Diana B

Becky Kaapuni, a senior EA with over 20 years of experience, discusses the importance of authenticity and creating meaningful connections. She is joined by Diana Brandl, an experienced EA and international speaker, trainer, and consultant. They discuss their recent experiences, networking strategies, and the challenges of cultural differences in the workplace. Diana shares stories of her interactions with high-profile guests on her podcast and emphasizes the value of networking and sharing connections within the EA community. They also touch on the importance of understanding cultural norms when working with international colleagues. Welcome to Let's Talk. I'm your host, Becky Kaapuni. As a senior EA with over 20 years supporting executives at companies including Salesforce, Twitter, and Goldman Sachs, I've learned that the most powerful connections happen when you have the courage to be truly authentic. As founder of EA Social Club, I live for creating spaces where we can truly be ourselves. That's what this podcast is all about, moving beyond the typical career podcast format to bring you those meaningful and intimate conversations you've had with your closest friends. Each episode, I sit down with fellow EAs and thought leaders to explore the human side of our profession through honest, unscripted discussions about our struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. Our guest today is Diana Brandl. Diana Brandl holds a degree in international administration and management and has been working as an EA on the C-suite for almost 20 years, serving companies such as Sony and Babbel. She is an international speaker, trainer, coach, and consultant focusing on digital transformation, new work, personal branding, and leadership. Diana is the host of the Future Assistant podcast where she welcomes guests such as assistants and chiefs of staff to Oprah, Michelle and Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson, Princess Diana, and the former CEO of Campbell Soup, including his executive office, plus many more. She is also a LinkedIn learning instructor. Diana works with companies all over the world such as Google, Microsoft, Home Depot, KPMG, and McKinsey. She lives with her husband as a digital nomad spending time all over the world while delivering her training. I just got back from a training yesterday in Germany and flew back to the island. I had the day off, so I was enjoying a little me time and quality time. You're my first meeting today. It's 5 p.m. here. I was going to say, wait a minute, it's like 5 p.m. there. After a full day yesterday, I was so exhausted when I was on the airplane because I did the moderation of the full internal assistant day of a big TV station in Germany. I did not only do the whole moderation of the day, I moderated a panel, we did a live podcast, and I delivered a keynote. Sitting on the plane, I said to myself, never, ever do I do this again because I was wearing so many hats. It was a good event. I was really, really pleased with everything. We had 100 people in the room, which was lovely. I'm glad I found my seat last night on the airplane because it was empty, everything up there. Yeah, I imagine that's a lot. It's kind of like supporting multiple executives, right? You just can't dig in the same way and get to know their business as well when you're spread so thin. It's absolutely right. The guests I had on the pod, it was so lovely because it's a very big TV station in Germany, like Fox in the U.S. They were so kind to offer me as well that I can do a live podcast recording on the premises while we were running the event. It was such a gesture. I couldn't be no to that, of course. We got a very high-level guest. This was also the icing on the cake. After that, I was like, okay, what's my name? Where is my taxi? Where do I have to go? Speaking of which, where do you find all of these chiefs and staffs of Michelle and Barack Obama and all those people? Where do you get that? It's really part of my network. I've always invested a lot in my network. You find the people on the events and you get along with the people. Sometimes it's an introduction from someone. Especially now finding the former E.A. to Michelle Obama, since I had connected her with some other people, she got a few speaking gigs out of it. It's so lovely to see that the full circle works together. Then someone else is connecting me with someone else. It's lovely. The people always come and are so easy to talk to. We had such a great talk. We both know that there are other personalities out there. We want to have the good ones on. The easy ones and the ones that fit to us. They are all very, very easy to work with. It's a joy, absolutely. I've been very blessed. I always pass on these wonderful connections and I bring them on the podcast so many more can connect. People are reaching out to LinkedIn and it's wonderful. I love that. It's networking. That is what networking is. It's so important. Just having that introduction, talking to those people, having them on the show, realizing that we are all in this together. We really are. It's so important that we share these networks as well. We will benefit from all of that ourselves. We hear so many wonderful stories. This is what I really love about the community. I was just receiving a message from an EA that is originally German and is now in Seattle. She attended the Segrangers conference in Seattle the other day. She obviously connected with Peggy Vasquez, one of the speakers there. She said, Peggy recommended talking to you Diana because I'm German and I'm just having a harder time to connect with people up here in the Northwest. Anything you recommend for me with the German mentality to really get my foot into the U.S. company? It was so sweet that they should talk about names who are not in the room but might be able to help. Of course, I will have a fellow German. I've been in touch with her. I see Peggy next week in Switzerland. Oh, I love it. I love it. We know her with her husband. We all get together. That will be so much fun. How do you see – you mentioned that being German is different. Why don't you explain how you see it being different for you than it would be being in America? We tend to be quite direct. I feel like I'm direct a lot and it bothers people. It's so funny because just yesterday, Becky and I know you will love this episode. I was listening on the plane to the podcast of Gwyneth Paltrow. It's called Goop. She has this whole product line around Goop. She had Mila Kunis over. As we know, she's originally Ukrainian. She was talking about the same thing that she learned how to slow down a little bit with being so direct in the way she addresses things because it's not always fitting the American mentality because in America, a lot of things are more focused on positive vibes and being careful what you say and negativity. Maybe you should not be on the table and encourage each other. Sometimes