Bryan Miles is an entrepreneur, husband, father, backpacker, mountain climber, mentor, and writer. In addition, he’s the CEO and Co-Founder of BELAY, a premium staffing company serving businesses all over the U.S. I’ve come to know Bryan over the last few years and have watched BELAY (Formerly EAHelp) continue to grow. A couple of my good friends have a BELAY Virtual Assistant and they can’t stop singing their praises, so I wanted to bring Bryan on to the podcast to learn more about what they’re...
Oct 27, 2019•44 min•Ep. 32
I’m excited to share my conversation with Jess Gardiner, Founder and Editor in Chief of The Assistant Room , an online magazine for assistants. Jess has a decade of experience as a C-Suite Executive Assistant, and shares several great insights in this episode. We talk about AI and the future of assistants, why being an assistant is some of the best training for those who want to start their own business, ways to encourage men to embrace the role of an EA, what to do if you’re sexually attracted ...
Oct 20, 2019•43 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, I chat with the team from Savoya – a company that provides secure, executive ground transportation services. I have a great conversation with Meagan Gleason (Chief Operating Officer), and Dominic (Dom) Miraglia (EVP of Sales & Marketing). We talk about things EAs should consider when booking ground transportation for their executive(s), how to determine if black car service is the right fit for your executive, the importance of security, and how one executive’s love for Maca...
Oct 13, 2019•31 min•Ep. 30
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 us...
Oct 06, 2019•34 min•Ep. 29
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/28 Subs...
Sep 29, 2019•41 min•Ep. 28
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...
Sep 22, 2019•8 min•Ep. 27
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, thought...
Sep 15, 2019•34 min•Ep. 26
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 a...
Sep 08, 2019•42 min•Ep. 25
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/24 Sponsored by lola.com Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.com Join the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com -- In-person...
Aug 25, 2019•10 min•Ep. 24
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 natur...
Aug 18, 2019•41 min•Ep. 23
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 m...
Aug 11, 2019•49 min•Ep. 22
I had the pleasure of chatting with Gina Cotner, who has a team of top notch Virtual Executive Assistants at her company, Athena Executive Services. We talk about the differences between a virtual and on-site assistant, how to get clients if you're a VA, and how to set yourself apart as a high-performing EA. If you are a VA, or are considering becoming one, this episode is especially for you. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/21 Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.com Join the community at slac...
Aug 04, 2019•38 min•Ep. 21
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 leadera...
Jul 28, 2019•12 min•Ep. 20
When I first shared the crazy idea to start a coaching business for assistants with my friend John Ruhlin (Author of the book Giftology ), he said, "Have you heard of Bonnie Low-Kramen?" I had not, so I looked her up and was so encouraged that I wasn't the only one who had the idea to help assistants be leaders! Since that day in 2016, I've followed Bonnie's work, and connected with her on LinkedIn. It wasn't until early 2019 that I had the pleasure of speaking with her. I was so encouraged and ...
Jul 21, 2019•57 min•Ep. 19
This episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast features Nick Ginsburg who is Executive Assistant to the Provost and Senior VP at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. I've never met Nick before (he's in Australia, I'm in Missouri), but he took a risk and "raised his hand" to be a guest on the podcast. Because we are both EAs, it felt like we'd known each other for a while even though this interview was our first time speaking. Nick had great things to share from his experience so I'm thankful...
Jul 14, 2019•37 min•Ep. 18
As Chief of Staff, Hallie Warner works closely with the executive team to manage special projects, hire and grow talent, and maximize her executive's reach through events and strategic communication. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast , Hallie and I talk about the differences between an Executive Assistant and a Chief of Staff, managing interruptions, writing a book, working too much, and what makes an assistant a leader. Hallie and her executive, Adam Hergenrother co-authored the b...
Jul 07, 2019•40 min•Ep. 17
I had the honor of speaking with Monique Helstrom about what it means to lead as an assistant, what executives should look for in assistants, how the EA role provides so many unique opportunities to learn, and that time she got a voicemail from Will Smith. :) Monique served as Chief of Simon Sinek, New York Times Best-Selling author and TED celebrity, and she now speaks and trains executives and assistants on how to build confidence within their partnership. Monique also helps startups and new b...
Jun 30, 2019•54 min•Ep. 16
What would life be like if you were assistant to the former President of the United States? I had the pleasure of speaking with Peggy Grande, former Executive Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, and author of "The President Will See You Now." Tune in to hear Peggy talk about what it was like being an assistant to such a well-known world leader, and how she ended up in such a unique EA role. Peggy also shares what she learned about communication from "The Great Communicator." Show notes at lead...
