our discussion with Executive Leadership Coach, Jonathan Hoyt, as he continues to share his strategies and best practices for guiding executives toward their highest selves. You as executive assistants and he as an executive coach are dealing with the same end-user and have the same fundamental challenge ? how to most effectively access an executive?s desires and help them realize their goals. If you?ve ever struggled with how to ?get through? to your executive or improve your communication and the way in which your suggestions are received (and let?s be honest, who hasn?t?!?), you won?t want to miss this special episode! And if you haven't already, be sure to listen to part one of this conversation where Jonathan discusses how to achieve meaningful breakthroughs, something you as Executive Assistants are ultimately working toward as well.

In this episode, Executive Leadership Coach, Jonathan Hoyt, shares the strategies and best practices he?s developed to guide executives toward their highest selves and outcomes and achieve meaningful breakthroughs, something you as executive assistants are ultimately working toward as well. You as executive assistants and he as an executive coach and advisor are dealing with the same end-user and have the same fundamental challenge ? how to most effectively access an executive?s desires and help them realize their goals. If you?ve ever struggled with how to ?get through? to your executive or improve your communication and the way in which your suggestions are received (and let?s be honest, who hasn?t?!), you won?t want to miss this special episode!

In this episode of REACH, LaChristian Taylor, Executive Assistant at Exabeam, shares her story of how she?s been able to break down barriers and find the common ground between herself and her colleagues/executives in order to allow true collaboration to happen. LaChristian knows what it feels like to be the new kid on the block. As a woman of color who supports at the highest level, she has often found herself to be the only minority in the room. And as an executive assistant who joined a startup coming from a background in politics, she had a lot to adjust to when she transitioned her career to the epicenter of Silicon Valley. We hope that in hearing her story, you?ll feel empowered to break down whatever barrier you?re facing in your career as an Executive Assistant. PS: It may be just as simple as bonding with your co-workers over food and basketball!

In this episode of REACH, Clarivel Barajas speaks about the emotional demands and challenges of the Executive Assistant role and provides tips for how to avoid burnout when working in a demanding role. We hope Clarivel?s raw, relatable, and deeply personal story motivate you to establish healthy boundaries and practice self-care so you can avoid some of the hard lessons Clarivel learned in her career. This episode takes an unexpectedly emotional turn and is well worth the listen!

Starting at Expanse, Curtis Casella served as the Chief of Staff to the Founder and CEO there and was eventually promoted to Event Marketing Manager and ultimately, Senior Event Marketing Manager. In this episode, Curtis shares how his role as an Executive Assistant allowed him to explore and discover opportunities in marketing. From chasing a whim that led him to two, career-defining years in South Africa to angling his EA role toward field marketing, listen in to hear how Curtis has used the EA role as a jumping-off point to explore other pathways. If you?ve ever wondered about career tangents that may be available to you coming from an Executive Assistant role, hearing Curtis? story may help you imagine some new possibilities for yourself!

In this episode, we hear from Kristen Quint, Director of the Office of the CEO for Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe. Kristen points out the distinction between what it means to support a CEO versus what it means to oversee the Office of the CEO as well as when it?s necessary to build out a more robust infrastructure to support your CEO effectively. Kristen walks us through the challenges she set out to solve, her thought process, the various organizational models she?s tried along the way and what went into both the planning and execution. Plus, she shares one of the game-changing processes she?s implemented at 23andMe to make decision making that much easier. Listen in to experience the wealth of insight Kristin has amassed over her impressive career.

In this episode, Brandon Bailey, Executive Assistant to the SVP of People of Postmates, shares his temp glory story! Prior to joining Postmates, Brandon made the conscious choice to contract for a few years, while doing some simultaneous soul-searching. Through his commitment to adding value and treating every open door as an opportunity, Brandon was able to successfully convert one of his contract positions into a meaningful and lucrative full-time role. In this episode, he shares how he did it. Spoiler alert: it has to do with knowing yourself and staying true to who you are! We hope Brandon?s story will inspire you to view your current temp position differently or encourage you to give temping a shot where you otherwise might not have.

In this episode, Melissa Silva shares her story of supporting Andrew Dreskin, the CEO of Ticketfly, through two acquisitions! Melissa gives REACH listeners a peek behind the curtain as to what it?s like to support someone through such intense periods of change and how she adjusted from being the sole admin in a scrappy startup to part of a broader admin team at Pandora and later, Eventbrite. If you?re wondering what it?s like to transition from a small startup to an established organization, or how your role might evolve if your company is acquired ? or you?re just looking for an excuse to laugh out loud for a half-hour, this episode is for you!