I think since we Germans have more of the kind of we need to say this straight out and we need to be a little bit more realistic here. That's the fact. Here comes the analytical part of us. Maybe this is something that might be not easy when you go into a different culture and not only talking about the American culture but Asian culture and Arabic culture. I remember a speaker colleague of mine delivered a workshop many, many years ago in one of the Arabic countries. It was about workplace bullying. It was super hard to address this topic in this audience because obviously you would never, ever as an assistant in these cultures go up to your boss and say, Hello, I'm not treated well here. We need to talk. It's culture. That's the wonderful thing about culture that we are different and it's sometimes not easy to read culture unless you are there for a while and you get to know it. Since I lived in the States for more than a year, I got very close to the American culture and I saw that in some situations I definitely had to slow down a little bit in the way I would express myself normally. That's interesting. I do feel that we are definitely more positive. We are trying to elevate one another. I feel like that is more of a new idea. I think I still battle sometimes with what's appropriate to take to your boss, what's not appropriate to take to your boss. I definitely come from the old school of work where you get a paycheck. You are there. You are on the job. You get a paycheck. You are right to complain. Where does that fall into place? It's very interesting to hear about the differences. It sounds like you are still a lot more traditional whereas America has been moved forward, especially in tech. It's not this way everywhere. I would say that in more of the middle states, it's probably more traditional. Definitely east, west. East, west and the rest of America is somewhere in the middle, the flyover states. We are so different. East, west, they kind of come together and then there's everybody in between. It's trying to fit all of that together and then also hold space for all the EAs and the people that are in those states that don't have the same privilege that we have being in California or New York. Back to your point about different cultures, I have in the past had to press executives on what is the proper way to interact with people. There are some cultures where you don't start eating until a particular time or there's just particular traditions. Absolutely. If you do not know those, then you are being so disrespectful. I remember I had a boss who had to travel a lot to Russia and he always came back and said, Diana, I haven't eaten in five days. Offer me the vodka first. You have to go with it because it's part of a business dinner. He was always afraid that going to Russia, like oh my goodness. Heaven forbid he should be sober because that obviously wouldn't work. Oh yeah, absolutely. It was really funny when he came back with these stories. It's true, absolutely. This is why all these intercultural competencies are so important for EAs as well. You just mentioned you're about to brave your boss for the next business trip about cultures and all the things that are connected to that. I didn't introduce you and we just started talking and it was so good that I just was recording it. I know, but we have to be careful because we're talking about names in here. I'm not sure if we should say Peggy Vasquez and Renee are in Switzerland. I'm not sure if they are. I should double check with them if you might want to check this and edit because we were just in the flow and I usually don't mention too many other names. I would rather have this not on it. It was more like a test between you and I. Okay, so should I introduce you now? Yes, I mean whatever. I was not even seeing that we were recording. I know because it's over. There was no sign. Because it's over in Audacity and so you don't actually see the report. No, it got it. Yeah, so when we got on I put it on to then introduce you but then we started talking and I was like this is so good. I know, I'm so sorry. So that's okay. So let me. Especially now having all these names that we just shared. I'm feeling not 100% comfortable having this on the show and so it was more a chat between you and I. No worries. Okay, so let me go ahead and introduce you and then we will. Okay, so I would like to. Okay, let me start again. I can't even do it. I know, I know it's early morning up there. It is, it is. All good, all good. It is. I already did your intro so we don't need to do that part. So, okay. So I would like to introduce Diana Brandl. Welcome to the show, Diana. How are you today? Hello, Becky. Good morning to you and good evening from Spain. I love that you're in Spain. I love that you travel so much. I mean that is just totally exciting. And honestly, it's so hard to believe because it's been now almost three years that my husband and I are on this digital nomad trip. Wow. And you know, we've seen so many countries and we're so blessed to travel and work and also with my clients. You know, I just flew back from Hamburg, Germany yesterday after a long day with a client where we had an in-house event and that they, you know, just go on this journey together with me, you know, bringing me from Spain and allowing me to really go and do my job this way. So I'm very thankful. And yeah, I love being free and I'm very happy that I have a very adventurous husband as well. And yeah, here's to more years. I don't know if we're ever going to settle again. I love it. I mean, I absolutely love it for you. I think a lot of people would love to live this lifestyle. I mean, I know I would, but I do get very attached to having my comfort place, like my home, my spot, my things. Right. It would probably be a little tougher for me in that way. And I have to tell you, you know, since we're getting close to Christmas, usually these are the moments where you really love to be in your place. And you know, when we had the house, you know, on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany, and we've been living there for over 10 years, we had a house, we had a yard, we had, you know, just this life we enjoyed so much. And I was always very big fan of decorations. I put them out early. I put them away very late. The house was always giving me some signs because the whole street, you know, had put all the decorations away. And it was like, you know, getting into late January and the residents were still shining. But, you know, I loved it. And this is something I do miss. But, you know, we have just a few kind of habits, you know, when we travel and when we go to a new Airbnb in whatever country we're in right now, Spain. So I always bring my candles. I always have my scent. We get fresh flowers. You know, we have certain things and routines that really help us to settle, even if it's not our house. Yeah. Yeah. They just kind of help make it like