Jun 23, 2019•50 min•Ep. 15
Most of my podcast guests are assistants or former assistants, so I’m excited to hear a different perspective on today’s show. Today I talk with my wife's long-time friend and former Purdue pole vault teammate, J Ballentine. J was in corporate America for 11 years, then left to start her own business. We talk about hiring assistants, managing assistants, as well as public speaking. In fact, I love this quote regarding public speaking from J in this episode: "Be structured in how you prepare, but...
Jun 16, 2019•35 min•Ep. 14
Melissa Peoples is a Certified Microsoft Trainer with over 25 years of experience supporting C-Suite level executives in companies such as National Instruments, Dell, General Motors, The Ohio State University, AllState, and Eli Lily. We chat about managing board meetings, being vulnerable, and dealing with online trolls. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/13 Subscribe at podcast.leaderassistant.com Join the community at slack.leaderassistant.com or facebook.leaderassistant.com -- In-person meetin...
Jun 09, 2019•37 min•Ep. 13
What do you get when you mix a co-founder of a remote Executive Assistant agency with a long-time, rockstar EA? A new startup company building software specifically for EAs. In today's episode, I chat with two amazing women running an exciting new startup building an amazing software for assistants. I'm joined by Base CEO and CoFounder, Paige McPheely, as well as Chief of Staff, Crystal Esquivel. Base’s platform and community are modernizing how assistants work, because empowered, leader assista...
Jun 02, 2019•44 min•Ep. 12
In this episode, I share the 12 minute version of my life story as an example of how you can share your story with others. In fact, I challenge you to tell your story to one person this week, and ask them to do the same. This exercise is a great way to remind us we're human and help us have empathy toward others. An artificial intelligence software program will never have a story like yours, let alone understand and relate to it, so be human and share your story! Show notes at leaderassistant.co...
May 19, 2019•14 min•Ep. 11
How do you burnout-proof your life? In this episode, I continue the burnout theme from episode 9, and share 3 practical ways to avoid burnout. Note: I burned out at my last job and it was because I failed to apply these practices. Don't make the same mistake I did! Show notes at leaderassistant.com/10 -- 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...
May 12, 2019•9 min•Ep. 10
I burned out in my last job. I'm not proud of it, but it happened. Thankfully, I had some time off in between that job and my next one, which gave me a chance to figure out what had gone wrong. In hindsight, I realize I missed the warning signs that could have prevented my crash and burn. Are you burned out? If you exhibit one or more of the signs discussed in this episode, you're certainly not far from it. My hope is this episode will help you be honest with yourself and those around you when i...
May 05, 2019•12 min•Ep. 9
I’m so excited to publish my first interview and even more excited that it worked out to have my friend Phoenix Normand as my first guest! In this episode, Phoenix and I talk about artificial intelligence, being men in a role traditionally occupied by women, what we love about the executive assistant role, what executives can do to get more out of their assistants, and owning our mistakes! Phoenix has been a C-suite Executive Assistant for 27 years. He’s worked in Banking, Retail, Technology, an...
Apr 28, 2019•51 min•Ep. 8
Taking time off is seen as lazy and many people don't use their allotted paid vacation time. Can we stop pretending the world revolves around us? Let's stop making excuses and use all of our paid time off. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/7 -- 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, TROO...
Apr 21, 2019•10 min•Ep. 7
There are times when my to-do list and calendar and inbox are all so cluttered and jam-packed that glancing at them for 10 seconds makes my head hurt. It’s in moments like this where paper suddenly becomes useful. In today's episode I rant a bit about why I hate paper but I end up giving paper mad props for being useful for at least one thing. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/6 -- In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That’s where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to m...
Apr 14, 2019•9 min•Ep. 6
How long is your commute? Are you intentional with the time you have in your car, on the bus, or on the train? Don't waste your commute! In today's episode, I share some thoughts on this topic that I recorded (safely) while on my way to work one morning. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/5 -- 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 o...
Apr 09, 2019•8 min•Ep. 5
Listen to the birds chirp in the background as I share some random thoughts on LinkedIn and managing your boss' inbox from my backyard. Show notes at https://leaderassistant.com/4 Subscribe at https://podcast.leaderassistant.com Connect with me on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jeremyburrows/ -- 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 o...
Apr 07, 2019•12 min•Ep. 4
In Episode 3 I talk about 3 tensions assistants must learn to manage well if they want to become Leader Assistants. Show notes at leaderassistant.com/3 -- 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! -- ...
Apr 04, 2019•16 min•Ep. 3
