What does it take to move from being a transactional Executive Assistant to becoming a true strategic business partner?

In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, I sit down with Gillian Gelston, Executive Assistant at Salesforce, to discuss her career journey from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service to supporting senior leaders in one of the world's leading technology companies.

Gillian shares how she built a successful remote EA career, the systems and workflows that have helped her save time and money for her Executive, and why understanding personality types has transformed the way she works with different leaders.

We also discuss:

• How Gillian transitioned into the Executive Assistant profession
• Building trust and credibility as a remote EA
• The importance of boundaries and protecting your time
• Using Slack workflows to streamline approvals and reduce email overload
• How a simple budget approval workflow saved thousands in unauthorised spend
• Why compliance can be a valuable area of expertise for Executive Assistants
• Managing competing priorities in a fast-paced sales environment
• Creating a single source of communication to reduce overwhelm
• The role of personality frameworks in understanding Executives
• Finding your support network as a remote EA
• Developing a growth mindset and continuing professional development
• The books, podcasts and resources Gillian recommends for Executive Assistants

This conversation is packed with practical ideas for Executive Assistants who want to become more strategic, work more effectively with their Executive, and create systems that make work easier for everyone around them.

Whether you work remotely, in the office, or in a hybrid role, you'll come away with plenty of ideas you can implement immediately.

Training & Courses

→ The Strategic Business Partner Online Course (The EA Campus)

→ Elite EA Course by C&C Academy

Books

→ The Modern-Day Assistant by Lucy Brazier

→ The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

→ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Podcasts

→ The EA Campus Podcast

→ The Crodie Files

→ Executive Office Insights

Frameworks & Assessments

→ Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

→ The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin

Technology & Tools

→ Slack

→ Slack Canvas

→ Slack Workflow Builder

→ ChatGPT

→ Google Gemini

→ Google Docs

Learning Resources

→ Slack Academy

→ The Global Skills Matrix for Executive Assistants

→ The Rundown AI

The EA Campus

In Ep98 of The EA Campus Podcast, we discuss the question of whether to trust or rely upon. Why the difference matters for EAs. As Executive Assistants, many of us become the person everybody depends on. We manage the details, keep things moving, solve problems quickly, and often hold together far more than people realise.

But there’s an important difference between being relied upon and being trusted.

In ep98 of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas explores how trust develops in the EA role, why being operationally dependable can sometimes keep us stuck in reactive working patterns, and how stronger Executive partnerships are built through communication, consistency, visibility, and confidence in our thinking. In Ep98, we look at: 

• Why trust and reliance are not the same thing
• How EAs become operationally central in organisations
• The shift from task support to a strategic partnership
• The small behaviours that build Executive confidence over time
• Why many experienced EAs already have more influence than they realise

If you’ve ever felt like your Executive depends on you for everything, but you still want more autonomy, visibility, or strategic involvement, this episode is for you.

Resources and links:

• The Difference Between Being Trusted and Being Relied Upon

Read more from The EA Campus:

• 10 Micro-Behaviours That Build Executive Trust 
• From Task Manager to Trusted Partner: Building a Strategic Relationship with Your Executive
• Inspiring Trust in Your EA Work
• Strategic Business Partner Online Course
• Upcoming EA Campus Events

The EA Campus

In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas sits down with Molly Looney, Executive Assistant to the CEO of San Carlo Restaurants and winner of National PA of the Year.

From supporting international restaurant expansion projects to managing charity partnerships, travel, operations, and high-level stakeholder relationships, Molly shares what life really looks like behind the scenes of a fast-moving EA role in hospitality.

The conversation explores the importance of emotional intelligence, building trust with your Executive, learning how to read the room, and why “walking the floor” can become one of the most valuable habits an Executive Assistant develops.

Molly also opens up about:
 ☑ Working with difficult Executives and what those experiences taught her
 ☑ Knowing when to protect your Executive’s time and energy
 ☑ Managing reactive workloads without rigid systems
 ☑ Building strong workplace relationships and culture
 ☑ Why the EA role goes far beyond calendar management
 ☑ Her experience winning National PA of the Year
 ☑ The opportunities available for EAs who want to grow into more strategic roles

This is an honest, practical, and relatable conversation about the reality of modern Executive Assistant work, and the human skills that make the biggest difference.

You can find upcoming EA Campus masterclasses, virtual summits, and events at:
 → https://theeacampus.com/events/

The EA Campus

As Executive Assistants, we are used to working in environments where priorities shift quickly, plans change, and no two days look the same. One minute everything is mapped out, the next you are reworking the schedule, solving problems, and keeping everything moving behind the scenes.

So how do you build a way of working that actually supports that?

In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, we explore Agile working and how it can be adapted for the EA role. This is not about adding more process or complexity. It is about creating structure that allows you to stay flexible, make better decisions, and manage your workload with more clarity.

We break down what Agile working really means in practice and how you can start using it straight away in your role.

