Podcasts about assistants

In this episode, I break down what I believe is the emerging structure of the AI-powered world we're all building—consciously or not. I call it the “Four A’s”: Assistants, APIs, Agents, and Augmented Reality. This framework helps make sense of recent developments and where it’s all headed. I talk about: 1. Digital Assistants That Understand and Optimize Your LifeYour DA (like “Kai”) will know your goals, preferences, health, schedule, and context—and proactively optimize your day, from filtering messages to planning meals or surfacing relevant information in real time. 2. APIs and the Real Internet of ThingsEverything becomes an API—from businesses to people to physical objects. Your assistant interacts with these APIs to act on your behalf, turning the world into a navigable ecosystem of services, tools, and resources. 3. Agents and AR Bringing It All TogetherAgents act autonomously to complete multi-step goals, and AR glasses will display their outputs contextually as you move through the world. These systems will collaborate, search, and act—quietly transforming how we live, work, and perceive reality. Subscribe to the newsletter at:https://danielmiessler.com/subscribe Join the UL community at:https://danielmiessler.com/upgrade Follow on X:https://x.com/danielmiessler Follow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmiessler See you in the next one! Chapters: 00:00 - The AI Ecosystem We’re Building Without Realizing It01:33 - Assistant: Your Most Powerful Digital Companion03:08 - APIs: How DAs Interact with the World07:54 - Agents: The Step Beyond Automation11:00 - Augmented Reality: The Interface Layer of the AI Ecosystem14:20 - Combining APIs, Agents, and UI for Real-Time Situational Awareness17:17 - Summary: A Unified Ecosystem Driven by the Four A’s23:36 - Industry Trends: How Companies Like OpenAI, Apple, and Meta Fit In25:11 - Final Thoughts on Timelines, Winners, and Interpreting AI NewsBecome a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you tired of being the industry's best-kept secret? You've got talent, you've got skills, but you're stuck in VA-land doing low-paying admin work. Meanwhile others with half your ability are getting booked out (and charging way more). You don't need another tool or tactic, you need visibility and authority.This week, I sat down with my friend and fellow visibility nerd Rob Marsh, a seasoned direct response copywriter, marketing strategist, and co-founder of The Copywriter Club, to break down his Authority Framework. Rob's worked with big names like American Express and Pluralsight, but his real magic is helping freelancers step into their authority and start charging what they're worth. In this episode, he shows you how to build credibility, attract high-value clients, and position yourself as an expert without needing a huge platform.Listen to learn more about:How to use Rob's Authority Framework to get visible without being everywhere at onceWhy being the “best kept secret” doesn't get you paid and what to do insteadHow to build trust and expertise (even if you're newer or still figuring it out)The secret to borrowing authority when you don't have a big audience (yet!)Why waiting to “feel ready” is keeping you brokeIf you're feeling invisible, overwhelmed by marketing noise, or stuck in “I'm not ready yet” mode, this episode is your wake-up call. Rob's practical advice and my real-talk stories will help you get unstuck, show up confidently as the expert you are, and get visible AF without burning out.Sponsored by AI Copywriter in a Box Struggling to create client content fast? Stop wasting time starting from scratch. AI Copywriter in a Box helps you craft high-converting, client-ready content in minutes—emails, social posts, sales pages, and more—all in your client's unique voice. I use it myself to skip the endless revisions and get premium content done fast. Use my affiliate link & get $50 off with the code UNICORN. You can use the AI Copywriter for up to 4 different clients. Grab yours now!Links Mentioned in the Show:Watch Rob's FREE The Authority Framework™ workshop: Become the best-known, highly paid expert in your niche. This shows you what to do—before you start posting content or building your list—so that your audience will eagerly line up to hire you when you go live.Listen to my episode on The Copywriter Club podcast about how writers can offer additional services and expertise to their clientsJoin The Digital Marketer's Workgroup: Are you already doing marketing work but need more clients and a stronger referral network? Join a tight-knit community of freelancers and get access to behind-the-scenes conversations, support, and troubleshooting that every solo marketer needs. Plus, you'll benefit from advanced trainings, networking opportunities, and exclusive job leads. Apply...

Mike Mulligan and Ruthie Polinsky reacted to what they heard from Bears coordinators and assistant coaches Thursday.

Mike Mulligan and Ruthie Polinsky were joined by Tribune reporter Brad Biggs to share what he learned from Bears assistant coaches meeting the media Thursday. He also discussed how the Bears could use the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.

In the second hour, Mike Mulligan and Ruthie Polinsky shared what they learned from Bears assistant coaches meeting the media Thursday. After that, Score football analyst Dave Wannstedt joined the show to discuss the latest Bears storylines and to preview the NFL Draft.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the many definitions of an “AI agent”, why they're so hard to build right, and what comes next. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Jacob Bourne, and Vice President of GenAI Dan Van Dyke. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: advertising@emarketer.com For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com  For a transcript of this episode click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-behind-numbers-next-gen-ai-assistants-autonomous-agents-beyond © 2025 EMARKETER

In this episode, we're diving into a topic that sparked a massive response on LinkedIn - KPIs for Executive Assistants. If you've ever struggled to explain your value, felt stuck in performance reviews, or wondered how to track the impact of your work, this is the episode for you.We explain KPIs, why they matter in our role, and how you can start measuring your impact in simple, practical ways without adding to your workload. We also discuss how to use this data in one-to-ones, performance reviews, interviews, and even casual conversations with your Executive (yes, without feeling like you're bragging!).And a huge thank you to our sponsor, Vimcal EA, for supporting this episode. Their brand-new Executive Calendar Audit feature is a game-changer for Assistants looking to save time and prove their value. Make sure to check out the free upcoming webinar!Links and Resources MentionedFree KPI Template for Executive Assistants → theeacampus.com/podcast/ep58Vimcal EA – Executive Calendar Audit Tool → https://vimcal.com/eaVimcal EA Webinar – Hosted by CTO Michael Zhao → Next session: April 18th, 2025 – Register here: https://lu.ma/ro0ylk6k

This week we're advocating for the unsung heroes of the corporate world – EAs, PAs, and Assistants, you know the people who do it all – with practical tips on how to showcase your true value beyond "just" scheduling. Plus, the definitive guide to work trip etiquette (can your partner tag along in the company-paid hotel?), and Michelle reveals exactly when new business owners should make their big announcement.Welcome to BIZ Inbox, where Em Vernem and Michelle Battersby turn your anonymous workplace questions into actionable advice. Think of us as your career group chat. Consider this your chance to get free career advice from people who've been there.Writer and podcaster Em Vernem teams up with entrepreneur Michelle Battersby to tackle your trickiest workplace dilemmas.If you want your work life issue solved, send us a voice note or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au.Sign up to the BIZ newsletter hereTHE END BITSSupport independent women's mediaFollow the Biz Instagram, Michelle’s startup Sunroom and Soph’s career coaching business Workbaby.HOSTS: Michelle Battersby and Em VernemEXEC PRODUCER: Georgie PageAUDIO PRODUCER: Leah Porges Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As any established photographer will tell you, forging a career can be a long and arduous journey, with no instruction manual to guide you through the process. The lofty world of top-notch pros is often shrouded in mystery and full of things they don't teach in photo school. In today's show, we get to peek behind the scenes of this complex, and often chaotic environment in a chat with two colleagues who've found a way to balance their freelance careers as independent creators with lucrative work assisting in a high-profile photo studio. Listen in, to learn how a casual job application through LinkedIn landed Mike Foley an interview, ultimately resulting in a salaried role as first assistant to a world-class portrait photographer. While technical mastery counts for a lot, we discuss the critical importance of soft skills like personality and work ethic to success in such environments. We also distinguish between salaried full-time work and more common freelance roles, and the juggling required to coordinate the complex planning involved.  As freelance lighting assistant (and longtime café owner) Alex Savidis admits, “the juggle becomes quite hard at times, but I think it's a necessity, especially when you're trying to pursue something that you're passionate about. You can't just become a successful photographer overnight. It takes years to build up to that.” Guests: Mike Foley & Alex Savidis Episode Timeline: 2:57: Mike Foley describes heirloom portraiture as his bespoke brand of portrait with the ability to last a lifetime. 5:10: The backstory to Mike getting hired as a photo assistant for a world class portrait photographer. 11:25: The personality and skill set needed to work in a high-end photo studio, Alex's take on being added to the team, plus the various roles within the studio. 17:30: The role of a B-cam operator to capture the finer details of a video shoots, plus an overview of a typical shoot day. 23:05: Mike talks about the video work in his portfolio as a differentiating factor in his getting the assisting job. 28:23: The work structure and expectations for photo assistants, from freelance to salaried positions, plus discussion about length of tenure. 34:50: Episode Break 35:55: Memorable stories from the studio—from the largest two-day shoot with a crew of 150, to the core personnel involved in work-a-day shoots. 42:28: NDA's and the etiquette of what an assistant is able to share when dealing with high-end clients. 46:30: The growing acceptance of photographers who do freelance work and juggle regular 9-5 jobs with photo assignments.   52:07: Learning outcomes from working in a world class portrait studio, and the mindset to hold yourself to a higher standard. 57:49: Mike and Alex share advice for budding photographers based on what they've learned from working in a world-class photo studio.   Guest Bios:  Mike Foley is a New York City-based photographer specializing in heirloom portraiture and editorial photography. After starting out photographing weddings and small events, Mike quickly grew into commercial work, providing clients with timeless images they can use to elevate their visual presence and define their brand. His approach behind the camera is warm and humanistic, allowing his subjects the space to be themselves. In addition to his own photo services, Mike is currently content manager and digital designer for an internationally renowned portrait photographer. On set, he serves as first assistant and B-camera operator, while also providing on-set and post-production support behind the scenes for clients like Balenciaga, New York Magazine, and many more. Australian native Alex Savidis is passionate about storytelling through both still and moving imagery. Based in New York since 2020, he pushes creative boundaries by merging elements from his street and landscape photography into his portraiture & wedding work, weaving memories into art. For the past year and a half, Alex has also worked as lighting assistant and B cam operator in the same high-profile portrait studio as Mike, catering to world-renowned clients and political leaders. On B cam, it's his job to focus on finer details and provide viewers with a deeper, more intimate perspective on a given subject, capturing nuances that enhance the storytelling. Additionally, when he's not juggling camera gear or fine-tuning lights, you can find Alex behind the counter of the café Regular NYC in southern Manhattan, an establishment he founded in early 2024. Stay Connected: Mike Foley Website: https://mikephotographs.com/ Mike Foley Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/_mikephotographs/ Mike Foley Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaeljamesphotos/ Mike Foley Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-foley-3095a7126   Alex Savidis Website: https://www.alexsavidis.com/ Alex Savidis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.savidis/ Alex Savidis Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-savidis-14155b272 Alex Savidis Regular NYC Cafe: https://regular.nyc/   End Credits: Host: Derek Fahsbender Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

