Be the Ultimate Assistant

Be the Ultimate Assistant TEDx Speaker | Author "Staff Matters" & "Be the Ultimate Assistant" BetheUltimateAssistant.com

Today I’m remembering one of the famous lines from Olympia’s movie Steel Magnolias. “That which does not kill us makes u...
08/30/2026

Today I’m remembering one of the famous lines from Olympia’s movie Steel Magnolias. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Do you remember “the struggle”?

💪A time when you were not sure you could put food on the table?
💪The time you did something that you regret to this day?
💪 The interview that you blew but the relief you felt when they gave you a second chance?
💪Getting fired, feeling demoralized, only to have it turn out to be the best thing that could have happened?

Let’s not forget those times because it helps us to never take anything for granted and it also helps us to understand the struggles of others.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡...
08/29/2026

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡-𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠.”
Marion Freund, Executive Assistant, Siemens Healthineers

I am the host of the Staff Matters Community and I would like to invite you to join us at our monthly 90-minute live group meetings on Zoom. We record them for future viewing if you can’t make it live.

Why join? Our international group cares about fixing what is broken in our workplace and sharing real-time intel that actually matters in the day to day. We explore and explode myths and don’t shy away from the tough stuff.
We all know that the only way for things to change for the better is to have open and honest conversations about them.

The Staff Matters Community is a safe place to do that. Our group welcomes; Executive Assistants, HR professionals, and college students.

Our subjects are wide-ranging, always relevant, and often discussed with expert guest speakers. Topics include;
🎯Job searching and the job market
🎯Workplace Bullying & toxic work environments
🎯Hybrid/Remote workplace issues
🎯AI Prompting and the latest ways we are using AI
🎯AI Security and internet safety
🎯Baby Boomer retirements happening now
🎯How to speak up about money, training, and other tricky subjects
🎯Social media and how we are using it

The next meeting is on Tues Sept 15, 11AM ET.
Membership is $275/year and includes a PDF copy of my book Staff Matters.

Click here for more details; https://learn.bonnielowkramen.com/courses/staff-matters-community

My why. When I get to hang out with my 7-year-old granddaughter – and even when we are not together – I imagine her in t...
08/28/2026

My why. When I get to hang out with my 7-year-old granddaughter – and even when we are not together – I imagine her in the workplace in about 13 years, give or take. I don’t spend too much time thinking about what job she will do exactly. My mind goes to the experience she is going to have in her job search, the interview process, the managers she will have, and the leader she will be.

I have eight grandchildren and I think about these things for each of them.
✅ I want them to join a culture of respect, not a toxic environment. Organized onboarding too.
✅ I want them to be fairly paid with accurate job descriptions and titles, complete with clear expectations about their career paths.
✅I want them to work hard and to know what it will take to advance.
✅ I want them to have skilled and trained managers.

If you follow me on LinkedIn, then I suspect you want these things too for yourself and for others, including the young people in your life. I know that you care about making the workplace a better place. When that effort seems too hard, find a kid and look at their face and into their eyes. And imagine what we want to build for them and how we are going to get there.

That’s what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. It’s about our future staff and our future leaders. The Baby Boomers are heading for the exit and these kids will be in our offices before we know it.

How is your company preparing for the next generation?

Number 1. Even in a world obsessed with AI, confidence in humans is key. Here’s the piece in CNBC written by Ashton Jack...
08/27/2026

Number 1. Even in a world obsessed with AI, confidence in humans is key. Here’s the piece in CNBC written by Ashton Jackson where I am quoted, called, “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼. 𝟭 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁, 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 ‘𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿.”

“𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚,” 𝙇𝙤𝙬-𝙆𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. “𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨.”True story.

Spoiler Alert: Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is show up. That’s it. Show up in all of your warmth and humanity. In our remote and virtual workplace, being an authentic human has never been more important and it is key to building a confident team. After all, confidence is a team sport.

How to be more confident? Here’s the link for the full article;

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/28/the-no-1-trait-you-need-to-be-more-successful-than-most-says-workplace-expert-its-the-single-most-important-differentiator.html

Want more like this? Follow me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnielowkramen/

𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 100 Tips 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨.”...
08/26/2026

𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 100 Tips 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨.” Taryn Daneman Assistant, Officiating National Hockey League

📣 She’s just that good. Vickie Sokol Evans is simply the best Microsoft 365 Copilot trainer on the planet. Our BTUA students shout out with excitement and they cry from joy. Not even kidding.

For the last 15 years, Vickie has held our BTUA students spellbound as she empowers them with the technology training that they will use immediately. Her secret sauce is that magic combo of being a remarkably gifted teacher who makes the material utterly accessible and less scary along with her deep caring about each and every student and where they are in their learning journey.

Here’s your chance to spend a full day learning from the genius herself.

For the first time in BTUA history, we are offering BTUA Tech Day 2 as a stand-alone investment for those who are yearning for a full day of Microsoft 365 Copilot training, along with social media and cybersecurity.

Students will come away from this experience feeling limitless by technology and have a great time in the process. The ROI of this singular day will be immediate and come back to you and your company exponentially.

If you know that you need to get up to speed in tech, join us for this full day of up-to-the-minute training with students from all over the world. Vickie designed this day to help you utilize AI, maximize your tech stack, and eliminate repetitive and time-wasting tasks. You will leave with a clear game plan for mastering technology in an AI-driven workplace, not to mention your new network of colleagues.

Choose your city!
📍Tech Day | Th September 24
Hilcorp Energy 1111 Travis St, Houston
📍Atlanta Tech Day | Th November 5
Interface, 1280 West Peachtree St., NW, Atlanta
Investment: $699 USD.

Notes: This is not a hands-on class so no computers are needed. No discounts will apply for this single day of training.

