In this candid interview, Diana Brandl welcomes Brian Daniel, founder of The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network, to pull back the curtain on the world of private service for celebrities, high-net-worth families, and billionaires. 

Brian, a former Personal Assistant and Chief of Staff for royal families and A-list stars, shares his firsthand expertise on the ups and downs of the industry. He reveals the true salary realities (including the controversial Anna Wintour assistant salary) and the immense patience required to find the right match. 

Learn why professionalism, "thick skin," and maintaining discretion are non-negotiable, and discover why moving away from major cities like L.A. might open the door to world-class, once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/376 

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It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

In this spotlight episode of Diana Brandl's Executive Office Insights, Anne Marie Otañez details her intentional career path, moving from early roles at Netscape, Disney, and Apple to her current strategic position.

Learn what it truly means to be a Chief of Staff—a trusted partner, liaison, confidant, and proxy—and the importance of clearly defining the role against that of an Executive Assistant. Anne Marie, who is also an author and the founder of the Chief of Staff Academy, shares how she supports senior leaders, manages a 100% remote work environment with intentional travel, and her goal to build a sustainable family business. Tune in to Episode #375 for insider knowledge and new perspectives on leadership and executive support.

Show notes → leaderassistant.com/375

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It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

In this spotlight episode of the Executive Office Insights podcast, join Diana Brandl for an inspiring conversation with Matthew Chapman (President of Sales and Marketing) and his Executive Business Partner, Agnes Spohn, from Freudenberg Group. Despite being based in the US and Germany, this power duo reveals the dynamics of their thriving, trust-based, remote partnership, including how they leverage time zones for efficiency and rely on open communication.

Learn about the evolving role of the assistant into a strategic business partner. Agnes, who Matthew calls a "networking superhero," shares her passion project: founding and expanding Freudenberg's internal assistant community to increase visibility and professional development. Discover the essential tools - from Microsoft Teams and Microsoft To Do to Year Compass - that keep this cross-continental collaboration running smoothly.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/374 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

I had the honor of speaking with Maaike Knoester for an interview on the 5 Star Assistant Podcast to discuss my 20-year career as an Executive Assistant, my book The Leader Assistant, and the journey of producing over 360 episodes of my own podcast.

In this conversation we talk about challenging misconceptions about our profession. The greatest misunderstanding is that EAs are merely "one-trick ponies" focused on scheduling and expenses. In reality, we are strategic partners who see the whole picture for our executives. Internally, the biggest barrier I see is a lack of confidence, often stemming from attaching personal worth to job performance.

To combat burnout and build a sustainable career, I emphasize two core principles:

• Detach your worth from your work. Your value as a person is separate from your job performance.
• Set clear boundaries. I made it a point with my current executive to log off on the weekends because you cannot truly help others long-term if you don't take care of yourself.

Finally, when it comes to being busy, I see "multitasking" not as doing two things at once, but as the critical skill of prioritizing and context switching effectively between diverse responsibilities.

Thank you, Maaike, for the opportunity to be on your show, and for asking such great questions!

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/373

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast.

In this spotlight episode, explore how service skills evolve into strategy as Heleen Vink shares her path from hospitality to supporting the CEO of Ingka Group (IKEA), the calendar audit that reset priorities, and the systems that protect deep work and drive stakeholder engagement. Heleen and Diana also outline how to build an internal assistant network and keep balance through community and creativity.

Topics covered:

• hospitality foundations shaping executive support
• moving from generalist skills to a stakeholder specialty
• the structure and roles inside a lean CEO support team
• how to run a calendar audit and turn data into priorities
• setting non‑negotiables like protected work‑alone time
• building an internal assistant network with clear purpose
• learning by doing: speeches, reports, and projects
• finding your voice and influence with direct feedback
• sustainable work life balance through support systems
• music as a tool for confidence, presence, and renewal

Enjoy!

Show notes → leaderassistant.com/372

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast. In this spotlight episode, Diana interviews Reggie Love - former Personal Aide to President Barack Obama.

The conversation features Reggie discussing his life, career, and time at the White House. He shares his background growing up in North Carolina and his path to working with Obama, emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusion. He also offers leadership advice centered on passion, patience, and perspective (empathy), and tips for managing stress.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/371 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Jana Franklin is President of CEO Concierge, a company dedicated to offering high-quality virtual assistant services to busy entrepreneurs, business owners and C-suite levels.

In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Jana talks about the importance of training and onboarding when bringing on an assistant, the role of personality assessments in the hiring process, treating assistants as business partners, and more.

Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/370 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast.

In this spotlight episode, Diana interviews Patrick Jephson - former Chief of Staff to Princess Diana.

Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/369 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast.

In this spotlight episode, Diana speaks with the executive support team in Microsoft Germany's CEO office.

Go behind the scenes of Microsoft Germany’s CEO Office with two inspiring women: Andrea Bross (Executive Assistant) and Svetlana Barsova (Chief of Staff). In this candid conversation, they share what it really takes to support a top executive, manage complex schedules, and keep leadership moving at full speed.

Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/368 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast.

In this spotlight episode, Diana speaks with Donata Boston - former Madonna family assistant.

Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/367 

--
It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”

Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.

Sound too good to be true? It’s actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)

See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite.

--
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...

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