As AI keeps evolving, so do the big questions around it! In this episode, Matthew Roberts is live from MWC Barcelona to continue the AI investigation. First, Matt is joined by Amdocs colleague Roy Sgan-Cohen and Anil Jain, Global Managing Director for Strategic Industries at Google Cloud. Highlighting the importance of partnerships between organizations like Amdocs and Google, Anil explains how collaborations like these allow the rich data within the telecom space to be fully leveraged in new and unique ways. From the rise of agentic AI to the democratization of knowledge, they explore what these game-changing trends mean for today's organizations. Then Matt is joined by Chris Antlitz, Principal Analyst at Technology Business Research, to hypothesize about the future. Together, they continue the conversation on agentic AI as it's causing all the buzz at MWC, and dive into how AR and VR are poised to make a resurgence in popularity. Finally, they explore the continued ethical questions that AI demands, and Chris shares his perspective on Quantum computing as the next frontier of future tech!

Dan Lee, (@_dan_lee_, CEO Nooks.ai, @JoinNooks) talks about agentic AI vs. AI assistants, their differences, and we explore ROI in this space vs. GenAI and common paths to adoption.SHOW: 913SHOW TRANSCRIPT: The Cloudcast #913 TranscriptSHOW VIDEO: https://youtube.com/@TheCloudcastNET CLOUD NEWS OF THE WEEK: http://bit.ly/cloudcast-cnotwNEW TO CLOUD? CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCAST:  "CLOUDCAST BASICS" SPONSORS:Try Postman AI Agent Builder TodayCut Enterprise IT Support Costs by 30-50% with US CloudSHOW NOTES:Nooks.ai websiteNooks Founders on Forbes 30 under 30 for AITopic 1 - Welcome to the show, Dan. Give everyone a quick introduction.Topic 2 - Our topic today is AI Agents vs. Assistants. Let's start there. Many out there are hearing the terms and will often think an AI Agent is equal to an AI Assistant. What's the difference?Topic 3 - One of the big problems I've seen with AI adoption vs. hype is the ROI. GenAI hit the scene and brought AI into the mainstream, but the world is quickly moving on to Agentic AI. I've mainly seen this play out because the ROI on “chatbots” just isn't there most of the time and also everyone is still scared for data leaks/privacy and hallucinations.Topic 4 - We'll get into Nooks.ai in a bit but before we do, I wanted to point out that your company started prior to the big breakout of GenAI. How did you see the market back then and has LLM's and transformer models in general changed your approach to AI Assistants?Topic 5 - When taking customers through the adoption process for AI Assistants, what are the typical steps? How do you go about getting consensus and buy-in from the various orgs in the company? Are there common hurdles folks need to consider?Topic 6 - With Nooks, you've decided to conquer the domain of sales and sales prospecting. What was your thoughts here in deciding where and how to remove friction from sales? Is this decision and thought process transferable to other areas? Any universal considerations?FEEDBACK?Email: show at the cloudcast dot netBluesky: @cloudcastpod.bsky.socialTwitter/X: @cloudcastpodInstagram: @cloudcastpodTikTok: @cloudcastpod

À l'hôpital Jawaharlal Nehru: des conditions de repos indignes pour les Health Care Assistants by TOPFM MAURITIUS

We're excited to share our conversation with Eliza Leoni, Senior Consultant at Decker Communications, who has extensive experience coaching senior leaders on high-stakes communication. Eliza's expertise spans a range of critical areas—from leading presentations to large audiences, managing organizational change, and navigating difficult conversations. In this episode, we dive into the role of narrative in driving change, especially for Executive Assistants. You'll hear how storytelling can shape team dynamics, keep everyone aligned during uncertainty, and help influence without formal authority. This is a must-listen for anyone looking to strengthen their communication skills and make an impact in their organization. Don't miss out on the valuable insights Eliza has to offer!

Des chefs d'entreprise avec des assistants personnels à l'autre bout du monde…Ces hauts dirigeants, cadres supérieurs, fondateurs de start-ups sont américains, australiens ou britanniques et leurs assistants virtuels sont philippins.La raison est simple : ces employés coûtent jusqu'à 80% moins cher qu'un salarié local.Aux Philippines, cette activité rendue possible par des plateformes de mise en relation emploie environ un million de personnes, selon une estimation d'un cabinet spécialisé, alors que l'archipel compte 114 millions d'habitants. Pour les locaux, c'est avantageux car la rémunération est bien au-dessus du salaire minimum local. Une aubaine dans un pays où 15% de la population vit sous le seuil de pauvreté et où deux tiers des familles se définissent comme pauvres.Mais cette nouvelle forme de délocalisation vers le sud global permet-elle vraiment de garantir les droits des travailleurs ?Réalisation : Michaëla Cancela-Kieffer et Maxime Mamet.Invitées : Pam Castro et Faith Brown, journalistes au bureau de l'AFP à Manille.Sur le Fil est le podcast quotidien de l'AFP. Vous avez des commentaires ? Ecrivez-nous à podcast@afp.com. Vous pouvez aussi nous envoyer une note vocale par Whatsapp au + 33 6 79 77 38 45. Si vous aimez, abonnez-vous, parlez de nous autour de vous et laissez-nous plein d'étoiles sur votre plateforme de podcasts préférée pour mieux faire connaître notre programme. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Rod Babers and Jeff Howe break down the special assistants to Steve Sarkisian do, how they impact the Texas offense & defense and more!  

