Kelly Munoz has 15+ years of experience supporting C-level executives in NYC.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Kelly talks about networking and supporting fellow assistants, the worst gift an executive gifted her, and more.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
CONNECT WITH KELLY
ABOUT KELLY
Kelly Munoz is a mother first then an EA. Kelly has 15+ years supporting C-level execs in NYC in various industries. The last 7 years Kelly has focused on finding herself and her voice. Founder of EAs to the Rescue – a networking group focused on sharing resources and providing support to one another. Kelly is FL born and raised by hard working immigrant parents. Kelly loves psychology, plants, working out, comedies, and spending time with her son.
–––
THE LEADER ASSISTANT PODCAST IS PRESENTED BY NOVA CHIEF OF STAFF
Calling all Executive Assistants: Are you looking for a way to elevate your skills or earn that promotion you’ve been eyeing? Nova Chief of Staff’s online certification course provides you with the knowledge and confidence you need to stand out on the job. Whether you want to land your dream position or level up in your current role, Nova’s self-paced course gives you hands-on practice doing what Chiefs of Staff do every day.
Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more and secure your spot!
–––
THE LEADER ASSISTANT PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP
To learn more about how you can join growth-minded Leader Assistants, check out our Leader Assistant Premium Membership for ongoing training, coaching, and community.
THE LEADER ASSISTANT BOOK
Download the first 3 chapters of The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of Game-Changing Assistant for FREE here or buy it on Amazon and listen to the audiobook on Audible. Also, check out the companion study guide, The Leader Assistant Workbook, to dig deeper.
LEADER ASSISTANT LIVE EVENTS
Check out our constantly updated schedule of events for admins and assistants at LeaderAssistantLive.com.
JOIN THE FREE COMMUNITY
Join the Leader Assistant Global Community for bonus content, job opportunities, and to network with other assistants who are committed to becoming leaders!
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to The Leader Assistant Podcast so you don’t miss new episodes!
You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Stitcher.
Join my email list here if you want to get an email when a new episode goes live.
LEAVE A REVIEW
If you’re enjoying the podcast, please take 2 minutes to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts here. Each review helps me stay motivated to keep the show going!
–––
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.260 –> 00:00:11.320
KELLY: Hi, I’m Kelly Munoz, and one of my favorite quotes is, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
00:00:17.477 –> 00:00:25.037
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:33.906 –> 00:00:38.406
JEREMY: Are you a strategic senior executive assistant thinking about what’s next?
00:00:38.406 –> 00:00:47.206
JEREMY: Whether you’re ready for a promotion or loving the job you’re in, Nova Chief of Staff’s certification course may be just the resource you’re hungry for.
00:00:47.206 –> 00:01:04.286
JEREMY: With over 400 students across 20 countries and rave reviews, students graduate from Nova’s hands-on, self-paced online course with the confidence, knowledge, and power to make the move to Chief of Staff for their executive.
00:01:04.286 –> 00:01:05.846
JEREMY: But don’t take my word for it.
00:01:05.846 –> 00:01:15.366
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to find countless testimonials, the course syllabus, and lots of free resources to support you in your career journey.
00:01:15.366 –> 00:01:17.606
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:17.606 –> 00:01:21.566
JEREMY: This is your host Jeremy Burrows and this is episode 289.
00:01:21.566 –> 00:01:25.986
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/289.
00:01:33.286 –> 00:01:43.126
JEREMY: Today, I’m very excited to be speaking with Kelly Munoz and Kelly is EA to the CEO and Chairman.
00:01:43.126 –> 00:01:46.586
JEREMY: And I’m actually looking at your LinkedIn right now, Kelly.
00:01:46.586 –> 00:01:49.266
JEREMY: Your company is 3I Members, is that right?
00:01:49.266 –> 00:01:50.606
KELLY: Yes, that’s correct.
00:01:51.246 –> 00:01:52.766
JEREMY: Well, welcome to the show.
00:01:52.766 –> 00:01:54.786
KELLY: Thank you for having me.
00:01:54.786 –> 00:02:02.046
JEREMY: And tell us a little bit about what city you’re in and what do you like to do when you’re not working.
00:02:02.066 –> 00:02:04.486
KELLY: I’m based out of New York.
00:02:04.486 –> 00:02:10.606
KELLY: And when I’m not working and when I have time, I will, you’ll find me at the gym.
00:02:10.606 –> 00:02:14.946
KELLY: I’m a gym rat in general, usually five, six days a week.
00:02:14.946 –> 00:02:17.226
KELLY: Hasn’t been the case the last several months.
00:02:19.226 –> 00:02:20.806
KELLY: But we’re getting back there.
00:02:22.546 –> 00:02:22.906
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:22.906 –> 00:02:26.726
JEREMY: And what kind of gym workout do you like?
00:02:26.726 –> 00:02:29.326
JEREMY: Are you a weight person or are you a cardio person?
00:02:29.326 –> 00:02:33.986
JEREMY: Are you a dance Zumba something?
00:02:33.986 –> 00:02:35.146
JEREMY: What’s your favorite?
00:02:35.146 –> 00:02:36.926
KELLY: I like to power lift actually.
00:02:38.306 –> 00:02:39.386
KELLY: Yeah.
00:02:39.386 –> 00:02:42.146
KELLY: There’s enough cardio and power lifting when you’re doing volume works.
00:02:42.146 –> 00:02:48.606
KELLY: You’re like, the weight is so heavy after like two reps, you’re like, that’s cardio, that counts.
00:02:48.606 –> 00:02:51.846
KELLY: I try to, you won’t catch me running anywhere, that’s for sure.
00:02:51.846 –> 00:02:54.806
KELLY: Maybe like an incline walk.
00:02:54.806 –> 00:02:57.486
KELLY: But that’s about the extent of the cardio.
00:02:57.486 –> 00:03:00.346
KELLY: Lots of heavy lifting, lots of calluses.
00:03:01.826 –> 00:03:03.186
KELLY: It’s just more my speed.
00:03:03.966 –> 00:03:04.846
JEREMY: Nice.
00:03:04.846 –> 00:03:06.326
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:03:06.326 –> 00:03:11.066
JEREMY: Do you have cats or dogs or kids or any of the above?
00:03:11.066 –> 00:03:17.746
KELLY: No, I am a dog person, but I opted to not have a pet recently because it’s just a lot of work.
00:03:17.746 –> 00:03:27.546
KELLY: I have a child and in his famous words when he was 10 years old, when I was considering a dog, mommy, you have too many responsibilities.
00:03:27.546 –> 00:03:29.526
KELLY: Why would you give yourself more work to do?
00:03:29.526 –> 00:03:31.686
JEREMY: Okay.
00:03:31.686 –> 00:03:32.466
KELLY: Heard.
00:03:32.486 –> 00:03:33.366
JEREMY: Smart kid.
00:03:34.686 –> 00:03:36.166
JEREMY: Smart kid.
00:03:36.166 –> 00:03:38.226
KELLY: Yeah.
00:03:38.226 –> 00:03:38.806
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:03:38.806 –> 00:03:40.826
JEREMY: So tell us about your career a little bit.
00:03:40.826 –> 00:03:45.166
JEREMY: Then how did you end up becoming an assistant?
00:03:45.166 –> 00:03:47.446
JEREMY: And how long have you been an assistant?
00:03:47.446 –> 00:03:49.426
KELLY: I’ve been an assistant for quite some time, actually.
00:03:49.426 –> 00:03:52.246
KELLY: It’s been, I would say, probably 20 years, maybe a little bit more.
00:03:53.826 –> 00:03:55.486
KELLY: It kind of just fell on my lap.
00:03:55.486 –> 00:04:03.846
KELLY: I think I’m just a very organized and analytical person, as most assistants are.
00:04:03.846 –> 00:04:06.386
KELLY: We see things that no one else sees.
00:04:07.446 –> 00:04:09.306
KELLY: And it kind of just happened.
00:04:09.306 –> 00:04:26.926
KELLY: I actually started working in the medical field at the University of Miami as a front-end receptionist, checking in, checking out patients, taking blood pressure and transition to back-end billing.
00:04:26.926 –> 00:04:29.586
KELLY: So I had a lot of experience in the medical field.
00:04:29.586 –> 00:04:33.606
KELLY: And I moved to New York and started working at Columbia Presbyterian.
00:04:33.606 –> 00:04:42.966
KELLY: And I landed a position as an office coordinator supporting two orthopedic surgeons there, one of which is the chairman of orthopedic surgery right now.
00:04:42.966 –> 00:04:46.586
KELLY: And the other one happens to be the physician for the New York Yankees now.
00:04:47.346 –> 00:04:51.886
KELLY: And yeah, so we were off to a great start.
00:04:51.886 –> 00:04:53.746
KELLY: I was there for a long time.
00:04:53.746 –> 00:04:59.986
KELLY: I was able to really understand the back end of things, front end.
00:04:59.986 –> 00:05:03.626
KELLY: I started as a floater actually, which was one of my favorite things.
00:05:03.626 –> 00:05:13.526
KELLY: And I always suggest to every company, you need to start a lot of people in their first weeks as floaters so they can understand the intricacies of each role.
00:05:14.166 –> 00:05:20.286
KELLY: And they know where this mistake happens, how that affects the next role.
00:05:20.286 –> 00:05:25.426
KELLY: And it really empowers people to take ownership and support each other.
00:05:25.426 –> 00:05:28.566
KELLY: Sadly, not a lot of companies do that.
00:05:28.566 –> 00:05:32.466
KELLY: But they find out eventually, maybe it might work.
00:05:32.466 –> 00:05:34.886
KELLY: Yeah, so I got lucky and I floated there.
00:05:35.206 –> 00:05:38.566
KELLY: And then the manager was just like, let’s get you to be an office coordinator.
00:05:38.566 –> 00:05:46.266
KELLY: And since then, it just kind of like transitioned into assistant to the president’s office, EA to the CFO.
00:05:46.266 –> 00:05:48.426
KELLY: And it just like started evolving from there.
00:05:48.426 –> 00:05:52.686
KELLY: And I’ve been in every industry you could think of at this point.
00:05:52.686 –> 00:05:53.346
KELLY: It’s all the same.
00:05:53.346 –> 00:05:55.646
KELLY: It’s just a different label slapped onto it.
00:05:55.646 –> 00:05:57.826
JEREMY: Yeah, I was going to say, what’s your favorite?
00:05:57.826 –> 00:06:03.466
JEREMY: I know the skills are transferable across industries when you’re an EA.
00:06:03.466 –> 00:06:08.066
JEREMY: But what has been maybe your top favorite industries to work in?
00:06:09.706 –> 00:06:19.806
KELLY: You know, the funnest role I had was actually at Samsung Electronics, and it was fun.
00:06:21.586 –> 00:06:28.646
KELLY: I was in the marketing team with partnerships, and it was actually I had two executives.
