Episodes
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Reading the feed…
Bonnie Low-Kramen has spent decades fighting for the administrative profession, and she is not slowing down.In this episode, Diana and Mel sit down with Bonnie, global speaker, trainer, author of Be the Ultimate Assistant and Staff Matters, and former longtime EA to Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, for a conversation that covers everything the profession needs to hear right now.Bonnie shares the advice she gave early in her career that she's since completely changed her mind about, why assistants give away too much power without even realizing it, and why the stat that the average age a leader re
In this episode, Chris Kraus shares his journey from executive assistant at Campbell Soup to a role in learning and development. He discusses the importance of mentorship, Campbell Soup's collaborative culture, and his experience creating training programs for administrative professionals. Chris emphasizes the value of lifelong learning and the impact of supportive colleagues in shaping his career. In this engaging conversation, Chris discusses the evolving role of administrative professionals in the age of AI. They explore the importance of networking, learning from each other, and maintainin
What does it take to turn a happy hour into a professional lifeline? For Ike Saunders, founder of REACH, it started with six strangers, some free appetizers, and a refusal to ever put a price tag on connection.In this episode, Ike joins Mel and Diana to trace how REACH (Regional Executive Assistants Cocktail Hour) grew from a casual 2012 gathering of six assistants in Chicago into a membership organization built entirely on the principle that no one should pay to access a strong network. Ike opens up about founding REACH after his mentor Chris Kennedy retired and left him without a built-in su
Diana and Mel go off-script in this unfiltered riff on one of the most relatable admin struggles: preparing for vacation while basically running a second job to get there.Diana shares her go-to strategies: keeping Doug's calendar light while she's out, sending weekly email briefings with every document attached, and why she checks emails from the beach anyway because coming back to 1,500 unread messages is its own kind of vacation nightmare.Mel opens up about the text that ruined a cave hike in Curaçao, Diana gets into being screamed at during Hurricane Sandy with no power and downed trees, an
In Part 2, Doug Conant gets personal and practical, sharing why he and his wife just “discovered” Netflix, his love of Louis L’Amour and Jack Reacher, and how recovering from hip surgery has turned movie night into his new fiction fix. He opens up about the leadership habit that’s taken him the longest to learn—deep, authentic listening—especially as an introvert who once kept his head down and tried to make everyone happy. Doug explains how an outplacement counselor challenged him to “stand up and be counted,” why encouragement and handwritten notes can transform relationships and culture, an
Fifty years. One philosophy: one plus one equals three.Doug Conant has built his entire leadership career on the belief that administrative professionals aren't support staff; they're your most valuable partners. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Doug gets candid with Diana and Mel about what it actually looks like when a leader genuinely values their admin. Not as a resource. As a partner.From the chaos of Diana's first week to the story of a former EA who put Doug's sneakers by the door before he ever agreed to wear them, this conversation is honest, warm, and full of the kind of lead
What happens when the implementation layer of every business disappears, and no one sees it coming? According to Lucy Brazier, OBE, that is exactly where we are headed, and she is not prepared to let it happen.In this episode, Lucy joins Diana and Melinda to break down the Global Skills Matrix 2026, a free career framework built on responses from more than 3,200 administrative professionals across 69 countries.She explains why 162 job titles for one profession are a crisis, why the Bureau of Labor Statistics is still talking about faxing, and why the average age of an admin being 50 means busi
Building Community One EA at a TimeWhat does it take to go from receptionist to the trusted partner of a PayPal CEO and then walk away on your own terms? According to CC Quinteros, it starts with someone opening a door for you and then having the courage to walk through it.In this episode, CC joins Diana and Melinda to talk about building EA communities from the ground up, why the profession is still misunderstood by HR and recruiters, and what 33 years in Silicon Valley's executive suites has taught her about owning your career. She shares how a leveling guide she discovered at Juniper Networ
What does it take to be award-worthy? According to Sunny Nunan, CEO and founder of the Admin Awards, it starts with having the courage to be recognized.In this episode, Sunny joins Diana and Melinda to talk about what separates a good admin from a great one, why public recognition is long overdue for the profession, and what thousands of nominations reveal about the people who truly make organizations run. She also shares a deeply personal tribute to her mom, Jeanette, a career executive secretary who never stopped showing up, never suffered fools, and inspired everything Sunny has built. If y
Rosalyn Taylor O'Neill has spent 50 years helping organizations recognize what most people would rather ignore. In this episode, the DEI veteran, author, and self-proclaimed "almost 76 and saying whatever I want" powerhouse joins Diana and Melinda for a candid conversation about why our biases aren't unconscious; they're unexamined. From growing up in the segregated South to consulting for Fortune 500 companies and the CIA, Rosalyn brings hard-won wisdom, sharp humor, and one simple challenge for anyone who wants to do better: have the courage to ask the question.
