Editor’s Note: We are excited to feature today’s guest blogger, Peggy Vasquez, a speaker, empowerment coach, and best-selling author with decades of experience as an executive assistant. Peggy will be speaking at the 2025 Conference for Administrative Excellence, and co-leading the Elite Assistant Certification workshop.
Have you ever felt like you’re doing everything right—showing up, staying organized, anticipating needs—only to have change blindside you anyway?
One minute, you’re in the flow. The next, your executive’s priorities shift, an email about a reorg lands in your inbox, and you’re staring at yet another unexpected system update. Just like that, chaos takes over.
I’ve lived it – and if you’re an admin, I know you have, too.
The pace of change isn’t only fast. It’s relentless.
And as administrative professionals, we shift gears daily, stay calm under pressure, and deliver results without missing a beat. Resilience is one of our Power Skills.
But let’s not sugarcoat it – all that change is building stress. And more often than not, you’re holding it all together on the outside – but inside, it’s taking a toll.
It’s time for a new kind of resilience for administrative professionals. One you build with intention. One that strengthens you from the inside out. That’s resilience by design.
I used to think resilience meant powering through—smiling on the outside and pushing ahead, no matter how heavy things felt.
But that’s not resilience. That’s survival.
Real resilience isn’t about pretending you’ve got it all together. It is about staying grounded – even when the ground keeps shifting.
It’s not something you’re born with. It’s something you build – choice by choice, habit by habit, with boundaries that protect your energy and support systems that lift you up.
The truth is most of us aren’t “bouncing back” from change. We’re recalibrating. Navigating. Doing our best to stay steady while everything around us moves.
That’s why the phrase “bounce back” doesn’t fit anymore. It skips over the hard, invisible work of staying present under pressure.
Resilience isn’t passive. It’s active. It’s not about waiting for calm – it’s about choosing how you show up in the storm.
And that doesn’t happen by luck. You have to design it.
That’s what resilience by design is all about.
Not bouncing back.
Building forward.
Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ll be sharing in my session this October. A small shift in how you think can change everything about how you lead.
1. Reframe Uncertainty as Opportunity
Instead of “Why is this happening to me?” try: “What can I learn or lead through because of this?”
Resilient professionals don’t just endure change. They grow through it. They ask better questions that shift their mindset from being overwhelmed to empowered.
2. Respond Instead of React
When stress hits, it’s easy to snap, shut down, or spiral. But the real power comes from pausing.
One admin told me how her executive suddenly came out of a tense board meeting and started unloading frustration on her—loudly.
I’m sure you might be thinking, “I wouldn’t put up with that!”
Rather than taking it personally, she grounded herself and calmly said, “Sounds like that meeting didn’t go as planned. What’s the most urgent thing you need from me right now?”
That one sentence shifted the dynamic. Her words de-escalated the moment. It gave her executive time to pause, gather his thoughts, and that led to clarity of what needed to be done in that moment.
When you stay calm under pressure, you invite others to match your energy.
3. Future-Proof Your Mindset
Change isn’t slowing down. The admins who stay ahead? They’re not waiting to be told what to do – they’re learning, experimenting, and evolving.
They don’t show up perfect. They show up prepared.
Because confidence doesn’t come from having all the answers – it comes from knowing you’ll figure it out.
Peggy Vasquez will be speaking at the Conference for Administrative Excellence on the topic, “Resilient by Design: Thriving in the Face of Change and Challenge.”
In conversations with administrative professionals across the globe, I hear familiar themes:
That’s what led me to create something I now call:
The Resilience Equation:
Resilience = Flexibility in Motion + Emotional Mastery + Forward-Minded Leadership
This equation isn’t just theory. It’s what I’ve seen play out in real life again and again. Let’s break it down:
1. Flexibility in Motion
This is your ability to pivot without panic. When plans shift – and they always do – you adapt, stay focused, and take the next best step.