In this episode, we cover:

1.  What Agile working is and why it fits the EA role 
2.  How to manage shifting priorities without feeling overwhelmed 
3.  The Moscow method for prioritising your workload 
4.  How to use sprints to focus on high-impact work 
5.  What Scrum looks like for EAs, including simple daily check-ins 
6.  How feedback loops can help you continuously improve how you work 

If you are looking for a more structured but flexible way to manage your day, this episode will give you practical approaches you can start using immediately.

And a quick reminder. Our annual EA Campus Conference is taking place in London from April 22nd to 24th. If you want to learn, connect with other Assistants, and spend time working on your role, we would love to see you there. You can find all of the details on theeacampus.com.

The EA Campus

In Ep95 of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas sits down with experienced Executive Assistant Ronie Williams to talk about what it really looks like to build a long-term career in the EA role.

Ronie has worked as an Executive Assistant for nearly three decades across finance, startups, and global tech companies. In this conversation, she shares how she started her career at 17, the lessons she learned working in demanding corporate environments, and how those experiences helped shape the way she works today.

Ronie now works at the SaaS company Contentful, supporting senior leaders across different regions while also playing a key role in building the London office culture from the ground up. From creating systems that help executives perform at their best, to building an environment where teams genuinely enjoy coming into the office, Ronie shares how EAs can influence far more than their job description suggests.

Throughout the episode, we discuss managing competing priorities, navigating difficult workplaces early in our careers, building trust with executives, and why experience is such a powerful asset in the EA profession.

Ronie also shares practical advice for assistants starting their careers today, including why curiosity, confidence and understanding your executive deeply are some of the most valuable skills you can develop.

If you’ve ever wondered how experienced EAs think about their role, their career, and the value they bring to organisations, this conversation is packed with insight.

Resources Mentioned:

•  Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson

The EA Campus

Some Executives think very quickly. Ideas arrive mid-conversation, instructions come in half-sentences, and priorities can shift between one meeting and the next.

As Executive Assistants, we often receive the headline version of the thought. The context, the reasoning, and the next steps may still be sitting in our Executive’s head.

In Ep94 of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky explores what it is like to support leaders who think faster than they communicate, and how EAs can turn those fragmented conversations into clear, practical action.

We talk through how to recognise patterns in the way your Executive thinks, how to clarify ideas without slowing them down, and how to translate broad concepts into operational work.

Nicky also shares practical techniques that many Assistants use every day, including the “answer first” communication style, quick recap conversations, and simple ways to capture ideas before they disappear into the pace of the day.

If you have ever left a meeting thinking, “I know there was an idea in there somewhere…”, this episode will feel very familiar.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why fast-thinking leaders often communicate in fragments
 • How EAs can recognise patterns in the questions their Executive asks
 • Ways to clarify ideas without interrupting the flow of a conversation
 • Turning broad concepts into practical next steps
 • Using simple notes and AI tools to capture ideas quickly
 • The quick recap technique that prevents misunderstandings

As EAs, we often become the person who helps bring structure to leadership thinking. When you learn how to listen for the intention behind the conversation and organise the next steps, your role becomes far more strategic.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with another Assistant who might recognise the same dynamic with their Executive.

You can also explore more training, masterclasses, and resources for Executive Assistants at theeacampus.com.

The EA Campus

In Ep93 of The EA Campus Podcast, we look at what it really takes to build a long and successful career as an Executive Assistant.

In Ep93 of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas is joined by Scot Wizniewski, Executive Assistant at Spotify and a respected voice in the global EA community.

Scot has spent more than 25 years working as a career Executive Assistant, supporting senior leaders across multiple industries, including publishing, beauty, and now technology. In this conversation, he shares how the role has evolved over time, how Assistants can move from a task-based position into a true strategic partnership with their Executive, and why adaptability is one of the most important skills for long-term success in the profession.

Together, Nicky and Scot explore the realities of supporting global executives, including managing complex calendars, prioritising requests when everything feels urgent, and building strong relationships across an organisation.

Scot also shares practical systems he uses every day. From colour-coded calendars that help executives manage their energy and focus, to decision-tracking documents that reduce email overload and help leadership teams stay aligned.

The conversation also touches on the rise of AI in the workplace. Scot shares his perspective on how Assistants can use tools like ChatGPT and Gemini productively, while recognising that the most valuable aspects of the EA role remain deeply human.

If you’re an Executive Assistant who wants to strengthen your strategic partnership with your executive and build a long-term career in the profession, this episode is full of insight and practical ideas.

In Ep93, We Discuss

• Scot’s journey into the EA profession and how he built a 25+ year career as a career Executive Assistant
• Moving from a task-focused role to a strategic partnership with your Executive
• Why adaptability is one of the most important skills for Executive Assistants
• Managing complex global calendars and working across time zones
• How to prioritise when everything feels urgent
• Scot’s colour-coded calendar system for managing Executive time and energy
• Using a decision tracker to reduce email overload and support executive decision-making
• The role of AI in the EA profession and where human skills still matter most
• Why emotional intelligence, empathy, and relationship-building remain essential EA skills

Resources Mentioned

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• ChatGPT
• Google Gemini
• Calendar AI

Follow Scot on LinkedIn for insights on the evolving Executive Assistant role and practical advice from his experience supporting global executives.