The last days before the Great Hunt.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.“Can the scorpion ever stop being a scorpion? “"Do we get our legally permitted weaponry back?" The bishop still held my hand."Sure. If it makes you feel better.""I would like to meet your people then," he gave my paw one last shake then released me. "Shall we go?""I will have someone take you to your car. I want to briefly meet with the President, of Havenstone, then I'll join you in the garage. We'll drive over to JIKIT and I'll make the introductions. Good enough?""That is acceptable," he nodded."What about you two?" I regarded the nun and the Swiss Super-soldier. The nun remained vigilant, and silent. The Swiss' eyes flickered to his boss before settling back on me."It is what I volunteered for," he stated firmly."Okay. Please never say I didn't give you a chance to take the sane way out. Also, Bishop Nicolö, circumstances have conspired to up my prospective wedding date to January 1st.""That will be more difficult. Why the change?" he remained grim."We are having twins. By March, this will be very visible.""That is, unfortunate," he shook his head."You have no idea," and then a brainstorm. "And I am curious about resurrecting the Order of the Dragon, the Societas Draconistarum." Technically that meant 'Society of the Dragonists' which was more appropriate than the literal Ordo Draconis."Precisely how do you plan to recreate a crusading Christian Order which was the purview of the Hungarian monarchs?" he didn't sound the least skeptical, just curious."I have billions of euros to fund such a thing," I winked. "Of far greater critical importance, I know where I can find the supernatural guidance and spiritual imperative for such an organization.""You are going to produce a dragon?" his eyes grew larger even as he fought down his fear. Good man. He was adaptive. He'd need to be."I never said such a thing. That would make me sound crazy," I smiled broadly. "Besides, when I say 'dragon', you think 'devil' and that's way too pedestrian for where we are going.""I am not a moral relativist.""Neither am I. I'm out to save lives and nurture the drive in the human spirit to reach for freedom, love and liberty. As you might imagine, I'm pretty freaking outnumbered.""I think you are crazy," he re-evaluated things."I just might be. In all honesty, you should back out now. Take your two compadres back to 25 East 39th Street (the Holy See's Permanent Observer Offices to the UN in NYC) and report 'Mission Failure'. You'll most likely live longer," I reasoned."I am not afraid to die," Sister Rafaela Sophia finally voiced an opinion."That's idiotic," I scoffed before the bishop could reprimand her for opening her mouth. "You should be.""My soul is in God's hands," she set her jaw."Does he talk to you?" I countered."His message is clear.""Not what I asked. I asked if he specifically directed you to toss your life fruitlessly away as an object lesson for the reckless, or careless?""This is uncalled for," Nicolö intervened."Nope. I bet you a phone call to my Brother to physically restore your bishopric that there are four people in this room who have murdered in cold blood," I kept eye contact with the nun, "and she's the odd one out. Right Juanita?""Yes, Ishara," Juanita slipped up. Her spycraft, like mine, needed work."You were in the military?" the bishop asked my bodyguard."Was? I am. Right now," she related. "I will be until I die."That earned me looks from the three Catholics."She is loyal," Nicolö nodded slightly toward her, referring to Juanita's declaration."Huh? To me? Nope. She's loyal to my office, which we shan't get into right now. Back to you, Sister Rafaela Sophia. Are you out to be a martyr, or has some saint, or angel, given you a directive the other two seem to be unaware of which causes you to devalue your life?""I am devoted to the One True God, Christ, our Savior," and Juanita snorted, "and the Virgin Mary," the nun stated firmly. "I don't hear voices in my head.""Juanita, that was rude. Apologize to our guest," I kept looking forward."No." Well, fuck you too."Gun," I commanded. I held out my left hand."What? No. I will not give you one of my guns," she resisted."Juanita, give me your primary weapon, or I will ask Pamela to beat you up the moment I depart for the Great Hunt. After yesterday's stunt, you know she will," I threatened. Fair, I was not. She drew a Glock-20 and handed it to me. I went through the routine, dropped the magazine then ejected the round before opening the door.Oh look, there were four SD chicks outside, ready to escort my visitors downstairs. I didn't even need to waste a phone call. It wasn't like the conference room wasn't being monitored."Excuse me," I took a half step out the door then hurled all three items down the hall. Looking back at Juanita. "Go fetch.""Fuck you," she snapped."And insulting her faith was as degrading to both her faith and her as me doing this to you is degrading to you right now," I lectured her. "It is important to her, therefore it is important to me because she is my guest in the same way it is important to me that I let my bodyguard do her job without being a total asshole all the time. Now go get your God-damn weapon," I barked. Off she went. I left the door open."Now Sister Rafaela Sophia, the point of all this is: I don't give a crap if you are willing to die for God. In fact, that makes you less than worthless to me and the team. I want to know if you are willing to put other motherfuckers in the ground so that Bishop Nicolá, or Mathias, might get to keep doing their jobs.""Murder is a sin," she declared."Go home," I sighed while shaking my head."She answers to me, the Church and God, not you, Mr. Nyilas," the bishop stepped forward."Then you can go home too," I shrugged. "I'm not asking for remorseless killers. I'm asking for people willing to kill to get the hard work done and best of all, for people who know the difference.""Everyone on JIKIT is a professional soldier, or killer?" he asked."No, but the ones who aren't don't carry guns and know to get down when things get funky," I bantered."I vouch for her," he insisted. Juanita came running back into the room."Cool beans. I don't know you either.""You apparently know my service history," he volleyed."Yeah. Ten years a foreigner in the service of France, then you went straight into a university which turns out Jesuits," I riposted."What turned your life around?" he evaded. That was okay. I'd gotten what I wanted. I was willing to bet he had read every bit of public information about me and it was rumored the heavy Catholic membership in the FBI had its benefits to the Church as well. Not so much as to give them insight into JIKIT, but,"Someone risked their life for me. It's been pretty much downhill from there," I confessed. It was the truth. After Katrina gave me the life line on Day Two, it had all spiraled to the revelation of my heritage, Dad's death, Summer Camp, the Hamptons, Romania and Aya's kidnapping."A person, a soldier, died saving my life," the bishop empathized. "Her story is similar. She seeks redemption. She is not suicidal. I am staking both our lives on it."Did he mean him and Mathias, or him and me? I wasn't certain. Still, it was good enough for now. I'd gotten a look at their emotional make up, even the relatively quiet Swiss."Very well," I agreed. "I have to go see the President about my new job description. I'll catch up with you at your car." To the SD team leader, "Take them to the garage. I will join the group of you very soon.""Yes Ishara," she nodded. I exited the room, Juanita in tow. Two SD entered. I was gone before the Papal team left. Upstairs we went, with one last chore to discharge. I had to check on Ms. French to be absolutely freaking sure it was Shawnee, because anyone else would spell disaster.{8:30 am, Monday, September 8th. Last day}A Room full of asistants:Well, there it was, the office of the Executive Director to the President, and not 'Executive Assistant', because this was Katrina's final 'fuck you, no, just her final 'fuck you' before the Great Hunt got underway. I shouldn't assume things, dang it!Anyway, according to the gray-haired matron running gatekeeper to the Office of the President, this was where I was supposed to show up. I shot Juanita a worried look. She glanced my way and shrugged, momentarily willing to not give me shit about the past 24 hours because where I was situated would determine how easily she could do her job.In we went. In the suite were three desks, the 'big' desk situated at the far end of the office space and two far more modest ones on either side of the entryway. The room expanded beyond the chokepoint formed by the two closest desks into a cluttered area. The walls were cluttered with inset bookshelves and portraits of women. Facing one another were a loveseat on my left with bookend plush chairs in an 'L' facing and a full sofa on the right. There were end tables at the ends of the sofa and the corners between the loveseat and each chair.As the door opened, I hadn't knock as this was my office, or so it seemed, the occupants, who had all been sitting in quiet conversation in the central section, began reacting. Oh look ~ Constanza! I nearly had a heart attack before I realized there were three other Amazons also in the room. Sadly, none were behind the 'big desk', so I couldn't tell who was in charge. Two of the other three choices weren't too much better. First off,"Ishara," Marilynn Saint John stood to greet me. I'd last seen her when I'd dedicated her grandmother's (Hayden's) spirit to the halls of my ancestors, not hers, after forcing the political crisis leading to Hayden's suicide ~ her taking herself to the cliffs and in doing so, destroying the Amazon Cult of Blood Purity. Marilynne was clearly still bitter with me. Umm, I could still incite passion in women I hadn't slept with, yet, woot?"Cáel," the senior-most and only friendly face in the room spoke next. Thank goodness it was Beyoncé Vincennes, Head of House Hanwasuit and House Ishara ally."Cáel Ishara," the third individual was deferential which I wasn't sure how to take as the last time I'd encountered her, yeah, things hadn't gone well either."Beyoncé," I started off with a smile. From there, I had to figure out, ah, Beyoncé's eyes flickered to Constanza then Sabia. I knew Marilynn, with her young age, had the least seniority, "Constanza, Sabia, Marilynn. How's tricks?"Glum faces by everyone except Beyoncé. I didn't ask about Sabia's particular well-being. It had been months since I'd beaten her into the mats of the Full-blooded gym. She'd attacked Yasmin, the Brazilian Hottie and my Brazilian Jujutsu sparring buddy, and I'd retaliated by ambushed her when she turned her back on us. Besides, she'd been giving me shit before I even could see straight.Constanza was minus her left eye because of her dire insult to me. If she wasn't capable of working, she wouldn't be here. If she appreciated my 'mercy' in sparing her life ~ her insult was worthy of her death ~ Constanza hid it well. I hadn't spared her expecting a change of heart. I hadn't felt words alone warranted anyone's death. I was a big boy and could take a few insults. House Ishara, as represented by me, could care less. These days, my sisters would be less understanding despite them knowing my heart."Constanza Landau of House Jaya and Marilynn Saint John of House Anahit are Assistants to President Shawnee French," Beyoncé eased things along, "so will be working closely with us, at least for the short term. Sabia Noel of House Guabancex, who I now think you know as well, has joined you as the other 'Assistant' to the 'Executive Director to the President', (that would make me an 'adept', but adept at what?), and since two of the three Regents are unfamiliar with the workings of Havenstone proper, Shawnee has asked me to perform in that role."Beyoncé was, or had been, Havenstone HQ's CFO (Chief Financial Officer). From what I was quickly piecing together, she would essentially be making all the day-to-day decisions concerning the running of Havenstone (how the Host made the majority of its money) until the Regents got up to speed.Only Buffy had actual experience with the New York office and, from what she had told me, solely within Executive Services. While ES knew 'who' did what inside Havenstone, they weren't aware precisely how those Amazons got their jobs done. That would have been an impossible task. Katrina could do it, but she knew it was beyond the ability of most of us 'mere mortals'. Since we were currently at war, the Host needed Katrina completely focused on her duties as Chief Spy-mistress, not baby-sitting the adults.Shawnee indeed had much gravitas among the other House Heads. Not only had she risen up to lead a First House, she had performed heroically during the final days of the last Secret War. Afterwards she had moved into the realm of Amazon jurisprudence and mediation. Until yesterday, she had lived in a House Arinniti freehold in Minnesota's Great Lakes region thus her desire for the 'Training Wheels' period.The Regency would not rule through telecommunication (the upper echelons feared being eavesdropped upon beyond the standard Amazon (read: paranoid) levels) and Havenstone: New York was the center best situated for the current war-fighting operations, so here she lived. I was sure a team from Executive Services was buying, outfitting/spy-proofing and fortifying a dwelling suitable for the President of a Fortune 500 company. Hayden's home would remain the domicile of Sydney thus Marilynn.The same rigmarole would be done for Rhada and Buffy (though I imaged Buffy would bitch endlessly). Publically, they were VP's of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars and they had to present the public trappings of such leaders.Why did the Amazons do this ~ unmask their leadership to public exposure? Legal-simple: they could request and expect all levels of public and private security for their executives who happened to also be important officials of the Host. Certainly not all executives at Havenstone were officeholders, House Heads, or House Apprentices, but the high level of competence which permitted one often led to the other.Beyonce:As an example: Beyoncé wasn't the most 'bad-ass' lethal chick in House Hanwasuit. As she was preparing to be casted, her intelligence, creativity and diligence at her future craft, finances, was noted by the Host and the members of her House. In due time her name was circulated as Apprentice and the elders approved. When her elder cousin, the prior House Head, took herself to the cliffs, Beyoncé assumed the top spot. Beyoncé wasn't even one of that woman's three daughters.Mirroring her advancement in her House was her advancement in Havenstone's Accounting, Acquisitions and Banking Divisions until she was appointed CFO Havenstone HQ ~ the supreme financial authority inside Havenstone, though the individual regional branches had a greater degree of autonomy than you might normally expect from a 21st century conglomerate, or a Bronze Age autocracy.I had to constantly remind myself, despite the near-constant feuding, Amazons exhibited a phenomenally higher level of trust than I'd ever found in any other society I'd ever witnessed, or read about, before. Though technically Beyoncé could have gone to President Hayden to enforce her decisions ~ or now the Regency ~ she was far more diplomatic in her approach in dealing with the other 'continental' CEO's and CFO's.That meant she had to wrangle the aspirations and resources from:North America (including Latin America, the 'Canadian Arctic' and the North Pacific Ocean),South America (includes both the South Atlantic and South Pacific as far as Samoa),Europe (mostly Central Europe these days plus Antarctica, the 'Russian' Arctic and the North Atlantic),Africa (mostly West-central Africa),India (the subcontinent plus the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean) and,Southeast Asia (which includes Australia)All of which suggested Havenstone hadn't redrawn the Amazons' geographic demarcations since the late 19th century. As an example, an East African venture, say in Tanzania, was as likely to be under the purview of Havenstone: India (due to its control over the Indian Ocean) as Havenstone: Africa (which traditionally had no East Coast holdings due to their constant struggles versus the Arabic slave trade).Returning to Beyoncé: initially she had held the proper 'conservative' (aka man-hating) mindset. My behavior during that first Board Meeting began to change her opinion of me and the New Directive. After the Archery Range incident, Beyoncé became a vocal proponent of the New Directive and faced challenges within her ranks. House Heads do not have to accept challenges and Beyoncé didn't, reasoning with her detractors they had no alternatives save the 'Old Ways' which spelled doom for the Amazon Race.Bing-bang-boom ~ I became the Head of a resurrected House Ishara by the Will of the Ancestors and Beyoncé was vindicated. Not necessarily in the New Directive, but in her support of me thus the rebirth of a sister First House. The purge following High Priestess' Hayden's death was her ultimate absolution. The Ancestors and Destiny had spoken and shown Beyoncé had been piloting House Hanwasuit along the proper course all along.Back to my current circumstances:Oh, why was I Assistant to the Executive Director to the President? It gave me direct access to the finances of Havenstone which was a critical leg of the war-fighting stool ~ people, morale, money and equipment. As Chief Diplomat, I helped with all four of those in varying degrees, allied troops, allied victories, allied bank accounts and allied armaments.The Great Khan, my spiritual 'Blood-Brother', was ramping up his logistic support for my Amazons in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We were 'Allies in the Struggle' and he wasn't going to wait for the Condottieri to begin coordinating with the Seven Pillars to declare them to be his enemies. They were already fighting the Amazons and 9 Clans, his allies, so their fates were sealed.In Japan, my Amazons provided small yet highly effective strike groups which the Ninja families furnished all the support services for. Everything from food to bullets to medical attention as needed. Without reservation, we shared their death-grapple with the Seven Pillars.From the dispatches I was getting back from my family members and envoys in Japan, we were making serious diplomatic inroads with the Ninja. Once again, it was the Amazons shocking capacity for violence as well as their fanaticism, professionalism and proficiency which all impressed our hosts and terrified our enemies, and this from people of a philosophical mindset which had them historically battling samurai.The Black Lotus were running around like rhesus monkeys on crack cocaine unleashed in a China Shop and given RPG's. While the Amazons couldn't help them in China, Indochina & Thailand ~ the Khanate could and was. The Amazons were of more help in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the Black Lotus and Amazons were going everywhere on the offensive against the Seven Pillars while the normal tight cohesion and iron-clad confidence, traits which made the 7P's so dangerous ~ were shaken by their horrendous losses in the 'Homeland' aka Mainland China.Less we forget, the 'military intelligence' wing of their organization had been decimated by the Khanate's Anthrax attack due to members of the Earth & Sky sacrificing themselves by being injected with the toxin then allowing themselves to be captured, which always ended in torture and death.Furthermore, the People's Republic of China, while having a scary 18% of the population either captured, imprisoned, dead, or displaced due to the Khanate invasion, that had come with the loss of 63% of their landmass (they had lost all of Nei Mongol, Ningxia & Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Regions, Qinghai and Gansu as well as 90% of Yunnan, 80% of Sichuan and 20% of Shaanxi provinces) to the Khanate and the 'abomination' that was a free Tibet.Then came the Russian 'stab in the back' which entailed the loss of another 10% of their people falling under foreign dominion as well as losing 8% of their most industrialized territory, Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces ~ the Nei Mongol portion of 'Manchuria' was in the Khanate's greedy clutches, from the viewpoint of a Seven P's warrior).Don't get me wrong, they weren't about to throw in the towel. If anything, they were becoming more dedicated to trying harder, digging deep into their knowledge of every atrocity, inhumanity and perversion now deemed necessary to re-chart history back onto its 'correct' path. It was this willingness to act in an even greater sociopathic manner which was being used against them. After all, the 7P's had plenty of proxy allies, who were starting to get really nervous about what their paymasters were now asking them to do,We Amazons were getting some extra special help too. The Booth-gan (Do not call them Thuggee ~ the confederate 9 Clan member based out of India though long since ensconced within various Hindi enclaves across the Globe) had created an all-female group of ultra-fanatical Kali-devotees ~ a gift for the upcoming battle fomented by the Will of the Goddess herself.While Aya was our Queen and the Regency would rule until she wished to assume command of the Amazon People, the nuts-and-bolts of the Host's activities were handled by Saint Marie as Golden Mare (our Minister of War) (technically she held the top spot due to our State of War, though no Golden Mare had ever exercised such authority over a Queen (and she definitely believed Aya was our Queen)), Katrina (as Minister of Intelligence and Security), Beyoncé (as Havenstone (the multinational corporation) ~ our Treasurer/Economic Tsarina) and me (our Foreign Minister).Saint Marie had decided to forgo a public face in order to better facilitate her moving around to various battle fronts and holding clandestine meetings with her junior regional commanders. Her Havenstone corporate title was 'Chief of Security Training and Certification'. As an extra level of deception, the head of Security Services wasn't even a Director-level position, instead being folded into the duties of the Office of the President.To my current circumstances ~ I had been given Constanza's house name which could only mean she wasn't currently assigned to the Security Detail; a fact that couldn't have made her bad attitude any better. Marilynn had completely lost her way as an Amazon when I first met her, burying her pain and confusion in endless partying and intoxicants. I believed only her grandmother's status as High Priestess kept her from the severest of reprimands, or death. I didn't even know what Marilynn's caste was. Sabia,"While I'm sure you are both far more qualified than I, precisely how did you two get these jobs?" I had to ask my two non-coworkers. Constanza glowered. Marilynn flinched."I have an in depth knowledge of Havenstone security procedures and resources," Constanza replied."Shawnee requested me," was Marilynn's comeback. "I also have intimate knowledge of the City of New York and its environs.""Actually, Buffy Ishara recommended you both to Shawnee," Beyoncé corrected their misconceptions. I knew the score. I'd be working intimately with the tight community around the President (Shawnee) and Vice Presidents (Buffy & Rhada). Buffy wanted me to be surrounded by women who hated my guts, so I wouldn't end up boinking them. It rarely worked that way. All too often ladies who hated my still-beating heart ended up punishing me with sex. I wasn't sure why that happened, but it did."Beyoncé, didn't the Chief Diplomat of the Host have her own office? I'm pretty sure Troika had one before her unfortunate collision with Saint Marie," I felt entitled to inquire."Do you feel you've earned that office space?" she riposted."Oh, fuck no!" I waved my hands one over the other to accentuate my denial. "I was just wondering where I could stick Juanita while I'm hanging around, here.""She has the desk right outside the door, Cáel," Beyoncé smiled knowingly. "So there is no way you can sneak past her.""Oh," I grunted. "Buffy again?""No. Pamela Pile put in that particular request.""Oh, Sweet Mother of God, now she is conspiring against me too?""Yes. Some of us realize the greatest hazard to your health is yourself, Ishara," Beyoncé chided me. "We'd like to keep you around, so we listen to those charged with that nigh impossible task.""Is she going to be hanging around the office often?" Constanza asked, either myself, Juanita, or Beyoncé; I wasn't sure. She = Pamela."Please, Constanza," I attempted to intervene, "don't make Pamela kill you. It will upset Mona." Constanza's scowl was accentuated by the eyepatch covering her ruined left socket, the one Pamela had carved out when Constanza had insulted me and House Ishara on our first day of rebirth. I didn't tell Juanita this, because Juanita might just shoot Constanza over the insult before Pamela got a chance to finish the job.The tension was palatable."Mona and I have talked, about Romania, and other things," Constanza grudgingly allowed. It took me a second to realize there was a hidden meaning to what she said. Mona was part of my personal Security Detail bodyguard unit. If she felt Constanza, the woman who had raised her after her birth-mother had died, was a threat to me, she'd feel duty-bound to snuff Constanza first. Amazons were hard-ass bitches alright and I think Mona had made that clear."I hope things can improve between us," I offered to Constanza. "Beyoncé, I just stopped in to say 'hey'. I'm off to JIKIT and I've got three of the Pope's people waiting on me in the garage so,""Vice President Varma requested a moment of your time," Beyoncé smirked. "She is in 2604.""Who?""Vice President Rhada Varma, a moment of your time, alone?" she clarified."Sure thing," I backed out of the office. Once I had some space, I turned to Juanita. "Give me three minutes then bust in and say, I don't know, a tsunami is about to overwhelm the city, or something. Otherwise, I won't get out for at least an hour and I think I've put the Bishop and his people through enough delays as it is.""Are you actually asking me to stop you from having an in-office liaison?" she studied me intently as we walked in the direction of Rhada's office."Yes. It's not likely to happen often, believe me.""Oh, I do, in that you won't ask me to do it often," she grumbled. I'd deal with Juanita's morale problem later. Right now, I had to gird my loins so they wouldn't do anything else with Rhada. I had work to do, damn it!Rhada was sitting at her desk, working on something, stylus raised up so she could chew on the end. Her hair was pulled back in a half-ponytail, the type that captured the rear half of the hair in a ponytail while leaving the front and bangs free to flow down. Rhada's blouse was white & billowy and, as I was soon to discover, her pants were ultra-tight and contour hugging."