The Leader Assistant Podcast with Jeremy Burrows

#378: Former Personal Assistant to Archbishop Desmond Tutu - Atrayah Janhe 31.05.2026 1h 3min

Join Diana Brandl for an inspiring spotlight episode of Executive Office Insights with Atrayah Janhe, former Personal Assistant to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Atrayah shares her diverse career path – from her start as a secretary and policewoman in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to managing the Arch's office during his transition to retirement. She offers crucial insights into the evolution of the assistant role, arguing that while technology advances skills, human connection and Emotional Intelligenc...

#377: James McPartland on Leading from Where You Are 24.05.2026 30min

James “Mac” McPartland is a keynote speaker, author of the Unopened Gifts ® series, and MindShift & Performance Coach. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, James talks about what it really means to lead from where you are, self-leadership, radical responsibility, and communication. Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/377 -- 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? Y...

#376: Diana Brandl Interviews Brian Daniel - Founder of The Celebrity Personal Assistant Network 17.05.2026 1h 24min

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) an...

#375: Strategic Partner in the Executive Suite - Diana Brandl's Conversation with Anne Marie Otañez 10.05.2026 55min

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 sh...

#374: A Powerful Partnership - Diana Brandl Chats with President Matthew Chapman and his EBP Agnes Spohn 03.05.2026 1h 4min

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 th...

#373: Maaike Knoester Interviews Jeremy Burrows on the 5 Star Assistant Podcast 26.04.2026 32min

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 whol...

#372: A Conversation with Heleen Vink - Management Assistant to the Deputy CEO & CFO at Ingka Group | IKEA 19.04.2026 54min

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 creat...

#371: Reggie Love - Former Personal Aide to President Barack Obama 12.04.2026 52min

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, pati...

#370: Jana Franklin on the Biggest Mistake CEOs Make When Hiring a VA 05.04.2026 30min

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 ...

#369: Diana Brandl Interviews Patrick Jephson - Former Chief of Staff to Princess Diana 29.03.2026 48min

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...

#368: Executive Support in Microsoft Germany's CEO Office 22.03.2026 1h 4min

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 mov...

#367: Donata Boston - Former Madonna Family Assistant 15.03.2026 1h 23min

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 ...

#366: Deborrah Mac Kenzie on Executive Assistant Superpowers 08.03.2026 24min

Deborrah Mac Kenzie-Meneades has over 30 years of experience in executive support. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Deborrah shares her assistant career story, including a bit from her experience leading EA teams, and talks about superpowers assistants have. Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/366 -- 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. T...

#365: Diana Brandl and Lauren Bradley on How Executive Assistants Can Thrive 01.03.2026 57min

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast. In this spotlight episode, Diana speaks with Lauren Bradley about how EAs can thrive. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/365 -- 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 expe...

#364: Robert Hosking - Global Executive Director at Robert Half 22.02.2026 31min

Robert Hosking is executive director of the administrative and customer support practice at talent solutions and business consulting firm, Robert Half. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Robert talks about how assistants can earn a seat at the table. He also shares tips for interviewing, breaking through the AI wall when applying for jobs, weighing job offers, and more. Show notes -> leaderassistant.com/364 -- It’s the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team ...

#363: Dawn Stallwood on EAs, Automation, and Beautiful Leadership 15.02.2026 24min

Dawn Stallwood has close to 30 years of experience serving and working closely with leaders and their management teams – including executive assistants and chiefs of staff. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Dawn talks about how EAs bring space and perspective to CEOs and their teams, what beautiful leadership is, and what she’s seeing in the professional space related to automation and EAs. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/363 -- It’s the last day of the offsite and it was ...

#362: Annie Croner on Multitasking vs Multitracking 08.02.2026 18min

Annie Croner is the founder and CEO of Whole Assistant, an online platform & community, formed to provide a positive place where assistants can go to transform their lives and level up their careers. In this spotlight episode of Annie's show, The Whole Assistant Podcast, she talks about multitasking vs multitracking. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/362 -- 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 ne...

#361: Start, Stop, Continue with Jess Lindgren 01.02.2026 20min

Jess Lindgren is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Ask an Assistant podcast. In this Ask an Assistant spotlight episode, Jess talks about the Start, Stop, Continue framework and how it can apply to evaluating internal events for your organization. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/361 -- 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 th...

#360: Ricky Blanco - Stepping into a Leadership Mindset as an EA 25.01.2026 27min

Ricky Blanco Saavedra is a Sr. Executive Assistant at Viva Exec, supporting the CTO and Head of Go-to-Market at Shippo. In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Ricky talks about discarding the “I’m just the EA” mindset, and stepping into a leadership mindset, how to fight impostor syndrome, and more. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/360 -- 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 leve...

#359: Diana Brandl's Conversation with Danny McCubbin - Former PA to Chef Jamie Oliver 18.01.2026 46min

Diana Brandl is a longtime C-Suite assistant, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast. In this spotlight episode, Diana speaks with Danny McCubbin, former PA to Chef Jamie Oliver. Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/359 -- 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 t...