home. Totally. And so how long will you be in Spain for now? Well, we have been here four weeks and it's just two more weeks because that's kind of the amount we are in a certain area, around a maximum of two months. We were actually three months in Italy this year, which was lovely. But, you know, sharing, actually, you know, not being in the same spot, but just, you know, going here, going there. So this was a lovely summer. Very blessed. I had a few weeks off. But yeah, that was Spain on the beautiful island of Majorca. By the way, very popular by Americans. So I think United and American, they are, you know, bringing the people from New York to Spain directly on that little island. So it's a huge demand. Plus all the cruise ships here, obviously. But now it's getting a little quieter on the island. You hear more, you know, the locals again and not all the tourist languages. But yeah, it's been a great week so far and we're excited to go to the next destination. Yeah. That is amazing. So, you know, in order to have this lifestyle, you obviously need to figure out how work is going to fit into that. So how did you, did you start doing what you're doing now originally and then decide to become a nomad? Or did you decide to become a nomad and then figure out a way to have a career? Well, actually, I've been now on my own since almost eight years. Okay. Going into my eighth year of being a solopreneur next year. Congratulations. Thank you so much. I know it feels like, I cannot believe, you know, I just felt like, hey, I was just, you know, a senior EA out there, you know, being in a full time role. And so this was really, really a wonderful journey for me. And, you know, the decision came because of the pandemic, because all of a sudden all my bookings were going down. I was traveling like hell, traveling like really crazy. I was chasing every airplane and train and whatever. And I never reflected on it, you know. So all of a sudden when everything stopped and paused, I was home and I, you know, restructured my business. I, you know, put together a lot of online classes, reaching out to clients. I did my LinkedIn learning courses and all these kinds of things. And I found out, hey, online work is great. So why not really focusing on that? It gives me more freedom, gives me more opportunities also to look into more coaching and one-on-one work. And this is something how it developed, you know, until we finally decided to sell the house and go on this journey together and have a good mixture of, you know, a lot of remote. But as I just said, coming back from Hamburg, of course I go out there. Of course I see a lot of my clients because they want me in the room, especially since I now became a certified strength coach this year as well, where I do a lot of one-on-one work. Like we talk on Google Meet right now. That's the way I can do more. And I love it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's a lot to do, you know, and be a video. And I think a lot of people knew that, but they didn't quite embrace it until COVID, you know. Absolutely. It's true. And I know that I'm in a situation where I can do this a little easier. You know, my husband and I, we have no kids. There's like no obligations. We've always been very free. We've been living in a few cities in Germany. You know, our family's all over the place. I have a brother in Mexico who's actually moving to Spain next year. Oh, wow. Yeah. He's coming closer. That's quite a distance. I know. After almost, you know, 12 years in Mexico. Wow. And going back to the European roots, although he's white, he's Brazilian. But, you know, since the parents get older, he wants to be close to the family. And also for the kids, it's a little safer spot. And so we're very excited to have them back in Europe. And yeah, let's see where we end up, my husband and I. But I'm glad to just enjoy the way it is right now. But I also, you know, how wonderful these moments like just yesterday are when I'm in the room, when I see my clients and where we have these interactions, because it is a difference than the remote work. We all know it. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I mean, there's nothing like being in the same room with somebody. It does make a difference. It's one of the reasons that I started the EA Social Club, just having that, you know, one-on-one interaction. It's not the same on video, but we definitely can do a lot on video. And, you know, we wouldn't be able to have this conversation. I mean, I would love to be in Spain with you right now. I know. I mean, how cool would that be? Let's make plans for 2025. I'll send you my schedule once I have it. I love it. I love it. So before you were going into the office, right? Like traditionally, like back in the day, you were doing that. So what made you choose, decide, like what made you decide to finally no longer go into the office, branch out on your own? What gave you the courage to do that? Like for other, I know, for example, in just the last week, probably five people have asked me how to become their own independent EA. Oh, wow. Yeah. And I say to them, you know, listen, if I knew, I would be doing it too. And I don't. You've accomplished it. So maybe you can tell the listeners, you know, what made you take that leap and how you found it to be for you? It's really a great question. And I can tell you, I've never, never had a natural plan for that. Never, ever that I thought I would be a solopreneur. I love my job. I love to be on the C-suite. I, you know, I did a similar role as the chief of staff. It's a different naming. What we have in Germany for it. I was leading my own team. So I have a lot of wonderful opportunities, you know. I built up my career and I loved it. And I remember when I was invited to my first speaking engagement, which was back in 2016, I think. It was happening in Berlin, a big event. And I got a call and they asked me to come and to talk about, guess what, networking, one of my favorite topics. Was this before or after you published your book? It was right at the beginning. The book thing came years later. Oh, okay. Okay. And the funny thing is that I've never done it, you know. And I heard that it's an international EA summit. It's going to be 70 to 80 people in the room. And then I saw all these speakers' names I've been following on social media. And, you know, I said yes right away. Although I was so scared. Good. I've never done it. I was not a, you know, trained public speaker or anything. So I went there and had a great time. I talked about one of my, you know, absolute favorite topics, networking. And I got back to my job, you know. And then I got the feedback. And there were also positive and so lovely. And people kept inviting me, you know. And I always said no, no, no. I'm busy. I love being here with my executive. You know, I have no time for any of these things. Yeah. And then it was actually my husband who encouraged me to go the next