Victoria Wratten - Founder and CEO of Executive & Personal Assistant Association

Two years ago I launched Assistants Together at the beginning of the first lockdown, who would have thought that two years later we would be doing a live episode at the PA Show in London.  PA Show If you'd like to take advantage of the 10% discount from entry to The PA Show then use our code at checkout PA2272 and click this link to buy tickets - https://rfg.circdata.com/publish/PAS22/?source=HenriettaBarker Thank you to everyone who has listened and supported the podcast so far and hope to see you there. 

This week I am welcoming Ruth Kilah, a Productivity & Wellbeing Strategist and Founder of Hoxton Hyde. During Ruth’s career as a Senior EA and Project Manager she lived in London and worked in the City. After years of not prioritising her health ruth had to make a big change. I absolutely love the fact that Ruth decided to take such a bold step in prioritising herself and she shares exactly how she decided to do that. Ruth launched Hoxton Hyde because she wanted to help EAs and PAs to become highly productive and strategic business partners by increasing their productivity by helping them focus on their wellbeing. I love Ruth’s approach to her work and I am so pleased to be able to share our conversation with you today. Get in touch with Ruth today:  https://hoxtonhyde.com.au/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-kilah/ Get in touch with Hen today:  @assistantstogether  www.workklife.com PA Show  If you'd like to take advantage of the 10% discount from entry to The PA Show then use our code at checkout PA2272 and click this link to buy tickets -  https://rfg.circdata.com/publish/PAS22/?source=HenriettaBarker

I had the pleasure of speaking with Debra Coleman this week. It was tremendous fun having this conversation. She had actually interviewed me for her own podcast, Have a Seat which was terrifying but really fun too. You can check the episode out if you click here. Some of the things we speak about:  - Launching her podcast, what she's learnt and why she started it - Confidence and how our perception of ourselves influence the choices we make  - The importance of keeping going regardless of how you feel  - Pivoting in her role during the pandemic  - Creating a remote work environment and how to navigate our new landscape  - Should you fake it until you make it?  Get in touch with Debra  https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-coleman1/ Listen to Debra interviewing me here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1495661306?mt=2&ls=1

I'm excited to welcome Suzie Flynn back to the podcast this week. Suzie is a Mindset & Business Coach and she works with Executive Assistants who want to start a Virtual Assistant business as well. The new year brings a barrage of information about how we have to reinvent ourselves, have loads of New Years resolutions and get into a new space mentally and emotionally. So much of this is flawed and we can find ourselves falling short a few days or weeks into the process. When we are thinking about doing anything new in our lives we need tools to help us because things aren’t going to always go to plan. We can self sabotage, feel imposter syndrome and not know how to move forward so we go back to what felt more comfortable and easy for us to cope with. Even if that thing was really uncomfortable in reality. That’s why we’re having this conversation because wherever you are, you can take steps to make the changes that you want. In this episode we talk about: - bringing positivity into the present moment - Self sabotage, why we have it and what purpose it is trying to serve in our lives - Why unconscious patterns run - How to chose a different path - Setting goals and how you can connect with them more deeply If you’d like to connect with Suzie then head to https://suzieflynn.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/growyourvirtualassistantbusinesswithconfidence https://linkedin.com/in/suzieflynn https://suzieflynn.com/va-startup-guide https://suzieflynn.ac-page.com/hidden-money-block Or search Suzie Flynn on LinkedIn

This week is a really special episode for any office managers out there or if you’re in a hybrid role where you do some office management because I’m speaking with some of the winners from the first UK based office management awards. Launched by Hana Gray, the Founder of The Office Management Group to create a space where Office Managers can be recognised and celebrated for their work. After finding that all office management awards were given as part of an award ceremony for Assistants, Hana decided to create a unique event specifically for office managers. They’re the first people to be awarded recognition for their contributions to businesses, which, after the last couple of years especially, is so well deserved. I know that office managers have had an incredibly challenging time managing, not only the practical elements of the role but also helping people cope. That’s why it was so great to hear their experiences, not only of this, but also about the future of the office management role. It was great to have the chance to have these conversations and in a way mark a moment in time for the profession and community. Details of how to enter the 2022 awards are included in the episode and of the The Office Management Group Course is included as well. If you want to get in touch with any of the winners, all the details are available below as well as all the links to previous episodes with Hana Gray and details of the course too. Previous Episodes with Hana Gray: Launching The Office Management Group https://anchor.fm/assistantstogether/episodes/Hana-Gray--Founder-of-The-Office-Management-Portal-and-Black-and-White-Consultancy-eec43p Launching the Office Management Course, Awards and Show https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hana-gray-the-office-management-course-awards-and-show/id1488624619?i=1000515231974 Launching the Office Management Awards https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hana-gray-launching-the-office-management-awards/id1488624619?i=1000502636870 The Office Management Group & Portal https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com The Office Management Course https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/the-course The Office Management Awards https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/the-awards Guests in order: Hana Gray - Founder of The Office Management Group & Awards Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/ Zaharin Jabir - Winner of The Office Management Awards 2021 in two categories (Office Management Project Of The Year and Procurement Project Of The Year) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaharin-jabir-ab809520/ Tracey-Anne Green - Winner of the Start-up Office Manager of the Year 2021 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-anne-green-497b4940/ Nicola Ward, Co-Founder, Cake Drop - Winner of Supplier of the Year LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-ward-30404427/ Website - www.cakedroplondon.com Kate Turgoose - Winner of Office Manager of the Year LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateturgoose/ Megan O'Connell - Winner of Hybrid Office Manager of the Year LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganoconnell-s10/ Wade Taylor - Winner of Manager of the Year LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-taylor-7a9652155/ Henrietta Barker   💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hen.barker/?hl=en 🐤 Twitter - https://twitter.com/henbarker?lang=en  😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/henrietta.barker.71  🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriettabarker/?originalSubdomain=uk  🏠 Clubhouse - @hen.barker  🌏 Website - https://www.henriettabarker.com/  Assistants Together 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/assistants_together/  🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/assistogether 😀 Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/assistantstogether  🔗 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistants-together-podcast/?viewAsMember=true  📌 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/assistantstogether/