00:06:28.646 –> 00:06:31.606
KELLY: They were, first of all, phenomenal.
00:06:32.966 –> 00:06:35.966
KELLY: And I’ll always scream their names from the mountaintops.
00:06:37.366 –> 00:06:38.606
KELLY: I still text message them.
00:06:38.606 –> 00:06:39.846
KELLY: I don’t care.
00:06:41.006 –> 00:06:49.266
KELLY: But it was a great just like environment in general, because they have a system and a team of executive assistants.
00:06:49.266 –> 00:06:53.666
KELLY: And I mean, that was kind of like one of the best experiences.
00:06:53.666 –> 00:06:59.966
KELLY: I would say some of the best experiences I’ve had were being on teams, where you can lean on each other and support each other.
00:06:59.966 –> 00:07:11.286
KELLY: And some of the loneliest and most annoying roles have been being the lone wolf at the company and no one to bounce your ideas off of.
00:07:11.286 –> 00:07:22.686
KELLY: So definitely Samsung was kind of like one of those roles that stood out to me the most during my career and I really had a great time and I made some really great friendships there too.
00:07:22.686 –> 00:07:23.826
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:07:23.826 –> 00:07:28.186
JEREMY: And you currently, what industry do you currently work in?
00:07:30.626 –> 00:07:36.406
KELLY: So Three High Members is actually a startup and it’s a think tank kind of.
00:07:37.986 –> 00:08:09.566
KELLY: There’s not a lot to go into except that it’s a networking, it’s a hub for a networking hub for ultra high net worth individuals and they kind of, I would say, customize their networking opportunities to connect with other investors, to give them a different type of experience to, you know, maybe one investor is interested in something new and they don’t know how to get into that industry or who to talk to, so we will connect them with someone we do know.
00:08:09.566 –> 00:08:11.786
KELLY: And it’s very niche, it’s very cool.
00:08:11.786 –> 00:08:13.466
KELLY: I actually find it very interesting.
00:08:13.466 –> 00:08:25.106
KELLY: I’ve met some pretty cool people so far and the team is, it’s a small team, but man, do they run like a big team, which is really fun to watch.
00:08:25.806 –> 00:08:27.206
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:08:27.206 –> 00:08:28.326
JEREMY: Yeah, very interesting.
00:08:28.326 –> 00:08:32.746
JEREMY: I want to look into that as my executive as an investor as well.
00:08:33.506 –> 00:08:36.546
KELLY: Oh, send him my way.
00:08:36.546 –> 00:08:40.086
JEREMY: Yeah, sounds good.
00:08:40.086 –> 00:08:45.366
JEREMY: So tell us a little bit about the EAs to the rescue.
00:08:45.366 –> 00:08:53.826
JEREMY: What is EAs to the rescue and how did that become a thing and why did you start it?
00:08:54.806 –> 00:09:04.066
KELLY: Going back to not having a sounding board, the career, every role I stepped into was that didn’t have a group of executive assistants.
00:09:04.086 –> 00:09:11.006
KELLY: It was like you create your own resources, you are the hub of information.
00:09:12.946 –> 00:09:15.346
KELLY: After 20 years, it gets exhausting.
00:09:17.246 –> 00:09:19.326
KELLY: And you remember everything, right?
00:09:19.326 –> 00:09:20.906
KELLY: It’s in your brain, your role as X.
00:09:20.906 –> 00:09:32.346
KELLY: It’s not like I never had it in an Excel sheet, because let’s be real, Google Workspace just jumped on recently in the last 10, 15 years.
00:09:32.346 –> 00:09:35.706
KELLY: It wasn’t like everyone was using it.
00:09:35.706 –> 00:09:36.706
KELLY: I didn’t have it anywhere.
00:09:36.706 –> 00:09:38.626
KELLY: It was just everything was always in my head.
00:09:38.626 –> 00:09:48.626
KELLY: And I would see at one of my roles, I onboarded two new executive assistants, one who never had experience as an executive assistant.
00:09:48.626 –> 00:09:56.446
KELLY: But based on her ability to see the finer details and bigger picture, I was like, oh, you’re going to be great at this.
00:09:56.446 –> 00:09:57.486
KELLY: I got you.
00:09:57.486 –> 00:09:58.706
KELLY: Let me train you.
00:09:58.706 –> 00:09:59.906
KELLY: We’ll be good.
00:09:59.906 –> 00:10:10.326
KELLY: And I realized there is no or there wasn’t information out there to help one another.
00:10:10.326 –> 00:10:11.766
KELLY: And it kind of bothered me.
00:10:12.866 –> 00:10:20.726
KELLY: And in New York, there’s a lot of executive assistants that know each other in New York, but a lot of them just do not communicate with each other.
00:10:20.726 –> 00:10:22.706
KELLY: I don’t know what it is about New York City EAs.
00:10:22.706 –> 00:10:25.886
KELLY: Like, hey, y’all, communicate.
00:10:27.066 –> 00:10:28.126
KELLY: They just don’t.
00:10:28.126 –> 00:10:29.706
KELLY: I don’t know what it is.
00:10:29.706 –> 00:10:31.066
KELLY: Maybe it’s the busy life.
00:10:31.066 –> 00:10:35.366
KELLY: We kind of like are kind of moving at high speeds, which I get.
00:10:36.426 –> 00:10:43.606
KELLY: But sometimes it makes sense to stop and just be like, let me connect with people that are in line with what I’m doing.
00:10:43.606 –> 00:10:48.166
KELLY: They might have information that I don’t understand or know or can point me to.