step. And he said, you know, why am I saying yes to this speaking gig and why am I doing this? So I did a few in between when I was still full-time, you know, employed. And then I saw that it's just given me so much joy. And I did more and more. And then I found out, okay, it's just a time thing right now, you know. And you cannot be there or you cannot be there at the same time. So then is when I made the decision together with my husband, who was back then still in his, you know, full-time role. So we had this kind of a backup thing, although I would never rely on anyone else. But, you know, he always said, you know, go for it. I see your passion behind. So he was really the driver because he saw something in me that I haven't seen myself. And then it all started. And I knew always, and I said this in so many other interviews before, you know, if something is not happening in a way that, you know, gives me the right pleasure, I go back at the aid. It was always an option, you know. Yeah. You know, we had this discussion so much, but it never happened. And here we are, almost eight years. And honestly, I'm at a certain stage right now where I would not go back, you know, because I love it so much being my own CEO. And I think it was for me. So even if I was not the person who said, let's go for it right away, you need to have this wonderful sounding board around you, the people that believe in you, the people that, you know, encourage you, they give you the wonderful tool that you are in a position to do it. And that's why my husband has been such a huge impact. And of course, so many of the other speakers that have seen me for the first time on stage, they kept, you know, you know, giving my name out to other people. So this was a wonderful, wonderful start for me. Although I was the one doing at the end of the day the work and present and perform, but I was glad that there were people who believed in me. And that's just wonderful. Yeah, well, and you're making a different type of impact, right? Instead of just impacting in the one thing that you're working on at the company, or with the people that you're working on at the company, you are directly impacting hundreds of people who are doing these roles and need the support. And so that is just incredible. And I'm so glad that you were able to find a way to make that work for yourself. It's definitely scary getting out there on your own. It is, absolutely. And I think, especially those out there who have seen a lot in the career of an EA and, you know, reach a certain stage where you say, okay, what's next? Is it the chief of staff? And we all know this is not a classical career path for assistants out there. So be aware when you read because it's not meant for everyone. It's not meant for me. It's not meant for me. I can tell you that now. I 100% support it. I am always, always shouting out, you know, Maggie Olson, you know, the chief of staff. I'm always sharing a discount code. I think it's so important to uplevel your career. But I personally have no intention of ever becoming the chief of staff. And, you know, we just started in Germany as well, offering trainings and certifications. And yeah, we hear the same, you know, some people really go into the direction and they have all been waiting for it. And some people just say, okay, that's not my level. I don't want to go there. I want to focus on something else. And that's fine. I mean, luckily we can all make these decisions to go in different paths. But yeah, so it's also maybe the virtual assistant business or becoming a coach, a trainer. So there are opportunities out there. We have incredible people in the circuit and to see on social media that went the same path right like I did. So I think it's important to have your message ready, to know your topic and to, yeah, to build up the brand and the reputation and to be seen as an expert in a certain field so that people really relate on what you share and what you deliver. And I think it's wonderful to see how many of us, you know, have, yeah, actually started their journeys. And I'm a big supporter of every, especially female solopreneur who goes out there. And we all don't know who's next, right? I know. And it's exciting. And what's really interesting for me to see is that the people in this space who are doing the work, everybody is so supportive of one another. I am on chat threads with multiple influencers, with other people. We gut check each other. We talk about certain things. We have our own little community going on behind the community, you know, that we've kind of built for ourselves. And it's really cool to see because when I was, you know, an up and coming EA and for many years, and I talk about it a lot, I faced a lot of toxicity in the workplace amongst the EAs. So, you know, it's astonishing to see that once you remove people from the work environment where they all work and you take them outside of that, they can come together as people and they can really, you know, lean in, mentor, learn from one another. I always say, make shared knowledge your bitch, because it's one of the most powerful things that you can do. I mean, we all have different pieces of data. And if we all work together in unison, it's, I mean, we could change the world. Totally. Absolutely. I love this attitude of yours. And that's the way we do it, right? And so I'm a big believer because someone opened my doors and I would love to give it back, you know. And so I'm encouraging everyone out there who wants to try out to speak, wants to try out to become a coach, wants to try out to, you know, start moderating something or whatever. So it's just important that we share these names, you know, amongst the event organizers because people go there first steps. And I'm glad to see that we're finally getting louder in our community. Oh, yeah. And it's all over the Internet. Sometimes I wonder, okay, we needed to wait for AI. That's the best way we become louder because it helps us writing. Yeah. But now a lot of this stuff, like I'll put something out and then I'll see it on LinkedIn in like five or six different ways. Yeah, it's true. And I'm just like, oh, my gosh. Yeah. But it's so funny because, you know, I'm such a, you know, it's really close to my heart because I'm an author. I wrote three books, you know. So it's so close to my heart to write the text myself. And I love all the opportunities we have out there with AI. But I was just talking the other day to another author and they say, you know, you can tell sometimes after the first of two lines, okay, that was definitely an AI text, you know. But anyhow, I mean, I always say, hello, I mean, let's become louder. Someone is doing it this way. Someone is doing it in another way. I think the message is important, right? And so I'm always very, very into my, you know, preparing my LinkedIn post and, you know, having my roadmap ready for what do I want to share next. So it's quite some effort you