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. "I would like a moment of your time," she relayed what I already knew. She was more than a tad nervous to boot."Vice President Varma," I started off."When in private you may call me Rhada," she interrupted."Rhada, you look more ravishing than ever."That got up her and coming around her desk, which revealed her ultra-tight pants with no sign of her wearing underwear. Yikes! My cock was preparing to do what a cock was meant to do and I just didn't have the time, Really!"Do you have any time?" she let her bosom heave."Not today, ugh," I groaned. See, Rhada took the stylus and dragged it down her chin, throat and in between her bountiful mounds.All of which exposed the top of her black bra."Are you sure, Master?" she enticed me by turning around and then leaning over her desk, point that ass in my direction. My mouth began salivating and my groin ached. I found myself quick-stepping to her and giving those buttocks two firm slaps, one on each cheek."No, damn it, though I'm going to make you pay for this when I get back," I rumbled."Master will make me wait?" she taunted me."That will cost you even more," I growled. "I have business which simply won't wait and here is my captive teasing me with the treasures of her flesh. Bad, war captive," I spanked her yet again, hard. "Bad!" and I spanked her a fourth time. With each beating, Rhada gasped in pain and then exhaled in pleasure."If I've been bad, Master must be extra harsh with me when he returns in triumph from the Great Hunt," she gloated. Rhada had gotten what she wanted, which was another affirmation of my lust for her and our 'game'. I could provide her the release she so desperately craved while allowing her the safety of remaining in the Amazon fold. It was a perfect pairing, for her.I had other problems, such as all the other baby mamas in my life plus the extra-marital affairs I was contemplating. I still took the moments we had to snuggle with Rhada, her grinding that tush into my rod while I held both her arms tightly to her side while raining kisses down onto her neck and head."Sir! A giant tsunami is approaching the city!" Juanita exploded through the door."What?" I coughed. I had a face full of hair."Huh?" Rhada pushed up and away from me. I let her go."Right now," Juanita insisted. She really needed to stop taking me so seriously when I gave her such advice."Really?" from Rhada. She shot me a curious look so I shrugged. What else was I supposed to do with such a flimsy lie forcing our separation? At least I got out of there on time?{9:50 am, Monday, September 8th ~ Last day}(JKIT HQ)"Is this a common occurrence?" Sister Rafaela Sophia whispered to the closest woman, who happened to be Wiesława, the Polish Amazon. Since she hadn't arrived with us from Havenstone, the nun might have assumed she was with the 'Americans', or British."What?" Wiesława responded evenly."Weapons combat, they look real," the nun clarified."They are real. We always practice with real weapons.""Really?""Of course," Wiesława smiled at her. "We believe a few cuts and scrapes now will save lives when the true tests come.""Oh, you are with, Havenstone?" Rafaela clued in."Yes. I am Wiesława of House Živa. I am currently assigned to Unit L, Cáel's unit within JIKIT," she offered her hand to shake. Despite being a full-blooded Amazon from a freehold, her 'human' skills were progressing nicely. The nun shook it."I am Sister Rafaela Sophia of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that is a Roman Catholic Religious Order." Pause. "Do you hate Catholics too?""Yes. We have lived beside your people for many centuries and found your clergy to be much more dangerous than your pagan predecessors. Still, Cáel thinks you can be relied on and he's proven we can trust outsider women, which I was raised to believe was unlikely, and outsider men, which was basically anathema, so I'm willing to set aside my prejudices and judge you as an individual," the Pole imparted."Outsider men?" Rafaela mumbled."Well, yes," Wiesława smirked. "You are a nun, right?""Yes.""So you set aside the World of Men to live mostly among women, right?""Not entirely," the nun chose her words carefully. "We still rely on priests for religious rights and of course obey the life teachings of Christ and follow the leadership of his Holiness, the Pope, a man.""No one is perfect," the Amazon bantered back."Do you know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ?" Rafaela ventured into dangerous waters."Yes. He was the semi-historical Son of your supposed One True God. We are not monotheists. We are Polytheists. Živa is my House's matron Goddess. It is also the name of the first woman to lead the House, her birth name surrendered to Destiny so all the daughters who came afterwards would be equals.""Oh, is Mr. Nyilas also pagan?" she inquired."I am unsure. From what I have been told, he has commended the spirit of his fallen father to your Jesus in a sacred ceremony then, in the presence of your Trinity and the Goddess Ishara, brought in new members to his House. I suspect he may be both," Wiesława reasoned. "Why don't you ask him?""Because he's fighting for his life?" Rafaela looked my way.See, the entire time their discussion had been going on, I had been sparring in a spare room at JIKIT HQ with Estere Abed, the Hashashin assassin (rather redundant ~ like saying the Sahara Desert). I had two tomahawks while she had a scimitar and curved dagger. While we sparred using the furniture as obstacles, Agent-86 was briefing me on various World events to get my input.Addison Stuart (CIA) and Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke (MI-6) were having a chat with Bishop Nicolé de Santis, verifying for themselves he was worth adding to the team. Juanita was having a similar discussion with Rikki Martin (US State Department) concerning my earlier encounter with the Papal team. Nicolé's buddy, Wachtmeister Mathias Bosshart of the Swiss Guard, was getting acquainted with the other security personnel.In comparison, those two had it easy. Both men were in their elements. Nicolé was a spook who pretended to be a diplomat for the Pope and was well acquainted with terms like 'deniable assets', 'plausible deniability' and your direct superior referring to requests concerning your identity/diplomatic status by saying 'I never heard of him and if I had, I have no idea what he was doing when you caught him doing what I don't know what he was doing', or something like that.Mathias was in the company of military-security specialists, brother professionals who were introducing him to his 'sister' professionals. Our Homeland Security gang were almost entirely former military by now. They got along with our JSOC folks and both had gained a limited acceptance with the Amazon security contingent.They bonded over the fact they were forced to work with really shady characters ~ the 9 Clans menagerie ~ who didn't always appreciate JIKIT operational security. Without going into particulars, the Wachtmeister was given the impression the abnormal was the norm and if you didn't think there was a 'down-side' to being able to carry your personally favorite bang-bang (the SG 552-2P Commando in his case) with some serious attachments (read: grenade launcher) around in downtown Manhattan, you probably didn't belong on this team.Back in the room,"He's not fighting for his life," Estere laughed. "He is fighting for mine.""Right," I responded sarcastically. We went through a flurry of exchanges, ending up with me kicking a chair at her. Estere stepped over it, colliding with me.I blocked her dagger, disarmed her scimitar and,"You are dead," she panted down at me, smiling. I was on my back, her straddling me. She had a belt-knife to my throat. I hadn't see her draw it. The scimitar 'disarm' had been a distraction."Woot!" I exhaled."But you're dead," Sister Rafaela misunderstood my good humor."He survived a minute and thirty-four seconds more today than his previous record," Estere responded. She slithered off of me, doing my arousal no good whatsoever, then offered me a hand up."And that's better?""He's a rank amateur with a few months on the job. I've been training to kill people for nearly two decades," Estere smiled. "Care to have a go?""With him, or you?""Either," Estere offered."I don't have a knife, or any hand weapons," she stated."We'll need to remedy that," Wiesława stated. "You should at least carry a knife.""Really? Why?""It is a nearly universal tool," I verbally stepped up. "Even if you are disarmed, you should be able to find one relatively easily, people are less likely to miss a stolen knife than a purloined gun, and a concealed blade could come in handy.""Do you train in knife-work?" Rafaela eye-balled me."Absolutely. It is part of my culture," I grinned."Okay. Can we spar, hand-to-hand?""Sure," I nodded. I put my tomahawks in their harnesses then put my harnesses aside. Estere gave me a wink before giving us the fighting space."So," Rafaela began to circle, "are you Christian?""By your definition, or mine?""By the definition of the Catholic Church."Oh cool, she went for a Savate stance. This was going to get ugly.My "no," was followed by her kick and my block, lunge and grapple. She wasn't nearly as good as Felix. I had her down and in a choke hold within fifteen seconds.Perhaps she thought I'd take it easy on her. She tapped out. I released her, retreated and flowed back to my boxing stance. It took her a moment to realize this was 'practice', not 'an interview'. She hadn't failed in anyone's eyes. We were both doing this to get better."See, I really, truly believe I have talked to supernatural entities ~ some who are considered divinities," I continued. This time she was more careful, trading jabs and blocks with me. "They don't claim to be the One True God. I believe in such a thing, but I also believe having been given the Message, Humanity has been left to muddle things out for ourselves."Whoops, she popped me one."The Woman-Thing this morning?""Yep," I evaded another flurry. She got cocky and I landed three blows, dropping her to the ground. I didn't help her up. Instead, I withdrew and let her get back up on her own before deciding if she wanted to continue. She did."I believe I've seen dragons and ghosts. I have felt legions of my ancestors give me quiet encouragement when I needed it. I know the dead have been brought back to life," I came at her. This time we both went for body blows, knees, elbows and fists. She was not SD-caliber and she needed to be. I grappled and she was forced to tap out again. After she regained her feet, she held up a hand for a pause."Do you believe any of that?" she addressed Estere."I am an adherent of Ismaili Islam yet nothing Cáel has encountered is contrary to my belief system. The Universe is a complex place and the Divine Light is often seen through a fractured lenses," she counseled the nun."Among the escapees were lawyer Francisco Luemba, Catholic Priest Raul Tati, economist Belchior Lanso Tati and former policeman Benjamin Fuca who are serving jail sentences of between three and six years each for supposed links to the rebel group FLEC (Frente para a Libertaé'o do Enclave de Cabinda), which carried out the attack on the Togolese football team at the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in January, 2010," Agent-86 read off yet another bit of global minutia."We need to get to them," I half turned. Sister Rafaela punched me in the gut and I folded up."Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry.""Okay," I mumbled. I had to keep with the plan. "Those men. We need to contact our Coils people in Kinshasa and the Warden of the Mountain Ways ('she' was the Amazon Host's leader of Africa ~ in the ancient times, the mountain ways had been the routes of southern vulnerability for the Amazon tribe thus the name).""Okay," both Agent-86 and Estere answered."Why?" 86 added."The Coils and the Host have had a serious problem with no nation in Africa giving them even back room recognition so we are going to take over our own country, Cabinda. It's been struggling to be free of Angola since 1975 and, by latest estimates, we've got strike elements of over 2,000 Amazons ready and waiting next door in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.""So you are going to go to war with Angola?" Estere frowned. "Don't we have enough enemies?""Au contraire," I grinned wickedly. "The resistance movement is genuine," I ticked off my points, "they have tons of offshore oil, and after we set off some spectacular explosions in the two main Angolan ports which are just down the coast, we allow global panic to bully the UN into intervening before the Angolan military launch an effective counter-offensive ~ considering the Angolan Armed Forces (I'd been reading up on a ton of CIA & MI-6 briefings) will most likely involve attrition warfare since they can't beat us in a stand-up fight.""They, the Angolans, have no overland access, they are separated by 60 kilometers of territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of Congo over some sad ass roads Plus the Congo River itself which is freaking huge by the time it gets that close to the Atlantic, Cabinda rests on the Atlantic Ocean by the way. No bridges. The Angolan Navy is anemic. Let me think."I began pacing."Hmm, they have no paratroopers though they have some Special Forces, we will need to hit as many of them in the barracks as we can. Their last invasion was from the north, overland, from the Republic of the Congo, in 1975, not likely to happen this time, though I may have my 'Brother' weasel up a battalion of Indian paratroopers to act as convincing peacekeepers after the initial take over.""Perhaps we can recruit some Vietnamese. I'm sure they'll love fighting in someone else's jungle for a change. We'll need some of 'our' guys to seize the port of Soyo, it is on the wrong side of the river, but has the major refinery the Cabindans will need. Since the entire surrounding province are the same ethnic make-up as the Cabindans, we'll have to take that too.""Man-o-man, I bet by the time this is over they'll really wish they'd given little Cabinda independence back in 1975. As for their other refinery, it is in their capital, Luanda, a few big explosions there too will get the markets jittery. Check that ~ the complete and utter destruction of their major petroleum facility will create a stampede for Peace," I continued. I walked over as our resident computer intelligence genius worked his magic."Blowing things up, you mean killing people," the nun blanched."Yes. This is what I do," I spared her a sympathetic glance. "I've got a madman roaming around in my head who provides me truly epic military advice which normally, but not always, means blowing shit up and killing folks. Welcome to the team," then as the data appeared, "Holy Shit! Did they build their oil refinery in the midst of their ghetto?" I was staggered. The refinery in Soyo was isolated from the town so it could be easily (and safely) seized. It was the one in Luanda which was the 'Holy Shit' site."It looks that way," Agent-86 agreed nonplussed. "Hmm, yeah, here is the port facility then your neighborhood of shoddily constructed one- and two-story dwellings between the refinery and the inland storage tanks, the perimeter barrier appears to be a chain link fence. I'd hate to be their Chief of Security.""Oh yeah," I choked. Estere slipped around to get a look."Whoops," she snorted."What are these people thinking?" I continued. "The whole shebang is exposed to the northern quarter of the city. The storage tanks have residential dwellings on all four sides with numerous side streets. Two teams with RPGs and four rounds apiece, Holy Crap. Sorry Sister.""But I want to save lives," she sputtered."Limiting the collateral damage could be pretty tough," Estere frowned. She toggled throw a series of maps to multiple pictures."Oh, look (dripping sarcasm); they light up the refinery at night. You can sit off the coast in a speed boat under cover of darkness and attack from there," she noted."Damn. Those are a lot of lights," Agent-86 agreed."24-7 operation," I suspected."We will need some experts," the government agent nodded."Or we are going to kill a fuck-load of innocent people. Not just the workers, but can you imagine a fire spreading to those neighborhoods? Shit," I muttered."You can't seriously be contemplating doing something like this," the nun sputtered. "It is inhumane. Think of the families, the children.""Lady, yes I am. Do you have any idea what the Human Rights record of the Angolan Army in Cabinda is? It is truly horrific and in case you missed it, one of the guys in dire need of rescuing by me, due to him being a huge rebel leader who has managed to escape, is also a Catholic priest. He's going to be part of the new government we are going to install once we kill a few hundred Angolans ~ mostly soldiers (more like well over a thousand).""We are going to kill a few hundred so a few hundred thousand can live free, democratic lives without worrying about the local police and political establishment torturing and murdering them. It is all part of the plan.""I think I need to talk with the Bishop.""Hang on. Let me finish," I forestalled her. "He'll get briefed along with everyone else. After all, it is a majority Roman Catholic country as is Angola, so I'm sure your guy can be of immense help.""The people you are putting at risk don't deserve this," she protested."They never do," I nodded in agreement with her. "It rarely stops terrible crap from happening to them though."I felt sorry for the Sister. She thought the Bishop was going to put a stop to this. Poor girl; he was going to do the exact opposite. See, the two competing forces at play here were a communistic kleptocracy (currently ruling Angola) and Catholic liberation theology united with a Cabindan national identity dating back to 1885. At stake was 900,000 barrels a day of petroleum. That was a bunch of funding for somebody. Last I checked, the state run energy conglomerate had misplaced $32 billion, in just three years.Mind you, the Coils of the Serpent and the Amazon Host didn't want to help the People of Cabinda out of the goodness of their hearts either. They wanted cover for the importation of weapons and other war-fighting material so they could kill the Condottieri in Africa. If the rebel leaders-turned-legitimate government didn't play ball well, the Coils were in the 'assassinating people' business and somewhere along the line the survivors would figure out keeping 'us' happy kept them alive. Problem solved.It was Bishop Nicolé de Santis' job to facilitate that understanding. If certain people with Vatican credentials explained the 'facts of life' to the new regime a lot more lives could be saved, Catholic lives. In turn, he could work to make sure the new group in power wasn't nearly as corrupt as the gang we were tossing out. Better education and quality of life, improved infrastructure & security and a nice shiny cathedral, or two.We, as in JIKIT and our component members, didn't want to rule the country and dominate the people's lives. We needed the ports and the airfields with a blind eye turned to our skullduggery. Sure, there would be future considerations. Amazons and Coil members would be fighting and dying for these people's freedom ~ public recognition definitely not required. No; the Amazons wanted to be left alone in their deep jungle homes which was an isolation they basically already had. This was a future chit which said 'don't come looking'.The Coils? Let's just say in the future Cabinda would have embassies around the globe and if occasionally they wanted someone to slip through under diplomatic cover ~ they were good for it. And if the Cabindans ever needed help in the future they knew they had friends in dark places who were now invested in Cabinda's survival. It was a win-win-win, unless you were an Angolan big-wig, or one of their foot-soldier currently serving in Cabinda. Amazons weren't big on taking prisoners, or even giving the opposition the option of giving up.For me, it wasn't lunch yet and here I was plotting to overthrow yet another government in yet another country ~ though in only two, small provinces this time. Thank the Goddess I had the rest of the week

