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REACH is for the Executive Assistant who hustles hard, strives for excellence and is committed to seeking out life’s “aha moments” to help you reach the next stage in your development and career. In each episode, expect to gain invaluable insight from our personal network of Executive Assistants whose careers span the Fortune 500, Silicon Valley Venture Capital firms and your favorite tech companies and start-ups. Hosted by Maven Recruiting Group’s Founder and CEO, Jessica Vann, this is your opportunity to participate in the solidarity of listening to people who “get it.” REACH is designed to inspire your workday, guide you through pivotal moments in your career and transform you into the Executive Assistant you’ve always wanted to be. REACH is brought to you by Maven Recruiting Group who specializes in placing Executive Assistants and support staff to the Bay Area’s most prominent Executives and companies. You can learn more about Maven at www.mavenrec.com or by reaching out to us at reach@mavenrec.com.
Episodes
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
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!
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Executive Assistant by Day and Soul Food Chef by Night
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
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!).
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
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.
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
In this episode of REACH, our friend Campbell Ruggles, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Universe, joins us from Brooklyn, New York. Campbell is one of those people who gets up to speed quickly, makes an immediate impact, and does so in non-traditional ways which we'll unpack in this episode. A creative herself who used Universe’s platform to create a website to sell her own art, Campbell is someone who sort of stumbled into the Executive Assistant profession and has been incredibly successful.
Our goal with this episode is to debunk the stereotype most people have about the kind of person who is successful as an EA. You know the type – they are hyper-organized, type A, love list making and planned their wedding at 10 years old! Campbell wouldn’t put herself into that category and mentioned she’s never fit the classic EA archetype, and yet she loves this profession and has been really successful at it. Campbell’s affinity for this role also demonstrates an important lesson, which is that there are multiple ways to be successful and, often times, being able to approach challenges and solutions from a different angle can be incredibly beneficial. So, if you’re someone who also feels like you also don’t fit the typical EA mold, or you’d like to learn how you can approach your own EA role from a more unique or innovative viewpoint, this episode is for you!
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
If you’re a regular REACH listener, you know we’ve spent a lot of time discussing how to gain buy-in from your executive, but what about everyone else you need information from and work with day-in and day-out? People like your executive’s direct reports, or Finance, or other C-Suite members. Kristine Valenzuela, Executive Assistant to the Head of Engineering at Atlassian, has graciously offered to tackle this topic and share her tips for how to telescope your value beyond just your executive and essentially that boils down to creating good PR for yourself. So, if you need advice on how to position yourself or tweak your leadership brand to be perceived differently (and respected!) in your organization in order to get the information you need to do your job effectively, this episode is for you.
Monday Aug 01, 2022
How to Elevate Your Role as an Executive Assistant Within Venture Capital
Monday Aug 01, 2022
Monday Aug 01, 2022
We invited Rachel Coffman, Operations Manager within Susa Ventures, to the program to be the spokesperson of Venture Capital. If you’re a loyal listener of REACH (and we hope you are!) you know we’ve featured several Executive Assistants who support the movers and shakers of the tech world, so we wanted to give the Venture Capital industry some love. In this episode, we address questions like 1.) How can you take ownership of your role and drive your destiny as an Executive Assistant in Venture Capital? 2.) What hidden opportunities are there specifically within VC for Executive Assistants to bring more leverage and value to the executive(s) they support? This is an incredibly informative episode for Executive Assistants and administrative professionals considering a career in Venture Capital.
Monday Jul 18, 2022
Monday Jul 18, 2022
In this episode, we talk about all things travel coordination in a "post-pandemic" world. Courtney Puckett, Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO of Crunchbase, does quite a bit of traveling in her role and of course she’s the brains behind booking any trip, conference, or event for her CEO, and in cases like planning an SKO, she’s the one executing travel arrangements for all attendees.
Clearly travel as we know it has changed now that we have COVID to contend with. There are weighty feelings around this subject and an ever-evolving list of rules and regulations to adhere to, which adds yet another layer to planning.
But travel is Courtney's bread and better, in fact, it’s one of her favorite aspects of the Executive Assistant role so we’re talking to a bonified expert here. In view of this, today’s episode will be focused on giving our Executive Assistant listeners helpful tips and tricks for planning travel in a post-pandemic environment.
This episode is sponsored by Office Otter.
Monday Jun 27, 2022
Monday Jun 27, 2022
We had the honor of speaking with the women behind the woman, referring to Executive Assistant, Kenya Graham & Personal Assistant Lisa Magazine, who together supported the one and only, iconic Sara Blakely, who is of course the legendary entrepreneur and founder of Spanx. In this episode, we hear how Kenya & Lisa worked together to provide holistic, continuous 360-degree support to Sara so she could ultimately show up as the effective leader and change-maker she is. It's hard for us to imagine a better duo and you'll understand why after hearing how to these two cultivated a partnership and friendship to last a lifetime. Their secret? Humility, clear boundaries and one common goal. What speaks to their incredible tenure and legacy at Spanx? Each other. If you've an Executive Assistant who's ever wondered why it's important to partner with your executive's Personal Assistant or how to do that most effectively, we're excited to give you access to the wisdom and knowledge of the best of the best!
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Everything Executive Assistants Need to Know About Equity in an Offer
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
In this episode, Kevin Baker, VP of Team and Customer Success at Maven Recruiting Group, addresses all of your equity and stock options questions. If you’ve ever received an offer letter from a pre-IPO company and found yourself positively stumped trying to wrap your head around what exactly was being offered, you wouldn’t be the first or the last! The purpose of this episode is to help you navigate through the quagmire of legal-ese and esoteric terminology to help you feel better prepared to properly understand and evaluate your offer letter and what questions you should be asking at that stage in an interview process. If you’d like to dive deeper into this topic, be sure to check out Kevin’s article on this topic, Executive Assistants Can Earn Equity Too on our website.
Monday May 09, 2022
How Your Executive May Be Affected by The Great Resignation
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Former Executive Assistant-turned-Chief of Staff and current Executive Coach, Julia Quijano, tackles the popular topic and trending hashtag, The Great Resignation and in particular, how she’s seen this movement affect executives and leaders of companies. We often forget that our leaders are also part of the equation! In sharing this perspective, we hope you will be better equipped to relate to your executives and adjust your support, as they are also navigating similar questions during these times.
This episode is sponsored by Cabinet, the all-in-one software application for Executive Assistants. Cabinet was created for high-performing Executive Assistants who are streamlining processes, creating culture, and preventing burnout - all before lunch.
Discover why EAs at Fortune 500 companies are turning to Cabinet to help them handle complex calendars and manage their never-ending to-do lists. Go to joincabinet.com and sign up for your free account.