put in there. But it's good to see that we have more voices out there. And if AI is helping us, why not, right? Exactly. I mean, it's all about empowering ourselves. And whatever way we get there, it's important that we're doing it. And, you know, I've also found, though, I'm not sure what your experience has been around this, but I have found that once you find your voice and once you start elevating it, depending upon where you work, they are not very happy about it. So that is something to keep people mindful of, is that there is a lot that you may have to go through. I know for myself personally, to be able to do this work, I need to have OBAs, I need to have approvals from my company. It's the same at a lot of companies. So something to be aware of. What about you, have you experienced that? I'm so glad that you're actually raising the point because I have two clients who got a warning letter from HR because they have been too vocal on this. Although they didn't say a negative word, they were actually doing employer branding, but it was not, you know, synchronized with the right departments. So that's why it's very good that we give this call to action out here, especially for those who are super, super motivated, you know, and go out there and have maybe a strong opinion. Make sure you check in with the relevant departments because some companies have really tough regulations and restrictions. And yeah, imagine, you got a warning letter, right? Yeah, I mean, there are literally some companies that you cannot write anything as long as you are employed with them. Yes, it's so true. And it's so sad because, you know, obviously both were actually just wanted to do something right, you know, that we're talking about. Their internal assistant networks and things they do. And yeah, but it was not, you know, seen in a positive way. And sad to say, and you have in addition some toxic colleagues around you who observe you and they will report you and they say, oh, Becky was writing at 2.15 in the afternoon in the post office and she might not be very busy right now, right? So I've seen this all and I feel sorry for the culture of such a company, you know? What's also interesting though is that a lot of people don't realize that we schedule posts. Yeah. So I schedule. I am not on LinkedIn at 10.30 in the morning on a Tuesday morning. That is scheduled and that has been scheduled for about a couple weeks. I feel the same. You know, my whole, you know, roadmap is set up for a couple of weeks. Yeah. I'm not online, you know? But it's a good point. And finally, we have these new features on LinkedIn. Right. And we can schedule that. Yeah. You know, that's really, really good. But, you know, it's just so sad to see the missing opportunity the company actually had because obviously there is an employee who wants to talk about the company, who wants to talk about initiatives such as the internal assistant network. And it's, you know, asked to be, you know, coming back. So it's kind of sad because that's the best way you attract other EAs to tour for this company when you talk about, hey, we have an internal assistant network. Yeah. Well, there are a few things. I mean, number one, it's sad because the expectations are different with our executives, you know? And I think it's very important for listeners to understand that. Our executives are board members. They are a part of many other avenues of income. A lot of board members receive income. They're receiving extra income. They have side hustles. They are engaged in other things that are building their network, making them more valuable, you know, building their connections, getting more opportunities in front of them. There's no reason that we should not be doing the same thing. I mean, of course, we have to approach it with respect and, you know, not stepping on people's toes, but we're a human being just like they are. So I encourage everybody to find your voice. Just be careful about how you utilize it so that you don't get dinged for it. But, I mean, we all deserve to have skin in the game. Totally. Absolutely. And, you know, and this is what makes me so happy to see not only from my German perspective and the German assistant, they've become much, much louder than they were years ago because they really share more of their experiences. They are bold. They're vocal. But also, internationally, you see really, really more voices out there. This is what we need, especially right now with the transformative times we're in. So that's wonderful that we, you know, keep encouraging. You post, I post, and we see so many other wonderful leaders of the industry, you know, who encourage to give it a try. And I always say to people who are so afraid of, you know, going out with their first post, and I say, you know, start by liking, start by commenting, start by sharing. And if you feel like, hey, now's the time that I want to be a producer, go out for it and let me know that you produce because I'm going to be your first like. That's the way I support. Yeah. And also, I would say, you know, it's not as scary as it seems. I mean, it seems very scary, but people are very positive and they're receptive. And especially the people that have been seeing you on LinkedIn, the people that are in your corner. I mean, those are the people that you're going to want to surround yourself with anyways. And you, if you are in a room where people are judging you or putting you down, that is not a room that you should be in. Oh, yes. Yeah. And so I think it's so important for people to align themselves with the right people around them to help elevate them as well. Totally. And I remember, I think it was a year ago, I once had an assistant who felt like, okay, I'm going out with my first post. And then she was so disappointed. She only got like 10 likes and she took the post down. And I said to her, never ever do that because there were 10 people who obviously felt attracted to your post and they liked it, right? So yeah, maybe today was 10, maybe tomorrow it's going to be 100. So never ever judge, you know, on the amount of the likes because first of all, you post for yourself, right? Yeah. And that's so important. And also, don't you notice that sometimes you put a post out that you think this one, this is a good one. And then only five people like it. And you're like, what is going on here? But then flash forward six months, a whole new group of people have found out who I am. And then all of a sudden the post that did nothing, start resurfacing with likes and commentary. So it's important to keep everything on there because it does come back up again. People do scour your feed. People do want to see what you've done before. It may not land this first time, but it may land eventually. And also, it's about being authentic. Some things are not going to land. Some things are. You're putting your voice out there. Just be true as you are, you know? And let's not forget the, you