As Executive Assistants, being prepared for any situation, whether it?s a minor crisis like a missed connection or something much harrier, is essential to your craft. We did a podcast swap! In this episode, Jeremy Burrows, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Capacity and host of The Leader Assistant Podcast, discusses the role an Executive Assistant plays in a crisis whether it be a PR crisis, a global pandemic, or whatever else gets tossed your way. Drawing on his years of experience as an Executive Assistant, Jeremy explains how he remains steady in a crisis and how his role has evolved in the midst of recent historical events, as well as his tips for creating a safe space for his executive to vent and ultimately thrive. To hear more of Jeremy and Jessica in conversation, check out Jessica?s interview on Jeremy?s podcast.

We can?t tell you how many times a client of ours comes to us looking for an Executive Assistant with board relations experience under their belt. In this episode, Danielle Hill, Chief Administrative Officer at Knox Lane, speaks about the value of Board Relations experience when it comes to the Executive Assistant career path and how getting that experience on her resume opened up doors to opportunities she never would have dreamed of. Listen in as Danielle digs into all that goes into coordinating a successful board meeting from preparation, to the day of, to follow-up. So whether you?re an EA who has never worked directly with a Board or planned a Board meeting before, or you?re a seasoned EA who has supported a C-level Executive who serves on multiple Boards and you're here to sharpen up your process, this episode is for you!

In this episode, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, Senior Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, shares her story of ?making it.? Jordan walks us through her career path from supporting notable political figures in DC (she was an even an appointee on the Obama Administration!) to landing a job for one of the world?s most recognizable tech brands, Airbnb. Listen in as Jordan discusses the pivotal moments in her career that led her to where she is today. And if you?re an up-and-coming EA striving for a career of this stature, we hope you find value in Jordan?s cut-and-dry advice... ?take the risk!?

Lauren Richards, Executive Assistant to the CEO and CPO/Co-Founder of Webflow, joins us for a conversation you?ll definitely want to share with your executive! In this candid and thoughtful dialogue, Lauren shares her advice for executives about everything from how to nail the hiring process and find the right person to how to structure an effective and enduring partnership rooted in mutual respect and regard for one another. Whether you?re an executive wanting to understand how best to identify and leverage an assistant or an executive assistant looking to find his/her voice in shaping a more effective partnership, this episode is your guide! Sneak peek: It all boils down to the questions you ask of yourself and of your EA candidate from the very beginning. We hope this episode sparks a dialogue on both sides and allows for a more elevated experience for all!

This is part one of our two-part series with Heather Keenan, President and CEO of Key Events. With this series, we?re pivoting the conversation by inviting some of the most distinguished resources, companies and service providers we think it?s vital for you to know about. In this episode, event planner extraordinaire, Heather Keenan, gifts us with her wisdom and advice around carrying out a successful virtual event. As many of us are sheltering in place, virtual business events have become our new reality and yet planning something like a completely virtual SKO is new territory for most of us. With "essential? things like LP and board meetings, town halls, and fundraising events still needing to happen despite COVID-19, it?s imperative that EAs find a virtual workaround to keep these events on the calendar.

Whether it be an intimate happy hour held via Zoom or a fundraising event via webcast, Heather gives her tips for pulling off things like experience, engagement, and even virtual pupus! Spoiler alert ? you may find yourself telling your Executive to channel his/her favorite character actor, aka Brad Pitt, because presenting in front of a camera is totally different from speaking in front of a live crowd. Join us for this timely and informative conversation!

Many EAs would say their relationship to their executive is a core contributor to overall job satisfaction in the EA role. In this episode, Rowe Hoffer, Senior Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Mozilla (who she?s supported for almost 9 years!), talks to us about what it means to be a tenacious EA when combating workplace challenges. More specifically, Rowe speaks to working relationships that may not be ?ideal? or considered the ?perfect match? in nature and how to game plan for when things aren?t rainbows and butterflies. While it?s wonderful when you have instantaneous rapport and a seamless partnership with someone, it can be unrealistic to expect perfection in a working relationship, whether it be with an executive or a colleague. Demonstrating resilience and tenacity through these challenges is a skill that Rowe has developed throughout her career and in this episode, she shares her personal experience of what that really looks like. Plus, you?re in for a real treat when we ask Rowe who she would love to support and why. Hint: this individual has performed a Superbowl half-time show!

In this episode, we?re tackling your COVID19-related questions and concerns, Q&A style and guerilla-style. Yes, kids may interrupt, doorbells may ring, tea kettles may whistle, but our priority here was to address your very relevant and legitimate questions in a timely manner even if that means raw and un-cut. Whether you were recently laid off or you?re feeling vulnerable right now to a potential lay-off, or simply want to provide the best level of support and service you can to your executive during this time, this episode is for you! Joining our host, Jessica Vann, to help tackle your questions is Maven Recruiting Group?s very own Director of Accounts and Growth, Gillian Lopez, who works directly with our clients and who has a direct line to the thinking of hiring managers and what matters to them right now. While adjusting to today?s reality is hard, we hope this episode gives you some solutions and hope for how you, as an executive assistant, can continue to move forward despite COVID-19.

