Panic-Proof Radio

Some may view being a virtual assistant as a stepping stone in between roles, but a career is very much possible. We’re diving into this topic with Hannah Kahn, our Chief People Officer at Don’t Panic Management. Hannah reflects on her career journey and shares how she grew from an Administrative Assistant to her current role and made herself an irreplaceable employee. 

Of course, Hannah keeps a close pulse on all things virtual work-related, and we hear her perspectives on how to collaborate remotely, what the rise of AI tools means for VAs, and more! 

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Katie Mleziva is the Founder and Brand Strategist of Real Food Brands and is constantly innovating and presenting new ideas for her clients. Yet, when it came to taking a leap in her business in 2018, she felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. That’s when Katie enlisted the help of Don’t Panic Management. 

She shares how working with virtual assistants gave her the confidence, accountability, and a step-by-step plan to roll out new offerings in her business. What surprised Katie was how quickly she started to notice other areas where her business could benefit from the help of a VA. Tune in to hear more about how Katie’s leap paid off and how she continues to grow her business. 

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Virtual assistants are notorious for fascinating and sometimes unexpected career crossovers. That’s certainly the case for DPM VA, Emilee Joseph. A true powerhouse, Emilee balances her virtual assistant work with a demanding full-time career in government work. Pretty impressive, we’d say!  

In this episode, Emilee takes us through her unique career journey and shares why she decided to pursue VA work, what it has taught her, and how it complements her development in her day job. Emilee offers a valuable perspective from her position of being both a leader and an assistant at the same time.  

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As a leader in the PR world, Gini Dietrich is no stranger to living (and thriving!) in a storm. And she’s been thrown a couple of curveballs, too, like leading a company through a bumpy recession and transitioning her team to be fully remote when nobody in her industry was doing it. Yet she’s somehow navigated it all without losing her cool or skipping her morning cycle session.  

Leading a business is a bumpy ride, but Gini is a master at staying calm and prepared for any challenge. A lot of it comes down to delegating the things that don’t require her attention so that she can focus on the big picture. She shares her methods for setting up her virtual team for success and how she stays adaptable to change.  

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Nick Puleo is the President and Founder of Comsint, a public relations and marketing advisory dedicated to helping brands navigate their most pressing challenges. He is also a communications strategist and Emmy award-nominated producer committed to helping brands enhance and protect their reputation.  

As someone who works in public relations, remaining calm and strategic in the face of challenges is incredibly important. In this episode, we chat with Nick about the importance of administrative help, self-awareness, delegation, and collaboration in creating an efficient and scalable agency model while working with a virtual assistant.  

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Erin Guidry has been a part of the Don’t Panic Management team since the very early days and is integral to so much of the work that we do. In this episode, Erin shares her unexpected journey to becoming a virtual assistant and how she benefits from the non-traditional job.  

Before becoming a virtual assistant, Erin explored some quite interesting paths—from animal rescue work to professional baking. It was when she had her first child that she realized how valuable work flexibility was to her. Erin shares how she has navigated becoming a mom while continuing to work and how her role as a virtual assistant has allowed her to strike the rare balance of being a present mom and being fulfilled professionally. 

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Dr. Sarah-Soonling Blackburn is an educator, speaker, author, and coach. Her work focuses on identity, diversity, and justice, emphasizing inclusion and belonging within the Asian American community.  

Throughout her time working with Don’t Panic Management, Sarah has been able to reach more people through her workshops, books, and other educational materials. She believes that education can be liberating, and she aims to develop and deepen these mindsets with her workshops.  

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Andy Crestodina is the Co-Founder and CMO of

As a digital marketing innovator, Andy shares the standard practices that must be maintained to ensure smooth workflows. He also talks about how delegation and outsourcing tasks with a VA has allowed him to free up mental space and time for personal and professional

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Lee LeBreton is a multi-talented creator. As a playwright, actor, and producer in the New York theater scene, finding a flexible job that allows him to pay the bills is paramount. After moving to the city following grad school, he considered the prototypical day-job gig waiting tables, but fortunately, a number of Lee’s friends were already doing some virtual assistant work with a young Don’t Panic Management.

Since joining the team, Lee's found an interesting symbiosis between creative work and virtual assistant life. He writes, produces podcasts, manages social media, and does graphic design for clients—all work that plays directly into his talents as a playwright and theater producer. Plus, Lee is able to apply what he’s learned about marketing writing to his work as a theater producer, promoting performances online. Hear more about how Lee's created harmony across all areas of life in this episode of Panic-Proof Radio.

Freelance science journalist Catherine Price has worked for herself almost her entire career. Since she’s always been a team of one, she never considered the possibility of hiring help.

She was vaguely familiar with the concept of virtual assistants, but she thought they were people who could help with calendar management or booking flights. The things Catherine needed a hand with weren’t logistical, so she assumed she would be doing it all by herself forever.

That is until she met a fellow freelancer on a work trip abroad. A conversation with this compatriot about how she used a VA to help her stay on top of all her work opened Catherine's eyes to the possibility of partnering with a VA. Now, Catherine credits her VA relationship with reducing stress in her life, something she knows a lot about: It's her area of focus in her scientific writing.