know, super, super hard way of tracking LinkedIn algorithms nowadays. It's so hard. You know, it's so hard. Sometimes the other day, a trainer colleague said, oh, I gave it a try and I posted something on a Sunday, although they keep telling you never ever post over the weekend. And it was, you know, a viral post. And then she went back on a Tuesday and said nothing happened. So you'd never know the algorithms like you or not because actually just yesterday I put a post up there which is not well performing and I thought this is going to be a big smash. Yeah, yeah. But it was obviously not that well, you know? But it's still there in a month, you know? I mean, in a month, somebody might read it, resurface it, and then they like it, and it might hit at that time. You totally never know. Yes. And again, you know, if you would ask me, Diana, do you know all the people that like your posts, I'm not the one going into my, you know, supply. I don't either. I don't have the time for that. Yeah. I'm not going through the stories in my Instagram. Yeah. Like who watch my stories, I don't do that. I'm just grateful for everyone who finds a way towards my profile, loves my profile, and wants to follow my stories. And that's the way I want to attract the people, right? Yeah. Yeah. You want to attract the right people. Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. That's true. And the other thing that I do that really helps with networking is that I reach out to 100 people a week. That is the one thing. I set time aside every week. I do it while I'm watching TV or whatever is something that I, you know, that I don't need to focus on. But otherwise, everything is pretty planned out. You know, I see it at random times. I don't have the time to respond right when it comes through. Sometimes I miss things. You know, we're all doing so much. So we're doing our full-time job. Plus, we're always also trying to make a difference in the community. I know that you wrote a book. That is not in English, though, right? Sadly, all the books are in German. Yeah. The first two books came out in 2021, I think. And then I was the author of another book. Yeah, two and a half, I always say. But they're all in German. And yeah, I mean, I've been writing a lot of English articles. My newsletter is in English because I have an international audience. And that's also the way you network. Because every month, my newsletter goes out. And the people can follow my Digital Nomad Live. And they see where I teach. And sometimes, you know, it's German. It's the English course. So it's a nice way of connecting. And we have, you know, followers from all over the world. It's lovely. And of course, also through the podcast, you know, people stay in touch. Yeah. But do you have two podcasts? One that's English and one that's German? No, it's the same podcast. It's a mixture of German and English episodes. Okay. I love that. It's so cool. Yeah, I know. And it's so funny. The other day, a UK assistant was commenting on a LinkedIn post. And she said, I can't wait to listen to the episode. So I was texting back, it's a German one. And she said, hello, transcripts. Oh, I love it. I love it. So people, yeah, people who are really dedicated can just transcribe it. I wonder if you can ask AI to do that. If you can just go in the chat. She mentioned something with an AI tool. And actually, she will be on my training next week in Vienna. So I will ask her because she's obviously very interested in, you know, building up an international network. So she really wants to listen to the episodes of the assistant I had on, which is a German lady. So I'll ask her next week when I see her in Austria. But I found it just so wonderful to see how people respond. And I remember another client from the U.S. also once texted me. And she said, Hannah, you have so many German episodes on lately. When is the next American coming out? It's happening next week. You know, it all depends on the availability of the guests, obviously. So I love these feedbacks, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I guess another option would be to put the English transcript in. That's what we're going to do, yeah. You know. That's what we're going to do. You know, I started the YouTube channel just this year, and we're still exploring because the majority still loves to listen to it over, you know, the regular channel of the podcast where everyone is going to send it from the YouTube and watch you talk all the way up to Steven Nix and, you know, just everything. And, of course, I've seen on the click rate that the majority of the people that go to Spotify or iTunes, of course. But let's see how we're going to continue with the YouTube because, you know, it's a lot of work I've put in there. That's why we're here. I know. And creating the visuals and everything. So once this is all out, of course, I definitely want to observe, you know, how the click rates are getting higher or not because I'm realistic. So when I feel like, okay, this is not something that's going to put, you know, kind of the wishes I had out there, then I'm ready to start something. You know, I'm an easy person to let go of something. Very easy. Well, and that's so important. I think that's really important, and I think a lot of people don't realize it. You can invest in something for a long time and become attached to it and realize that it is not working out, and that is a good time to let it go. But a lot of people have already invested, and they keep trying and trying and trying, and they have exhausted their resources, you know, when they probably should have moved on. I have heard from multiple people that the way to go is YouTube and that everybody is into YouTube right now and that it is also extremely difficult to do. It is indeed, and I really, every time I see it on the click rate, and now we had a very, very popular episode out, a German one. A German one. And I was looking at the click rate, and I said, whoa, what happened here? That's not the usual number of what I see here. So she's the EA to, you know, one of the smartest minds we have in Germany out there, one of the greatest tech leaders. So obviously the profile was quite attractive, and it was a lovely interview. And, yeah, so I was very excited to see, you know, how the things are maybe developing. But, again, I'm very, very the person who takes a decision in one direction or in another direction, and that gives me time to look for other wonderful challenges. Yeah. I mean, it's so important. Our time is so valuable, and especially when you're doing a lot of things, right? I agree. Absolutely. Yeah, and, I mean, our time is worth so much. And so for us to be wasting, essentially, our resources on anything, takes time away from what we could really be doing that can make an impact. And that's why I love so much what you do, that you bring the people together, and they have their clubs, and they see each other, they can talk