00:10:48.186 –> 00:10:53.606
KELLY: And it kind of just started where I was on Slack a lot.
00:10:53.606 –> 00:10:58.766
KELLY: And one of my old companies, a lot of the former employees had their own Slack channel.
00:10:58.766 –> 00:11:06.006
KELLY: And that’s where it kind of sprung the idea was like, why don’t I have a networking group for the EAs in New York City that I know?
00:11:06.006 –> 00:11:08.466
KELLY: And I kind of started with like four, five.
00:11:08.606 –> 00:11:10.406
KELLY: And we barely used it.
00:11:11.626 –> 00:11:14.906
KELLY: And in January, it was kind of like a joke.
00:11:14.906 –> 00:11:17.286
KELLY: I was just like, yeah, whatever, I’m going to kick it off on LinkedIn.
00:11:17.286 –> 00:11:18.466
KELLY: We’ll see.
00:11:18.466 –> 00:11:20.786
KELLY: And it just spiraled.
00:11:20.786 –> 00:11:22.886
KELLY: I, it was so unexpected.
00:11:22.886 –> 00:11:24.886
KELLY: I actually made the logo as a joke.
00:11:24.886 –> 00:11:28.906
KELLY: It’s like an ER, like everything is an emergency, everything’s on fire.
00:11:28.906 –> 00:11:30.186
KELLY: But is it though?
00:11:30.186 –> 00:11:31.586
KELLY: Probably not.
00:11:31.586 –> 00:11:32.506
KELLY: It’s not.
00:11:32.506 –> 00:11:33.826
KELLY: Nothing’s really an emergency.
00:11:33.826 –> 00:11:34.886
KELLY: We’re not the emergency room.
00:11:34.886 –> 00:11:35.726
KELLY: Like, calm down.
00:11:35.726 –> 00:11:36.146
KELLY: It’s okay.
00:11:36.946 –> 00:11:39.986
KELLY: So it was really just a joke, the logo at least.
00:11:39.986 –> 00:11:50.486
KELLY: And since then, it’s kind of been like, whoa, I didn’t realize how much EAs at all levels of their career kind of like needed help.
00:11:50.486 –> 00:11:52.306
KELLY: They needed an area to that.
00:11:52.306 –> 00:11:58.826
KELLY: They needed an area to help them revamp their resume and get actual honest reviews and answers.
00:11:58.826 –> 00:12:02.246
KELLY: Not that, let’s sugarcoat it so we don’t hurt their feelings answers.
00:12:02.306 –> 00:12:06.186
KELLY: It’s more like, no, your spacing looks really terrible.
00:12:06.186 –> 00:12:07.386
KELLY: Let’s fix that.
00:12:07.386 –> 00:12:08.726
KELLY: This looks bad.
00:12:09.246 –> 00:12:10.966
KELLY: And it’s been great.
00:12:10.966 –> 00:12:14.606
KELLY: We’ve got coffee chats, some of the EAs in there are like, oh, I want to talk about this.
00:12:14.606 –> 00:12:15.686
KELLY: I’m like, girl, I got you.
00:12:15.686 –> 00:12:17.906
KELLY: Let me make you a little sign up sheet.
00:12:17.906 –> 00:12:27.006
KELLY: We’ll have people sign up and you can own it yourself and run with it and just give them that leadership, the opportunity to lead something.
00:12:27.006 –> 00:12:29.386
KELLY: And the feedback that I’ve been getting has been really great.
00:12:29.386 –> 00:12:30.586
KELLY: Thank you for creating this.
00:12:30.906 –> 00:12:33.366
KELLY: This has been a relief to me.
00:12:33.366 –> 00:12:42.926
KELLY: There’s been several that used it to help them get through times of unemployment, where they didn’t have anybody to speak to.
00:12:42.926 –> 00:12:55.386
KELLY: And especially now with last year, especially the climate of unemployment and layoffs, and folks haven’t been able to find employment for over a year.
00:12:55.386 –> 00:13:04.326
KELLY: It’s hard and there’s no one to speak to, or someone’s going through it with their executive, or somebody at their office, and they have no one to speak to.
00:13:04.326 –> 00:13:07.666
KELLY: It’s a place for them to go and just be like, am I wrong?
00:13:07.666 –> 00:13:10.466
KELLY: Tell me, how do I navigate this?
00:13:10.466 –> 00:13:11.806
KELLY: And it’s been great actually.
00:13:12.946 –> 00:13:20.406
KELLY: And yeah, and that spiraling actually has a lot to do with Becky from EA Social Club.
00:13:20.406 –> 00:13:22.186
KELLY: Man, she jumped on.
00:13:22.186 –> 00:13:27.266
KELLY: I remember the day she joined, and she’s like, I’m going to post it on my LinkedIn, and I say, okay, girl, do you?
00:13:27.266 –> 00:13:34.466
KELLY: She did, and oh my gosh, I wrote back to her like, I don’t know what you did, but everybody’s in here now.
00:13:34.466 –> 00:13:42.166
KELLY: And I paused memberships to come in to one week a month, because the rolling membership is too much.
00:13:42.166 –> 00:13:56.506
KELLY: And one thing, especially as I’ve gotten older, and with my son getting older, I’ve been creating a lot of hard boundaries for myself and saying, no, no, no, we’re going to do this when it works for me.
00:13:56.506 –> 00:14:02.366
KELLY: Because I can’t keep doing things when it works for everyone else, otherwise I won’t be on my two feet.