With the increasing popularity and buzz surrounding remote EA work, we decided it was time to get some real insight from a remote Executive Assistant in our network. In this episode, we interview LJ Cohen, remote Executive Assistant to the Partners of Uncork Capital (formerly known as SoftTech VC). In this episode, LJ addresses everything from the importance of asking the right questions in the interview process to ensure success in a remote role to setting up boundaries within her personal life to create a home environment that supports her work to dealing with situations like her executive having trouble connecting to a video conference when she isn?t physically there to assist. Listen in as LJ dives into the nuances of remote support and shares with us what it?s really like to work from home on a daily basis. (Hint: it?s not always pjs, slippers and a cup of tea!) Our hope is that after listening to this episode, you?ll have a clearer sense as to whether remote work is for you and what questions to ask of yourself and others before taking the leap.

With the increasing popularity and buzz surrounding remote EA work, we decided it was time to get some real insight from a remote Executive Assistant in our network. In this episode, we interview LJ Cohen, remote Executive Assistant to the Partners of Uncork Capital (formerly known as SoftTech VC). In this episode, LJ addresses everything from the importance of asking the right questions in the interview process to ensure success in a remote role to setting up boundaries within her personal life to create a home environment that supports her work to dealing with situations like her executive having trouble connecting to a video conference when she isn?t physically there to assist. Listen in as LJ dives into the nuances of remote support and shares with us what it?s really like to work from home on a daily basis. (Hint: it?s not always pjs, slippers and a cup of tea!) Our hope is that after listening to this episode, you?ll have a clearer sense as to whether remote work is for you and what questions to ask of yourself and others before taking the leap.

In this episode our guest, Carina Ruggiero, reflects on some of the challenges she?s faced and how she has not only triumphed, but also used them as a catalyst for career growth and personal evolution. In this episode, Carina talks about how she made a significant mental shift from achieving to serving. Her inspiration? The one and only Tony Robbins. She encourages us to stop taking ourselves so seriously as she puts it, ?Sh*t happens, bounce back!? Carina also shares her ninety-nine-year-old grandmother?s advice with us and reveals the silver lining to staring down challenges in the workplace, which in her case led to accepting a role with a top immigration law firm that also reunited her with her husband who was stuck abroad. Who doesn?t love a good love story?! At the end of this episode, we hope you will feel inspired to grow and persevere even when life pulls a fast one on you... after all, EAs have to be resilient. Plus, you?re guaranteed to learn at least three swear words in Italian!

In this episode, the oh so relatable and authentic Anh Castro shares the story of her childhood as a daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant, who grew up in the working-class neighborhoods of Los Angeles and later became an established Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant who supported prominent women like Dianne Feinstein, Kamala Harris and Danielle Steel, and some major figures in the venture capital world. Despite Anh?s humble roots, her will-power, drive and perseverance have allowed her to ascend to the highest levels of success as an Executive Assistant professional. We hope that you will find deep meaning and inspiration after listening to Anh?s heartfelt story.

Success in an Executive Assistant role is predicated on establishing the right practices and behaviors with your executive from the outset, boundary setting, mutual respect and open dialogue. Ligaya Fieler, Senior Executive Assistant at SurveyMonkey, walks us through how she?s personally accomplished these things with her Executives over the years ? one story includes how she earned the respect of a traditionally ?grumpy? Exec! In this episode, you too will learn how to set the tone for a productive relationship with your Executive from the very beginning in order to create an effective and lasting partnership. Spoiler alert: it involves confidence, honest reflection, prioritization and managing up.

In a service-oriented role, sometimes it can be a challenge to strike a balance between being helpful and supportive of others and their needs while also ensuring you don?t take on too much. We all know that sometimes we need to be able to ?manage up? and push back. Chances are, this is probably something that you?re already doing on a daily basis. However, the act of managing up is truly an art, and one that can always be worked on and perfected, and it comes more naturally to some than others. In this episode, Molly McKnight, Executive Assistant at Handshake, discusses the importance of finding your voice and learning to say ?no? as a mid-level Executive Assistant. At one point in her career, Molly supported 19 Executives! Learn how she navigated those conversations and made significant progress in the areas of managing up and striking a balance between providing effective support to multiple people and staying sane! Learn you can juggle it all too.