Darren Lester hosts a brilliant panel discussion on the value of modern language assistants in UK schools. Guests include Amy Flynn, Marie Masse, Liz Collison, Clare Williams and an extra special appearance from college student Freya who shares the person impact that working with an MLA is having on her academic success. Find out more about employing an MLA at your school or college here. 

What if you could streamline copywriting, attract more clients, and boost your income—all without putting in extra hours? Custom GPTs make it possible, and today, we're diving into how. In this episode, I sit down with Lauren Capwell & Lauren Shaw, AI Sales and Marketing Coaches, to explore how custom GPTs can revolutionize freelance marketing assistants' workflows—from copywriting and content creation to client management.My guests are "The Laurens": a rocket scientist with Stanford AI training and a serial entrepreneur who's scaled multiple 6- and 7-figure businesses. They help online service providers streamline their sales and marketing with AI-driven strategies, making content creation faster, messaging sharper, and conversion rates higher. As creators of the AI Sales Accelerator and Clarity Playbooks, they're on a mission to make AI simple and transformative so you can scale your business and reclaim your time.Listen to learn more about:Why custom GPTs are a freelancer's secret weapon and how they can automate copywriting while keeping it high-qualityThe biggest AI myths (and why you should ignore them) and the truth behind common misconceptionsHow to train your own custom GPT with a simple guide to making AI work for your brand (or your client's)Using AI to handle client work more efficiently so you can deliver faster results and book more clientsThe future of AI in sales & marketing and how to stay ahead of the curve as a freelancerIf you've ever wished for a smarter, faster way to write high-converting copy without staring at a blinking cursor for hours, tune in to learn how you can use custom GPTs and save SO much time.Sponsored by AI Copywriter in a Box Struggling to create client content fast? Stop wasting time starting from scratch. AI Copywriter in a Box helps you craft high-converting, client-ready content in minutes—emails, social posts, sales pages, and more—all in your client's unique voice. I use it myself to skip the endless revisions and get premium content done fast. Use my affiliate link & get $50 off with the code UNICORN. You can use the AI Copywriter for up to 4 different clients. Grab yours now!Links Mentioned in the Show:Watch our demo video to see AI Copywriter in a Box in actionCheck out The Laurens' whole suite of Clarity Playbook AI tools at https://thelaurens.aiEpisode 211: Better Brand Messaging for Virtual Assistants & Marketing Service Providers with Marisa Corcoran Join The Digital Marketer's Workgroup: Are you already doing marketing work but need more clients and a stronger referral network? Join a tight-knit community of freelancers and get access to behind-the-scenes conversations, support, and troubleshooting that every solo marketer needs. Plus, you'll benefit from advanced trainings, networking opportunities, and exclusive job leads. Apply...