The EA Campus

In Episode 92 of The EA Campus Podcast, we explore how AI is changing inbox management for Executive Assistants in a practical, day-to-day way. If you support one Executive or several, you already know how quickly inboxes can take over the rhythm of your day. Constant checking, forwarding, reacting, and chasing can easily become the default way of working. In this episode, we walk through what a typical EA day actually looks like and talk honestly about how we can build a clearer structure around email, rather than letting it dictate everything.

We start by looking at why inbox habits matter. As EAs, we handle a significant volume of communication, and the way we process email shapes expectations around response times and availability. When we are constantly checking and escalating messages in real time, we create a pace that is hard to sustain. Research shows that task switching reduces focus, and email is one of the biggest contributors. So we explore how triage creates structure, and how AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini can reduce the time spent reading and drafting without removing our responsibility to think and decide.

From there, we move into the morning pre-triage stage. This is where we use built-in summary features in Outlook and Gmail to scan long threads, extract key decisions, and identify open questions before replying. Instead of reading every message line by line, we generate a structured overview and then sense-check it. We revisit the 4 Ds framework. Do, Delegate, Defer, Delete or archive. Every email needs an outcome. AI can assist by drafting routine responses and suggesting meeting confirmations, but the decision about what happens to that email remains with us.

We then look at how AI supports your dedicated processing block. Drafting replies in your Executive’s tone using Copilot or Gemini, suggesting meeting times using calendar data, and converting emails into tasks through Microsoft To Do, Planner, or Google Tasks. The shift here is simple. The inbox is where requests arrive. Your task manager is where work is tracked. For EAs who are newer to this way of working, the advice is to start small. Choose one integration and use it consistently so that the system becomes habit rather than another layer of admin.

Midday, we focus on decision support and meeting preparation. Before a one-to-one or board meeting, you can prompt Copilot or Gemini to summarise recent email exchanges with a specific stakeholder, extract unresolved questions, and list commitments made. That gives you a working briefing note in minutes. We also cover how to draft structured follow-up emails with next steps, owners, and deadlines, then refine them so they reflect how your Executive communicates. Over the course of a week, those small time savings add up and allow you to focus on clarity and preparation.

Finally, we cover follow-ups, accountability, and the end-of-day reset. Many inbox tools allow you to set reminders for unanswered emails so that important threads do not disappear. We also talk about bulk archiving in Gmail and Outlook to reset an overgrown inbox while keeping everything searchable. The episode closes with a reminder that AI can reduce reading time, assist with drafting, surface unanswered threads, and support meeting preparation. It does not replace your role in prioritising, protecting sensitive information, and managing your Executive’s time with intention.

The EA Campus

There are conversations that would make your role as an Executive Assistant significantly easier.

You probably already know which ones they are.

• The clarification you’ve been meaning to ask for.
•  The boundary that needs resetting.
•  The expectation that was never fully defined.
•  The salary discussion you keep postponing.

In this episode, Nicky talks through six specific conversations that directly impact how smooth, strategic, and sustainable your role feels. These are not dramatic confrontations. They are practical, calm, well-timed discussions that remove guesswork and reduce unnecessary rework.

You’ll hear about:

• The “I Need Help” conversation and how asking early saves hours later
•  The immediate feedback conversation that prevents small patterns from shaping your role
•  The unclear expectations conversation that stops you from aiming at the wrong target
•  The managing up conversation and why it changes how your week runs
•  The mistake admission conversation and how it can actually build trust
•  The salary and value conversation and how to prepare properly for it

Throughout the episode, Nicky shares real EA scenarios and practical wording you can use, so you’re not walking into these discussions hoping they go well. You’re walking in prepared.

Resources Mentioned

Managing Up Guide for Executive Assistants:
https://theeacampus.com/blog/managing-up-as-an-executive-assistant/

EA Salary Survey:
https://www.easalarysurvey.com/

Confident Communicator Course:
https://theeacampus.com/online-course/confident-communicator/

Explore all upcoming masterclasses, virtual summits, and the London conference:
 https://theeacampus.com/events

If this episode resonated, share it with another EA who might be carrying a conversation in their head that really needs to happen.

And as always, thank you for being part of The EA Campus community.

The EA Campus

In The EA Campus Podcast Ep 90, we sit down with Alicia and Yvette, the creators of the EA Salary Survey, to explore how the report came to life and why having a large, representative dataset really matters. We talk about the difference between small, skewed reports and meaningful data, and why transparency around respondent numbers is essential when you’re making career decisions.

We unpack the key findings from 2024 and 2025 across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. EA salaries are above regional averages in most areas; education does not automatically determine earnings; and only two specific benefits in each country truly move the needle on job satisfaction. Career progression, however, consistently impacts whether people plan to stay or leave.

We also discuss hybrid versus remote working, peak earning years, and the gap between actual salary and salary satisfaction. One of the most important insights is that perception and progression often matter more than headline figures. Context is everything. Location, industry, and experience all play a role.

Finally, we share practical advice on how to use the report properly. Read it carefully. Compare like-for-like. Use it as part of a strategic business case rather than a blunt instrument. This episode is about perspective, evidence, and helping you make informed decisions about your career.

The EA Campus