00:14:02.366 –> 00:14:09.366
KELLY: And that’s where I created that, okay, one week a month, everyone can apply to come in.
00:14:09.366 –> 00:14:10.266
KELLY: I automated it.
00:14:10.586 –> 00:14:11.926
KELLY: I do everything by myself.
00:14:11.926 –> 00:14:14.826
KELLY: I literally do everything by myself.
00:14:14.826 –> 00:14:21.826
KELLY: And I had to set it up in a way where I was just like, okay, I have to respect my own boundaries and make sure that everything is done when I need it.
00:14:22.346 –> 00:14:23.766
KELLY: And it’s been working out.
00:14:23.946 –> 00:14:30.226
KELLY: It’s slowed down the membership a lot, which is good because at the same time, there was a lot of people jumping in like, hi, I’m so and so.
00:14:30.226 –> 00:14:32.506
KELLY: It’s like next year, you got 50 people at the same day.
00:14:32.506 –> 00:14:33.906
KELLY: You’re like, oh shit, this is a lot.
00:14:33.926 –> 00:14:35.406
JEREMY: Right, right, yeah.
00:14:35.406 –> 00:14:41.706
KELLY: And it’s slowed down to about five or 10 a day, which is a lot better than 50 and it’s more manageable.
00:14:41.706 –> 00:14:44.406
KELLY: And it was becoming overwhelming for some folks too, even myself.
00:14:44.926 –> 00:14:47.966
KELLY: So yeah, batteries, membership, deadlines, things like that.
00:14:47.966 –> 00:14:49.406
KELLY: They work, right?
00:14:49.406 –> 00:14:50.506
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:14:50.506 –> 00:14:56.346
JEREMY: So well, side note, Becky’s awesome and Becky was in episode 271.
00:14:56.346 –> 00:15:05.746
JEREMY: So for those listening and they want to chat or listen to Becky and I chat, episode 271, leaderassistant.com/271.
00:15:07.386 –> 00:15:09.226
JEREMY: So just a side note there.
00:15:10.706 –> 00:15:14.246
JEREMY: What’s the, so are you still using Slack for the platform?
00:15:14.246 –> 00:15:15.126
KELLY: We are.
00:15:15.126 –> 00:15:15.406
JEREMY: Okay.
00:15:15.406 –> 00:15:16.986
KELLY: We’re still using Slack.
00:15:16.986 –> 00:15:19.086
KELLY: It’s a free membership.
00:15:20.366 –> 00:15:24.946
KELLY: I raise funds through donations and fundraisers.
00:15:24.946 –> 00:15:36.126
KELLY: I’m trying to keep it very accessible because globally, in the US, we’re very, very, very privileged and we should all be very grateful to those resources that we have.
00:15:38.186 –> 00:15:40.426
KELLY: Regardless of how hard it is, right?
00:15:40.426 –> 00:15:57.866
KELLY: But there’s other countries where EAs are not at our level of salary, respect, and they just can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars to join a community and they really, really need help.
00:15:59.666 –> 00:16:06.886
KELLY: I’m very adamant in keeping this as accessible as possible, and that is through fundraising and through donations.
00:16:06.886 –> 00:16:07.966
JEREMY: Right.
00:16:07.966 –> 00:16:09.006
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:16:09.006 –> 00:16:18.026
JEREMY: Well, what’s been your favorite thing about the Executive Assistant role?
00:16:21.366 –> 00:16:33.446
JEREMY: You’ve been doing it for a while, as you mentioned, and you must enjoy parts of it because you’re still doing it, and you’ve got a lot of energy, so I’m sure you still enjoy parts of your job.
00:16:33.446 –> 00:16:34.466
JEREMY: So what’s your favorite part?
00:16:40.112 –> 00:16:43.492
<v SPEAKER_2>Are you ready to elevate your career in 2024?
00:16:43.512 –> 00:16:51.892
<v SPEAKER_2>I’m Maggie Olson, founder of Nova Chief of Staff Certification, the first of its kind online course for aspiring and existing Chiefs of Staff.
00:16:51.892 –> 00:17:04.032
<v SPEAKER_2>With curriculum taken directly from on-the-job responsibilities, Nova’s self-paced learning modules provides you with hands-on experience so you can feel competent and confident moving into a Chief of Staff style role.
00:17:04.032 –> 00:17:06.452
<v SPEAKER_2>It’s the perfect next step for executive assistants.
00:17:07.112 –> 00:17:12.692
<v SPEAKER_2>Head to leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more, grab the syllabus and enroll today.
00:17:16.892 –> 00:17:25.172
KELLY: You know, I’m a hyper observer and I just like to see things happening.
00:17:25.292 –> 00:17:27.812
KELLY: I just like to see people in their environment.
00:17:27.812 –> 00:17:48.552
KELLY: And I pick up on the little nuances like the microbehaviors and little things like that, the tentations and really for me is being able to pick up on those things and tailoring the service of being an EA to the executive assistant because not everybody’s the same, right?
00:17:48.552 –> 00:17:51.072
KELLY: What you do with one is not going to work with another.
00:17:52.292 –> 00:17:56.672
KELLY: One executive can be monotone and say a joke while someone else is like, I can’t stand working with them.
00:17:56.672 –> 00:17:57.752
KELLY: And I’m like, are you kidding me?
00:17:57.752 –> 00:17:59.032
KELLY: That was hilarious.
00:17:59.032 –> 00:18:01.192
KELLY: So it’s different, right?
