REACH - A Podcast for Executive Assistants

Former EA to CEO of Twitter on How to Accelerate Your Career

Taylor DeLorenzo is the definition of an A-list Executive Assistant and high achiever. As an Ivy League graduate from Cornell, her first Executive Assistant role was supporting a Founder, and in her next role she served as the right-hand to the CEO of publicly traded Shake Shack. She then leaped over to Twitter where she ended her tenure there supporting the CEO and saw them through their much publicized takeover by Elon Musk.

 

In this episode, Taylor shares her story and her thoughts on how to shore up confidence in your abilities in order to accelerate your own Executive Assistant career.

Life as an Executive Assistant in a Publicly Traded vs Privately Held Company

If you’re a regular listener of REACH, you know that we like to unpack the nuances associated within EA roles across industries and across stages of organizational maturity. We’ve talked previously about what’s involved in taking a company public from the EA perspective, and in this episode with Katherine Estep, who currently supports the CFO at Udemy with executive operations, we discuss the specific responsibilities of an EA working in a publicly traded company. Katherine joined Udemy the month they announced their IPO and has been supporting their CFO ever since the company became publicly traded on NASDAQ. We're excited to share what she has to say about the EA role after a company has gone public!

What Does it Mean to be an Executive Assistant in a “War Room?”

You may be familiar with the term “war room” or “situation room” as it relates to the Presidential Cabinet where the President and his advisors retreat to strategize on highly sensitive or critical matters. Today Rachel Tan joins us to discuss the role an Executive Assistant plays in a war room in the context of a business. While Rachel currently supports the CEO & President of Benchling with strategic programs, she also has experience supporting Chief Marketing Officers and working closely with Communications and PR, meaning she’s no stranger to being involved in addressing newsworthy and current events, and even crises. Our goal in this episode is to help EAs navigate any type of "war room" situation with sensitivity, grace and professionalism. 

Career & Life Lessons from Michelle Obama’s Former Assistant & Right Hand: Part Two

We know you're excited for Part Two of our conversation with Chynna Clayton, former Executive Assistant to Michelle Obama and current Founder of Matriarch Made Development - and we're happy to deliver!

Join us as we delve into Chynna’s formative years that helped shape her into the person she is today, learn all that went into supporting a celebrity and someone as high profile and adored as former First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as Chynna’s three life takeaways and lessons from her time with Mrs. Obama. (I’m not giving anything away by letting you know one of them is knitting!)

You can learn more about Chynna’s consultancy, Matriarch Made Development, where she focuses on developing the talent and potential of administrative professionals in corporate and non-profit organizations by visiting https://www.chynnaclayton.com 

Career & Life Lessons from Michelle Obama’s Former Assistant & Right Hand: Part One

We are thrilled to release part one of our conversation with none other than Chynna Clayton who spent over a decade as the Executive Assistant to the legendary Michelle Obama, first in her capacity as FLOTUS, then for another 6 years after Mrs. Obama departed the White House. 

Chynna's story has been featured in Vogue and Oprah Daily, so we are especially grateful that she agreed to share her wisdom & experiences with the REACH community. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an individual who has literally worked at the highest echelon of demand, expectation, intensity, and discretion and where the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Plus, this is just part one, so be sure to join us in two weeks for the rest of our conversation!

Be sure to also check out Chynna's consultancy, Matriarch Made Development, where she focuses on developing the talent and potential of administrative professionals in corporate and non-profit organizations. Visit www.chynnaclayton.com for more information.

Applying the SMART Goals Framework to Your Work as an Executive Assistant

This episode on goal setting was not only requested by our listeners, but it’s a timely one given we’re at the top of a new year and hopefully full of inspiration and motivation to achieve some great things in 2023! Today we’ll be discussing some of the material covered in our "Becoming a Chief of Staff" e-course, specifically how to apply the SMART goals framework to your work as an Executive Assistant. This episode is full of practical content that you won't want to miss! 

If you’ve been contemplating investing in the e-course, this episode might give you the motivation to officially sign up! You can do so at https://courses.mavenrec.com/courses/becoming-a-chief-of-staff. Use code MAVENLOVESEAS for 15% off through the month of February. 

Behind the Scenes: What It’s Like to Support Husband & Wife Lifestyle Influencer Duo

We’ve had a wide range of Executive Assistants on our program who support business owners, celebrities, government officials and even magicians, but never have we featured an EA who supports an influencer – until now! Katie Hobson is the Senior Executive Assistant to husband and wife team Michael & Lauryn Bosstick, lifestyle brand influencers, podcasters, business owners of Dear Media & The Skinny Confidential and hosts of the Him & Her podcast. Obviously, the world of influencing is a new and hot industry that greatly impacts all things social media, consumerism, shopping, cooking, decorating, knowledge gathering, you name it. In this episode, Katie provides us with a behind-the-scenes look into what goes on in the lives of influencers and how she as an Executive Assistant shows up to support them in a unique and meaningful way. 

 

Check out Katie's "Day in the Life" video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cj8fNI4ABIK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Serena Williams’ Former Assistant is the Definition of a “Swiss Army Knife” Professional: Learn About His Experiences & How He’s Incorporated All Aspects in the Executive Assistant Role

Don't miss this episode featuring Grant Firestone, former Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff to Serena Williams! Grant's widely eclectic career spans everything from political operative, legislative aide in local government, high school coach, French student, lacrosse player, intern for the Global New York Times and currently, he supports the CEO of Lax International Airport on all things strategic initiatives, special projects and events. As someone who is so clearly capable and has such a myriad range of interests and talents, we’re excited to explore the perspective Grant brings to his work as a former Executive Assistant turned Manager of Strategic Initiatives and learn what it was that he's found within the Executive Assistant career that has nourished all of his different interests. Join us for this inspiring interview!

Executive Assistant by Day and Soul Food Chef by Night

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, it's only fitting to release an episode all about FOOD! Cherie Barfield, Executive Assistant at Meta and Owner of Cherie’s Southern Kitchen, has been an EA for over 26 years and she most recently embarked on a new journey as a food entrepreneur, having launched her own soul food catering company. There is something so beautiful and inspiring about seeing someone go after their dreams and we promise you this is one of those feel-good stories that just makes your heart warm, your mouth water and your stomach growl (seriously, grab a snack for this one!).

The Gaming Effect: Just What is Going on With These Lengthy Interview Processes?!

You’re probably wondering, why is this episode called “The Gaming Effect?” What does that even mean? Well, have you ever noticed how ordinarily sweet kids, while playing video games will shoot their enemies on rapid fire screaming die, die in this kind of vapid, dehumanized way? Or the mindless look that washes over their faces as they vigorously grip the controller pressing “fire” as quickly as they possibly can? We’re calling this ability to tune out and turn off your empathy “The Gaming Effect.” 

This got me thinking that there is something very powerful that happens to our empathy and ability to relate and connect to others when we introduce the distance of technology. Many have spoken on the alienating and dehumanizing effects of technology and how Zoom and other similar platforms, while incredibly convenient, cannot compensate for human interaction and connection.   

With so many employers now relying exclusively (or at least mainly) on interviews conducted over a technology platform, it got me wondering if this "gaming effect" is also occurring in interview processes in today’s market and what evidence there might be for that based on the interview processes we run as a recruiting firm.  

In this episode, we welcome back Gillian Lopez, VP of Accounts and Growth at Maven Recruiting Group. Gillian works directly with many of Maven’s clients spanning Fortune 500 companies, venture capital firms, tech startups, you name it, and therefore, has a direct pulse on the market and what both job seekers and hiring managers are experiencing in today’s job market, which makes her the ideal guest for today’s topic.