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.