Judy Bingenheimer has over 17 years of experience as an assistant and is currently the executive assistant to the CEO at Mayville Engineering Company.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Judy talks about pushing yourself even if you’re a little bit scared, making a career jump, OneNote tips, and more.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position.
– Brian Tracy
CONNECT WITH JUDY
ABOUT JUDY
Judy Bingenheimer is the Executive Assistant to the MEC (Mayville Engineering Company) CEO and the founder of The Midwest Admin Connection (MAC). Although Judy started her career without a formal degree, she brought with her qualities that can’t be taught: natural leadership, a willingness to tackle challenges, and a strong drive to learn. Her approach is straightforward—never say no and always find a way to figure things out. This mindset, along with her belief in lifting others up rather than stepping on them to get ahead, has shaped her career.
Judy’s journey began when she took a chance on herself, bringing her innate skills to a role as a general office assistant. A hiring manager saw her potential and gave her an opportunity, which led to her growth within the company – from a general building assistant to supporting multiple division executives. Judy’s ability to become a reliable resource for others has been key to her success.
Transitioning to new roles came with its challenges, including battling imposter syndrome, but her determination to learn on the job and adapt kept her moving forward. Despite moments of self-doubt, Judy stayed focused, driven by her belief that “if you’re not scared, you’re not pushing yourself.”
Judy’s biggest career move came when MEC approached her with the opportunity to support their CEO. Embracing the challenge, she stepped into the role with the same determination that had defined her career. She continues to prove that people will take a chance on you if you’re willing to take a chance on yourself.
Outside of her role at MEC, Judy noticed a lack of support for administrative professionals, so she founded The Midwest Admin Connection (MAC). This Milwaukee-based group serves as a support network for those in administrative roles. At MAC, Judy has built a space where administrative professionals can connect, share their experiences, and feel genuinely valued. Her vision for MAC is to create a supportive community where members know they are not alone but are part of a network of peers who understand their roles’ unique challenges and successes. Through MAC, Judy aims to provide a sense of belonging, ensuring every admin professional feels they have a place and a voice within the team.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.120 –> 00:00:04.240
JUDY: Hi, I’m Judy Bingenheimer, and today’s leadership quote comes from Brian Tracy.
00:00:04.240 –> 00:00:09.260
JUDY: Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you had no title or position.
00:00:15.958 –> 00:00:23.538
<v SPEAKER_2>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:32.387 –> 00:00:36.887
JEREMY: Are you a strategic senior executive assistant thinking about what’s next?
00:00:36.887 –> 00:00:45.687
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.
00:00:45.687 –> 00:01:02.787
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.
00:01:02.787 –> 00:01:04.327
JEREMY: But don’t take my word for it.
00:01:04.327 –> 00:01:13.867
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to find countless testimonials, the course syllabus, and lots of free resources to support you in your career journey.
00:01:14.887 –> 00:01:17.447
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:17.447 –> 00:01:21.847
JEREMY: It’s episode 291 and I am your host Jeremy Burrows.
00:01:21.847 –> 00:01:24.447
JEREMY: Today I’m speaking with Judy Bingenheimer.
00:01:25.227 –> 00:01:32.667
JEREMY: Judy is Executive Assistant to the CEO at MEC and Judy, welcome to the show.
00:01:32.667 –> 00:01:33.487
JUDY: Hi.
00:01:33.487 –> 00:01:34.867
JUDY: Thank you.
00:01:34.867 –> 00:01:36.827
JEREMY: What part of the world are you in?
00:01:36.827 –> 00:01:41.287
JUDY: I am in Jackson, Wisconsin, just outside of the Milwaukee area.
00:01:41.287 –> 00:01:41.567
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:01:41.567 –> 00:01:43.047
JEREMY: Are you from that area?
00:01:43.047 –> 00:01:43.387
JUDY: I am.
00:01:43.387 –> 00:01:46.287
JUDY: I’m born and raised Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
00:01:47.467 –> 00:01:47.767
JEREMY: Nice.
00:01:48.047 –> 00:01:51.747
JEREMY: Do you like the cooler weather up there?
00:01:51.747 –> 00:01:52.727
JUDY: Not even a little bit.