The day includes:
✅100 Tips soft cover book by Vickie Sokol Evans
✅Healthy breakfast, lunch, snacks, and soft drinks
For details and registration: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/workshops/ultimate-assistants/btua-live/

Bring your whole team including Assistants, HR, IT, and managers! Thank you for sharing this information with others.

PS & FYI: We still have just a few seats left for all 3 days of both Houston and Atlanta. Now’s the time to make your move.
Got questions? [email protected]

Are you less willing to take a chance on remote hires? This is the very timely question answered in this Harvard Busines...
08/25/2026

Are you less willing to take a chance on remote hires? This is the very timely question answered in this Harvard Business Review article by Zhenyu Liao, Letian (LT) Zhang, and Shinan Wang.

There are many reasons why staff happily embrace remote work, including flexibility at the top of the list. However, remote work can make it harder to develop inexperienced employees, tempting you to hire only candidates who can contribute immediately. But continually raising experience and credential requirements can weaken your long-term talent pipeline. Instead, you need to ensure you have the support systems that help people learn, connect, and perform remotely.

Click here for the full article on this important subject. https://hbr.org/2026/08/research-how-remote-work-is-narrowing-early-career-opportunities?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_&deliveryName=NL_MTOD_20260819

08/25/2026

"𝑰𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌. 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅."- Ky Nguyen, University of North Florida Business Student.

One of my aha moments in interviews with over 1500 people for Staff Matters was how much fear there is in the workplace. Namely, the fear to speak up about what's really going on. There are too many elephants in the room that are just getting bigger and bigger without even acknowledging they are there. We all know there is no fixing anything until we can talk about it.

My mission with Staff Matters is to reveal what's really going on using the authentic, real-life stories from the staff themselves. The kind of stories you just can’t make up. The book is meant to be a tool, a catalyst for conversations that are long overdue. Watch this video to learn more.

One reader wrote: “Her book dedication says it all – “For the staffs of the world. For our grandchildren, who will be joining them one day.” She is passionate about people, respect, and building a better workplace. It’s not about being a “their problem” but an “collective us solution.” And it starts by understanding all sides. No one should ever have to leave work defeated, in a state of tears, or feel the need to take out work frustrations on a boxing bag at the gym because it’s seldom actually about the work but the people at work. This book is for everyone.”

Order your copies of Staff Matters on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Z1k5IN

Please share your honest review so others will know what you think.

🎙️It’s Throwback Saturday with ideas about leveraging EA’s that are highly relevant. Loved my 2023 conversation on the P...
08/24/2026

🎙️It’s Throwback Saturday with ideas about leveraging EA’s that are highly relevant. Loved my 2023 conversation on the People Business podcast hosted by HR expert O'Brien McMahon! He truly understands the value and nuances of the Executive Assistant role in organizations. We agreed that too many EAs feel underleveraged and underutilized and discussed actionable solutions to that challenge. O’Brien walks the talk of encouraging true business partnerships!
Here's what O’Brien has to say about our episode.
“If you work with an Executive Assistant, s/he is probably a source of pride. If you don’t work with one, you’ve probably wondered what it must be like.

The is a mysterious layer in the fabric of work. They are gatekeepers to power, a status symbol for busy and important people that broadcasts to the world just how busy and important they are. At least, that’s the stereotype.

The best EAs are far more than order takers and schedulers. When built correctly, the relationship between a leader and his or her assistant can be one of the most powerful amplifiers in that leader’s life and career.

EAs create leverage, allowing a person to be in several places at one. They free up time, allowing a person to focus on the most important tasks. They are a trusted second set of eyes and ears, providing feedback a person would never hear on their own. They are all this and so much more.

Unfortunately, these relationships often don’t live up to their potential. EAs’ talents are too frequently underutilized, their potential underappreciated and at worst, disrespected. Take a listen to one of my favorite conversations that is still all too relevant in 2026.

🎧: Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ultimate-guide-to-executive-assistants-and/id1510406941?i=1000623777649

🎧: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/033Ne4Eg3UHKePEH1w34Jw

🎧: Website – https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/bonnielowkramen/

🕛 This one hits home. I’ve wasted so much time in my life worrying about things that rarely are as bad as I fear and mos...
08/24/2026

🕛 This one hits home. I’ve wasted so much time in my life worrying about things that rarely are as bad as I fear and most turn out to be non-events. What about you? Today’s a great day to decide to stop worrying about things that never happen. The clock is ticking.

"𝙄 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝘽𝙏𝙐𝘼 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙤. 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫...
08/19/2026

"𝙄 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝘽𝙏𝙐𝘼 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙤. 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙. 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙." Selena Trujillo, BTUA Chicago

The BTUA Legacy Tour is down to the Final 2 cities for Be the Ultimate Assistant – Houston and Atlanta, both of which are almost sold out.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right moment,” this is it. Claim your seat.

After 15 years, 2026 will be the last year of the Be the Ultimate Assistant 3 Day Public Workshops taught by expert trainers and former assistants Bonnie Low-Kramen and Vickie Sokol Evans.

BTUA is personal, intimate, and about YOU. We max out at 30 students.

TECH DAY WITH VICKIE SOKOL EVANS, MCT

Day Two of BTUA in each city is Tech Day. If you need cutting-edge tech training from the best in the business, register for this single day. The dates are Sept 24 and Nov 5. The cost is $699. Register here: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/workshops/ultimate-assistants/btua-live/

📅 BTUA LEGACY TOUR SCHEDULE
📍 Houston | Sept 23–25
📍Atlanta | Nov 4-6

Don’t let money stop you from getting the training you know you need. Professional development is too important to ignore. You are the CEO of You, Inc. This is your career and you are in charge.

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