00:18:01.392 –> 00:18:07.832
KELLY: So I feel like for me, the the funnest part is figuring somebody out.
00:18:07.832 –> 00:18:11.872
KELLY: And I kind of give myself like a deadline, like how long is it going to take me to figure someone out?
00:18:11.872 –> 00:18:14.552
KELLY: And once I figure it out, I’m just like, I already know you don’t worry about it.
00:18:14.552 –> 00:18:15.212
KELLY: We’re good.
00:18:15.212 –> 00:18:15.972
KELLY: And they’re surprised.
00:18:15.972 –> 00:18:16.972
KELLY: And they’re just like, well, tell me.
00:18:16.972 –> 00:18:19.632
KELLY: And I tell them, they just look at me like, how the hell did you know?
00:18:19.632 –> 00:18:21.512
KELLY: I’m like, I pay attention.
00:18:21.532 –> 00:18:23.312
KELLY: I pay attention to everything.
00:18:24.012 –> 00:18:30.592
KELLY: And it’s like my execution could be better.
00:18:30.592 –> 00:18:32.932
KELLY: You know, we all have like our flaws.
00:18:32.932 –> 00:18:34.312
KELLY: I’ve got a ton of them.
00:18:34.312 –> 00:18:46.172
KELLY: And but one of my or how everybody calls it nowadays, I guess everybody calls being an EA, what’s your superpower, which I hate actually, would be being able to observe things that other people don’t even notice.
00:18:47.772 –> 00:18:51.232
KELLY: And giving the executive something that they didn’t even know they needed.
00:18:51.912 –> 00:18:54.152
KELLY: Yeah, that smile on their face, right?
00:18:54.152 –> 00:18:56.612
KELLY: Where they’re just like, well, I had no idea I actually needed that.
00:18:56.612 –> 00:19:00.572
KELLY: Like, I know that satisfaction of item.
00:19:00.572 –> 00:19:02.072
JEREMY: Right.
00:19:02.072 –> 00:19:05.932
JEREMY: Yeah, you’re like, oh, yeah, that’s why you gave me the big bucks.
00:19:05.932 –> 00:19:06.972
KELLY: Exactly.
00:19:06.972 –> 00:19:08.472
JEREMY: Some of the big bucks.
00:19:10.112 –> 00:19:10.372
JEREMY: Cool.
00:19:10.372 –> 00:19:12.852
JEREMY: Well, what’s what’s your least favorite part about the role?
00:19:19.752 –> 00:19:26.492
KELLY: Navigating coworkers and their misunderstandings of what our position is.
00:19:28.672 –> 00:19:32.152
KELLY: There’s still a long way to go with executive assistants.
00:19:32.152 –> 00:19:33.292
KELLY: There’s still a long way to go.
00:19:33.292 –> 00:19:45.292
KELLY: I think a lot of people still call us secretaries, note takers, or don’t deem us as valuable, and they de-prioritize our tasks that are not really ours.
00:19:45.292 –> 00:19:47.152
KELLY: Let’s be real, our tasks are whose?
00:19:47.152 –> 00:19:48.612
KELLY: They’re our executives’ tasks.
00:19:48.612 –> 00:19:51.372
KELLY: When I ask you for something, it’s not me asking.
00:19:51.372 –> 00:19:54.492
KELLY: It’s actually my executive asking via me.
00:19:54.492 –> 00:19:56.072
KELLY: So I need it done.
00:19:56.092 –> 00:20:07.132
KELLY: And I think our coworkers need to understand that we are an extension to our executives and we are valuable, and we were brought on for a specific reason.
00:20:07.132 –> 00:20:08.712
KELLY: And that needs to be respected.
00:20:08.792 –> 00:20:10.792
KELLY: And I think we still have a long way to go.
00:20:11.112 –> 00:20:17.072
KELLY: I still come across that every once in a while, not every organization, but definitely I come across that.
00:20:17.072 –> 00:20:25.892
KELLY: And it takes me a minute to step back and just kind of evaluate the situation and figure out how am I going to respond?
00:20:25.892 –> 00:20:31.272
KELLY: Fix your face and respond with a smile.
00:20:31.272 –> 00:20:34.352
KELLY: And I do have to remember that because I do wear my emotions on my face.
00:20:35.672 –> 00:20:36.352
KELLY: It’s pretty bad.
00:20:36.472 –> 00:20:40.072
KELLY: So I’ve had to like slow down, Kelly.
00:20:40.072 –> 00:20:42.072
KELLY: Fix your face.
00:20:42.072 –> 00:20:42.692
JEREMY: Fix your face.
00:20:42.692 –> 00:20:44.152
JEREMY: That’s a good t-shirt for you.
00:20:44.212 –> 00:20:45.032
JEREMY: Yeah, right.
00:20:45.032 –> 00:20:45.612
KELLY: Fix your face.
00:20:45.612 –> 00:20:47.772
KELLY: That’s going to be the new EAs, the rescue shirt.
00:20:48.172 –> 00:20:49.452
JEREMY: There you go.
00:20:50.612 –> 00:20:51.012
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:20:51.012 –> 00:21:02.892
JEREMY: Well, what I really wanted to jump into as well is we I posted a LinkedIn post on or I think it was Administered Professionals Week or something like that.
00:21:05.752 –> 00:21:17.772
JEREMY: My friend’s Spoonful of Comfort said, hey, we’ll give away some packages, some of our spoonfuls of comfort gift packages to some assistants.
00:21:17.772 –> 00:21:19.532
JEREMY: I said, all right, let me think of a way to do this.