Victoria Wratten is the CEO and Founder of the Executive & Personal Assistants Association. A legally registered, government approved, not for profit professional body for Executive and Business Support Professionals in the UK. Victoria is a former award-winning EA with over 15 years experience across the public, third and corporate sectors. She is extremely passionate about the roles within Executive and Business Support and she actively encourages it as a truly fantastic career choice. For nearly two decades, Victoria has been actively involved in the Executive and Business Support industry and have worked with EAs and PAs from across the world. Victoria regularly presents at events/conferences and mentor/coach Assistants and help them to truly excel in their role. Our conversation today is not only about how Victoria started out in her career, the roles that have shaped and changed her but how life’s twists and turns can take you in unexpected but incredibly rewarding directions. Victoria is so frank and open about her life and experiences, not just her mentors and the people that she’s worked with but also about Not Just A Girl’s Job which is a campaign that was launched to bring awareness to the men who worked in our profession. Every single man I have interviewed on the podcast has mentioned it and Victoria and speak about it. It was a real pleasure to speak with her about her career and EPAA and I know that you’ll enjoy hearing about her experiences. Some of the things we speak about: 💥 Victoria starting her career 💥 Networking and leading 💥 How important mentors are in your career 💥 The importance of realising your values in your career 💥 Being strategic in your career 💥 How opportunities find you 💥 Launching EPAA 💥 Working as a Key Worker throughout the pandemic Victoria Wratten 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/victoria.wratten/?hl=en-gb 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-wratten-0893b017/?originalSubdomain=uk 🌏 Website - https://epaa.org.uk/ Henrietta Barker 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hen.barker/?hl=en 🐤 Twitter - https://twitter.com/henbarker?lang=en 😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/henrietta.barker.71 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriettabarker/?originalSubdomain=uk 🏠 Clubhouse - @hen.barker 🌏 Website - https://www.henriettabarker.com/ Assistants Together 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/assistants_together/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/assistogether 😀 Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/assistantstogether 🔗 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistants-together-podcast/?viewAsMember=true 📌 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/assistantstogether/

I had the pleasure of speaking with Monique Helstrom who I am sure many of you know. Monique was the Executive Assistant to Simon Sinek, the New York Times Best Selling Author and TED celebrity. This episode is really about change. Change whether it’s wanted or unwanted can be so difficult to navigate and it was really a pleasure to speak with Monique about her experiences of change in her life. Monique was a workaholic, someone who knew how to work and whose life was defined in many ways by the work she was doing. Being part of such a dynamic movement was incredibly rewarding but there came a time when the 80 hour weeks had to stop. Monique, like many people going through change, was free falling. Today we speak about how Monique redefined her life’s work, the steps she took to create a different life using her unique talents and abilities and how, she believes, anyone can do the same. Enjoy. Just some of the things we speak about in the episode are: 💥Burn out, what it looks like and how to prevent it 💥The reality of working for a celebrity 💥What it’s like to be in an all encompassing role 💥Monique’s journey to becoming an Executive Assistant 💥How she pivoted her career 💥Why Monique loves personality tests 💥How to define and create your career you want 💥Communication and how to make the most of each encounter with other people You can find Monique at www.MoniqueHelstrom.com On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquehelstrom/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniquejhelstrom/?hl=en And find out more about her communication course, Effective Communication which is available now. Communication is the most important tool we have to connect and collaborate with others. Period.  It affects every aspect of our life, including our relationships, our career projection, our parenting ability, our self-esteem, our level of stress, and yes, our wallet.  If you’re ready to learn the most important skill that no one has ever taught you, then look no further! https://moniquehelstrom.thinkific.com/courses/effectivecommunication