Le lundi 31 mars, Marine Le Pen a été reconnue coupable de détournement de fonds publics dans l'affaire des assistants parlementaires du FN, devenu RN. Elle est condamnée à 5 ans d'inéligibilité et à 4 ans de prison, dont 2 fermes, avec un bracelet électronique. Marine Le Pen était accusée d'avoir mis en place un système pour détourner au profit de son parti l'argent destiné à l'embauche d'assistants parlementaires au Parlement européen. Entre 2004 et 2019, plusieurs assistants n'auraient en réalité jamais travaillé pour leur eurodéputé. A la suite du procès, 22 autres personnes ont été condamnés, à des peines allant de six mois de prison avec sursis à de la prison ferme. Marine Le Pen a fait appel de sa condamnation et dénonce « une décision politique ». Cet épisode de Code source est raconté par Pascale Egré, journaliste au service police justice du Parisien et Alexandre Sulzer, du service politique, il suit le FN depuis près de 15 ans. Écoutez Code source sur toutes les plates-formes audio : Apple Podcast (iPhone, iPad), Amazon Music, Podcast Addict ou Castbox, Deezer, Spotify.Crédits. Direction de la rédaction : Pierre Chausse - Rédacteur en chef : Jules Lavie - Reporter : Barbara Gouy - Production : Thibault Lambert et Clara Garnier-Amouroux - Réalisation et mixage : Julien Montcouquiol - Musiques : François Clos, Audio Network - Archives : TF1, LCP. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

