Executive Office Insights

166: Want to know how certifications, mentorship, and leadership can transform your career? In this episode, Mia Lane shares her incredible journey from customer service to becoming a senior executive assistant and leader. She reveals the secrets to career growth, the power of mentorship, and how investing in certifications shaped her success.

Mia also opens up about balancing personal and professional life, lessons from her father, and why self-care is non-negotiable.

🔹 How mentorship can change your career 🔹 The importance of certifications in professional growth 🔹 Leadership lessons and managing a team 🔹 Balancing work, family, and self-care

Mia's background spans three decades of experience in executive support, including at the C-suite level. As a certified professional, she is dedicated to driving business excellence. She excels in building strategic partnerships, optimizing workflows, and enabling transparent communication to support executives in achieving their objectives. In Mia's current capacity, she holds a dual role: supporting an executive and managing a team of executive assistants.

As Manager of Executive and Administration, Mia leads her team with a focus on fostering efficiency, communication, and collaboration. Her management approach is centered on the belief that every team member's contribution is vital to collective success, and she strives to create an inclusive environment where every voice is heard, valued, and respected.

A guiding principle in Mia's leadership approach is ensuring individuals recognize their inherent worth - a lesson instilled by her father, whose words she often shares: "You are somebody!"

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miamlane/

Below are the links and details of the organizations associated with my certifications:

International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) Website: https://www.iaap-hq.org/ Membership: https://www.iaap-hq.org/general/register_member_type.asp Certified Administrative Professional (CAP): https://www.iaap-hq.org/page/CAP_Certification Certified Administrative Professional (Expert): https://www.iaap-capstone.org/

American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP)

Website: https://www.asaporg.com/ Membership: https://www.asaporg.com/join Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE): https://www.asaporg.com/pace

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Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

🔴 Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vt3r7wduMuM

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

165: Travel. AI. Career Growth. This video is packed with insights on how global experiences shape perspectives, how AI is revolutionizing work, and how personal growth can change your life.

100+ Countries & Lessons Learned: Discover why exposing children and professionals to different cultures fosters creativity and adaptability.

AI in the Workplace: Learn about AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. Find out how to use AI safely in business and why 90% of employers now look for AI skills.

From Assistant to AI Trainer: A true success story—how one career pivot led to global opportunities and writing 45+ textbooks. ---

Corinne promises to make you love Microsoft a little more again. You will discover how to produce amazing professional documents, spreadsheets and presentations, and with the use of breath-taking shortcuts, it needn't take you hours!

Corinne Hoisington is a full-time Professor of Information Systems Technology at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, VA training our future Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, and Admins. Corinne also travels over 200,000 miles a year providing keynote motivational topics and training to corporations, small businesses, admin conferences in over 70 worldwide cities this year for such customers as the Microsoft Corporation, Executive Assistant Live London/Johannesburg/Sydney/Wellington, Prague World Economic Forum, Cengage Learning, the international South by Southwest event, APC Conference, Capital One World Admins day, and many others. Professor Hoisington is the recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional in Business and Computing. Corinne presently has authored over thirty textbooks with Cengage Learning/National Geographic such as the Microsoft Outlook 365, Office 365, Windows 10, Technology Now, and Visual Basic with App Development.

Website: https://professorcorinne.com/

App recommendation by Corinne: https://mindtrip.ai/

AI course: https://executivesupportmedia.com/product/unlocking-the-ai-revolution-earn-your-microsoft-ai-certification-badge/ ---

🔴 Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ca9l87GRTp4 Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

Willkommen bei Executive Office Insights! In diesem Trailer stellt Host Diana Brandl den Podcast vor – eine Plattform für alle, die das moderne Office der Zukunft mitgestalten. Erfahre, worauf du dich freuen kannst: inspirierende Gespräche mit Top-Executives, Celebrity Assistenzen und Branchenexpert:innen aus der ganzen Welt. Leadership, Executive Support und echte Erfolgsgeschichten – kompakt in einem Podcast. Jetzt reinhören!

164: Miriam Höller hat stets am Limit gelebt – bis das Leben ihr harte Grenzen zeigte. Bekannt als eine der wenigen Stuntfrauen Deutschlands, Moderatorin des Motormagazins Grip und Teilnehmerin von Germany's Next Topmodel, war sie schon als Kind eher Wildfang als Prinzessin.

Bereits bei ihrer Lebensplanung überlässt sie nichts dem Zufall: Als Teenagerin für ihren Berufswunsch als Stuntfrau belächelt, hat sie mit 18 ihr erstes Profi-Engagement und gründet mit Mitte 20 ihr eigenes Stuntteam. Ihr Markenzeichen wird die einzigartige Kombination von Ästhetik und Action.

Doch auch der größte Erfolg schützt nicht vor Ungerechtigkeit. Plötzlich treffen sie zwei große Schicksalsschläge nacheinander: Als sie sich bei einem Helikopter-Stunt beide Füße bricht, findet ihre präzis geplante Karriere ein jähes Ende. Wenige Wochen später stirbt dann ihre große Liebe bei einem Hubschrauberabsturz.

Auf die harte Tour lernt Miriam Höller, dass man nicht alles kontrollieren und nicht alle Krisen vermeiden, aber den Umgang damit bestimmen kann. Sie kämpft sich über viele Jahre zurück, tritt heute als Rednerin auf den größten Bühnen Deutschlands auf und ermutigt Menschen, die Herausforderungen des Lebens als Chancen zu nutzen. Ihr inspirierendes Fazit: Es braucht Zeit, aber es gilt, die Aufgaben des Lebens zu meistern, die man nicht haben wollte. Das Leben ist ungerecht, aber es lohnt sich trotzdem.

In diesem eindringlichen und lebensbejahenden Memoir schildert Miriam Höller, was ihr geholfen hat – und wo unsere wahren Stärken liegen, wenn wir sie am meisten brauchen.

Webseite und Buch: https://miriamhoeller.com/

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🔴 Video auf YouTube anschauen: https://youtu.be/IUBgS-bGC7s Diana auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast auf Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast auf Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

163/122 Best of: With 27 years experience developing humans and building organizations, Monique knows that change is possible, and it all starts with you.

After nearly a decade as the Executive Assistant, Producer, and "Chief of Simon Sinek," (New York Times Best-Selling author and TED celebrity), she obtained the necessary skills to decipher and disentangle common issues plaguing humans and businesses around the globe.

Through her countless conversations with thought leaders, executives, celebrities, educators, Administrative professionals, the military, and the general workforce this world depends on, she has developed powerful curricula and real-life solutions to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

She has cultivated an ability to identify patterns, diagnose the disparity, and establish a workable plan. She has sharpened her ability to take large complex problems and break them down into bite-sized, achievable nuggets. She is obsessed with growth and development and will hopefully spend her life showing others that they can achieve their next evolution.

As a speaker, coach, and specialized recruiter for the Administrative profession, Monique helps her clients take accountability for their past, and command total control of their future.

Monique specializes in: • Self-awareness and confidence building. • Communication, listening, and feedback. • Goal setting. • Executive presence. • Coaching and speaking for Administrative Professionals. • Administrative/Assistant recruiting services. • Teaching Executives how to have (and develop) an Administrative or Executive Assistant.

She has certainly made a million mistakes in her life and career as most have. Those mistakes have made her who she is. After all, we learn so much more when we fall down than when we pretend we have our eyes wide open.

Connect with Monique:

Website: www.MoniqueHelstrom.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquehelstrom/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moniquejhelstrom/

Online Communication Course Bundle SALE - https://moniquehelstrom.thinkific.com/bundles/communication-bundle

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Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the-socialista-projects

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

162/096 Best of: Als Teil der Generation Y ist Magdalena Rogl seit über 15 Jahren in der Online-Welt unterwegs. Im Jahr 2016 wechselte sie aus der Medienbranche in die Unternehmenskommunikation von Microsoft Deutschland. Ihr kontinuierliches Engagement für Gleichberechtigung, Inklusion und Vielfalt wurde 2021 als Diversity & Inclusion Lead zu ihrer Hauptaufgabe im Unternehmen.

Für ihren außergewöhnlichen Karriereweg von der Kinderpflegerin in die Digitalbranche wurde Magdalena unter anderem mit dem Digital Female Leader Award und als eine der „25 Frauen die unsere Wirtschaft revolutionieren" ausgezeichnet.

Magdalena ist Wertebotschafterin für die gemeinnützige Bildungsinitiative GermanDream und Rolemodel bei BayFid, dem Nachwuchsförderungsprogramm des Bayerischen Staatsministeriums für Digitales.

Im Oktober 2022 erschien ihr erstes Buch „MitGefühl – Warum Emotionen im Job unverzichtbar sind"

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Diana auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the-socialista-projects

Podcast auf Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast auf Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

161/093 BEST OF: Getting to know Agnes and Matthew:

Matthew Chapman: President of Sales & Marketing, Automotive Sales

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-chapman-2397065

Matthew is a dynamic and trusted global sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in strategic planning, sales process development, global intercultural leadership, and sales execution.

Confident, self-motivated, bi-lingual leader who is able to recognize cultural differences and resolve problems across cultures.

Proficient at managing multiple complex projects and focused on building strong customer relationships to profitably grow both the top and bottom lines.

Strong technical communicator proficient at delivering complex ideas in a clear manner with experience engaging and collaborating at executive management levels.

Driven by a desire to continually grow, learn and motivate others using a management style that balances motivation with data driven results.

Agnes Spohn: EA to Matthew Chapman and Founder of FST Assistant Community

https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-spohn-4b647b35

Agnes was born in Berlin where she also lived until 2013.

Her background is hotel management and during that time she learned being a multitasking person and enjoyed working with different nationalities & humans.

After many years in the hotel operations day to day business, she moved on to a Sales position in charge of the DACH region corporates and the entertainment industry.

By planning her sales calls, she discovered the world of being a frequent traveler which helps her today planning business trips for her manager.

Her network to the hotel industry is still huge and that helps a lot by planning meetings and negotiating contracts.

Agnes moved to the South of Germany in 2013 working in Frankfurt in the financial industry. During that time, she was mainly in charge of planning investor meetings and roadshows as well as huge investor conferences in Frankfurt and Paris.

After her parental leave she started with Freudenberg in 2018. Today, she combines a lot of her skills learned in the past to the daily business of being an Executive Assistant.

She loves working with an international global based team and so it is no surprise that her manager is located in the US but Agnes is located close to Heidelberg.

Further links:

Habit List: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/habit-list/id525102168

YearCompass: https://yearcompass.com/ ---

Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the-socialista-projects

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

160/077 Best of: Vera Marie Strauch studierte BWL in Deutschland und Neuseeland und absolvierte ihren Masterabschluss als Fulbright-Stipendiatin in den USA. 2015 wurde sie als eine der ersten Frauen in der Branche mit unter 30 Jahren Geschäftsführerin eines mittelständischen Bauzulieferers. Drei Jahre hat sie 100+ Mitarbeiter*innen an mehreren Produktionsstandorten geführt und stark männlich geprägte Führungsumfelder kennengelernt. Sie hat wertvolle Erfahrungen gesammelt und durfte erleben, was Großartiges entstehen kann, wenn Andersartigkeit angenommen wird und Menschen sich auf Vielfalt und Veränderung einlassen. Sie weiß auch, wie herausfordernd es sein kann, seinen ganz eigenen Führungsstil zu finden – vor allem, wenn die Vorbilder in deinem täglichen Umfeld sehr anders sind als du.

Heute denkt Vera Wirtschaft und Arbeit neu. Das tut sie als digitale Unternehmerin, Podcasterin und Gründerin der Female Leadership Academy. Seit 2018 begleitet Vera gemeinsam mit ihrem Team in der Female Leadership Academy vor allem Frauen in ihrer beruflichen und persönlichen Entwicklung. Mit ihrem „Female Leadership Podcast" stieg sie in die Top 5 Wirtschaftscharts in Deutschland ein und erreicht wöchentlich Zehntausende Hörer*innen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. ---

Links zu Vera: https://verastrauch.com/

Business Journal: https://verastrauch.com/business-journal/

Vera's Podcast: https://verastrauch.com/femaleleadershippodcast/

Folge mit Vera und Diana: https://verastrauch.com/2019/06/11/diana-brandl-assistenz/

TEDx Talk mit Vera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQufMrjY9Qw

Themen aus dem Podcast: Afghanischer Frauenverein e.V.: https://www.afghanischer-frauenverein.de/

Buchtipp von Frederic Laloux: https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/ ---

Diana auf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the-socialista-projects

Podcast auf Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast auf Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

159/063 Best of: Patrick and I did a live Expert Talk interview in December 2020 which was a huge success. We had assistants from all over the world attending. Some, however, could not make it because of time zone difficulties, so I promised I will interview Patrick again for my podcast. Here we go - I trust you will love the stories he is about to share.

A little information on Patrick first: For eight years Patrick Jephson was Princess Diana's private secretary (chief of staff), responsible for every aspect of her public life and private organization. He travelled with the Princess to five continents, working with officials up to head of state and encountering unforgettable figures in politics, philanthropy and the arts such as Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Mother Teresa, Bono and Luciano Pavarotti. Under relentless media scrutiny, his tenure covered the period of Princess Diana's greatest popularity as well as the constitutional controversy of her separation from Prince Charles.

He is now a consultant, journalist, broadcaster and New York Times bestselling author, based in Washington DC. His byline has appeared in every UK national newspaper and international titles as varied as TIME magazine, Vanity Fair, People, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Paris Match.

A published authority on corporate and personal branding, Patrick equally enjoys coaching C-suite executives, advising UHNWIs on reputation management and addressing PR conferences worldwide. Having worked for an internationally high-profile woman, he feels a special affinity for cross-cultural, protocol, gender and communications issues.

He also writes, presents and advises on factual and drama TV programs, appearing on every major US network. He is currently an expert consultant to the award-winning Netflix series The Crown.

Check out his website: https://jephsonbeaman.com/

So, it is time to log in now and enjoy this talk. So many take aways will be waiting for you. Let us know how you liked it and give us a review on Apple Itunes.

Thanks and best from Diana xoxo

Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the-socialista-projects

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qBSDjTfYOG2x6qos7dKkS

Podcast on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/the-future-assistant/id1493106661

158/030 Best of: Katharina Krentz started her career as an assistant and climbed up the ladder fast. She now works as Corporate Human Resources Transformation Team & Collaboration Crew at Bosch in Germany. She is a vocal ambassador when it comes to New Work, Working out Loud and Female Leadership. A woman full of energy and many talents. I enjoyed the talk with her a lot and I know you will as well. Get to know the world around Working out Loud - get to know the wonderful Katharina Krentz. Make sure you leave us a comment.

Thank you, Diana xoxo

Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-brandl/

The Future Assistant Newsletter: https://the-socialista-projects.com/#newsletter

Contact: [email protected]