You are not
JUST AN ASSISTANT.
And you are not a unicorn.
You are a real human with exceptional talents that very few people possess.
OFFICE MANAGER * ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT * EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT * EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE C-SUITE * ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT * OPERATIONS MANAGER * PROJECT COORDINATOR * CHIEF OF STAFF * EXECUTIVE BUSINESS PARTNER
Welcome to your ultimate resource for career transformation and professional growth.
As an Assistant, you hold the keys to unlocking efficiency and success, but mastering this role isn't always straightforward.
It is incredibly difficult to advance your career, communicate effectively, and manage up. It is overwhelming to balance a workload with developing new skills and building self-awareness. Speaking up for yourself and quantifying your achievements, whether in reviews, to colleagues, or on your resume, is no easy feat.
The Turning Point in My Career
I believe life is a potluck. And what each person brings to the table is what makes the feast.
No one dish is better than another, and no one person’s contributions are more important than the other. Our strengths make us unique. Our differences make all the difference.
It’s the power of our individuality that powers our partnerships with others.
Tackling Tough Conversations
As children, we are rarely taught how to effectively communicate, how to reflectively listen, and how to successfully have hard conversations or give feedback. But yet, as adults, we must use these skills every single day of our lives. Our relationships and our future success depend on it.
Communication is a skill. Something that is learned, practiced, and mastered. Are you ready to finally tackle what’s been holding you back?
How can I help?
I offer transformational coaching tailored to your unique challenges, resume and interview coaching to help you stand out, and dynamic keynotes and workshops customized just for you by someone who has been in the industry for a very (very) long time.
My approach is designed to empower you, giving you the tools and confidence to thrive in your role and beyond. Let's turn your hard work into recognized success and make your professional journey a rewarding adventure.
KEYNOTES & WORKSHOPS
Achieving professional growth as an Assistant starts with the right guidance and support. Through my keynotes and workshops, you’ll gain valuable insights and practical strategies to excel in your role. From mastering soft skills to honing hard skills, I’ll equip you with everything you need to become the confident and competent professional you’re meant to be.
Check out my most popular sessions below or contact me for a customized presentation!
More Than “JUST” an Assistant
Turning a misunderstood profession into a celebrated & powerful career.
While working in an administrative role, your challenges are unique. Your responsibilities are always changing, sometimes fleeting, and you rarely get the recognition you deserve, even though you do it all with poise and passion. We are called the backbone, the heartbeat, the mother, the culture keeper...and we're supposed to be all of this for people wildly different than us sometimes in completely remote and often unsteady environments.
We need answers to questions like: How do we connect and grow relationships with our fellow Admins? How do we communicate with our Executives in a way they can understand? And how do we solidify our value and build our skills so we can advance to the next level?
By offering perspectives, functional techniques, and radical solutions to the common issues that plague Assistants around the globe, Monique will show you how to go from a "human doing" to a "human being."
Key session learnings:
Actionable steps (and insider secrets) to cultivate a dream-team partnership with your Executive(s).
The most important communication and conflict management skills no one ever taught you.
Tested ways to get to the next evolution in your career.
Identifying, accepting, and using your strengths and innate abilities to accomplish anything.
Finding appreciation, validation, and recognition.
How to become the leader you wish you had.
30-, 60-, or 90-minute keynotes.
2-5 hour interactive workshops.
Upgrade Your Communication IQ
Learn the most important skill no one ever taught you.
Our ability to communicate affects every aspect of our lives, including our relationships, our job performance, our career projection, our leadership capabilities, our parenting skills, our self-esteem, our level of stress, and yes, even our salary. We communicate all day long to help establish trust, build rapport, and encourage people to do what we need them to do.
The problem is that we are rarely taught how to effectively communicate, how to reflectively listen, and how to successfully have hard conversations before we step into the workplace. But yet, as adults, we must use these essential skills every day. We’re expected to just know how to do it. And do it well, with little to no formal training.
Good relationships with your team, clients, or family don’t “just happen” by accident or wishful thinking. It has nothing to do with luck. Relationships are created, developed, and continuously nurtured. Communication is an essential part of its success.
Key session learnings:
Relatable, tangible, and actionable lessons to improve your communication today.
Speaking skills to ensure you are clear, thorough, and understood.
Key listening skills to help understand others, not just hear them.
Tips to master those stressful hard conversations.
Giving and receiving positive and negative feedback.
45-, 60-, or 90-minute keynotes.
3-5 hour interactive workshops.
Finding Your Talent DNA
Learning who you are so you can become who you are supposed to be.
Are you self-aware? Do you truly understand your own skills, tendencies, habits, triggers, blind spots, and innate needs? Do you understand those same tenants for those you work with or engage with every day who are "not like you?"
These are the essential questions we must ask ourselves when we want to relate, collaborate, and innovate with individuals or teams within our organizations. These insights help us realize how our talents, and the talents of others, influence our actions, biases, opinions, choices, and behaviors.
Self-aware people are more successful, more confident, build better relationships, and are more effective leaders. They believe in authenticity and constant growth. They can catapult their careers to another level with ease and grace. Are you ready to become limitless?
