The EA Campus Podcast

Episoder

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  Ep99: Building Systems, Setting Boundaries and Thriving as a Remote EA with Gillian Gelston 11.06.2026 45min

  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...
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  Ep98: Trusted or Relied Upon? Why the Difference Matters for EAs 14.05.2026 26min

  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 rol...
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  Ep97: From Hospitality to National PA of the Year 08.05.2026 40min

  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 intel...
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  Ep96: Agile Working for Executive Assistants 02.04.2026 26min

  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 proce...
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  Ep95: Building a Career as an Executive Assistant. Culture, Confidence and Creating Opportunities 19.03.2026 42min

  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 w...
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  Ep94: Working with Executives Who Think Faster Than They Communicate 13.03.2026 26min

  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 ...
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  Ep93: Supporting Global Executives as a Career EA with Scot Wisniewski 06.03.2026 1t

  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 s...
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  Ep92: How AI Is Changing Inbox Management for Executive Assistants 26.02.2026 24min

  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 ar...
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  Ep91: The Conversations That Make Your Job Easier (But Feel Awkward to Start) 19.02.2026 39min

  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 ...
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  Ep90: The Real State of EA Salaries 12.02.2026 41min

  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 re...
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  Ep89: How I Decide Which AI Tools Are Worth Your Time (And Which Aren’t) 05.02.2026 25min

  In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, we’re talking about how to decide which AI tools are actually worth your time as an Executive Assistant, and which ones you can safely ignore. If you’ve felt pressure to keep up with every new AI release, or you’ve tested tools that looked promising but never quite fit your day-to-day work, this episode is for you. I’m sharing how I make decisions about AI from an EA perspective. Starting with the work we’re responsible for, not the features being pro...
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  Ep88: Perfectionism is Holding You Back 29.01.2026 30min

  Inside episode 88 of the EA Campus podcast, you'll hear a conversation many Executive Assistants will recognise, even if we’ve never quite named it before. In this episode, we’re talking about perfectionism in the EA role. Where it comes from, how it quietly shows up in day-to-day work, and why it can start holding us back rather than helping us do better work. As EAs, we care deeply about standards, accuracy, and getting things right, because our work affects our Executive’s time, priorities...
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  Ep87: Decision-Making in the EA Role. How Trust Is Actually Built 22.01.2026 26min

  In The EA Campus Ep87, we’re talking about something that sits at the heart of the EA–Executive relationship. Decision-making, and knowing when to act without constantly checking in. As Executive Assistants, we’re expected to move work forward, protect priorities, and reduce pressure on our executive. In The EA Campus Ep87, Nicky Christmas explores how judgement, problem-solving, and clear processes help EAs build trust through everyday decisions. This conversation is grounded in real EA work...
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  Ep86: Getting Clear on What You’re Actually Responsible For 15.01.2026 24min

  January often starts with good intentions. New plans, new priorities, and a quiet expectation that you’ll somehow be more organised, more productive, and more on top of everything than ever before. In this episode, Nicky Christmas kicks off the 2026 season of The EA Campus Podcast by tackling something foundational for Executive Assistants. Clarity around responsibility. This episode is about the day-to-day reality of the EA role. The tasks that quietly creep in. The decisions you’re expected...
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  Ep85: Visibility, Influence, and the Future of the EA Role 08.01.2026 39min

  In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas is joined by long-time friend, global thought leader, and former Executive Assistant Diana Brandl. Diana shares her journey from supporting CEOs in global organisations like Sony and Babbel to building her own business, hosting a successful podcast, writing multiple books, and training assistants around the world. Together, Nicky and Diana reflect on what it really takes to evolve in the EA role without losing yourself along the way. T...
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  Ep84: Zone of Genius. How EAs Help Founders Do Their Best Work 27.11.2025 32min

  In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky sits down with Kimberly Spencer, founder of Crown Yourself and CEO of Communication Queens, for an honest conversation about what founders really need from their Executive Assistants. Kimberly shares her journey from Pilates instructor to screenwriter to entrepreneur, and how hiring her first EA completely changed the way she built and led her business. You’ll hear Kimberly talk about learning to delegate, understanding your zone of genius, hiri...
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  Ep83: What Entrepreneurs Really Need from Their EA 13.11.2025 29min

  What do entrepreneurs actually want from their Executive Assistants? In this episode, Nicky speaks with Andrew Chesnutt, CEO of The Authority Forge and a serial entrepreneur who’s built multiple seven-figure businesses, about what separates a good EA from a great one. Andrew shares a candid look at the realities of working with founders—many of whom are fast-moving, neurodivergent, and juggling multiple priorities. Together, they unpack: The real difference between a Virtual Assistant and an ...
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  Ep82: Strategic… Job Title or Mindset? 06.11.2025 36min

  In The EA Campus EP82, Nicky Christmas dives into one of the most talked-about phrases in the Assistant world - Strategic Business Partner. Is it a genuine evolution of the role, or just a buzzword that’s been stretched too far? In The EA Campus EP82, Nicky unpacks what it really means to be “strategic” as an Executive Assistant, why it’s a mindset rather than a job title, and how to turn that mindset into everyday action. You’ll hear honest reflections on the disconnect between expectation a...
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  Ep81: How Executive Assistants Can Shape Their Next Career Chapter 16.10.2025 21min

  In Ep81 of The EA Campus Podcast, host Nicky Christmas explores how Executive Assistants can take control of their personal brand and rebrand themselves for the next stage of their career. If you’ve ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or ready for more responsibility but unsure how to communicate that growth, this episode is for you. Nicky breaks down a practical process to diagnose your current brand, define the three words you’re known for now, and choose the three words you want next. Th...
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  Ep80: Strategy, Change and Community: Building a Career You’re Proud Of 09.10.2025 45min

  In this inspiring episode of The EA Campus Podcast, Nicky Christmas sits down with the brilliant Julia Schmidt, Executive Assistant, author, speaker, and Executive Vice Chair of IMA (International Management Assistants). Julia shares her remarkable 20-year journey from Brazil to Norway, highlighting the three key decisions that shaped her career: joining a professional community, pursuing a business education to build strategic influence, and becoming a certified Reinvention Practitioner. Tog...