The Jerry & Jerry Show headlines: 0 Players On BBall Roster On VirginiaSports.com Odom Bringing 4 Assistants From VCU To UVA Which Bennett/Sanchez Assistants Lose Jobs? Where Is Isaac McKneely Going To Transfer To? Any Hoopers Who Entered Portal Returning? Rebuild or Reload: What Does Odom Need To Do? Will Fans Know How Much Players Make In NIL? Spring Football Practice – Quietest Start Ever? Read Viewer & Listener Comments Live On-Air Jerry Ratcliffe & Jerry Miller were live on The Jerry & Jerry Show! The Jerry & Jerry Show airs live Tuesday from 10:15 am – 11:15 pm on The I Love CVille Network. Watch and listen to The Jerry & Jerry Show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, iTunes, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Fountain, Amazon Music, Audible and iLoveCVille.com.

Cliquez ici pour accéder gratuitement aux articles lus de Mediapart : https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/P-UmoTbNLs Alors que Marine Le Pen peut être condamnée pour détournements de fonds publics et déclarée inéligible par la justice lundi 31 mars, les cadres du parti d'extrême droite oscillent entre politique de l'autruche et arguments éculés sur un prétendu « gouvernement des juges » voulant mettre à mal la démocratie. Un article de Youmni Kezzouf, publié le 30 mars 2025, lu par Jérémy Zylberberg. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

If you had a personal assistant, what's the first thing you'd have them do? Organize your life? Handle your emails? Wait in line for you? Let's hear it! Toby makes his case for why he actually likes spoilers. Yep, he wants to know the ending before he even starts! Do you agree, or is he ruining the fun? That pre-vacation work slump is REAL. How do you stay focused when your brain is already on the beach? We've got some ideas—and we're taking your calls! Plus, a story we think might Make Your Monday. Jimmy and Dottie Dillard, a couple in their 90s, have dedicated over 13,000 volunteer hours at Mary Washington Hospital, the place where their love story began decades ago. Hit play and join the convo!

durée : 00:27:32 - Marine Le Pen, inéligible en 2027 ? La cheffe de file du Rassemblement national, qui sera fixée sur son sort lundi dans le dossier des assistants parlementaires d'eurodéputés RN, "ne croit pas" que les juges iront jusqu'à prononcer une peine d'inéligibili

Tous les vendredis, samedis et dimanches à 19h17, Stéphanie de Muru reçoit un invité au cœur de l'actualité politique pour un moment d'échange franc sur les dossiers brûlants du moment. Ce soir, Frédéric Dabi, directeur général opinion de l'Ifop, revient sur le sondage de l'IFOP qui place Marine le Pen en tête pour le premier tour des présidentielles de 2017. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Chaque jour, retrouvez le journal de 19h de la rédaction d'Europe 1 pour faire le tour de l'actu.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Chaque jour, retrouvez le journal de 19h de la rédaction d'Europe 1 pour faire le tour de l'actu.Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Aujourd'hui, Zohra Bitan, Bruno Poncet et Antoine Diers débattent de l'actualité autour d'Alain Marschall et Olivier Truchot.

Aujourd'hui dans "On marche sur la tête", Gauthier le Bret et ses invités débattent de Marine le Pen qui risque d'être inéligible dès lundi pour les prochaines élections présidentielles. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

The University of Kentucky Strength and Conditioning podcast. In this episode, Coach Spurlock talks with the coaching assistants. Follow us on Instagram for more content pertaining to The University of Kentucky Strength and Conditioning department at @kentuckystrength.

➡️ Schedule a Free Zoom Coaching Strategy Call with Joshua Smith: https://www.GSDMode.com/ZoomCall   ➡️ Want To Learn More About Partnering With Me at eXp (Get all my Training & Coaching For Free) Schedule a Zero Pressure, Fully Confidential Zoom Call with me: https://www.gsdmode.com/partner     About Joshua Smith: -Licensed Realtor/Team Leader Since 2005 -Voted 30th Top Realtor in America by The Wall Street Journal -NAR "30 Under 30" Finalist -Named Top 100 Most Influential People In Real Estate -Top 1% of Realtors/Team Leaders Worldwide -6000+ Homes Sold & Currently Selling 1+ Homes Daily -Featured In: Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Inman & Realtor Magazine -Realtor, Team Leader, Coach, Mentor

On connaîtra l'issue du procès lundi 31 mars. La cheffe de file des députés RN à l'Assemblée nationale prépare déjà le terrain avant l'annonce du jugement. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Krisy Thomas, Co-Host and Vice President of the CWP Society, is joined by special guest Hailey Beard to tackle a game-changing topic for wedding planners: transforming assistants into assets, not liabilities.Ever wonder why some weddings flow perfectly while others face constant hiccups? The secret often lies not with the lead planner, but with how well they've prepared their assistant team.When wedding day assistants aren't properly equipped, they become a liability rather than an asset. In this illuminating episode, Hailey Beard, Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Educator and Owner of Hailey Beard Events, shares her proven system for transforming assistants into empowered extensions of your brand.Drawing from her dual perspective as both a lead planner and someone who regularly assists fellow certified planners, Hailey reveals the five critical elements of assistant preparation that most wedding businesses overlook. From creating detailed, strength-based task lists to providing comprehensive documentation that prevents embarrassing mix-ups with clients, her approach eliminates the guesswork that leads to wedding day disasters.You'll discover why pre-wedding planning meetings trump day-of instructions, how to establish clear communication protocols for emergencies, and which uncomfortable conversations about professional standards you absolutely must have before wedding day arrives. Haileyalso shares her strategy for finding assistants whose values align with your brand, including the simple coffee date question that reveals everything about a candidate's approach to client service.Whether you're struggling with unreliable assistants who cancel last minute,  or simply looking to elevate your execution, this episode provides actionable strategies to transform your support team into your greatest competitive advantage.Visit cwpsociety.com to access more resources and explore our membership levels designed to elevate your wedding planning business.www.cwpsociety.com | info@cwpsociety.com | IG: @cwpsociety | FB: @cwpsociety

Gabrielle Waxenberg is a seasoned EA with over 12 years of experience supporting CEOs and founders in various industries.In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Gabrielle talks about transitioning from EA to business owner, advocating for and empowering EAs, and helping assistants get the recognition they deserve.Show Notes -> leaderassistant.com/316--In-person meeting planning can be a lot to manage. That's where TROOP Planner comes in. TROOP Planner is built to make life easier for busy assistants like yourself. Whether you're organizing an executive offsite, department meeting, or team retreat, TROOP keeps it simple, fast, and organized.Visit leaderassistant.com/troop to learn more! --Automate scheduling with YouCanBookMe by Capacity. Sign up for a FREE trial -> leaderassistant.com/calendar. --Get your digital copy of The Leader Assistant Workbook at leaderassistantbook.com/workbook to lead yourself, lead your team, and lead your executive.More from The Leader Assistant... Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.com Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membership Events -> leaderassistantlive.com Free Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

