The Leader Assistant Podcast with Jeremy Burrows

Eliza Bladon is Executive Assistant to the Co-Founder and CTO of Lola.com, and also the founder of SmarterEA – a growing community of EAs on Slack.Eliza is a leader in her company and a leader in the EA community at large so I am very excited to share our conversation with you!We talk about navigating and embracing change, finding a Llama at the last minute, communicating with your executive, networking with other assistants, and tips for booking corporate travel. Eliza also shares how she uses Lola.com – the sponsor for this episode – to manage expenses, book travel, and handle last minute travel emergencies. Oh and we find out what Lola.com’s service team calls themselves. :)Enjoy the show and be sure to attend a demo of Lola.com to get a $50 Amazon gift card here.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/29Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

In this episode, I chat with Danielle Hill, former EA to the CEO of e.l.f. Beauty, as well as former EA to one of the co-founders of Pandora.We talk about getting your seat at the table, handling conflict in the workplace, what executives can do to get more out of their assistants, and the importance of being proactive.Danielle also shares her story of standing next to her CEO at the podium of the New York Stock Exchange when their company went public.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/28Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Calling something an “emergency” doesn’t make it a true emergency. Most things can wait.Urgent is rarely urgent.Think about the last time you received a text or phone call from your executive during your off hours. Could it have waited until you were back online to address?Most likely, the answer is yes. This episode is a reminder that urgent is rarely urgent.I talk about setting expectations with your executive, as well as the different modes of communication and how my executive and I rank them in terms of urgency.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/27Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

I love the internet. I've met so many people online that I would have never met otherwise, including today's guest, Annie Croner.This episode was fun because I had already been interviewed by Annie for her website (WholeAssistant.com). So it was nice to return the favor and be the one asking the questions this time around.Annie founded Whole Assistant to empower and encourage assistants and I'm thrilled to share my conversation with her in this episode.We dive in to productivity tips, thoughts on starting a blog, what to do when you make a mistake, and much more.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/26Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

There are dozens of blogs and resources for assistants today, but not many have been around as long as Practically Perfect PA, and even fewer publish content on a consistent basis.In this episode, you get the honor of hearing from Nicky Christmas – the woman behind the PPPA movement. We talk about side hustles, productivity for assistants, what to do if you're romantically or sexually attracted to your boss, and why she pretends to be Beyoncé.Nicky and I have partnered together several times and I'm very excited to have her on the podcast!Show notes at leaderassistant.com/25Sponsor - lola.com/podcastSubscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Admitting you’re wrong is not easy, but it is a necessary skill to master if you want to be an impactful leader who builds a healthy culture in your workplace. I learned this valuable lesson about company culture while pushing carts at Walmart in high school, and it has helped me out in my career as an EA.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/24Sponsored by lola.comSubscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

This episode is full of valuable insight from my wonderful guest and new friend, Jess Lindgren. Jess is a long time executive assistant, founder of the Ask an Assistant podcast, and currently works as Executive Assistant to Pat Flynn – best selling author and host of The Smart Passive Income Podcast, which has been one of the top business podcasts in the last several years.We talk about onboarding new team members, leaving a toxic environment, starting your own business, the dehumanizing nature of being an assistant, working with your executive not for them, and mental health in the workplace. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jess! Show notes at leaderassistant.com/23Sponsored by lola.comSubscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Melba Duncan has trained assistants since before I was an EA, so I am very grateful for the opportunity to interview her on the show.One of the most life-changing articles I've ever read was Melba's piece in a 2011 issue of Harvard Business Review called, The Case for Executive Assistants – which is still shared far and wide by EAs all over the world.In fact, the day I interviewed Melba, she was featured in this Forbes article.As I went back and edited this episode, I was blown away at how much wisdom Melba had to share during our brief conversation.We cover a variety of topics including how to be innovative as an assistant, why assistants are crucial to an executive's success, how executives can get more out of their assistants, what makes an assistant a leader, how to stay healthy and rest in the midst of a demanding role, tips for recruiting assistants, and much more.Show notes - leaderassistant.com/22Subscribe - podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants. --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Gina Cotner, CEO of Athena Executive Services, discusses the differences between virtual and on-site assistants, getting clients as a VA, and standing out as a high-performing EA. The episode is focused on VAs and those considering the role, offering insights and tips for success in the field.

In my decade plus of experience as an executive assistant, I’ve come up with several tricks to a good system for setting up meetings that help me be efficient, helpful to others, and ultimately take control of my executive's calendar.In this episode, I share the following three tips to help you schedule meetings more easily.#1 - Add meeting blocks to your executive's calendar.#2 - Don't let your executive schedule meetings.#3 - Don't ask the other party to send options.Show notes at leaderassistant.com/20Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.comJoin the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you’re organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community