00:01:53.007 –> 00:01:56.187
JUDY: It’s just something I’ve become accustomed to.
00:01:57.387 –> 00:01:59.847
JEREMY: Nice.
00:01:59.847 –> 00:02:04.687
JEREMY: How about hobbies or kids or pets?
00:02:04.687 –> 00:02:08.027
JEREMY: Anything about you personally?
00:02:08.027 –> 00:02:09.307
JUDY: I have all of those things.
00:02:09.307 –> 00:02:14.367
JUDY: I have my husband, I have a 22-year-old daughter.
00:02:14.367 –> 00:02:19.747
JUDY: I have my dog, Jackson, who is spoiled rotten along with the 22-year-old daughter.
00:02:20.767 –> 00:02:26.307
JUDY: Then I’m very big into the country music scene, and then we also like to travel.
00:02:28.267 –> 00:02:28.667
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:02:28.667 –> 00:02:31.387
JEREMY: Where do you like to travel to?
00:02:31.387 –> 00:02:34.327
JUDY: Anywhere I can get an adventure I’m okay with.
00:02:34.327 –> 00:02:39.467
JUDY: I’m actually leaving tomorrow for Belgium, so I’m really excited for that.
00:02:39.467 –> 00:02:40.967
JEREMY: Wow.
00:02:40.967 –> 00:02:41.587
JEREMY: Yes.
00:02:41.587 –> 00:02:43.827
JEREMY: That’s a little bit of a trip.
00:02:43.827 –> 00:02:46.847
JUDY: I am terrified, but excited.
00:02:46.847 –> 00:02:51.327
JUDY: I’ve never been on a flight that long and I’m not a good flyer, so it should be interesting, but.
00:02:51.327 –> 00:02:52.767
JEREMY: How long is it?
00:02:52.767 –> 00:02:54.187
JUDY: Eight and a half hours.
00:02:55.787 –> 00:02:56.907
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s a long flight.
00:02:56.907 –> 00:02:58.467
JEREMY: That’s a long flight.
00:02:58.487 –> 00:02:59.207
JEREMY: I did.
00:02:59.207 –> 00:03:16.427
JEREMY: The longest one I think I’ve done is, it was a 14 or 16-hour flight, and I think we got delayed two hours on the tarmac before it took off.
00:03:16.427 –> 00:03:18.927
JEREMY: So hopefully, you have a better experience than I did.
00:03:19.907 –> 00:03:20.107
JUDY: Yeah.
00:03:20.107 –> 00:03:21.467
JUDY: No, thank you.
00:03:22.887 –> 00:03:23.247
JEREMY: All right.
00:03:23.247 –> 00:03:24.967
JEREMY: Well, let’s jump right in then.
00:03:24.967 –> 00:03:32.267
JEREMY: Tell us a little bit about your career and namely, how did you end up becoming an assistant?
00:03:33.787 –> 00:03:35.267
JUDY: So I became an assistant.
00:03:35.367 –> 00:03:55.027
JUDY: I had a child very young and I was working at McDonald’s, which I wanted to find something with a little bit more stable hours, something where I didn’t have to give up all my weekends and that had a career path to it.
00:03:55.047 –> 00:04:05.367
JUDY: I had helped my family take care of my grandfather and I was taking care of my daughter, so I didn’t go the normal path of high school than college.
00:04:05.547 –> 00:04:13.087
JUDY: So I had a friend who had an opening in his company and the hiring manager took a chance on me.
00:04:14.767 –> 00:04:22.067
JUDY: And she hired me to be the general assistant for a satellite building.
00:04:22.067 –> 00:04:25.267
JUDY: And then I just worked my way up from there.
00:04:26.527 –> 00:04:30.887
JUDY: I became a dedicated assistant, moved into an EA role.
00:04:30.887 –> 00:04:34.607
JUDY: I’ve supported a numerous amount of roles, multiple executives.
00:04:36.167 –> 00:04:46.887
JUDY: And then I just, you know, there’s a little bit of imposter syndrome that kind of comes up because everybody I worked with had a degree.
00:04:46.887 –> 00:04:51.407
JUDY: And so I felt like I had to be 10 times smarter and work 10 times harder.