Key session learnings:
Identify and accept the natural strengths and innate abilities within yourself so you can amplify and sharpen them.
Identify and accept the natural strengths and innate abilities of your team so you can collaborate with ease and excellence.
Using your collective strengths and weaknesses to rely on each other and build an unstoppable team.
Using your skills as a baseline for successful and authentic communication.
Create new habits that last, and rid yourself, and your team, of those that don't serve you.
The workshops require all individuals to take the CliftonStrengths Assessment.
2-5 hour interactive workshops.
Confessions of a Recovering Workaholic
The real story of what happens when we pretend nothing is wrong.
We have all heard 100 stories of burnout before; what caused it, what happened to their health, their job, and their relationships during the burnout, and how difficult their aftermath was. Yet still, we never – EVER – think it’s going to happen to us. But why? Why don’t we pay attention to the warning signs before it’s too late? Why do we feel we have to sacrifice ourselves to be a good employee, friend, or human?
Because we have control over our minds, we CAN overcome AND still have a productive and successful professional career. I lived this firsthand. Let me help you release the shackles and conquer this habit once and for all.
Key session learnings:
10 actionable tips to overcome this affliction to save ourselves and our relationships;
The internal and external reasons why we overwork;
How to recognize (and accept!) this habit within ourselves;
What workaholism IS and what it is NOT ;
How to recognize the warning signs, before it's too late.
45-, 60-,or 90-minute keynotes.
The Architect & The Builder
Creating powerful partnerships between Executives and their Assistants.
In the business world, robust training programs on how to lead actual human beings are rare and inadequate. So, it's no surprise that this unique and extremely human relationship, that of an Executive and an Assistant, is largely ignored. There are no courses on "how to successfully operate in this anomalous, and often misunderstood, partnership." There are no 1-day training programs on "How to DO this DUO." No one teaches us how to understand our own unique strengths, values, and personality, so how are we supposed to identify that in others as well? No one, that is, until now.
Let's unlock the Pandora's box of what a successful Exec/Admin partnership is. Knowing what this could be might just change the way things are now.
Key session learnings:
What the individual & collective job functions actually are;
The most important communication and conflict skills no one ever taught you;
Actionable steps to delegate, anticipate, and collaborate;
Prioritization, goal setting, and innovation from the top down;
The questions you need to be asking each other NOW.
30-, 60-, or 90-minute keynotes.
2-5 hour interactive workshops.
PERSONALIZED COACHING
Navigating the complexities of working with an Executive can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. My coaching sessions are specifically designed to upgrade your skill set, making you more efficient, proactive, and perfectly aligned with your executive’s needs. Picture yourself confidently tackling tasks, anticipating needs, and contributing to the overall success of your team. Let’s turn your potential into exceptional performance, making you the go-to person your executive can’t do without.
Let’s reignite your passion for this administrative profession that you love.
Topics can include:
Goal Setting
Self-Awareness
Confidence Building
Communication and Listening Skills
Using your Strengths and Overcoming your Weaknesses
Giving and Receiving Positive and Negative Feedback
Executive Presence
Career and Life Transitions
Decision-Making and Delegation Skills
Presentation and Public Speaking
Organizational Tools and Time Management
RESUME & INTERVIEW COACHING
I know firsthand how challenging it is to navigate the job market as an Assistant. As a former Assistant and now a seasoned recruiter who reviews resumes all day, I understand what it takes to stand out. Together, we'll perfect your resume and sharpen your interview skills, ensuring you present your best self and land that dream job.
I have a deep passion and appreciation for this partnership. I spent 15 years in the demanding role of an Executive Assistant, including my last decade as the “Chief of Simon Sinek.”
During that time, I met with thousands of Executives and worked with thousands of their Assistants. I have seen partnerships at their best and at their worst, and I know the building blocks for both.
FINDING YOUR REPLACEMENT
Leaving a great executive can be unsettling because you genuinely care about their success. You don’t want just anyone to fill your shoes; it needs to be the right fit.
Trust in my expertise to find someone who matches your dedication and skill, ensuring your executive continues to excel with the perfect assistant by their side
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Your words inspired me and brought back the fire and passion I have for being an Executive Assistant. Your willingness to speak with other admin is a blessing and I hope you know that you made me feel loved, supported, and safe. Honestly, I cried after you left because of how much everything you said hit me.”
Michelle Choate, Director of Operations, Valentine Home Sales Team
“I wanted to become a better Chief of Staff. Her straightforward approach, thoughtful questions, insightful lessons, and practical exercises gave me the tools and a whole new language to wake up in all areas of my life. When you're ready to make a real change in your life, call Monique!”
Hallie Warner, Chief of Staff, Adam Hergenrother Companies
“Before her coaching, I felt unprepared for my new role as an assistant to a high-profile person. She set me up for success, helped me navigate the unexpected, and taught me how to communicate with my executive. She encourages me to maximize my strengths and take care of myself along the way.”
Whitney Caudill, Director of Community Relations, Hosanna Wong Ministries
NEED A NEW JOB?
Searching for a new job can be exciting or excruciating, depending on how prepared you are and how supported you feel.
Let me help.
