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Two Admins and a Mic is the podcast for the people who keep everything running but rarely get the credit. Hosted by Diana Hansen and Melinda Vail-Goodnight, two executive assistants...
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Two Admins and a Mic is the podcast for the people who keep everything running but rarely get the credit. Hosted by Diana Hansen and Melinda Vail-Goodnight, two executive assistants who have seen it all, each episode brings candid conversations, real talk, and the kind of advice you will never find in a management manual. From productivity hacks and career growth to office chaos and the moments that make you question everything, we cover it all with honesty and a whole lot of humor. We also sit down with guests who have been in the trenches, learned the hard lessons, and have something real to say. Whether you are a seasoned EA or just finding your footing, this is your community. New episodes drop every other week. Pull up a chair, you are among friends.
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Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
Transcribed
9 SEP 2026 · In this episode of Two Admins and a Mic, Diana and Mel welcome Peggy Vasquez, a former chief executive administrator turned speaker, coach, and author, to talk about visibility, self-worth, and the future of the admin profession in the age of AI.
Peggy shares the story of how small, consistent acts of building relationships and community visibility (rather than just "doing the job") led to a surprise $20,000 raise and a title bump, and unpacks why so many admins still feel undervalued and hesitant to invest in their own growth through coaching and training. The conversation turns to AI, with Peggy arguing that while AI is a powerful tool, it cannot replace the trust-building, relationship intelligence, and human judgment that admins bring, and predicting that companies that slashed administrative staff in favor of AI will eventually face costly "lessons learned" reports.
Peggy also opens up about leaving her corporate job in January 2020 to go full-time into entrepreneurship, only to have COVID hit ten weeks later, and how resilience and her "speaker sisters" network helped her rebuild. She closes by sharing her three books — Not Just an Admin, Mean Girl No More, and The Roadmap to Empowering You — as well as her ongoing coaching, speaking, and cohort work for administrative professionals. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Transcribed
26 AUG 2026 · Bonnie Low-Kramen has spent decades fighting for the administrative profession, and she is not slowing down.
In this episode, Diana and Mel sit down with Bonnie, global speaker, trainer, author of Be the Ultimate Assistant and Staff Matters, and former longtime EA to Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, for a conversation that covers everything the profession needs to hear right now.
Bonnie shares the advice she gave early in her career that she's since completely changed her mind about, why assistants give away too much power without even realizing it, and why the stat that the average age a leader receives their first formal management training is 46 keeps her up at night.
She also gets into AI, what assistants around the world are saying, why companies have to slow the rollout down, and why the EAs who will thrive are the ones leaning into their people skills, not running from them.
She also shares what is next for her, including college campuses, FBLA conventions, and a commencement speech that's been on her bucket list for years. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Transcribed
12 AUG 2026 · In this episode, Chris Kraus shares his journey from executive assistant at Campbell Soup to a role in learning and development. He discusses the importance of mentorship, Campbell Soup's collaborative culture, and his experience creating training programs for administrative professionals.
Chris emphasizes the value of lifelong learning and the impact of supportive colleagues in shaping his career. In this engaging conversation, Chris discusses the evolving role of administrative professionals in the age of AI. They explore the importance of networking, learning from each other, and maintaining human connections while embracing technology.
Chris shares his experiences with AI in team settings, emphasizing the need for curiosity and verification in using AI tools. The discussion highlights the balance between leveraging technology and preserving the human touch in professional environments. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Explicit
Transcribed
29 JUL 2026 · What does it take to turn a happy hour into a professional lifeline? For Ike Saunders, founder of REACH, it started with six strangers, some free appetizers, and a refusal to ever put a price tag on connection.
In this episode, Ike joins Mel and Diana to trace how REACH (Regional Executive Assistants Cocktail Hour) grew from a casual 2012 gathering of six assistants in Chicago into a membership organization built entirely on the principle that no one should pay to access a strong network.
Ike opens up about founding REACH after his mentor Chris Kennedy retired and left him without a built-in support system, how the group pivoted to survive COVID, and why he's resisted every offer to franchise it into other cities.
The conversation turns personal as Ike talks about supporting both the professional and personal lives of Chris and his wife Sheila for 17 years, the boundaries that make that dual role sustainable, and the moment, juggling a family funeral against a planned trip to Europe, that taught him what it really means to be indispensable. He closes with the one word he hopes people remember him by. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Explicit
Transcribed
15 JUL 2026 · Diana and Mel go off-script in this unfiltered riff on one of the most relatable admin struggles: preparing for vacation while basically running a second job to get there.
Diana shares her go-to strategies: keeping Doug's calendar light while she's out, sending weekly email briefings with every document attached, and why she checks emails from the beach anyway because coming back to 1,500 unread messages is its own kind of vacation nightmare.