00:04:51.407 –> 00:04:56.087
JUDY: I had an amazing career at FIS before I joined MEC.
00:04:56.087 –> 00:05:06.367
JUDY: And but unfortunately, not unfortunately, but we had a facility in Jacksonville, which was our headquarters, and I’m based in Wisconsin, and I knew I wasn’t going to move.
00:05:06.367 –> 00:05:10.567
JUDY: And all of the more advanced opportunities were in Jacksonville.
00:05:10.567 –> 00:05:16.107
JUDY: And even though I really loved what I did, and with the team I did it with, I wanted to push myself.
00:05:16.107 –> 00:05:17.367
JUDY: I was getting comfortable.
00:05:17.367 –> 00:05:28.267
JUDY: And if I’m too comfortable that I’m not, I need to push myself because I feel like I need to be in a constant state of some sort of terror in order to feel like I’ve accomplished something.
00:05:28.267 –> 00:05:38.807
JUDY: So recruiting manager reached out to me from MEC, and the rest is kind of history where I started working with the CEO and the entire C-suite.
00:05:38.807 –> 00:05:44.647
JUDY: Currently, I think it’s five executives I support, including our CEO.
00:05:44.647 –> 00:05:54.667
JUDY: And yeah, it’s not the normal path probably, but if it was the normal path, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it because I seem to like the ones that are a little bit more difficult.
00:05:55.967 –> 00:05:59.167
JEREMY: So you were at FIS, is that right?
00:05:59.627 –> 00:06:00.007
JUDY: Correct.
00:06:00.827 –> 00:06:02.807
JEREMY: Almost 16 years.
00:06:02.807 –> 00:06:04.107
JEREMY: Yes.
00:06:04.107 –> 00:06:08.687
JEREMY: What was it like trying to make that decision to move on?
00:06:08.687 –> 00:06:13.067
JUDY: It was one of the hardest decisions I think I’ve ever made.
00:06:13.067 –> 00:06:15.347
JUDY: I worked with an incredible team of leaders.
00:06:15.347 –> 00:06:18.847
JUDY: I had three leaders I supported before I left.
00:06:18.867 –> 00:06:23.447
JUDY: I had built a network that was incredibly strong.
00:06:23.447 –> 00:06:36.167
JUDY: There was, I was kind of the go-to for a lot of people because I had been there so long and I had the tribal knowledge a little bit and so it felt safe.
00:06:36.167 –> 00:06:43.667
JUDY: But I also felt like somebody was willing to take a chance on me 16 years ago.
00:06:43.667 –> 00:06:46.147
JUDY: It’s time for me to take a chance on myself.
00:06:46.147 –> 00:06:53.467
JUDY: And so I made the jump and I couldn’t be more happy with where I ended up.
00:06:53.467 –> 00:06:56.687
JUDY: I thought my team before was incredible and they still are incredible people.
00:06:56.687 –> 00:06:58.067
JUDY: I still keep in contact with them.
00:06:59.107 –> 00:07:00.947
JUDY: My new team is just as phenomenal.
00:07:00.947 –> 00:07:07.587
JUDY: I am able to support five executives, including the CEO, and they have been nothing short of amazing.
00:07:07.587 –> 00:07:12.527
JUDY: And I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made to go to MEC.
00:07:12.527 –> 00:07:14.007
JUDY: I got very lucky.
00:07:15.347 –> 00:07:16.387
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:07:16.387 –> 00:07:23.947
JEREMY: So what’s been your, I guess now you’re in your 18th year or so of being an assistant?
00:07:25.187 –> 00:07:28.107
JUDY: Gosh, that seems so long, but yes.
00:07:28.107 –> 00:07:31.287
JEREMY: Well, it’s fun because I’m in my 18th year as well being an assistant.
00:07:32.347 –> 00:07:35.447
JEREMY: So got the same timeline there on our career.
00:07:35.447 –> 00:07:41.387
JEREMY: But what’s been your favorite part about the role?
00:07:41.387 –> 00:07:46.927
JEREMY: And even today, like what gets you up in the morning and gets you excited about logging in?
00:07:46.927 –> 00:07:49.867
JUDY: It’s the fact that no two days are ever the same.
00:07:49.867 –> 00:07:51.407
JUDY: I don’t know what I’m walking into.
00:07:51.727 –> 00:07:54.427
JUDY: It’s always an adventure.
00:07:54.427 –> 00:07:58.867
JUDY: I don’t have to worry about getting stuck in the mundane because I get to do all the things.
00:07:58.867 –> 00:08:03.747
JUDY: I get to be involved in everything and it’s just exciting.
00:08:03.747 –> 00:08:04.567
JUDY: They laugh at me.
00:08:04.567 –> 00:08:08.807
JUDY: There was one person joking about how I’m the cheerleader of the team, but it’s true.
00:08:08.807 –> 00:08:17.187
JUDY: It’s just exciting and we’re at such a pivotal, critical, important time in the company where we’re growing and it’s great.
00:08:18.947 –> 00:08:28.507
JUDY: To be a part of that and to be welcome in to be a part of that as well is just, it’s so exciting that I’m up every day at 4 a.m.
00:08:28.507 –> 00:08:31.687
JUDY: ready to get in the office.
00:08:31.687 –> 00:08:35.147
JUDY: It takes a lot for me to get up at any time, let alone 4 a.m.
00:08:35.147 –> 00:08:38.387
JUDY: but it’s great.
00:08:38.387 –> 00:08:39.387
JEREMY: Nice.
00:08:40.287 –> 00:08:44.007
JEREMY: What’s your least favorite part about the assistant role?
00:08:44.647 –> 00:08:49.607
JEREMY: This could be just in general over your 17, 18-year career.
00:08:49.607 –> 00:08:55.007
JEREMY: But yeah, what’s maybe one of the most challenging or frustrating parts about the role?
00:08:55.007 –> 00:09:01.787
JUDY: I think, and this is going to sound awful, but the actual administrative side of it, I am terrible at.
00:09:01.787 –> 00:09:06.547
JUDY: I mean, I can schedule a million meetings, but stick me with expense reports.
00:09:07.927 –> 00:09:11.187
JUDY: I think it’s because it’s just doing the same thing over and over again.
00:09:11.187 –> 00:09:17.107
JUDY: But yeah, expense report, I just did them today, so that’s why I feel so strongly about it.
00:09:17.107 –> 00:09:20.427
JEREMY: Yeah, I’m not a fan of printers and I’m not a fan of expense reports.
00:09:20.427 –> 00:09:21.987
JEREMY: Oh gosh.
00:09:21.987 –> 00:09:23.647
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:09:23.647 –> 00:09:24.927
JUDY: Printers are definitely the worst.
00:09:25.267 –> 00:09:27.187
JEREMY: I hear you on that one, so.
00:09:28.387 –> 00:09:28.807
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:09:28.807 –> 00:09:49.827
JEREMY: Well, what is maybe one of your favorite productivity hacks or productivity tips that you’ve learned over the years that really keeps you keeps you moving forward on your task list?
00:09:49.827 –> 00:09:51.707
JUDY: I have to put reminders on the calendar.
00:09:51.707 –> 00:09:54.167
JUDY: The number one lie I tell myself is I don’t need to write that down.
00:09:54.467 –> 00:09:56.087
JUDY: I’ll remember it.
00:09:56.087 –> 00:10:00.887
JUDY: But putting the reminders on the calendar really helps in blocking that time to get things done.
00:10:00.887 –> 00:10:02.367
JUDY: I also love using OneNote.
00:10:02.367 –> 00:10:13.987
JUDY: It’s probably my favorite tool in the history of tools, with the exception of a pen and a paper, because sometimes just handwriting a list and checking things off is like the PB&J of the office world.
00:10:13.987 –> 00:10:14.907
JUDY: It’s just comforting.
00:10:20.507 –> 00:10:23.927
JEREMY: I’m not on a Microsoft environment, so what’s your OneNote?
00:10:25.847 –> 00:10:32.547
JEREMY: Is there any OneNote practices or tips that you would share with people that are in the OneNote world?
00:10:32.547 –> 00:10:38.647
JUDY: I really like that you can import in the meeting details and do attendance that way.
