REACH - A Podcast for Executive Assistants

REACH Roundtable: The Great Resignation

If you weren't able join us for our third REACH Roundtable Livestream, we missed you, but we captured the audio for you to listen to here. For those who aren't familiar, 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. In this episode, you’ll hear from the guests you know and love, Lauren Pelusi, Rowe Hoffer, LJ Cohen, and Kristin Beatham as they discuss The Great Resignation, a trend perhaps more popular than the celery juice cleanse! Specifically, they dig into the cause of this movement, which industries in particular have been most affected, as well as the ways its impacted the Executive Assistant career.

This episode is sponsored by Cabinet, the all-in-one software application for Executive Assistants 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 use start your free account. 

Tackling the Title Debate: Is Job Title a Deal Breaker for Your Career and Identity as a Support Professional?

In this episode, we are joined by Carrie Zimney, former Executive Assistant to the COO, Private Office of Bill Gates Ventures! Carrie brings up the oh so debated title discussion, a sensitive and weighty topic for many support professionals. There's no denying the ways in which the executive support role has evolved over the years since its original "Secretary" days. Today we continue to witness various companies adopt titles such as Executive Business Partner, Chief of Staff, Senior Executive Assistant and everything in between for their administrative employees. Having held many titles and esteemed positions herself, Carrie is just the person to host this discussion. So, if you're someone who has mixed feelings around your title or your identity as a support professional, this episode is for you. Join us as we learn what job title means for your current role, resume, career and identity.

Behind the Scenes: What It’s Like to Be an Executive Assistant in the Entertainment Industry

If you’ve dreamed of supporting someone in Hollywood and you’re curious to hear what it’s really like, now's your opportunity! Jake Thomson, Executive Assistant to the CEO of Cosm, has supported several big names in the entertainment industry such as Heather Parry (Television & Film Producer best known for Pixels, The House Bunny & A Star is Born), Kelly Osbourne (actress & daughter of Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne) & Jenny Daly (another well-known TV producer) in both personal and executive support capacities throughout his career. So, if there’s anyone who can offer us a VIP peek behind the scenes, bloopers and all, it’s Jake! He even had the chance to meet one of his favorite Hollywood starts who he may or may not have a tattoo of.... can you guess who?

This episode is sponsored by Malt + Stone, a female-founded, online clothing brand that empowers women to look and feel their best every day. With weekly curated drops, Malt + Stone has everything to reinvigorate your 2022 wardrobe from meetings to happy hour. Executive Assistants get 20% off their purchase with code MAVEN20. Shop 'till you drop!

Expectations vs Reality of Supporting a Founder: Food for Thought from Former Executive Assistant to the Founder of Glossier

In this episode of REACH, Stacy DeRosa, former Executive Assistant to the Founder and CEO of Glossier, Emily Weiss, discusses the difference between supporting a member of the C-Suite versus what it means to support the Founder of an organization. While it might seem like there wouldn’t be a ton of variance between the two, Stacy tells us otherwise. Great food for thought for those considering to take the leap from supporting a C-Level to supporting a Founder. 

REACH Roundtable Playback: Finding Opportunities for Growth and Renewal within the Executive Assistant Role

If you couldn’t join us for our second REACH Roundtable Livestream, here’s our playback. 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. 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 staying engaged in their work as Executive Assistants and how they maintain their passion and commitment to their careers. 

 

There are tracks within the EA role, there are tracks outside of the EA role and for those who see themselves tracking outside of the EA role, one of the paths that we’ve seen become commonly available to Executive Assistants is that of the Chief of Staff position. We’ve developed a course on “Becoming a Chief of Staff,” specifically designed for strategic Executive Assistants. So for those of you looking to further your knowledge & opportunities for advancement & community, visit www.mavenrec.com/courses.

How the Executive Assistant Role Serves as a Great Training Ground for Roles Outside of Executive Support

While we’re clearly huge advocates of the Executive Assistant career path, we also recognize that there are those whose inclinations and desires ultimately lead them away from that career and feel there is also value in talking about those guest stories. In this episode, we feature Tiffany Haughton’s story of going from Executive Assistant to the CEO of Poshmark to Growth Partnerships still within Poshmark! Tiffany’s roots as an EA go deep as she also supported the Founder & Creator of Android at one point in her career and she’s a big fan of the role. We talk about everything from how Tiffany wound up as an EA, when she realized she was ready to pivot into something new, how she had that conversation with her executive, as well as all of the ways in which the Executive Assistant role served as an excellent training ground for her current position. We know what you’re thinking, “What is growth partnerships anyway?” Well Tiffany answers that question, but we’ll give you a spoiler – she gets to collaborate with celebrities and influencers like Busy Phillips and Serena Williams!!! 

How to Make Decisions on Behalf of Your Executive in the Absence of Information & Communication

Ellie Dunne, Executive Assistant to the Head of Global Security at Stripe, shares her tips and tricks for how to gather the context you need in order to confidently make decisions on your executive’s behalf and what that looks like in practice. Perhaps your executive never has the time to get you up to speed or lacks the communication style to provide you with the details... or maybe working from home has just made it all the more difficult to get your questions answered. Regardless, this is an important skill to have in your toolkit – something that takes time to master and something that Ellie knows how to do well!

From Filing an S-1 to Ringing the Bell: The Role an Executive Assistant Plays in Taking a Company Public

There’s no denying the record of IPOs that have taken place on the US stock market this year and the flurry of organizations headed down that path next, so we decided it was time to dedicate an episode to the role an EA plays in taking a company public. We invited back former REACH guest Tanya Benvenuto, who played a significant role in Okta’s IPO back in 2017. At the center of it all, ringing the bell next to CEO, Todd McKinnon, Tanya lived and breathed this experience first-hand. In this episode, she shares what goes on behind the scenes, how best to support your executive through the process & how to navigate all of the additional intricacies and responsibilities that come with taking a company public all while maintaining the upmost level of discretion. So, if your organization has officially filed an S1, this episode promises to lend insight into the process and prepare you for that life-changing experience. 

The High Stakes and Highly Personal World of Estate Management: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Setup a Household

We’ve talked a lot about what it means to support an executive in the business realm, but less has been explored about what it takes to support an executive in the personal realm. We decided it was time to dedicate an entire episode to estate management, so we invited prominent Estate Manager & Personal Assistant, Alicia Myers, to discuss all things estate management and how to successfully set up a personal household. We touch on how to create a household manual and implement a seasonal maintenance checklist, to how to coordinate a design & build project, to how to manage multiple estates and above all, what it takes to support individuals in the public eye who live highly complex, involved and demanding lives. Here’s a teaser for you: it requires resourcefulness, discretion, precision, attentiveness, flexibility and the need to check your personal values and opinions at the door. So, if you’re an Estate Manager looking for best practices from the best of the best or, perhaps, you’re currently a nanny or family assistant who’s curious about the estate management piece, or even an executive assistant interested in transferring to private service, this episode is for you!

Supporting a First-Time Founder: An Opportunity to Leave a Legacy as an Executive Assistant

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.