Suzie Flynn Coaching

04/09/2026

As we close out the week, I have a quick question for you…

When was the last time you didn't speak up, even though you knew you had value to offer?

What stopped you?

Drop your answer in the comments, I'd love to hear from you. ⬇️

p.s. If this resonated, my free guide Are You an Invisible Expert? walks you through the five patterns keeping capable Assistants undervaluing themselves. Link in comments 👇

03/09/2026

After my recent live, ‘Are You an Invisible Expert? A conversation for Assistants’, an Assistant reached out to me and shared something that really stayed with me.

She shared how she found it most difficult to gauge when to share her voice.

From her comfort level at the office, a conflict with a customer / client or regarding a business decision.

And this is the bit that might surprise you!

She’d adopted the strategy of handling things when no one else was around.

Before hours.

After hours.

Behind the scenes.

Where nobody could see what was happening.

She wasn’t seeing it as a problem, but more as a matter of fact, like it was just how she did things.

And that's exactly what makes this pattern so hard to spot, because it doesn't feel like you’re hiding. It feels like being professional, efficient and proactive.

But if the work only happens when nobody's watching, nobody gets to see what you're actually capable of!

That's the invisible expert pattern.

Doing extraordinary work, in invisible ways.

p.s. If this resonated, my free guide Are You an Invisible Expert? walks you through the five patterns keeping capable Assistants undervaluing themselves. Link below 👇

Do you handle the complexity but still hold yourself back? Download this free guide and discover the 5 patterns keeping Assistants from owning their value.

02/09/2026

"I spent years second-guessing myself and giving other people way too much say in how I saw myself."

An Assistant shared this recently, and it stopped me in my tracks, because that had been my experience too in the earlier years of my Assistant career.

In my twenties, I supported a Director who on the surface was absolutely fantastic!

She affectionately called me Suzie-Su and such a brilliant sense of humour that had me and others in the office cracking up! So much so, I wish I’d made a note of the things she said.

One that I do remember, which made me laugh was…

“I can’t hear you, it sounds like you’re in a biscuit tin” 🍪

But on the flip side it was like working for Jekyll and Hyde.

Weeks of humour, warmth, kindness and then she’d explode out of nowhere, in front of everyone, on a very small office floor.

I’d hear comments like “you’re useless, you might as well go home”, which ultimately shattered my confidence.

This had me constantly walking on eggshells, not knowing whether I’d get Jekyll or Hyde!

When someone is that unpredictable, you spend all your time and energy trying to second-guess their mood, instead of trusting your own judgement.

In fact I’d often escape to the 5th floor where the tea ladies worked to get a respite. I remember, one of them, Paulette, saying to me just a couple of years ago, that I’d come upstairs crying my eyes out, saying “she doesn’t like me”.

I was crying because I was giving her way too much say in how I saw myself. From my capabilities, to my self-worth.

What shifted things for me was the terminal diagnosis of my parents, just weeks apart. That made me shift my perspective and realise that my focus didn’t need to be on trying to prove myself to her but in supporting my parents.

Then one morning, two minutes past nine, I was eating my toast. She came over and said,"Suzie, you know we start at 9am." I looked at her and said, "Yes, and I also know you always talk about the importance of breakfast. I'll start in a minute once I’ve finished my toast."

She walked away, in silence.

That was the first time I trusted myself more than I trusted her opinion of me and that was the beginning of taking back how I saw myself.

Your worth as an Assistant is never for anyone else to decide.

Does this resonate? I'd love to know in the comments ⬇️

_____________________________

p.s. If this resonated, my free guide Are You an Invisible Expert? walks you through the five patterns keeping capable Assistants undervaluing themselves. Link below👇

Do you handle the complexity but still hold yourself back? Download this free guide and discover the 5 patterns keeping Assistants from owning their value.

31/08/2026

The most capable Assistants are often the ones who trust themselves the least.

Not because they lack skill or ability

Not because they make bad decisions.

But because somewhere along the way, they learned to question themselves before anyone else had the chance to.

So they check their work twice, even three times.

They share an idea, then spend the afternoon wondering how it was received.

They know the answer but often wait for someone else to speak up first as they quietly see themselves as “just” an Assistant.

That's not incompetence.

It’s a pattern, and patterns can change.

Does this resonate with you? I'd love to know how this shows up for you. ⬇️

_____________________________

p.s. If this resonated, my free guide Are You an Invisible Expert? walks you through the five patterns keeping capable Assistants undervaluing themselves. Link below 👇

Do you handle the complexity but still hold yourself back? Download this free guide and discover the 5 patterns keeping Assistants from owning their value.

28/08/2026

Yesterday I had an Assistant reach out to me saying, "I've got a conundrum that I need to solve and would benefit from a sounding board."

When I joined the Team's call I could see she was upset and was holding a tissue.
So I listened.

She explained that she’d been tasked with coordinating an away day for over 100 attendees and that her Director had specifically asked for it to run between 10:00 - 16:00.

But when the volunteers assisting with the event pushed back, insisting on a 10:30 - 15:00 day, she didn’t know what to do and felt helpless.

She said “why would they listen to me?”.

As I asked more questions it turned out she was placing value on her Director’s title, but not in hers or her expertise. In fact she related to being ‘just’ a PA, worried that she was going to let her Director down.

Previously she’d been in a manager role, complimented for her compassion and was easily able to navigate situations like this without a second thought.

But in this moment she was caught up in the identity of ‘I’m “just” a PA” and placed more credibility on her Director than her years of experience and skills.

I reminded her of the woman she was before that title shift, encouraging her to let go of the ‘title’, which doesn’t define her. To step back into her old identity of a manager or take aspects from it.

Because it’s her years of skills and experience which have solved many situations in the past and would solve this one too.

Twenty minutes later she came back to me and said…

"Thank you for your wonderful support, you may not be surprised to know it all worked out fine. You did a great job of reminding me how I used to be, definitely time for me to dust that woman off and bring her to the party x"

This is the invisible expert pattern!

Many Assistants spend years second-guessing themselves and giving other people way too much say in how they see themselves. Somewhere along the way, they start to believe that without an official title or authority, their skills and experience don't matter.

Whereas in fact Assistants are one of the most influential individuals in the organisation and they have the power to push back.

It’s time to advocate for yourself again! 🎉

If this resonates, my free guide Are You an Invisible Expert? was written exactly for you...

https://www.rfr.bz/f6291afd0

28/08/2026

I had the knowledge, skill and know-how but still somehow felt invisible as an Assistant, without truly recognising the pattern that was playing out.

For 5 years I worked at a company where I was bullied and micro-managed by my line manager. I knew something had to change, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. Deep down, I didn't believe I had enough to offer my next employer.

I remember walking with a friend one day and telling him exactly how I felt. "I'm worried I'll be jumping from the frying pan into the fire," I said. "I'm just an Assistant."

He stopped me and told me I was more than "just" an Assistant. He made the case for my value, clearly and without hesitation, in a way I hadn't been able to make for myself.

I felt heard and not long after, I moved onto my next role.

But for years, before that conversation, I had been quietly trying to prove my worth before I felt truly valued. That's the invisible expert pattern and I know I'm not the only one who has lived that experience.

In this month's blog, we'll be exploring what the invisible expert pattern actually is, why it happens to experienced Assistants, and what you can do about it.

Click here 👉 https://suzieflynn.com/blog/ 👈 to read, like and share.

We'll be exploring…

💜 What it actually means to be an invisible expert and why it catches so many Assistants off guard
❤️ Why the more experienced you become, the more deeply the pattern can embed itself
💙 Why naming the pattern is the most powerful first step you can take

I'd love to know, does the invisible expert pattern resonate with you? Which part landed most? Drop a comment below or come and connect with me on LinkedIn or Facebook.

You've always been capable, now it's time to start believing it.

27/08/2026

Yesterday I had an Assistant reach out to me saying, "I've got a conundrum that I need to solve and would benefit from a sounding board."

When I joined the call I could see she was upset and was clutching a tissue.

So I listened.

She explained that she'd been tasked with coordinating an away day for over 100 attendees and that her Director had specifically asked for it to run between 10:00 - 16:00.

But when the volunteers assisting with the event pushed back, insisting on a 10:30 - 15:00 day, she didn't know what to do and felt helpless.

She said "why would they listen to me?"

As I asked more questions it turned out she was placing value on her Director's title, but not hers. In fact she related to being 'just' a PA, worried that she was going to let her Director down.

Previously she'd been in a manager role and complimented for compassion and was easily able to navigate situations like this without a second thought.

But in this moment she was caught up in the identity of 'I'm "just" a PA' and placed more credibility on her Director than her years of experience and skills.

I reminded her of the woman she was before that title shift, encouraging her to let go of the title and to draw on the manager she'd been before.

It was her years of experience and the skills she'd built that had solved situations like this before, and would solve this one too.

Twenty minutes later she came back to me and said…

"Thank you for your wonderful support, you may not be surprised to know it all worked out fine. You did a great job of reminding me how I used to be, definitely time for me to dust that woman off and bring her to the party x"

This is the 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 pattern.

As an Assistant your skills don't disappear, your experience doesn't vanish.

Somewhere along the way, many Assistants start to believe that without the official authority or title, their skills and experience don't matter.

And yet Assistants are often among the most influential people in an organisation.

Your skills are still there. It's time to dust them off and bring them to the party along with your credibility!

If this resonates, my free guide 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁? was written exactly for you. The link is in the comments below 🔗👇🏻

26/08/2026

A client came to me after 33 years of working in the administrative field.

She was burnt out, at a crossroads in her career, and had no idea which direction to go next.

When I dug deeper it became clear that the real problem wasn't the lack of options, it was that she didn't trust herself to make the right call.

After just one session, things started to shift for her!

She stopped overthinking and second-guessing herself and in her own words, she just started doing and switched from "I can't" to "I know that I can."

That's what happens when you start trusting yourself again.

If you relate to this, the Invisible Expert guide is worth a read. It walks you through five patterns that keep capable Assistants undervaluing themselves, and most people don't even realise they're doing them.

Things like giving away the credit for work that was entirely yours, or waiting until you feel ready before you back yourself.

If either of those landed, download your gudie and see which of the five patterns resonate with you👇🏻

https://www.rfr.bz/fa03e70b8

24/08/2026

She told me she felt the rug had been pulled from beneath her.

Claire had lost both of her parents, two years apart and thought the answer was throwing herself into her work as an Assistant to get through the loss.

But with the anchors that were once solid in her life, her confidence had quietly collapsed.

She wasn't putting herself forward for new work projects and was questioning everything.

Am I doing this right?

Am I adding any value?

Am I good enough?

She reached out to me for coaching after I delivered my talk “You are more than ‘just’ an Assistant”, which clearly landed.

When we started working together she told me she wanted to feel like herself again. To stop the constant self-doubt and to have the confidence to take the next step in her career.

Over the months we worked together, she started to recognise the patterns that were keeping her stuck.

From the constant double checking, external validation and waiting for someone else to confirm what she already knew.

She started to trust herself again, grew in confidence and had belief in herself to take on a big project at work.

Something she wouldn't have considered six months earlier!

But here's what stayed with me.

She didn't gain new skills or a new title. What changed was her recognition of how capable she already was and how much value she had been adding all along.

If you recognise yourself in any part of Claire's story, the self-doubt, the holding back, feeling you've lost your confidence somewhere along the way, my free Invisible Expert guide is for you.

It will help you identify which pattern you're stuck in and what to do about it, so that you stop second-guessing yourself and trust your own judgement.

Link to free guide below 👇🏻

https://www.rfr.bz/fdb28e100

21/08/2026

So much of the career advice we hear as Assistants focuses on collecting more credentials.

Do another workshop, gain another certification, or stack your CV with technical skills.

Don't get me wrong, there's huge value in learning and growing your toolkit.

But here’s the truth, that's only half the story!

Confidence is tied to your skills and what you can achieve.

Self-worth is about who you are as a person.

I've met so many brilliant, talented Assistants who have years of experience yet still hesitate to take their next career step or put themselves forward for the opportunities they deserve.

It's not a lack of talent holding them back, it's an old story playing on repeat that says they aren't worthy of being seen and valued 😔

A new qualification won't fix that deep-rooted doubt.

Until you address it, no win or achievement will ever feel like it's enough.

You won't feel like you're enough.

If you see yourself in this pattern, I've created a free resource called 'Are You an Invisible Expert?' to help you understand why and what you can do about it

Link in the comments below 🔗👇🏻