In this episode of The EA Campus Podcast, we're diving into the topic of career mapping for Executive Assistants. Career progression in the EA world isn't always linear, and for many of us, it's something we don't often prioritize. Whether you see the EA role as a stepping stone to another career or you're committed to excelling in this profession, having a clear career map is essential.We'll walk through the five key steps to career mapping, from setting clear goals to identifying skill gaps and building an action plan that aligns with your professional aspirations. We also discuss common challenges EAs face when planning their careers—like falling into the role without a plan, not having enough time to focus on development, or chasing salary increases without a long-term strategy.You'll also hear about the latest trends in career mapping, including:The importance of soft skills and how to develop themThe rise of technology in the EA role and why embracing digital tools is crucialNon-linear career paths and why the EA profession offers more flexibility than you might thinkThis episode is packed with practical steps, insights, and advice to help you take charge of your career and make intentional choices about your professional growth.Show Notes:Career Mapping TemplateEpisode 44: Setting Meaningful Career Goals as an EA – eacampus.com/podcast/ep44Upcoming Events at The EA Campus:Automation Masterclass – Tuesday, 25th MarchEVOLVE Virtual Summit – Friday, 28th March The EA Campus

(3:00) RIP covering Mike Norvell football practices(9:00) Norvell excited to take bigger picture, day to day role with new staff(21:00) Quick update on injuries(26:00) "We're gonna be the best offense in the country" -- they said it again!(29:00) Terrance Knighton sees one and done future for James Williams at FSU(32:00) Knighton sees Darrell Jackson off the board early in 2026 NFL Draft(38:00) What if this team ends up being baller?(44:00) On the dual sport athletes(46:00) Women's hoops off to LSU for NCAA TourneyMusic: Roll Mega - If Not Soonvitaminenergy.com | Shake it and take it!

(3:00) RIP covering Mike Norvell football practices(9:00) Norvell excited to take bigger picture, day to day role with new staff(21:00) Quick update on injuries(26:00) "We're gonna be the best offense in the country" -- they said it again!(29:00) Terrance Knighton sees one and done future for James Williams at FSU(32:00) Knighton sees Darrell Jackson off the board early in 2026 NFL Draft(38:00) What if this team ends up being baller?(44:00) On the dual sport athletes(46:00) Women's hoops off to LSU for NCAA TourneyMusic: Roll Mega - If Not Soonvitaminenergy.com | Shake it and take it!

Welcome back to the ProfitSchool podcast Business Unfiltered with Mercer and Jeff Sauer. Today's topic is Executive Assistants - Do You Still Need One? Executive Assistants (EAs) vs. Systems: The hosts revisit their differing opinions on the necessity of EAs in today's business world, considering the rise of AI and automation.     The Changing Role of EAs: They discuss how the traditional tasks of an EA, such as scheduling, email management, and travel booking, are increasingly being automated or replaced by systems.     Capability and Capacity: Jeff and Mercer explore matching tasks with team members based on their skills and available time to optimize workflow and eliminate the need for a dedicated EA.     The Value of Defined Processes: Both stress the importance of clearly defining processes and systems as it allows for more straightforward automation and eliminates the need for an EA to "fill the gaps."     AI as the New EA: The hosts propose that AI and automation tools effectively become the new "executive assistants," enabling individuals to accomplish more efficiently.     Evolving Roles and Opportunities: The conversation concludes by acknowledging that while the traditional EA role may diminish, the skills and knowledge of individuals who previously served as EAs remain valuable and can be utilized in other organizational capacities.  

Christophe Barbier et Sophie Obadia commentent l'actualité de ce mardi, en particulier l'examen aujourd'hui par le Conseil Constitutionnel d'une question prioritaire de constitutionnalité (QPC) sur les peines d'inéligibilité immédiate.  Mention légales : Vos données de connexion, dont votre adresse IP, sont traités par Radio Classique, responsable de traitement, sur la base de son intérêt légitime, par l'intermédiaire de son sous-traitant Ausha, à des fins de réalisation de statistiques agréées et de lutte contre la fraude. Ces données sont supprimées en temps réel pour la finalité statistique et sous cinq mois à compter de la collecte à des fins de lutte contre la fraude. Pour plus d'informations sur les traitements réalisés par Radio Classique et exercer vos droits, consultez notre Politique de confidentialité.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Have you been going back and forth about hiring a SECOND assistant?! Maybe you're working just a few days a week and thinking "WTF, how would I even schedule TWO people?!"I get it! And honestly, this might be the EXACT solution you've been looking for!In this episode I'm breaking down:The EXACT scheduling system I use to keep two assistants busy (without losing my mind in the process)How to make sure both assistants get equal opportunities to learn and grow (because we all know what happens when one gets favored

Colombo & Company Guest: Mike McClarySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we focus on Psalm 27 and how to apply the message at work as executive assistants. 

Ohio State coaches met with the media on Friday and after a little time to think about the day's conversations, THE Podcast Daily is back with a few more thoughts about what we heard and what we think it may mean for the Buckeyes heading into spring football.Want to talk even more Ohio State football with the guys? Text us! Send a text to 614-662-4509 to get started and receive your first two weeks free.#OhioStateFootball #bigtenfootball #BigTen #buckeyesfootball #Buckeyes #THEPodcast

Ad-hoc tasks are an inevitable part of the Assistant role, but when they start taking over your day, they can prevent you from focusing on strategic, high-impact work. In this episode, we break down how to manage, track, and take control of ad-hoc tasks so they don't define your role.We'll cover: What ad-hoc tasks are and why they impact Assistants more than other roles How to quantify them so they don't disappear into ‘invisible work'Strategies to push back on unnecessary requests while maintaining great relationshipsHow to approach your Executive when ad-hoc work is dominating your workloadWhat to do if your role has become entirely reactiveListen in for practical tips and a step-by-step approach to making sure these tasks work for you, not against you.Resources & Links Mentioned:Ad-Hoc Task Tracker & Prioritization Template – Start tracking your ad-hoc tasks and take control of your workload. Download the templateAssistant Fundamentals Masterclass – Strengthen your foundational skills. Join the masterclassCommunity Webinar: Creating a User Manual for Your Executive – Learn how to set expectations with your executive. Sign up hereMastering Automation Masterclass – Learn how to streamline and automate repetitive tasks. Register nowShow Notes00:00 – Welcome & March Event Round-UpOverview of upcoming EA Campus events and why you should join.04:15 – What Are Ad-Hoc Tasks & Why They MatterDefinition of ad-hoc tasks and why they impact Assistants more than other roles.09:30 – The Challenge: Requests from Colleagues vs. ExecutivesWhy colleagues don't always recognize the impact of their requests.How to manage last-minute requests from your Executive.15:45 – How to Quantify & Track Ad-Hoc TasksThe importance of tracking and logging these tasks.How to use data to make a case for workload balance.22:10 – How to Take Control & Set BoundariesPractical strategies to manage ad-hoc tasks effectively.How to push back professionally while maintaining strong relationships.30:00 – What to Do if Ad-Hoc Tasks Are Your Whole JobSigns your role needs redefining.How to have a productive conversation with your Executive.The impact of updating your job description and performance review criteria.38:20 – Final Thoughts & Call to ActionTry the one-week ad-hoc tracking challenge and share your insights in The EA Campus Community. The EA Campus

#football #notredame #SEC #cfp #notredamefootball #pennstate #osu #ohiostate #ohiostatefootball #usc Notre Dame vs Ohio State for CFP titleShane Gillis Callx  @AlwaysIrishINC  patreon.com/alwaysirish promo code NDCFP playoff discounthttps://alwaysirishmerch.com/https://www.si.com/college/notredame/football

#football #notredame #SEC #cfp #notredamefootball #pennstate #osu #ohiostate #ohiostatefootball #usc Notre Dame vs Ohio State for CFP titleShane Gillis Callx  @AlwaysIrishINC  patreon.com/alwaysirish promo code NDCFP playoff discounthttps://alwaysirishmerch.com/https://www.si.com/college/notredame/football

The guys discuss UGA adding several new assistants to bolster their staff after deciding to keep their coaching staff in tact

NBC Sports NBA writer Kurt Helin

From the man who answered T.R.'s phone and maybe saved his life, to the secret "Sphinx" around Woodrow Wilson, to Coolidge's surprise enforcer. We look at all sorts of Presidential assistants and aides, both official ones and non-official ones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coming to you live from the couch! We have a batch of miscellaneous updates for you, from Julius and Tree Paine fanfic to food trends, cute and otherwise.   Cutie news! Hello Kitty + Miffy statues have shown up at 17 State St. in  NYC, and we're excited to see these two powerhouses partner in this way.    We are captivated by the very elaborate Fluffy Algodón Cotton Candy Art and floof cotton candy cakes.    Also! Rebecca Jennings's story on “pick me” foods for Vox is an incredibly interesting piece about how food trends change, and it brought some great memes to our attention.    Speaking of meme accounts: We suggest taking a peek at Assistants vs. Agents on Instagram and their Hollywood Agent Awards specifically.    What celeb content are you fanfic-ing? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, @athingortwohq, or in our Geneva.   Show your hair some love with Nutrafol. Take $10 off your first month's subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO.   YAY.

The Husker247 Podcast convened on Wednesday while it snowed throughout the state. The trio of Mike Schaefer, Michael Bruntz and Brian Christopherson discussed Nebraska's new assistants in fuller detail. Starting with wide receiver coach Daikiel Shorts the group went through each new assistant, what we know about them and what the room looks like as it stands. Then the group discussed who could bring the biggest immediate impact to their respective position groups in the 2025 season.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices