What does it take to turn a happy hour into a professional lifeline? For Ike Saunders, founder of REACH, it started with six strangers, some free appetizers, and a refusal to ever put a price tag on connection.

In this episode, Ike joins Mel and Diana to trace how REACH (Regional Executive Assistants Cocktail Hour) grew from a casual 2012 gathering of six assistants in Chicago into a membership organization built entirely on the principle that no one should pay to access a strong network.

Ike opens up about founding REACH after his mentor Chris Kennedy retired and left him without a built-in support system, how the group pivoted to survive COVID, and why he's resisted every offer to franchise it into other cities.

The conversation turns personal as Ike talks about supporting both the professional and personal lives of Chris and his wife Sheila for 17 years, the boundaries that make that dual role sustainable, and the moment, juggling a family funeral against a planned trip to Europe, that taught him what it really means to be indispensable. He closes with the one word he hopes people remember him by.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

Diana and Mel go off-script in this unfiltered riff on one of the most relatable admin struggles: preparing for vacation while basically running a second job to get there.

Diana shares her go-to strategies: keeping Doug's calendar light while she's out, sending weekly email briefings with every document attached, and why she checks emails from the beach anyway because coming back to 1,500 unread messages is its own kind of vacation nightmare.

Mel opens up about the text that ruined a cave hike in Curaçao, Diana gets into being screamed at during Hurricane Sandy with no power and downed trees, and both admins agree on one thing: boundaries matter, and not every leader respects them. No guests, no filter, just two admins telling the truth about the vacation you earn and the job that follows you there.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

In Part 2, Doug Conant gets personal and practical, sharing why he and his wife just “discovered” Netflix, his love of Louis L’Amour and Jack Reacher, and how recovering from hip surgery has turned movie night into his new fiction fix.

He opens up about the leadership habit that’s taken him the longest to learn—deep, authentic listening—especially as an introvert who once kept his head down and tried to make everyone happy.

Doug explains how an outplacement counselor challenged him to “stand up and be counted,” why encouragement and handwritten notes can transform relationships and culture, and how great leaders are both tough-minded on performance and kind-hearted with people, celebrating what’s going right while still dealing honestly with what’s not.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

Fifty years. One philosophy: one plus one equals three.

Doug Conant has built his entire leadership career on the belief that administrative professionals aren't support staff; they're your most valuable partners. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Doug gets candid with Diana and Mel about what it actually looks like when a leader genuinely values their admin. Not as a resource. As a partner.

From the chaos of Diana's first week to the story of a former EA who put Doug's sneakers by the door before he ever agreed to wear them, this conversation is honest, warm, and full of the kind of leadership thinking admins rarely get to hear directly from the executive side.

And trust us, you'll want to stay for Part 2!

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

What happens when the implementation layer of every business disappears, and no one sees it coming? According to Lucy Brazier, OBE, that is exactly where we are headed, and she is not prepared to let it happen.

In this episode, Lucy joins Diana and Melinda to break down the Global Skills Matrix 2026, a free career framework built on responses from more than 3,200 administrative professionals across 69 countries.

She explains why 162 job titles for one profession are a crisis, why the Bureau of Labor Statistics is still talking about faxing, and why the average age of an admin being 50 means businesses have a ticking clock they do not even know is running. She also argues that admins are not a resource. They are talented. And there is a difference. From the story of Anne Hyatt realizing she knew more than Jeff Bezos' shadow to why accountants changed their trajectory and admins can too, this episode is equal parts wake-up call and road map. If you have ever felt like you hit a ceiling in this profession, Lucy is here to tell you that the ceiling is about to be demolished.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

Building Community One EA at a Time

What does it take to go from receptionist to the trusted partner of a PayPal CEO and then walk away on your own terms? According to CC Quinteros, it starts with someone opening a door for you and then having the courage to walk through it.

In this episode, CC joins Diana and Melinda to talk about building EA communities from the ground up, why the profession is still misunderstood by HR and recruiters, and what 33 years in Silicon Valley's executive suites has taught her about owning your career. She shares how a leveling guide she discovered at Juniper Networks sparked a mission she carried through Avaya, Intuit, and PayPal, and why finding the right EA-executive match is nothing short of magic. She also makes the case that EAs were the original AI, and why that's exactly the reason you should stop being afraid of it. If you've ever felt invisible in your role or wondered how to bring the next generation into this profession, this one's for you.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

Sunny Nunan is the Founder and CEO of The Admin Awards, the only program of its kind in the country dedicated to publicly recognizing administrative professionals. And she has a lot to say. In this episode, Sunny joins Diana and Melinda to talk about what truly separates a good admin from an award-worthy one, why public recognition is not just nice to have but necessary for the future of the profession, and what thousands of nominations over 15 years reveal about the people who keep organizations running. She also shares a deeply personal tribute to her mother, Jeanette, a career executive secretary who never suffered fools, never stopped showing up, and inspired everything Sunny has built. If you have ever downplayed what you do, shied away from the spotlight, or wondered if your work really matters, this episode will challenge you to think differently. The profession needs your voice. It needs your story. And it needs you to stop hiding.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.

Rosalyn Taylor O'Neale has spent 50 years helping organizations recognize what most people would rather ignore. In this episode the DEI veteran, author and self-proclaimed almost 76 and saying whatever she wants powerhouse joins Diana and Melinda for a candid conversation about why our biases are not unconscious, they are unexamined. From growing up in the segregated South to consulting for Fortune 500 companies and the CIA, Rosalyn brings hard won wisdom, sharp humor and one simple challenge for anyone who wants to do better. Have the courage to ask the question. She also shares what admins can do right now to help leaders see their blind spots, why the term unconscious bias misses the mark and why after five decades in this work she has officially passed the baton. But do not worry, she is still talking and we are so glad she is.

New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.