Be the Ultimate Assistant

06/22/2026

“𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙘𝙠-𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙀𝘼𝙨, 𝙃𝙍, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙. Jack Zenger, Author of The New Extraordinary Leader

The remote and hybrid workplace have made psychological safety even more of a priority for leaders. The imagination can do pretty crazy things. Leaders who support open and honest communication from their employees, no matter where they work, are more likely to create a positive work culture for everyone, and a more engaged and productive one too.

Hard truth: When staff feels safe to say what’s on their mind, they will tell you everything. Conversely, if your staff is walking around terrified of speaking up, in fear of backlash and repercussion, they will tell you nothing or what they think you want to hear.

Harder truth: If you are a leader who rarely hears anything from your staff, it’s likely they’re too afraid to speak up. Watch this video to learn why it's important to talk about the hard things at work.

Order your copies of Staff Matters on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Z1k5IN
Please share your honest review so others will know what you think.

06/21/2026

Our children are one of the most powerful ways to stay in touch with our purpose, our reason to get up out of bed every day. Wishing you a very happy Father’s Day!

06/17/2026

“𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝘽𝙏𝙐𝘼 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙏𝙐𝘼 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.” - Theresa Rivas, Chief Executive Assistant, Beneficial State

We’re down to the Final 3 cities for Be the Ultimate Assistant – Chicago (sold out), Houston, and Atlanta.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right moment,” this is it. Claim your seat.

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

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

📅 BTUA LEGACY TOUR SCHEDULE
📍 Chicago | July 22–24 (sold out)
📍 Houston | Sept 23–25
📍Atlanta | Nov 4-6

Details & registration: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/workshops/ultimate-assistants/btua-live/

As a member of my social media community, you receive $200 off your registration. Use code: BTUABONUS200

Don’t let money stop you from getting the training you know you need. Professional development is too important to ignore. We want to help. Partial and full needs-based scholarships are available. Email me: [email protected]

Thank you for sharing this post with others who will benefit.

06/15/2026

💡The lightbulbs were firing over their heads at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Las Vegas. 1300 college students who are aspiring leaders came together to learn, to network their tails off, and mostly, to figure out their next moves to succeed in a workplace that is like no other. And since it was Las Vegas, there was also the fabulous pool, the desert weather, the casino, and the Sphere too. No lack of distractions for these 19-24 year olds.

And yet they showed up at noon on a Sunday. That’s impressive right there.

The lightbulbs were not only going off for these young, diverse women and men, but for me, too. I had a 45-min speaking slot and I admit, it was exciting to see the looks on their faces as I talked through my knowledge of how leadership really works from my career in show business. The cool, glamour-y red carpet stuff and the tougher, darker stuff.

After the session, we continued the conversation for those who wanted more. They showed up again…and again at breakfast the next day.

These ambitious and curious students were hungry for straight talk about what they are going to find in the new workplace.

And I told them. No sugarcoating or fluff.

We went there.

Haters. Workplace bullying. Psychological safety. Discrimination. Sexism. Ageism. AI. Job searching. HR. Negotiating.

The questions:

🙋🏼How do I successfully work with people twice my age?

🙋🏼How can I negotiate for money when I’m competing against experienced staff?

🙋🏼What do I need to do to afford a place to live on my own?

🙋🏼What are leaders and HR saying about us and what do they believe about us?

I realized that I was their bridge, their window, into the workplace. The smiles you see on their faces and the light in their eyes comes from validation and clarity of purpose and a path to take. I see it all the time at my presentations and at BTUA and I saw it here in Las Vegas.

These students are reading Staff Matters and we are staying in touch. My plan is to go onto college campuses to have these kinds of conversations with the business students there. These kids want that because it makes sense to them.

I even had a pinch-me moment. I was invited to deliver a college graduation commencement speech which is a bucket list item. That answer was a big YES.

I told these students that I am concerned that aspects of the workplace are broken and that they will have opportunities to be part of the solution. It’s no small task and they know it.

I feel optimistic about the future. Take a look at these faces and meet our future leaders. We will be in good hands. Let’s help them get there. If this post has your wheels spinning, let's talk. [email protected]

FBLA National Center

06/12/2026

🤔Can you imagine starting your career right now in our AI-obsessed workplace of 2026? It’s not a little daunting as HR Morning reveals that 89% of new grads worry that AI could replace entry-level jobs. Further, 69% are willing to compromise on their ideal role.

I feel their excitement, and I also feel their frustration and worry. These young women and men have so many legit questions, and I want to cut them to the chase in order to not waste any precious time., and so much more. Mainly, they are puzzling out where they are going to fit in this landscape.

Below is a clip of me talking on a business panel with them in Orlando about the power of relationships. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=rUpm4QUxkExVqKDZ&v=q3Lcxs7FfHQ&feature=youtu.be

I feel their excitement, and I also feel their frustration and worry. These young women and men have so many legit questions and I want to cut them to the chase in order to not waste any precious time.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 – 𝗔 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲

As a way to support our students, I wrote “Top 10 Things College Grads Need To Know.” If you know a new grad or a college student who is eyeing their future, I hope that you will share this link with them as your gift and mine. It’s totally free. Please see the link in the first comment for the free guide.

With most leaders not getting their first formal training in managing others until age 46, I am determined for our college students to not have to wait anywhere close to that.

𝗠𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀
If you are a part of my community, I know that you care about making the workplace a better place. Preparing our future leaders is part of that effort. If you have ideas about this approach and work at a college or university that would benefit from my work and the book Staff Matters, please let’s talk.

