In high-pressure environments, staying calm is a leadership skill.

In this episode of Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted, we sit down with Kristi Graham, a career executive assistant whose work spans finance, tech, higher education, and complex global organizations.

Kristi has spent nearly three decades supporting leaders where pressure concentrates; executive calendars, major events, constant change, and always-on expectations. She’s known for staying steady when things move fast. In this conversation, she breaks down what “Captain Calm” looks like in real life: trust built through curiosity, boundaries tested by modern work culture, and adaptability as a core leadership skill.

We explore how the executive assistant role has evolved alongside remote work, Slack culture, and AI tools, and why emotional intelligence and perspective often matter more than speed or industry expertise.

A grounded listen for executive assistants, operations leaders, event professionals, and anyone working behind the scenes to keep organizations running.