Carol Pito is based in Auckland, New Zealand and has created and consciously carved out a career as a strategic Executive Assistant. We use the term strategic a lot on this podcast and discuss how she moved away from being simply transactional to create a different path where she is actively working with the executive committee to define the goals of the business Carol shares a specific framework she used to transform her role to give her a seat at the illusive table. Not only that, she contributes to the leadership team and has been able to take this information and share it with others. Carol is an advocate for our community, and is vocal about how the role is changing , wanting to help others elevate their own career through her writing, speaking at events and being on podcasts just like this one. This episode is for you if you want to know how you can change your role, how you can be more strategic and carve out a real space for yourself in a business to use your unique talents and capabilities to help others. Carol really breaks this down in a granular way for us today which is why this episode is so special. It’s going to show you the small steps Carol took in her own life and career and encourages you to do the same. Some of the things we speak about: 💥 Identifying your strengths 💥 Identifying the business goals and your executive’s goals 💥 Creating a seat at the table 💥 What does a strategic assistant look like? 💥 How to create the job that you want 💥 Relationships at work 💥 How being an introvert doesn’t have to hold you back Carol Pito 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolpito/ Henrietta Barker 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hen.barker/?hl=en 🐤 Twitter - https://twitter.com/henbarker?lang=en 😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/henrietta.barker.71 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriettabarker/?originalSubdomain=uk 🏠 Clubhouse - @hen.barker 🌏 Website - https://www.henriettabarker.com/ Assistants Together 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/assistants_together/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/assistogether 😀 Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/assistantstogether 🔗 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistants-together-podcast/?viewAsMember=true 📌 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/assistantstogether/

I was so pleased to have the chance to speak with Alice this week. Alice is well known as the Founder of The CWPA Club and operates as an Executive Assistant working in financial services. After her maternity leave in 2017, she realised there was no group in Canary Wharf for Assistants. For anyone outside of London, Canary Wharf is a part of London where a lot of financial organisations are based and it’s close to the City as well. Alice launched CWPA it and it quickly went from strength to strength delivering events, networking and a support platform for Assistants in the City and Canary Wharf. You can find details below if you’d like to get involved. I have also had the chance to speak with some of the members which was really good fun. Alice lost her job during the pandemic and speaks about just how important it is to build a network to be able to reach out to others when you’re in need of help. It’s fascinating to hear about her experiences starting a job, having never met her executive or the team in person. Alice is also incredibly candid about the personal experiences which have shaped a lot of her decisions, making her a passionate advocate for mental health and even becoming a Mental Health First Aider, training others to be able to support people. Some of the things we speak about: 💥 Making the effort to get to know people 💥 How relationships at work have changed 💥 Finding a job during a pandemic 💥 Launching The CWPA 💥 Looking after our mental health 💥 Her personal journey into the world of work 💥 What it’s like supporting people who you haven’t ever met 💥 The difference between empathy and sympathy  We mention this video from Brene Brown about empathy and sympathy so if you'd like to watch it just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZBTYViDPlQ Alice Scutchey 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cwpaclub/ 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicescutchey/ 🌏 Website -https://www.cwpaclub.com/ Henrietta Barker 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hen.barker/?hl=en 🐤 Twitter - https://twitter.com/henbarker?lang=en 😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/henrietta.barker.71 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriettabarker/?originalSubdomain=uk 🏠 Clubhouse - @hen.barker 🌏 Website - https://www.henriettabarker.com/ Assistants Together 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/assistants_together/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/assistogether 😀 Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/assistantstogether 🔗 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistants-together-podcast/?viewAsMember=true 📌 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/assistantstogether/

Marco has been working as an Executive Assistant in the Pharmaceutical industry for the past five years. Marco is based in Italy although he studied for his Masters in London. He took his MA in Corporate Communication. Marco is till really passionate about communications which shows in his work. Marco loves being an Executive Assistant, he is role is a very strategic one, and he works to support the Senior Leaders and Managers in the Oncology Business unit. Marco is really passionate about challenging himself in and out of work. He speaks four languages and loves travelling, whatever the reason. Marco is really always challenging himself and working towards cementing his purpose in his career. Just some of the things we speak about: 💥Building trust with your executive 💥How do you prove your value 💥Communication pathways and how to cultivate them 💥Embrace change and lead it 💥Learning and how to grow 💥The perception of the role in Italy 💥Creating International networks 💥Being a male in a female dominated industry 💥Progress in the industry 💥Transactional role vs strategic roles Marco Macente 🐤 Twitter - @marcomace23 😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/marco.mace 🔗 LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/ebpmarcomacente Henrietta Barker 💥 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hen.barker/?hl=en 🐤 Twitter - https://twitter.com/henbarker?lang=en 😁 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/henrietta.barker.71 🔗 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriettabarker/?originalSubdomain=uk 🏠 Clubhouse - @hen.barker 🌏 Website - https://www.henriettabarker.com/ Assistants Together 💥I nstagram - https://www.instagram.com/assistants_together/ 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/assistogether 😀 Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/assistantstogether 🔗 Linkedin Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-assistants-together-podcast/?viewAsMember=true 📌 Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/assistantstogether/