In this latest episode of The Future Focused Admin Podcast, we’re discussing the Joys of Networking and our wrap-up of the 2024 APC Conference we attended in October at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. We wanted to reflect on our time at the conference. This is a much lighter-hearted episode than our other ones as we wanted to take the time to celebrate the joys of networking, the fun of meeting fellow admins from around the world in person, and the meaningful connections we made. Tune in as we share our favorite moments, key takeaways, and the value of building a strong network within the admin profession.

To see the highlights reel of the event click here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCGbT0_smaX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

To find out more about ShareCal go to https://sharecal.io and connect with Haefa Mansour via LinkedIn click here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haefa-mansour

To see The EA Salary Surveys for UK, USA & Australia click here: https://www.easalarysurvey.com

We forgot to mention, Leah also interviewed Candice for the ASAP ‘The Admin Edge’ Podcast. It will go live in 2025. We’ll keep you posted when that goes live but there are SO many great eps to listen to: https://www.asaporg.com/podcast

Here is the reel of my experience with Savoya Concierge Car Service. Honestly, I can’t speak more highly of my experience with Savoya Chauffer Services. I’ll definitely be using them again! Receive 20% off your first 3 trips by clicking here: https://www.savoya.com/welcome/admin-avenues and find out more about their services on their website: https://savoya.com.

Congratulations to the winners of the ASAP Admin Awards. See more details and all the winners here: https://www.asaporg.com/awards

If you haven’t heard of Candace Doby, you need to check her out here: https://candacedoby.com. Her session on ‘Courage at Work: How to Speak Up and Own Your Brilliance‘ was on point!

If you need a professional development PLAN template, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O98oi3qFHnRbbnMHAImClbKI3eRTr-jT9nPx7Ak1o24/edit?usp=sharing

If you would like a Learning and Development Business Case template, to request investment to attend an admin conference / event, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w7B4GZ9uXOyKxhTpwT_ozlJeiFKQibEstxqwR46BtcA/edit?usp=sharing

The 2025 APC Conference will be September 7-10, 2025 at the Seattle Convention Center, Seattle, WA. Find out more details here:

Show Notes:

In today’s episode, we are chatting with Victoria Wratten, Founder of EPAA (Executive and Personal Assistants Association), Former Senior Executive Assistant & Top 30 Inspirational & Influential Women in the City 2017-Brummell Magazine. Vic has been talking about ‘The Great EA Returement’ for years, but it’s only now that people are starting to take notice.

Tune in and join the conversation!

Link to Victoria Wratten’s article about The Great EA Retirement: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-ea-retirement-victoria-wratten-n050e/?trackingId=8HTXD62FI2uSFLCnZZHrpg%3D%3D

If you’d like to connect with our guest Victoria Wratten, you’ll find her at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-wratten-0893b017/

Web: https://epaa.org.uk/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5we28xhJnEyMEoKvNq5umt

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6NZ-8eBvVuGEaW3uE_-Bg

This episode is sponsored by The Tech Savvy Assistant, your guide to a more relaxing work life through technology. Are you an administrative professional or freelancer? Want to stay ahead of the curve with AI, ChatGPT, and more? Tech Savvy Assistant has just what you need. Subscribe to our premium newsletter packed with exclusive insights, tips, and guides tailored to help you excel in your career. It's a must-have for anyone looking to improve their working conditions and embrace the future of tech. Go to ⁠⁠techsavvysistant.com⁠⁠, and you can sign up on Jessica's webpage.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you have anything you want to share, have an idea or just want to connect, drop us an email at ⁠⁠⁠⁠tffapodcast@outlook.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and join us on Instagram here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturefocusedadmin⁠⁠⁠⁠.

In today’s episode, we’re having a healthy debate with Jeremy Burrows Author of The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of a Confident, Game-Changing Assistant, and founder and host of The Leader Assistant Podcast which Jessica and Candice have both been guests on.

We start with the debate of the Title “Assistant” referring back to Candice’s viral LinkedIn post that sparked this debate (link below). Jeremy has a different opinion to Candice and also brings feedback from some of the admins in his community about how they feel on this topic. Jessica gives feedback from her admin community and shares her experience with titles and gives an example of how a title change caused a huge financial impact in her family.

We discuss how all 3 of us have held the same title of “Executive Assistant”, but had VERY different careers, opportunities and salaries. We discuss the privilledges that some of us have had, and acknowledge that others in our communities don’t have these privileges, including the gender pay-gap.

We discuss the varying costs of training, development and events in admin from different sides of the globe. What some see as expensive and what some see as investments and get their companies to pay for the investment. We discuss pay disparity and talking about your salary with other admins.