00:21:19.532 –> 00:21:39.972
JEREMY: I was like, I want to hear about the worst gifts that assistants received from their executives in different jobs or whatever, for Administrative Professionals Day or Week or whatnot, or it could be holiday gifts and whatever.
00:21:39.972 –> 00:21:44.132
JEREMY: Anyway, you posted one that was just hilarious.
00:21:44.132 –> 00:21:57.252
JEREMY: I don’t even remember the details, so that’s why I had to have you back on the podcast, so you could tell us a story about the worst Administrative Professionals Day or holiday gift or whatever it was from an executive.
00:21:58.912 –> 00:22:00.572
KELLY: I’ve had some really great gifts.
00:22:00.572 –> 00:22:01.752
KELLY: I even have some of them still on.
00:22:01.752 –> 00:22:04.052
KELLY: I use them all the time.
00:22:05.772 –> 00:22:08.832
KELLY: They’re beautiful, gorgeous gifts.
00:22:08.832 –> 00:22:13.012
KELLY: I’ve had some really interesting gifts too, or none.
00:22:14.212 –> 00:22:20.212
KELLY: They’re like, here’s a budget of $25, one for you and split it amongst the others.
00:22:20.252 –> 00:22:22.452
KELLY: It’s like, oh, gee, thanks.
00:22:23.812 –> 00:22:26.432
KELLY: I think that’s segue to what actually happened, right?
00:22:26.432 –> 00:22:30.112
KELLY: The gift that keeps on giving, the story that just keeps on giving.
00:22:30.332 –> 00:22:32.652
KELLY: I had one executive.
00:22:32.652 –> 00:22:47.612
KELLY: Actually, I’m thankful he never gave me a gift because, oh my gosh, my interactions with him towards the end of, I guess maybe the middle and end, we were working together, were a little questionable.
00:22:50.412 –> 00:22:57.052
KELLY: I don’t know what the thought process was behind the interactions and the behavior.
00:22:57.052 –> 00:22:58.552
KELLY: It was really weird.
00:23:00.352 –> 00:23:10.072
KELLY: But we would get on our one-on-ones during a time where we couldn’t be in office, and not to give too much away about who it is.
00:23:12.832 –> 00:23:21.752
KELLY: And we were speaking and just randomly starts picking his nose.
00:23:26.692 –> 00:23:34.512
KELLY: I didn’t know how to respond, not just verbally, but my body too.
00:23:34.512 –> 00:23:37.812
KELLY: I’m staring at you on the screen.
00:23:37.812 –> 00:23:38.892
JEREMY: Does he know his camera’s on?
00:23:40.572 –> 00:23:46.312
KELLY: Yes, and you’re picking your nose.
00:23:46.312 –> 00:23:53.052
KELLY: And it wasn’t like, oh, let me just scratch my nose, because my lip flies and you’re like…
00:23:53.052 –> 00:24:05.412
KELLY: No, he was in his nose and deep and searching, and found what he was looking for and stared at it.
00:24:05.412 –> 00:24:13.732
KELLY: And I can’t quite recall what he did next with it, because I think I was just so horrified.
00:24:16.792 –> 00:24:19.352
KELLY: And I didn’t know whether I should say something.
00:24:19.352 –> 00:24:21.552
KELLY: Why didn’t I want to look?
00:24:21.552 –> 00:24:22.532
KELLY: He’s in front of me.
00:24:22.532 –> 00:24:23.932
KELLY: I’m like, where do I look?
00:24:23.932 –> 00:24:26.892
KELLY: It’s not like I can just be like, disconnect.
00:24:27.032 –> 00:24:30.012
KELLY: I can’t do that.
00:24:30.012 –> 00:24:32.172
KELLY: It was just very strange.
00:24:33.772 –> 00:24:42.092
KELLY: And I guess that the funniest part of that was as soon as I hung up, I immediately reached out to the other executive assistants.
00:24:42.692 –> 00:24:45.492
JEREMY: You’re never going to believe what just happened.
00:24:45.492 –> 00:24:53.892
KELLY: And it was funny because one of them said, what a passive aggressive way to have a one-on-one with somebody.
00:24:53.892 –> 00:24:58.212
KELLY: And I go, wait, do you think that’s what it was?
00:24:58.212 –> 00:25:03.872
KELLY: And I let it go because I was like, well, maybe he just didn’t know he had his camera on, as you mentioned.
00:25:03.872 –> 00:25:05.532
KELLY: He did it multiple times afterwards.
00:25:05.532 –> 00:25:17.032
KELLY: And at that point, I started to believe like, okay, he either doesn’t care or doesn’t understand like social etiquette or is really passive aggressive.
00:25:17.032 –> 00:25:20.652
KELLY: So I just wasn’t sure what to do next.
00:25:20.652 –> 00:25:27.892
KELLY: I’m just happy that I don’t, honestly, that was like, I would prefer to stub my toe to ever work with that person again.
00:25:28.372 –> 00:25:36.132
KELLY: I would rather stub my pinky toe on a metal bed frame in the morning than ever work with that individual again.
00:25:37.172 –> 00:25:41.452
JEREMY: So there was nothing said, there was nothing never brought up, no comment or anything.
00:25:41.452 –> 00:25:43.292
JEREMY: It was just that right in front of you.
00:25:43.292 –> 00:25:44.592
KELLY: Right in front, in the middle.
00:25:44.592 –> 00:25:46.392
JEREMY: All righty then.
00:25:46.392 –> 00:25:46.592
JEREMY: Wow.