00:10:38.647 –> 00:10:46.087
JUDY: I also like that you can summarize your to-dos, and it’ll take you right back to the notebook that the to-do came from.
00:10:46.087 –> 00:10:54.187
JUDY: So it allows and you just have shortcuts in order to create the to-do, and it just makes it really easy to stay organized.
00:10:55.447 –> 00:10:56.047
JEREMY: Nice.
00:10:56.047 –> 00:10:59.547
JUDY: You can tie it back to Outlook as well and have reminders on your calendar.
00:10:59.547 –> 00:11:03.107
JUDY: So it’s the best of all the worlds.
00:11:03.107 –> 00:11:14.927
JEREMY: It’s like a never-ending loop of the note links to the task or whatever, which links to the calendar, which links to Outlook.
00:11:14.927 –> 00:11:16.267
JEREMY: Is that kind of what you’re saying?
00:11:16.267 –> 00:11:16.827
JEREMY: It’s like that.
00:11:16.827 –> 00:11:21.067
JUDY: That’s actually their brand new tool, I believe, is called Loop, and it does exactly that.
00:11:21.067 –> 00:11:24.147
JUDY: I just haven’t gotten into it yet.
00:11:24.147 –> 00:11:25.027
JEREMY: That’s funny.
00:11:25.027 –> 00:11:26.867
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:11:26.867 –> 00:11:38.747
JEREMY: So what is maybe one thing that you wish you would have known about the assistant role, you know, 17 years ago, as you just jump right in?
00:11:42.247 –> 00:11:44.427
JUDY: I think it’s to build your network.
00:11:44.427 –> 00:11:51.887
JUDY: I think it’s in The Leader Assistant, which I read, you had made the point that it is a very lonely role.
00:11:51.887 –> 00:11:54.767
JUDY: And so it is so critical to build your network.
00:11:54.767 –> 00:11:57.867
JUDY: And it’s not that anybody intentionally exclude you.
00:11:57.867 –> 00:12:03.727
JUDY: It’s just, you know, somebody had asked me, you know, where do we fit on the org chart?
00:12:03.727 –> 00:12:10.307
JUDY: Because we don’t always, you know, when it comes to especially the higher level org charts, we don’t always make it on there.
00:12:10.307 –> 00:12:17.567
JUDY: And so I had to explain to them that we’re not, we’re not in the boxes because we’re the lines holding it all together.
00:12:18.667 –> 00:12:23.207
JUDY: And but it can get very, it can get very lonely.
00:12:23.207 –> 00:12:34.547
JUDY: So building that network is so critical, which is part of why we started the Midwest Admin Connection, to because we didn’t have anything in the Milwaukee area, which we learned at an event.
00:12:35.947 –> 00:12:43.307
JUDY: So I’m trying to help bridge that gap and bring people together because it just was amazing.
00:12:44.087 –> 00:12:46.167
JUDY: It’s a weird, weird feeling.
00:12:46.167 –> 00:12:52.547
JUDY: You know everybody and you belong everywhere, but you also kind of sometimes feel like you don’t belong anywhere.
00:12:52.547 –> 00:12:52.887
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:12:52.887 –> 00:12:57.507
JUDY: So that was a hard pill to swallow.
00:12:58.987 –> 00:12:59.647
JEREMY: Yeah, well said.
00:12:59.647 –> 00:13:05.327
JEREMY: So what’s the kind of practically with Midwest Admin, what are you all doing?
00:13:05.327 –> 00:13:09.027
JEREMY: Are you doing meetups or are you doing online Zoom chats?
00:13:09.027 –> 00:13:11.247
JEREMY: What’s the plan with that?
00:13:11.247 –> 00:13:12.807
JUDY: We’re doing all of the above.
00:13:12.807 –> 00:13:16.907
JUDY: So we have our first in-person meetup next month.
00:13:16.907 –> 00:13:20.187
JUDY: We did a virtual meetup last month.
00:13:20.187 –> 00:13:23.627
JUDY: I kind of took June as a quieter month.
00:13:23.627 –> 00:13:27.027
JUDY: And then in August, we actually have a book club as well.
