23 SET 2026 · In this episode of Two Admins and a Mic, Diana and Mel welcome Diana Brandl, a former executive assistant turned coach, trainer, consultant, author, and host of the Executive Office Insights podcast, joining from Verona, Italy. Diana shares how a childhood love of "playing office," a year as an au pair in Virginia, and a three-year assistant academy in Germany led to a twenty-year career supporting executives, and how mentors, community, and a supportive husband (now her CFO and COO) gave her the courage to leave her full-time role and build her own business.
The conversation dives into mentoring and networking, with Diana explaining why she always looked for a challenger rather than a cheerleader, and sharing her personal networking rules: go to conferences alone, leave your comfort zone, and step outside the admin "bubble." She makes the case that admins spend too much time talking to each other on LinkedIn and not enough time bringing leaders and stakeholders into the conversation. Diana also weighs in on the chief of staff path, the new certification and mini MBA programs she is building in Germany, and why she salutes every assistant who simply wants to stay an assistant and do an incredible job.
Diana closes with practical tools for proving value, including the Global Skills Matrix, Elizabeth Sutowska's ROI calculator, a client's AI chatbot built by an internal assistant network, and the idea of a Friday "win report" for your executive. Her one piece of advice she would no longer give? Keep everything in harmony. Today she says: don't be a people pleaser, bring your standpoint, and remember you're worth it. New episodes drop every other week. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and leave us a review if you love what you hear. Got a story, a tip, or someone we should have on the show? We want to hear from you. Find us on social media at Two Admins and a Mic and join the conversation.