to each other. Because with all the wonderful opportunities we have out there, really coming in this format together and having that, you know, the wonderful mentoring around you, creating a founding board, knowing your peers, and it's such a huge investment. So we have so many options to do networking, you know. There's, like, working out loud, and if you just hear, and there's a LinkedIn group there, and there's a social event over there. And I feel sometimes myself overwhelmed with the opportunities out there, and also with the training opportunities. I would be in VA, and I would see this training here and that training, and hear the webinar, and then you go on the future channel. Honestly, I have no idea where to find my really, you know, important stuff. And since there's this kind of loudness that we talked about before that we love to see, but you see also the loudness when it comes to selling stuff, right? And people are constantly on there selling stuff, and then there's, like, LinkedIn learning as well, and the library here. It's really, really overwhelming, even for me, honestly. It's very overwhelming. There's a lot. And it's one of the reasons that I was very specific about opening up a social club specifically. We are literally the only one that I have found in the world that is just a social club. It was not intentional. I literally just wanted to create a safe space for people to be having these conversations like we're having right now. And, yeah, it has been life-changing. I think a lot of people get confused. They're like, oh, the EA Social Club is stupid. Like, what is this? There are enough programs. There's enough this. Like, we do not focus on training. We are all about the networking and relationship aspect. And then, of course, we do have online events. And so, you know, it's like I invite people to do, like, a presentation and stuff like that. In fact, we should talk about you doing that if you want to do that. But it's all about streamlining the right data to them. I feel like I've done so much, meaning I've learned the hard way. And I'm just trying to go, okay, I've done this. I've done that. Here's what I've seen has worked. Why don't you try this? That's what I'm there for, you know. Absolutely. And, you know, isn't it nice also to walk into a room where you don't have the feeling like, okay, there's this presentation. This is what I'm going to learn. You just, you know, are on the social, you know, area. And you just, you know, want to find out about hobbies. You want to find out about other things that are motivating the people around you. And it should take the pressure off of us in certain ways. And this is what I always say also when I work with teams and companies, when I say, you know, when you start your meeting, don't jump on the agenda right away. Always have the social minute hours at home. Have the social minutes. You know, connect with your team. And I tell the executives specifically in terms of their leadership style because, you know, we're so busy. Our agendas are so fully booked. And we jump from one meeting to the next one. And there's one agenda. There's the second agenda. So, you know, time to brave and start the meeting with a social minute. And they all love it. So it's one of my easiest ways of helping executives to connect with their teams, not to, you know, put them on the spot right away. Yeah. At Twitter, we used to go around the room and give a moment of gratitude for whatever we were grateful for. So bringing back in that human element. And you're right. I mean, executives and many of us are going back-to-back meetings nonstop. And there's no break in there for the human in this. Yes, totally. And, you know, this is what I learned also this year when I did my certification as a strength coach because, first of all, I learned so much about my own strength profile. Of course, you know your strength and you know exactly your talent. When you say strength, what do you mean? It's like, you know. Because I'm thinking workout. Did you become a trainer? I wish. I wish. You know, I'm a proud Kirby here. Oh, you're beautiful. So strength, so strength. You took like what was that? Yeah, it's like, you know, there are so many different personality, you know, tests out there. The personality tests. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, got it, got it. This one I work with is called the Gallup Strength Finder. And there are like this test. Is it Gallup? Gallup, yeah. It's a very highly analytical system. It has been out there for years. And it's connected to positive psychology. So I learned a lot about that. And you really do a test, 20 minutes, tons of questions, and then you get your profile. And you see your top ten strengths. And then you see the middle system. And then you see your potential weaknesses at the end. So you get a, you know, a full picture of 34 strengths. The higher strength, lower strength. And the middle. And this is so interesting to learn more about yourself. And, of course, I learned to work with these strengths profiles. And I've been doing some strength workshops already. I've been doing a lot of strength coaching, one-on-one, where people really want to find out, okay, that's my profile today. And I have to analyze this, right? And this was really, really an eye-opener for me. Because what I believe, Becky, is what is missing in companies, that we not only look into, oh, that's Becky's profile. So she's got to do this job. Rather than, what are Becky's strengths? And are we using them in the right way? And are the right, you know, projects assigned to Becky, you know, that are connected to her strengths? And I think we still need to work on that in a lot of companies. I think that the mindsets of the leaders need to change. And this is why, you know, starting into a meeting, not just, you know, just focusing on the agenda right away. But, you know, getting into the certain kind of conversation, where you do hear, you know, other things from your employees. So I would love to see this, you know, being part of, you know, the company culture and leadership styles, in terms of, you know, how are we using the strength of our wonderful employees? Yeah, so I found this. I think, are you talking about CliftonStrengths? Exactly. Yeah, so it's Gallup. G-A-L-L-U-P. And it's CliftonStrengths. So if anybody's interested, that's how you can look it up. It was very easy to find. I just looked up Gallup Strengths, and then I was able to find it. I mean, so fascinating. I'm definitely going to look into that. I mean, in and of itself, it's really fun, especially when you do the test yourself, and you get the result, and you feel like, okay, that's neat. So, and then when you take a deep dive into the, you know, and analyze it, and you bring it back to the role you're performing right now, and also the things, the ideas you have in your mind, what's next. So just talking the other day to a very senior assistant, she's