00:13:27.027 –> 00:13:51.307
JUDY: So we started out with leading without authority, and it was a very tough decision, but I felt like that laid down the groundwork, which so if you are listening to your MinMist Admin Connection person, you have already read The Leader Assistant because that is our next book, because that kind of gives you the practical side of it.
00:13:51.307 –> 00:13:53.747
JUDY: And it was a really tough decision which one to choose.
00:13:53.747 –> 00:13:59.607
JUDY: And I’m not just trying to say that because I’m on your podcast, but it is, it was such a phenomenal book.
00:13:59.747 –> 00:14:02.987
JUDY: I’ve, you know, and sharing those tips and tricks.
00:14:02.987 –> 00:14:06.727
JUDY: So we are working on a website right now.
00:14:06.727 –> 00:14:09.607
JUDY: Hopefully, it will be launched soon.
00:14:09.607 –> 00:14:22.747
JUDY: And one of the big things is, so every Monday I post, what are your challenges and opportunities on LinkedIn for everybody to kind of comment and chime in and give each other that support?
00:14:22.747 –> 00:14:25.607
JUDY: And if you’re not comfortable with it, my email address is out there.
00:14:26.007 –> 00:14:28.187
JUDY: You know, judy at midwestadmin.com.
00:14:28.187 –> 00:14:32.207
JUDY: Let’s talk about it because sometimes all you need is a sounding board.
00:14:32.207 –> 00:14:38.007
JUDY: Or I’m not sure if this is the right move or just listen to me yell for a minute.
00:14:38.007 –> 00:14:39.547
JUDY: I’m happy to do that.
00:14:39.547 –> 00:14:42.327
JUDY: Yeah.
00:14:42.327 –> 00:14:43.767
JUDY: You know, so we have that piece of it.
00:14:43.767 –> 00:14:46.447
JUDY: Then we have our peaks and pits on Fridays.
00:14:46.447 –> 00:14:48.527
JUDY: And then quarterly, we’re going to do what’s your why?
00:14:48.527 –> 00:14:54.467
JUDY: Because we don’t, a lot of us, I mean, obviously we like the paycheck, but it’s not why we do this.
00:14:55.227 –> 00:15:04.627
JUDY: You know, to your point and your question on what gets you up in the morning, what motivates you and what makes you excited to do this job, and let’s share it and let’s talk about it.
00:15:04.627 –> 00:15:14.667
JUDY: And so through online chats and through online meetings and through in-person meetings, because we don’t, I looked, we didn’t have anything in Wisconsin.
00:15:14.667 –> 00:15:34.787
JUDY: I went to, during Admin Week, they had the Admin Awards, which is a great program, hosted an event in the Milwaukee area, and we’re all talking at our table about how we didn’t have anything to bring each other together to really share those ideas and those thoughts and best practices.
00:15:34.787 –> 00:15:41.187
JUDY: And so, and there’s a lot of great resources out there, but, you know, that face-to-face personal contact.
00:15:41.187 –> 00:15:46.307
JUDY: And we’re, you know, we’re known for the Midwest Nights, so we want that personal connection with folks.
00:15:46.307 –> 00:15:55.947
JUDY: And so about three minutes after that conversation, I texted my husband and said, Yep, this is what we’re doing now, because if we don’t have it, I want to have it.
00:15:55.947 –> 00:16:03.507
JUDY: So, and that’s kind of how I roll with things, is if we don’t need it and I want it, I try to make it happen.
00:16:03.507 –> 00:16:08.867
JUDY: So that is kind of the genesis behind the Midwest admin connection and what we offer.
00:16:08.867 –> 00:16:14.947
JUDY: And even if you’re not in the Midwest, we have virtual meetups and I will never turn anybody away.
00:16:14.947 –> 00:16:15.427
JEREMY: Nice.
00:16:15.427 –> 00:16:17.387
JEREMY: Well, that’s so awesome.
00:16:17.687 –> 00:16:33.107
JEREMY: And I always love hearing when more people, especially in certain cities and areas that aren’t as hot, if you will, like there’s a lot of things going on in San Francisco.
00:16:33.107 –> 00:16:35.967
JEREMY: There’s a lot of things going on in Chicago or New York.