00:25:46.592 –> 00:25:52.612
KELLY: We were conversing just in the middle of the conversation and it was about important topics too.
00:25:52.612 –> 00:25:54.892
KELLY: It’s not like we were just shooting the breeze.
00:25:54.892 –> 00:26:02.532
KELLY: We were literally talking about budgets and do operationally next and hit me with the booger.
00:26:04.452 –> 00:26:05.892
JEREMY: But at least it wasn’t in person, I guess.
00:26:08.292 –> 00:26:13.892
KELLY: I don’t know if that’s happened in person to other people with this individual, to be honest with you.
00:26:13.892 –> 00:26:20.192
KELLY: I have heard that it wasn’t just me that they would do it with, so I felt better after that.
00:26:20.192 –> 00:26:22.252
KELLY: I’m like, okay.
00:26:22.252 –> 00:26:25.852
KELLY: Maybe it’s not just me, but eww.
00:26:25.852 –> 00:26:26.992
JEREMY: Wow.
00:26:26.992 –> 00:26:28.832
KELLY: I would have passed them a tissue if it was in person.
00:26:28.872 –> 00:26:32.952
KELLY: I’m like, you should use it.
00:26:32.952 –> 00:26:34.472
KELLY: Wow.
00:26:34.472 –> 00:26:41.072
JEREMY: Well, on that note, thanks for sharing the interesting story and interesting interaction.
00:26:44.352 –> 00:26:45.612
JEREMY: Thanks again for being on the show.
00:26:45.612 –> 00:26:48.152
JEREMY: It’s been awesome to chat with you.
00:26:48.152 –> 00:26:58.892
JEREMY: What’s maybe one word or phrase that you had put on a billboard for all the Executive Assistants of the world to see?
00:27:01.232 –> 00:27:01.632
KELLY: Let’s see.
00:27:01.632 –> 00:27:04.812
KELLY: Are we talking inspirational or?
00:27:04.812 –> 00:27:05.472
JEREMY: Whatever you want.
00:27:05.472 –> 00:27:07.112
JEREMY: It could be humorous.
00:27:07.112 –> 00:27:08.552
JEREMY: It could be inspirational.
00:27:08.552 –> 00:27:13.652
JEREMY: It could be, I’m just going to put you on the spot and you got to pick something to put on a billboard.
00:27:13.652 –> 00:27:14.772
KELLY: Same thing I would tell myself.
00:27:15.432 –> 00:27:16.592
KELLY: Just breathe.
00:27:17.932 –> 00:27:18.952
KELLY: Just breathe.
00:27:18.952 –> 00:27:20.712
JEREMY: There you go.
00:27:20.712 –> 00:27:22.652
JEREMY: Love it.
00:27:22.652 –> 00:27:24.192
JEREMY: Just breathe.
00:27:24.212 –> 00:27:24.932
JEREMY: Perfect.
00:27:24.932 –> 00:27:26.292
JEREMY: That’s a good billboard.
00:27:27.352 –> 00:27:28.032
JEREMY: Awesome, Kelly.
00:27:28.032 –> 00:27:30.032
JEREMY: Well, thanks again for being on the show.
00:27:30.032 –> 00:27:37.092
JEREMY: Thanks for the work you’ve been doing to connect and network assistance in New York City and beyond.
00:27:38.392 –> 00:27:40.152
JEREMY: It’s been fun chatting with you.
00:27:40.152 –> 00:27:43.972
JEREMY: Is there the best place for people to reach out if they want to say hi and connect?
00:27:44.692 –> 00:27:45.572
KELLY: Yeah, definitely.
00:27:45.572 –> 00:27:48.612
KELLY: My LinkedIn, send me a message.
00:27:49.672 –> 00:27:54.212
KELLY: I’m very responsive and happy to speak with anybody.
00:27:54.212 –> 00:27:59.092
KELLY: They can also check out the EAs, the Rescue LinkedIn page or even our website.
00:27:59.092 –> 00:28:03.172
KELLY: The dates for the memberships are on the application on the website.
00:28:03.172 –> 00:28:04.272
KELLY: There’s no guesswork.
00:28:04.272 –> 00:28:06.672
KELLY: It’ll tell you, it’ll be open every month.
00:28:07.752 –> 00:28:09.332
KELLY: Yeah, so it’s pretty direct and straightforward.
00:28:09.332 –> 00:28:16.132
KELLY: But yeah, even if someone is outside the membership dates, they can reach out to me.
00:28:16.132 –> 00:28:22.752
KELLY: I’ve had a few that message me and they’re looking for assistance, and I’m happy to help them even if it’s not membership week.
00:28:23.012 –> 00:28:23.552
KELLY: I’m happy.
00:28:23.552 –> 00:28:24.792
KELLY: My door is always open.
00:28:24.792 –> 00:28:27.212
KELLY: My virtual door is always open.
00:28:27.212 –> 00:28:28.212
JEREMY: Right.
00:28:28.212 –> 00:28:28.672
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:28:28.672 –> 00:28:35.072
JEREMY: Well, I’ll put those links in the show notes, leaderassistant.com/289 for everyone listening.
00:28:35.072 –> 00:28:40.532
JEREMY: Thanks again for being on the show and look forward to staying in touch.
00:28:40.532 –> 00:28:41.652
KELLY: Thank you for having me.
00:28:41.652 –> 00:28:42.212
KELLY: This was fun.
00:28:52.912 –> 00:28:55.572
KELLY: Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:29:02.007 –> 00:29:03.727
KELLY: goburrows.com