We touch on the ugly side of some of the thought leaders in the admin space. We discuss the lack of diversity in this space and the need for more younger people to start showing up in this space, without the fear of being torn-down for their efforts.

(This was recorded just after episode 2 with Dominique Givens. We interviewed Dominique about her experience as a younger african-american female who was on the receiving end of a known bully in the admin community for giving her opinion and making her way as a thought leader on LinkedIn in the admin space).

On Episode 2, we introduce Dominique Givens as our first ever guest. Dominique is a Chief of Staff & Executive Administrative Partner in the Technology sector.

So a bit more about our first guest - she is the result of a pre-med and computer science double major having an existential crisis and dropped out of undergrad to join the workforce. Why? She goes on to become the ultimate corporate linchpin, of course! Meet Dominique Givens, former Chief of Staff at The Adecco Group and current Executive Administrative Partner to the EVP of Aircraft Engineering at Shield AI.

Dominique has spent over 6+ years honing her skills in what she has aptly coined "C.O.A.M." (Communications, Operations, and Administrative Management)—a framework she has even trademarked! Partnering with C-level executives in the technology industry, Dominique has held tenure at tech giants like Meta and Pinterest. Now, she is leveraging her experience and skill set to help reverse engineer that success in the startup world.

In 2023, Dominique found herself the target of a prominent figure within the admin community after sharing an innocent LinkedIn post that gained some attention. Unfortunately, this led to a wave of online bullying from a fellow admin professional who should have known better. This experience prompted us to bring this important conversation to the podcast, highlighting the critical issue of online bullying in professional spaces.

In this episode, we dive into the emotional, psychological, and career-related impacts of online bullying, particularly focusing on its disproportionate effects on marginalized communities. Dominique courageously shares her personal experience, opening up about the emotional toll and the challenges she faced both personally and professionally. We explore how she managed the situation, the actions she took, and the invaluable support she received from the admin community.

Tune in as we discuss the importance of recognizing and addressing online bullying, and how we can create a more supportive and inclusive environment for everyone in the professional world.

To connect with Dominique - join her on her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominique-givens441/

If you are struggling with online bullying or need to talk to someone about online bullying, please reach out for help at charities like https://www.stopbullying.gov or https://www.cybersmile.org.

This episode is sponsored by The Tech Savvy Assistant, your guide to a more relaxing work life through technology. Are you an administrative professional or freelancer? Want to stay ahead of the curve with AI, ChatGPT, and more? Tech Savvy Assistant has just what you need. Subscribe to our premium newsletter packed with exclusive insights, tips, and guides tailored to help you excel in your career. It's a must-have for anyone looking to improve their working conditions and embrace the future of tech. Go to ⁠⁠techsavvysistant.com⁠⁠, and you can sign up on Jessica's webpage.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Welcome back to ‘The Future Focused Admin’! In our Season 2 premiere, we dive into a topic that's been sparking widespread conversation - saying goodbye to the title "Assistant." Inspired by a LinkedIn post from Candice that blew up with over 700,000 impressions, we explore why change is always hard, the mixed reactions to this shift, and what it means for the future of administrative roles. Change is inevitable, and with it comes a range of opinions and emotions. We couldn't wait to jump into this discussion, and we want to hear from you! Share your thoughts, comments, and opinions with us. We love engaging with our community as we navigate these evolving trends together. Tune in and join the conversation!

Link to Candice’s viral LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7230195205147148288/Link to the Global Skills Matrix: https://globalskillsmatrix.com/

Link to the Title Recalibration Initiative: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dvUKho0nxTh8E_jaSieycOzjUQh01QB0?usp=drive_link

Link to Victoria Wratten’s article about The Great EA Retirement: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-ea-retirement-victoria-wratten-n050e/?trackingId=8HTXD62FI2uSFLCnZZHrpg%3D%3D

This episode is sponsored by Admin Avenues. The Admin Avenues network is a professional and lifestyle information platform, designed to assist admin professionals in finding relevant education, tools & systems, access to admin communities and more. They provide free access and support for admin professionals no matter what stage you’re at in your admin career. Go to ⁠https://adminavenues.com⁠ and join the network today.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠⁠.

If you have anything you want to share, have an idea or just want to connect, drop us an email at ⁠⁠tffapodcast@outlook.com⁠⁠ and join us on Instagram here: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturefocusedadmin⁠⁠.

The take-aways from this episode are: The admin profession has changed post-pandemic. We all need to keep up to date with new ways of doing things smarter in our jobs. So, be an early adopter of new tech, embrace early adoption, test and provide feedback to other admins, upskill and familiarise yourself with AI platforms, embrace generous networking and show kindness to others.