Mel opens up about the text that ruined a cave hike in Curaçao, Diana gets into being screamed at during Hurricane Sandy with no power and downed trees, and both admins agree on one thing: boundaries matter, and not every leader respects them. No guests, no filter, just two admins telling the truth about the vacation you earn and the job that follows you there. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Transcribed
1 JUL 2026 · In Part 2, Doug Conant gets personal and practical, sharing why he and his wife just “discovered” Netflix, his love of Louis L’Amour and Jack Reacher, and how recovering from hip surgery has turned movie night into his new fiction fix.
He opens up about the leadership habit that’s taken him the longest to learn—deep, authentic listening—especially as an introvert who once kept his head down and tried to make everyone happy.
Doug explains how an outplacement counselor challenged him to “stand up and be counted,” why encouragement and handwritten notes can transform relationships and culture, and how great leaders are both tough-minded on performance and kind-hearted with people, celebrating what’s going right while still dealing honestly with what’s not. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Transcribed
17 JUN 2026 · Fifty years. One philosophy: one plus one equals three.
Doug Conant has built his entire leadership career on the belief that administrative professionals aren't support staff; they're your most valuable partners. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Doug gets candid with Diana and Mel about what it actually looks like when a leader genuinely values their admin. Not as a resource. As a partner.
From the chaos of Diana's first week to the story of a former EA who put Doug's sneakers by the door before he ever agreed to wear them, this conversation is honest, warm, and full of the kind of leadership thinking admins rarely get to hear directly from the executive side.
And trust us, you'll want to stay for Part 2! New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Transcribed
3 JUN 2026 · What happens when the implementation layer of every business disappears, and no one sees it coming? According to Lucy Brazier, OBE, that is exactly where we are headed, and she is not prepared to let it happen.
In this episode, Lucy joins Diana and Melinda to break down the Global Skills Matrix 2026, a free career framework built on responses from more than 3,200 administrative professionals across 69 countries.
She explains why 162 job titles for one profession are a crisis, why the Bureau of Labor Statistics is still talking about faxing, and why the average age of an admin being 50 means businesses have a ticking clock they do not even know is running. She also argues that admins are not a resource. They are talented. And there is a difference. From the story of Anne Hyatt realizing she knew more than Jeff Bezos' shadow to why accountants changed their trajectory and admins can too, this episode is equal parts wake-up call and road map. If you have ever felt like you hit a ceiling in this profession, Lucy is here to tell you that the ceiling is about to be demolished. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Explicit
Transcribed
20 MAY 2026 · Building Community One EA at a Time
What does it take to go from receptionist to the trusted partner of a PayPal CEO and then walk away on your own terms? According to CC Quinteros, it starts with someone opening a door for you and then having the courage to walk through it.
In this episode, CC joins Diana and Melinda to talk about building EA communities from the ground up, why the profession is still misunderstood by HR and recruiters, and what 33 years in Silicon Valley's executive suites has taught her about owning your career. She shares how a leveling guide she discovered at Juniper Networks sparked a mission she carried through Avaya, Intuit, and PayPal, and why finding the right EA-executive match is nothing short of magic. She also makes the case that EAs were the original AI, and why that's exactly the reason you should stop being afraid of it. If you've ever felt invisible in your role or wondered how to bring the next generation into this profession, this one's for you. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Explicit
6 MAY 2026 · Sunny Nunan is the Founder and CEO of The Admin Awards, the only program of its kind in the country dedicated to publicly recognizing administrative professionals. And she has a lot to say. In this episode, Sunny joins Diana and Melinda to talk about what truly separates a good admin from an award-worthy one, why public recognition is not just nice to have but necessary for the future of the profession, and what thousands of nominations over 15 years reveal about the people who keep organizations running. She also shares a deeply personal tribute to her mother, Jeanette, a career executive secretary who never suffered fools, never stopped showing up, and inspired everything Sunny has built. If you have ever downplayed what you do, shied away from the spotlight, or wondered if your work really matters, this episode will challenge you to think differently. The profession needs your voice. It needs your story. And it needs you to stop hiding. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.
Two Admins and a Mic is the podcast for the people who keep everything running but rarely get the credit. Hosted by Diana Hansen and Melinda Vail-Goodnight, two executive assistants...
show more
Two Admins and a Mic is the podcast for the people who keep everything running but rarely get the credit. Hosted by Diana Hansen and Melinda Vail-Goodnight, two executive assistants who have seen it all, each episode brings candid conversations, real talk, and the kind of advice you will never find in a management manual. From productivity hacks and career growth to office chaos and the moments that make you question everything, we cover it all with honesty and a whole lot of humor. We also sit down with guests who have been in the trenches, learned the hard lessons, and have something real to say. Whether you are a seasoned EA or just finding your footing, this is your community. New episodes drop every other week. Pull up a chair, you are among friends.
show less
Information
| Author | Two Admins & a Mic |
| Organization | Two Admins & a Mic |
| Categories | Management , Careers |
| Website | twoadminsandamic.com |
| info@twoadminsandamic.com |
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