The Leader Assistant Podcast with Jeremy Burrows

Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge, joins the podcast to share actionable insights on building strong, strategic relationships with leadership.

Melody is a licensed social worker, executive coach, and frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review who has helped high performers at companies like Google, JP Morgan, and Verizon gain the recognition and respect they deserve.

In this interview, Melody discusses key strategies for managing up effectively, including applying the 4Cs framework, creating Me Manuals for seamless collaboration, and setting boundaries by saying no constructively.

She also addresses how to make invisible work visible, ensure you get credit for your contributions, and confidently advocate for a raise or title change. 

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/400

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. It bridges the gap between daily calendar chaos and strategic executive partnership. Learn more -> assistanthabits.com

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, I sit down with my friend Adam McNair, founder of Elevated Assistant, to explore the deep complexity, hidden value, and real-world judgment required in administrative work. 

Drawing from over 25 years of executive support and office leadership across government, corporate, financial, and tech sectors, Adam shares his journey from a teenage ambition of becoming a "lifestyle manager" to building a practical professional development series designed to elevate assistants everywhere.

We dive into what it truly means to look beyond the standard job description and articulate the invisible work assistants perform daily. This includes identifying missing context, anticipating executive needs, and applying strategic discernment.

Adam breaks down his four-part training framework, "The Administration Series," explaining how structured, in-person learning helps administrative professionals build repeatable systems, gain confidence in their decision-making, and connect their daily execution directly to organizational goals.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/399 

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. It bridges the gap between daily calendar chaos and strategic executive partnership. Learn more -> assistanthabits.com

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, I speak with Holly Brown, an Executive Business Partner at Larvotto Resources in Western Australia. Holly shares her career journey from office administration into executive support in the mining industry, and how taking initiative with AI tools transformed her daily workflow and helped propel her career forward into an Executive Business Partner role.

We dive deep into practical AI use cases for assistants–from building automated daily market intelligence reports to crafting briefing notes and standardizing meeting minutes. Holly explains how taking the lead on implementing AI in her organization created significant time savings, allowing her to step into strategic business projects, expand her governance and compliance responsibilities, and strengthen her partnership with leadership.

Holly offers encouraging advice for assistants who may feel hesitant or fearful about AI technology. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, she frames it as the single biggest career growth opportunity available to administrative professionals today. 

Holly urges EAs to remain curious, experiment with tools like Copilot and Claude, and leverage saved time to elevate their strategic impact.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/398

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. It bridges the gap between daily calendar chaos and strategic executive partnership. Learn more -> assistanthabits.com

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this episode, I chat with Gwendolyn Young, Founder & CEO at Your Virtual Admin Expert LLC. Gwendolyn shares her inspiring journey from corporate healthcare administration to launching and scaling her own successful virtual assistant business after being diagnosed with lupus. 

We discuss practical tips for remote work productivity, setting professional boundaries, finding ideal clients through relationships, and how to price services based on value and impact rather than just hourly rates.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/397

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Evelyne Moser, Founder & CEO at Smart Business Partners, shares her career journey from an executive assistant in Switzerland to relocating to Minnesota and launching her own business. She discusses her experience chairing the 3M Global Assistant Partnership Forum, the power of taking risks and overcoming fears, and her three-pillar approach to supporting businesses and administrative professionals worldwide.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/396

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In episode 395 of The Leader Assistant Podcast, I sit down with Deasha Carter, executive operations strategist and founder of House of Lynn Advisory. We discuss her journey across healthcare, legal, and tech sectors, and why understanding the "how" and "why" of a business is essential for assistants looking to step into strategic roles.

We also explore the concept of "diagnosis before design" to tackle actual operational bottlenecks rather than just adding new tools. Deasha also shares details on her upcoming Certified Operations Strategist credentialing program.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/395 

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

Amy Tilley is Executive Assistant to the CEO at Nielsen-Massey Vanillas & Flavors, and twenty-some years into a career that has kept her beside a CEO at every stop.

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Amy traces a path that grew into leading a best-in-class administrative team – performance reviews, assignments and all.

Amy shares her 20+ year journey in the administrative profession, reflecting on her experiences navigating organizational structure changes, and dealing with the under-discussed topic of workplace grief when transitions occur.

Amy also emphasizes the vital importance of professional development and self-advocacy for administrative professionals.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/394

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. It bridges the gap between daily calendar chaos and strategic executive partnership. Learn more -> assistanthabits.com

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this workshop hosted by Jeremy Burrows and Beth Portesi, executive assistants are guided through the rapidly evolving AI landscape, specifically exploring how Claude’s AI ecosystem can transform their workflows and amplify productivity.

This engaging session demystifies AI tools tailored to assistants, empowering them to become indispensable leaders in their organizations by leveraging automation, cognitive, and creative AI capabilities.

You can watch the video version of this webinar replay via the link in the show notes -> leaderassistant.com/393

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. It bridges the gap between daily calendar chaos and strategic executive partnership. Learn more -> assistanthabits.com

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Colleen Freeland, a master certified life coach and emotional sobriety pioneer, shares her transformative journey from a high-functioning perfectionist grappling with a 20-year alcohol use disorder to becoming a founder of a thriving multi-seven figure business – all while managing the demands of parenting seven children.

This conversation offers executive assistants critical lessons on managing stress, prioritizing self-care, and resisting burnout in high-pressure roles.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/392

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership

The Assistant Habits Weekly Planner is designed to help you lead well through consistent action. In many ways, Assistant Habits is a rebirth of my very first resource for assistants: the 30-Day Assistant Challenge email course. That original course was built on a simple belief – that small, consistent actions compound into real growth. 

Assistant Habits carries that same idea forward, one action at a time.

My passion is to help assistants like you lead well, resist burnout, and automate before you're automated. Every action in the Assistant Habits Weekly Planner reflects that mission and is practical, specific, and immediately useful on the job.

Are you up for the challenge?

Check out the Assistant Habits Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com/weekly-planner

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/391

--
As a Leader Assistant, a lot of the work you do happens behind the scenes. My friends at Offsite work with assistants like you every day, and this holiday season they want to say thank you by giving away a $200 Visa gift card to one lucky listener. 

Go to leaderassistant.com/offsite by November 23 to enter the giveaway (no purchase necessary).

--
Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.

More from The Leader Assistant...

• Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community
• Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com
• Assistant Habits App and Weekly Planner -> assistanthabits.com
• Events -> leaderassistantlive.com
• The Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy 
• Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership