REACH - A Podcast for Executive Assistants

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!