Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates

Every organization depends on its administrative professionals. But investing in them — with intention, with structure, and with the expectation of real, measurable results — is rarer than it should be. In this episode of Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates, hosts Rachel Suman and Melissa Mahoney sit down with Veronica Ingram, CAP, IAAP's AdminElevate Training Manager, to talk about what it looks like when that investment is done right. The AdminElevate Experience is a flexible, facilitator-led professional learning framework built specifically for administrative teams — and it meets organizations exactly where they are. Whether you're an admin professional who has been quietly wishing your organization would invest in your growth, or a manager or HR leader looking for a credible, practical way to do exactly that, this conversation is for you. Because when the people who support every function of the business are equipped to show up at their best, everyone wins.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

What does it take to build professional development content that actually meets admins where they are — and challenges them to grow? CAPstone brings administrative professionals together to build real-world skills, learn proven best practices, and grow in a community that strengthens impact and elevates performance. But behind every course is a commitment to making sure that content stays relevant, rigorous, and worthy of the professionals it serves. In this episode, Rachel and Melissa sit down with Teresa Stewart, CAP — chair of IAAP's Professional Development Forecasting Committee — to talk about what CAPstone is, why these certificate courses are such a powerful investment for admin professionals, and the peer review audit process that Teresa and the panel are leading to ensure every course delivers on its promise. This is a conversation about standards, growth, and what it looks like when the admin community takes ownership of its own professional future.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

The Partnership Playbook was built on a simple but powerful belief: that the executive-admin relationship is one of the most underinvested partnerships in any organization.In this episode, Melissa Mahoney and her Executive Administrative Partner, Chris Cason, don't just talk about that belief — they live it. Together, they open up about the final three sections of the books and what it meant to explore them as two people already in the work together.This is a conversation about trust, about growth, and about what becomes possible when a partnership stops being functional and starts being something more.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

What if the biggest barrier to stepping into your leadership potential isn't skill — it's identity? In this episode of Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates, hosts Rachel Suman and Melissa Mahoney welcome Danielle Adams-Wiltshire, PCC — certified professional coach, TED fellows coach, facilitator, and the trainer behind IAAP's Aspire: Next Level leadership conference — for a conversation that starts with a simple but powerful premise: administrative professionals are already leaders. The question is what happens when you truly believe that about yourself. Danielle brings her coaching expertise and her deep connection to the administrative profession to explore what it means to lead with executive presence, strategic thinking, and authentic influence — not by becoming someone different, but by uncovering what's already there. And if you're ready to take that next step in community, Aspire: Next Level is coming to Chicago this September — and this episode is your invitation to imagine yourself in that room.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

Administrative professionals have always been the ones keeping everything on track — the timelines, the priorities, the people, the moving parts. But what happens when you pair that instinct with real project management strategy and the right tech tools to back it up? That's exactly what the Innovation Lab at Summit 2026 is designed to find out. In this episode of Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates, hosts Rachel Suman and Melissa Mahoney sit down with Innovation Lab facilitators Mary Beth Imbarrato and Vonetta Watson-Edwards for a conversation about what it really means to lead projects with clarity and confidence. From hands-on Microsoft 365 workflows to the post-Summit virtual cohort that keeps the momentum going, this episode is your insider's preview of one of the most high-impact add-on experiences at Summit 2026 in Los Angeles. Whether you're already comfortable in a project lead role or just starting to see yourself in that seat, this conversation will meet you where you are — and push you further.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

What if the most powerful thing you bring to work every day isn't your skills or your systems — but your capacity for genuine human connection? That's the question at the heart of Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates hosts Rachel Suman and Melissa Mahoney's conversation with Shola Richards, the kindness champion, bestselling author, and returning favorite of the IAAP community. Shola is back — first as a guest on this podcast, and then on the Summit stage in Los Angeles, where his opening keynote, Our Power Is in Our Hands, will set the tone for the entire Summit 2026 experience. In this conversation, Shola unpacks what it really means to be a culture carrier and connector, why kindness is not the same as niceness, and how administrative professionals are uniquely positioned to be the most powerful change agents in any organization. You'll leave with practical strategies you can put to work immediately — and with a serious case of Summit FOMO if you aren't already registered.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap

What would it mean to have someone fully in your corner — asking the right questions, holding space for your growth, and helping you see what you can't always see in yourself? In this episode of Beyond the Desk: Admin Advocates, hosts Rachel Suman and Melissa Mahoney get personal. No guests, no agenda — just an honest conversation about their own experiences with coaching and what it's opened up for each of them personally and professionally. Because coaching isn't just for executives or people in crisis. It's for anyone ready to move. And if you've ever been curious but not quite sure it's for you, this episode is your invitation. Plus — IAAP is bringing a complimentary coaching experience to Summit 2026 in Los Angeles, and you won't want to miss what's waiting for you there.Connect with us on our socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iaaphq/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-administrative-professionals-iaap/X: https://twitter.com/iaap