Jessica suggests joining Tik Tok. It’s no longer people dancing on videos. It’s full of informative insights in short clips. Be part of admin communities be it LinkedIn, Facebook community groups, admin groups like Admin Avenues, The Admin Collective and The Tech Savvy Assistant community groups. Sign up for community webinars / masterclasses there’s an array of free and paid options.

The other websites referred to in this episode were Rachel Woods from the AI exchange: https://theaiexchange.com/therachelwoods. If you want to download Jessica’s guides, they are available through her website: https://www.techsavvyassistant.com.

This episode is sponsored by Admin Avenues. The Admin Avenues network is a professional and lifestyle information platform, designed to assist admin professionals in finding relevant education, tools & systems, access to admin communities and more. They provide free access and support for admin professionals no matter what stage you’re at in your admin career. Go to https://adminavenues.com and join the network today.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠.

If you have anything you want to share, have an idea or just want to connect, drop us an email at ⁠tffapodcast@outlook.com⁠ and join us on Instagram here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturefocusedadmin⁠.

If you’re legally able to, start discussing your salary with other admins. Don’t have any admins to chat to? Join a free admin network. There are heaps on Facebook. Join ours at Admin Avenues, The Admin Collective and The Tech Savvy Assistant community groups. We welcome you to come and ask questions. Find out if you’re being under-paid and then address it how best suits your situation.

If you only take one thing away from today’s episode, let it be this: DO NOT OFFER YOUR SERVICES FOR FREE! Do not offer your services at a discount. It is such a disservice to not only you, but other admins in the freelance profession.

If you’re looking to move out of corporate want to “Conquer The Gig Economy” check out Jessica’s blog here for advice on how to get started: https://www.techsavvyassistant.com/blog/freelance-frontier-conquering-gig-economy-tech-savvy-skills

The other 2 websites we referenced for helpful information are: https://executive-assistants.org and https://wa-alliance.com/home.

As for the petition to get Jessica to Australia…stay tuned!

This episode was sponsored by Circleback.ai. Get more out of your meetings. Never take notes again with ai-driven meeting notes and action items you can trust. Use Jessica’s exclusive discount code to get 50% for your first 6 months. Just use code: JESSM50 at https://circleback.ai.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠.

If you have anything you want to share, have an idea or just want to connect, drop us an email at ⁠tffapodcast@outlook.com⁠ and join us on Instagram here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturefocusedadmin⁠.

Happy Birthday Jessica! For us, this was episode 5, but for our community and listeners, it was the day they found out about our secret podcast project! We’re so thrilled you have been enjoying it. We truly appreciate the 5 star ratings, follows and feedback. What an incredible and supportive community we have – so thank you!

Today’s episode, we talk about 'Balancing Work and Personal Life as an Admin'. We feel like this is always so hard in our profession as we’re often the “go to” person for information and access.

Why is it that admins must get to a point of burnout before we decide to set boundaries. Why are we not taught to set boundaries from the beginning of our career. We need to fix this. Health is wealth. Without your health, you can’t function, so make sure you prioritise your wellbeing (both physical and mental health) so you can be the best version of yourself.

We want to hear from you! Are you happy being back in the office? Would you prefer to be able to work from home? Are you being forced to come back? Have you had a career change because of this?

This episode is sponsored by The Tech Savvy Assistant, your guide to a more relaxing work life through technology. Are you an administrative professional or freelancer? Want to stay ahead of the curve with AI, ChatGPT, and more? Tech Savvy Assistant has just what you need. Subscribe to our premium newsletter packed with exclusive insights, tips, and guides tailored to help you excel in your career. It's a must-have for anyone looking to improve their working conditions and embrace the future of tech. Go to techsavvysistant.com, and you can sign up on Jessica's webpage.

Stay connected with us on our YouTube and social channels for updates on new episodes, and exclusive content. Follow us on @techsavvyassistant @adminavenues and @candice_burningham to join our growing global communities of admin enthusiasts!

Remember, this podcast is all about admins, so let's have some fun, maybe learn something, and grow in our careers together! Thank you for being a part of The Future Focused Admin Podcast. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and share with your admin friends and community. We welcome you all!

If you prefer to watch your podcasts and/or want to see the full version of our chats (bloopers and all), you can watch our episodes via our YouTube channel here at: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@TheFutureFocusedAdmin-kx6rx⁠⁠.

If you have anything you want to share, have an idea or just want to connect, drop us an email at ⁠⁠tffapodcast@outlook.com⁠⁠ and join us on Instagram here: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thefuturefocusedadmin⁠⁠.