Thank you for your continued support.

In a world focused on technology, resumes, and AI, it’s easy to for...

06/10/2026

"𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 8 𝘽𝙏𝙐𝘼𝙨 𝙞𝙣 2012, 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙟𝙪𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.” ~Julie G. Kavanaugh, Colorado.

We’re down to the Final 3 cities for Be the Ultimate Assistant – Chicago (sold out), Houston, and Atlanta.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right moment,” this is it. Claim your seat.

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

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

📅 BTUA LEGACY TOUR SCHEDULE
📍 Chicago | July 22–24 (sold out)
📍 Houston | Sept 23–25
📍Atlanta | Nov 4-6

Details & registration: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/workshops/ultimate-assistants/btua-live/

As a member of my social media community, you receive $200 off your registration. Use code: BTUABONUS200
Don’t let money stop you from getting the training you know you need. Professional development is too important to ignore. We want to help.

Partial and full needs-based scholarships are available. Email me: [email protected]

Thank you for sharing this post with others who will benefit.

06/10/2026

📚 “𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠—𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚-𝙪𝙥 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙬-𝙆𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙍 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩, 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙚’𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮’𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚." - Shelly Berman-Rubera, Business Strategy Coach

One of the first questions people ask me about Staff Matters is, who is this book for? The book is for Leaders, Assistants, HR Professionals, and Recruiters. And, the book is for business students who will most likely be given people to manage long before they are ready.

If you agree that there are aspects to our complicated workplace that are broken, then no one of these groups is going to be able to fix them alone. Staff Matters brings them all together in one book to have empathy (Chap 1), to share what keeps them up at night, and to say the quiet parts out loud. It’s time.

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

Please share your honest review so to help others know what you know.

06/04/2026

“When I attended my first of 8 BTUAs in 2012, Bonnie and Vickie changed the course of my career and rejuvenated me in this profession.” ~Julie G. Kavanaugh, Colorado.

We’re down to the Final 3 cities for Be the Ultimate Assistant –
Chicago, Houston, Atlanta.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right moment,” this is it. Claim your seat.

BTUA is personal, intimate, and about YOU.
Next up is Chicago on July 22-24, with only 2 seats left. We max out at 30 students.

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

📅 BTUA LEGACY TOUR SCHEDULE
📍 Chicago | July 22–24 (only 2 seats left)
📍 Houston | Sept 23–25
📍Atlanta | Nov 4-6

Details & registration: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/workshops/ultimate-assistants/btua-live/

As a member of my social media community, you receive $200 off your registration. Use code: BTUABONUS200

Don’t let money stop you from getting the training you know you need. Professional development is too important to ignore. We want to help. Partial and full needs-based scholarships are available. Email me: [email protected]

Thank you for sharing this post with others who will benefit.

06/04/2026

🎓There’s no sugarcoating this. The 2026 job market is tough. It is especially tough for college students and new graduates. The landscape is shifting under our feet and it’s not a little disconcerting.

That’s why I have decided to spend quality time with college students who are studying Business at the FBLA National Leadership Conference at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas on June 6-8. There will be 1300 college students in attendance who are traveling from not only all over the U.S. but the world.

I am excited to talk with these 18-21-year-olds about the current workplace as they plan their careers and ask what happens next? Yes, there a lot to discuss and I don’t want them to have to wait any longer than necessary.

FBLA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.
If you know a college student who will be attending the Conference, please let them know I am speaking and would love to say hello to them.

🗓️SUN JUNE 7, Noon My presentation - “Then and Now: My Show Business Lessons In Leadership”
Location: Pavilion 11

🗓️ MON JUNE 8, 1-3PM Resume Review I’ll be reviewing resumes, LinkedIn profiles, interviewing tactics, negotiating, and the job market
Location: Exhibitors Hall

I am very serious about supporting college students who are our future leaders. To that end, I have created the Staff Matters Leadership Lab which brings me straight into college campuses. My book Staff Matters is an important resource for them right now.

Click here for more details: https://www.bonnielowkramen.com/staff-matters-leadership-lab/

I welcome your comments and ideas: [email protected]

05/28/2026

🖊️What’s really happening in today’s workplace? That’s the question the Executive Assistants of the world are trying to puzzle out. It is my 1:1 conversations with EAs that inspired this article for Executive Support Magazine called “Workplace 2026: Making Sense of Contradictions and Mixed Messages.”

If there’s any group of people who need to know the real deal, it’s the EAs. They are the detail people and the implementers. There is no room for ambiguity. Here is my perspective on the head-spinning state of work in 2026.

Here’s how I begin.

“Have you heard that we’re headed toward a four-day or even three-day workweek? Or that work itself may become optional in the future? Really? These clickbait headlines collide with the reality that employees are burning out at record rates. The contradictions are dizzying, and they raise legitimate questions:

What should workers actually believe? Are robots and algorithms really coming for our jobs? What will people do with all this supposed “extra time” created by AI? What’s actually true?
Administrative professionals, in particular, are right to be skeptical. Their response is often the most grounded of all:

This might be true for some, but it will never be true for Executive Assistants.

Staying sane, clear, and grounded in today’s demanding workplace is no small feat. But administrative professionals have always been the ones who bring order to chaos. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again.”

For the full article, click here: https://executivesupportmagazine.com/making-sense-of-contradictions/

For other articles that I have written for the magazine, click here: https://executivesupportmagazine.com/?post_type=post&s=low-kramen