turning 61. She hasn't been seeing it all in her career, but she's now in a company where she has a great executive who really gives her freedom to explore. And guess what? She's transforming into an HR role now. Oh, wow. And when I looked at her strength profile, I saw immediately that she brings the right soft skills with her, and she has the really right talent in her DNA that really helps her to transform in this role. So she's saying goodbye to the EA role, and she's so excited, and she said, wow, I had to turn 60, you know, to find this amazing employer and boss and learn more about opportunities. So I'm so proud of her. Yeah. I mean, that is incredible. That is exactly how it should be. Absolutely. So whoever wants to work on their strength profile, message me. Yeah, and, you know, I have found that at a lot of, or we have at a lot of onsites and offsites. We've done similar profiles to this to show you how to work with your coworkers, and it's been completely enlightening. And it would be great if this was offered on a regular basis among teams. It doesn't have to be this specific one. It can just be any one that shows, you know, how we individually work so that we understand how to relate to each other and not take things personally. Absolutely. It's so true. So that's going to be very interesting to see how certain companies are developing their cultures, right? Not only looking into cultures, but also cultures and effort strength along to culture as well, because this is the way to support a vision of a company. And so many opportunities are in there. So, yeah, a wonderful new passion project for me. I love it. Well, I mean, we could keep talking forever. You're always so amazing to talk to. I meant to mention that you are the favorite podcast I've done so far. The feedback is still coming in, Becky. It won't stop. Really? It's a wonderful gift. On our episode? Is that up now? Yes. I do meet people in training. And, you know, of course, when I go around and I talk to the people in my seminar and, you know, people tell me how they found me, how they connected with me. You know, I found you on LinkedIn or I'm listening to your podcast. And I keep asking them, especially over lunch, what were one of the favorite episodes. And many of you said it's so wonderful. Oh, yeah. I love that. Yeah. And, you know, the other day there was this lady who said, you know, I have to, you know, because she's an older generation. She's not on social media, but she loves to listen to the podcast. And she said, it's so wonderful to practice my English when I listen to the English episodes. And sometimes I have to, you know, go back and go forward. And then I have, did I understand this right? And so she was naming a few of the English episodes and you were amongst it. And it was so lovely that she sees it as a challenge for her language skills. And I loved it so much that she kept listening to the English episodes as well. That's so cool. It's so cool. You are helping lives and you don't even realize it. That's why I try to keep going. And, yeah, I'm ready for 2025. Very excited. By the way, what's on your record list for 2025? Oh, God. 2025. Well, I am in the process of writing a book. It is almost ready. Yes. This is the first time I'm mentioning it, actually, because you asked about 2025. I expect that it will be ready in January or February. I'm actually, like, literally going through the final draft right now. So it's completely written. The cover is being worked on, all of that. So I think, you know, for 2025, I just want to continue giving back to the community, you know, honing my voice, honing what I'm doing, you know, and seeing if there isn't more that I can do to give back. You know, and there always is. There is. And you do give back a lot. So, I mean, this is just the next phase. It's just an echo. Let me know because I would love to put it on my newsletter. Yes. To spread the word, you know, once it's out. Let me know. I would love to read it. I actually, since I have you on here, I was actually going to ask if you would write a testimonial. Yes. Okay, I will. It's such an honor. Such an honor. Okay, I will send it off to you very shortly. It is a very rough draft right now, but it should give you what you need. Yeah, so, you know, I've got the EA Social Club, which, you know, is constantly growing. And then the podcast just launched literally this week. And then the book is coming out. And then, of course, I have my job, which I love my job. If anybody is listening from my job, I love my job. It's so funny, the order you just named, right? Yeah, right, right. Because I do see my job as number one. I cannot do any of the work that I do if it was not for my job. So, I am so grateful. And this came so much through in our conversation, how much you are so committed to the job. And you are committed to your executive. This came so through in our conversation. Yeah. So, it's amazing how you've balanced all of these incredible projects. And, as you know, I'm here to support you in any way. So, I can't wait to bring this wonderful project live and to promote it here in Europe. Because, you know, we need to have great writings out there. And it's going to be amazing. So, well done, Becky. Thank you. And I'll definitely have to get you back on because I feel like I could just talk to you for hours and hours. Absolutely. And someday we definitely have to meet up. I was going to say, I don't know if it's going to be a common goal of us, you know, to really – that we should plan it for 2025. Yeah. I know that you are on the other side of the U.N. Yeah. Because I'm going to be in April in New York. Ooh. Okay. I don't know if you're ever going to – might make it because I have a few appointments in New York. It's a pleasure and business trip. Okay. But I wanted to let you know it's going to be – let me double check. It's going to be April 10 to 17, I believe. Yeah. Let me know. So, whatever you might, you know, just, you know, if it fits in your schedule, that would be so nice to – Because I would love to come to New York in general. And so that might be a really good additional thing is to see you. Yeah. And you know what? You know, as we both know, April is Administrative Professional Month. So maybe we should even do an event or something. Yeah, do something together. Okay. You know, invite some local people and, you know, bring a German girl and a West Coast girl and some New Yorkers. Thank you so much for joining us today. If these conversations resonate with you, be sure to follow Let's Talk on Spotify so you never miss an episode. I'd also love to stay connected. Please consider following me on LinkedIn at Becky Kaapuni. Each follow has a real impact, allowing me to bring even more value to our community. Want even more? Join the EA Social Club. You can find all the details at www.easocialclub.com. And for some unfiltered, anonymous stories, be sure to follow the EAPA Diaries on Instagram.