00:16:35.967 –> 00:16:49.267
JEREMY: And it’s always nice hearing as a fellow of Midwesterner to hear about networks being put together in the middle of the country, in the flyover states.
00:16:49.267 –> 00:16:50.787
JEREMY: So thanks for doing that.
00:16:50.787 –> 00:16:59.207
JEREMY: And I’ll definitely share the link to Midwest Admin in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/291, leaderassistant.com/291.
00:17:03.507 –> 00:17:06.187
JEREMY: So Judy, thanks again for being on the show.
00:17:06.187 –> 00:17:23.147
JEREMY: What’s maybe, you know, speaking of networking, do you have any good icebreaker questions or networking tips for those listening who are like, you know what, you’re right, I need to start networking, but I just need a little nudge.
00:17:24.307 –> 00:17:32.227
JUDY: I think the best thing that, and it’s hard for me to get out of my shell, which is really hard to believe as I’m on a podcast talking about myself.
00:17:33.387 –> 00:17:48.507
JUDY: But just realizing that if you say something and it doesn’t go well, the odds of you interacting with that person again, probably slim to none and the odds of them remembering it five minutes later are even more slim.
00:17:48.507 –> 00:17:51.567
JUDY: So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
00:17:51.567 –> 00:17:55.987
JUDY: As far as icebreakers, I’m bigging in the music scene.
00:17:55.987 –> 00:18:08.967
JUDY: So I was actually randomly thinking about this on my drive home today is, what is one song that regardless of what you’re doing and when you’re hearing it, or what you’ve got going on in your brain, you have to just jam out to.
00:18:08.967 –> 00:18:14.207
JUDY: I think that not your theme song, but just that one song that gets you going.
00:18:14.207 –> 00:18:19.587
JUDY: It was because 9 to 5 was on by Dolly Parton, and it got me thinking about it because that’s mine.
00:18:19.587 –> 00:18:21.067
JUDY: I just think it’s a great icebreaker.
00:18:22.567 –> 00:18:26.747
JUDY: A lot of people connect through music, so it works.
00:18:26.747 –> 00:18:27.167
JEREMY: Nice.
00:18:27.167 –> 00:18:29.427
JEREMY: I love it.
00:18:29.427 –> 00:18:30.327
JEREMY: Well said.
00:18:30.327 –> 00:18:32.927
JEREMY: Well, Judy, thanks again for being on the show.
00:18:32.927 –> 00:18:37.507
JEREMY: Is there anything else you want to say to the assistance of the world before I let you go?
00:18:39.907 –> 00:18:42.047
JUDY: No, just build your network.
00:18:42.047 –> 00:18:46.127
JUDY: We juggle a lot, and just like anything, you need a strong foundation.
00:18:49.107 –> 00:18:58.027
JUDY: Whether it be at work or at home, I have a team that I can call on to support me, to help me support whomever I need to.
00:18:59.087 –> 00:19:08.627
JUDY: If you don’t have that and you need that, you can reach out on LinkedIn or email me at judyatmidwestadminconnection.com and let’s talk about it.
00:19:08.627 –> 00:19:22.247
JUDY: If it’s on your brain and you need somebody to vent it out to, or you need somebody to connect with, or you need somebody to help with networking opportunities in different groups, I am here to help and just reach out.
00:19:22.247 –> 00:19:22.667
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:19:22.667 –> 00:19:23.727
JEREMY: Thank you so much, Judy.
00:19:24.327 –> 00:19:35.827
JEREMY: I just wanted to be a little bit honest with the listeners because we’ve had a lot of technical difficulties trying to record this episode.
00:19:35.827 –> 00:19:45.407
JEREMY: It’s just one of the most frustrating things on both ends when you’re having a fun conversation, and things are going well, and then Zoom shuts down, or the Internet freezes.
00:19:46.907 –> 00:19:57.207
JEREMY: Thanks for being patient with all that today, and I’m glad we were able to at least get the conversation going for a while before it crashed again.
00:19:57.207 –> 00:19:57.487
JUDY: Yes.
00:19:57.487 –> 00:19:57.907
<v SPEAKER_2>Thank you.
00:20:17.195 –> 00:20:18.875
JUDY: goburrows.com.
