REACH - A Podcast for Executive Assistants

How to Take Care of Yourself When Working in a Stressful Environment

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!

Chief of Staff Turned Marketing Manager

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!

How to Set-up and Run an Office of the CEO

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.

Temp Glory Story: How One EA Turned a Contract Role into a Career Opportunity

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.

From Ticketfly to Eventbrite: What It’s Like to Go Through an Acquisition (Or Two!)

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!

The Role an Executive Assistant Plays in a Crisis

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.

Board Relations: The Invaluable Skill Every EA Needs in Their Toolkit

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!

Making It: How Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard Became the EA to the CEO of Airbnb

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!”

How to Best Leverage an Executive Assistant: An Episode You’ll Want to Share with Your Executive

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!

Pulling off a Virtual Event: Advice from an Event Planning Expert

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!