Tanya has always had a passion for leading and mentoring Executive Assistants, starting first with her role as a Staff Supervisor at Merrill Lynch and ultimately landing in a hybrid Admin Manager / EA to CEO role at Okta. In this episode, Tanya shares the history of how she evolved and elevated the EA function within Okta and ultimately created a world-class EA team. From leading by example to teaching more junior EAs how to own the room and exude confidence to bringing in outside coaches to lead trainings on difficult conversations and even coaching the Executive Team on what it looks like to fully leverage their EAs, these are just a few ways Tanya has helped to mold and shape an exceptional EA team. Whether you?re an Admin Manager looking to grow a winning team or you?re an Executive Assistant working on personal development, there are nuggets of wisdom for everyone in this episode.

Meg George, former Executive Assistant to the Founder of Coinbase and Paradigm and currently the Events, Facilities and Operations Manager at Even, discusses the role of technology within the executive support and office support roles. Living in Silicon Valley, the hub of technology innovation, we see technology platforms gobbling up an increasing number of functions that used to be handled by humans. We wanted to ask the question, how much, if any of the Executive Assistant and Office Manager role, will ultimately be subsumed by technology. In this episode, Meg talks with us about whether we should be threatened by technology or excited about the additional leverage technology can bring to the support role. She also highlights her go-to tech tools that make her job easier.

Ann Borja, Executive Business Partner to the CEO and Co-Founder of Lyft, talks to us about what a pivotal year it?s been for her ? from carrying a child to going through an IPO and navigating all of that change within a highly visible role at a rocket-ship startup. In this episode, Ann offers advice to other Executive Assistants as a woman with a noteworthy and demanding EA career on the cusp of becoming a first-time mom. While Ann is fortunate to have a very supportive executive, she also offers advice on how to navigate conversations with bosses who may not be as inherently understanding. Ann also walks us through her pre-maternity leave plan, how she?s prepping for the big event and how she expects her role to change once she returns with another title, ?Mom,? on her resume. Join us for a candid, intimate, and heart-warming discussion between two career women and moms.

Editor in Chief turned Critical Care Nurse turned Executive Business Partner, Paige Zeigler sheds light on how you as an Executive Assistant can be a strategic asset to your company and Executive by discussing her own thought process and behaviors. As the Executive Business Partner to Eric Gundersen, CEO of Mapbox, Paige spends her days spearheading projects and driving new initiatives in order to propel the business forward, rightfully garnering massive cred as a ?transformative Executive Assistant.? Within this episode, Paige dives into her unconventional background and discusses the value and importance of transferrable skills across careers and industries. Not only that, Paige provides other Executive Assistants with tangible examples of what it means to be strategic as well as how to assess whether an opportunity has the potential to become strategic.

Diversity and Inclusion is a hot topic. There are a lot of people who feel passionately about D&I as a value and a virtue but aren?t really sure how to activate that within their role or career, other than it being a personal and ethical priority. Lauren Pelusi, Executive Assistant at Instacart, talks to us about the ways in which she has used the Executive Assistant role as a platform to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in doing so, walks us through her experiences at SurveyMonkey, Adobe and now Instacart. Whether it?s recognizing hiring biases, creating workshops for minorities, helping to awaken the perspective of her executives, or developing employee resource groups, Lauren offers real ways that you too can service your D&I goals through your Executive Assistant role. Ultimately, Lauren encourages the tech community to continue its evolution and to attract a more diverse population of employees.

Former Disneyland Paris Princess to Executive Assistant to Max Levchin, Lia Ballard talks about her journey to becoming the Executive Support Manager & Founder of the Employee Resource Group (ERG) Black @ Affirm. From highlighting the thought process that led her to a career as an Executive Assistant to discussing her promotional path to becoming the Executive Support Manager, Lia takes us through a review of her career highlights and shares her advice for how others can strategically position themselves for their own promotions. Lia also sheds light on the potential career paths that are available to Executive Assistants and validates how accomplished the Executive Assistant role is, in and of itself. Whether you?re looking to grow into a Chief of Staff, Administrative Manager or Project Manager, Lia provides practical advice to Executive Assistants on how to realize your own career growth goals and morph into the Executive Assistant you?ve always wanted to be. 

From Livefyre to Elf to Juul, Kristin Beatham talks about what it?s like to work as an Executive Assistant at a high-growth startup, specifically what to expect, how it?s different than a non-startup company, how to pace yourself for the marathon and the importance of practicing gratitude, while also laughing over some of the more novel start-up perks (hint: glitter bombs, donuts and break dancers!). Kristin has spent the better part of her career working for multiple high-growth startups and, in addition to supporting CEOs and Founders, has also led international office expansions and operational rollouts. Kristin challenges listeners to get real with themselves about their motivation for working in a startup, in her words, ?chase the experience, not the dollars!?