Like the assistant whose executive got pulled into a last-minute media interview with less than 20 minutes’ notice, she adjusted the schedule, prepped briefing notes, grabbed water – and met him at the door with calm confidence. No drama. Just action.
2. Emotional Mastery
This is the space between stimulus and response – and what you choose to do with it.
I’ll never forget the toughest review of my career. I was stunned. Upset. Defensive.
But thankfully, instead of reacting, I called a trusted mentor. Her guidance helped me move past my emotions and into an opportunity for growth. I scheduled time to discuss the review with my executive. Before we met, I took time to breathe, prepare clarifying questions, and shifted my mindset to curiosity. Guess what? It completely shifted the conversation, and I left the meeting with clear actions I could take to step up my game.
Real leadership starts with feedback – and grows when you put it into practice.
3. Forward-minded Leadership
This is how you lead without waiting to be asked. You see what’s needed – and take action.
One client I coached documented a brand-new process during a tech rollout. No one assigned her the task. But her notes became the go-to reference for the entire team, and her initiative didn’t go unnoticed.
This kind of leadership isn’t about having a title – it’s about having the mindset to lead, regardless of where you sit.
Each part of the resilience equation helps you make better decisions under pressure, and lead yourself (and others) with confidence.
Our brains are wired to resist uncertainty. It’s part of our survival instinct.
However, in today’s workplace, that resistance often manifests as overthinking, people-pleasing, or getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
That’s why I teach fast-action reset tools to help you recenter when emotions run high:
• The Confident Pause – A breath. A question. A better next move.
• The Executive Reset – A 30-second clarity break to regain focus.
• The Energy Audit – A simple check-in: What can you control? What can you let go of?
Sometimes, the most powerful rest comes when you see the whole picture – not just your piece of it.
I once worked with an assistant who was deeply frustrated during a major reorganization. She was angry. Hurt. Layoffs had impacted her team, and morale was low. She wanted to stand up and say, “This isn’t right.” She asked me,
“Does the leadership team really know what they’re doing? Do they get how this affects us?”
At the time, I was the Chief Executive Assistant with a seat at the leadership table.
And without sharing confidential information, I told her the truth: “Yes, they got it. They’d spent months weighing the options. No decision was made lightly. The choices weren’t about dismissing anyone’s worth, they were about protecting what mattered most for the long term.”
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Resilience doesn’t always mean charging ahead.
Sometimes, resilience means pausing, gaining perspective, and realizing that change isn’t personal.
It’s strategic. It’s necessary.
And it might just be the doorway to something better.
Every resilient assistant I’ve met has one thing in common:
Resilient assistants don’t leave their mindset to chance.
They’ve built a system – a toolkit – for handling the tough stuff.
For some, it’s a morning routine.
For others, it’s a trusted mentor who tells them the truth.
Or a sticky note with a personal mantra that reminds them who they are when the day gets messy.
It’s my literal orange suitcase.
Inside it, I carry the tools that have helped me lead through layoff announcements, navigate reorgs, speak in front of international audiences, and recover from the days that almost broke me.
That suitcase is coming with me this fall to the Office Dynamics Conference—and I’ll be sharing the tools that helped me go from barely holding it together to feeling grounded, even in chaos.
What’s not in my suitcase? Fearlessness.
Because resilience isn’t about never feeling fear. Resilience is about building the strength, clarity, and confidence to face the fear—and move forward anyway.
We live in a world that celebrates hustle and busyness as if they were the highest badges of honor.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
The strongest people aren’t the ones who power through.
They’re the ones who pause, breathe, and lead with intention.
Join me this October, I’ll be delivering one of the most personal and powerful sessions I’ve ever created:
Resilient by Design: Thriving in the Face of Change and Challenge
If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding it all together on the outside while running empty on the inside, this session on resilience for administrative professionals is for you.
We’ll go beyond surface-level motivation.
You’ll walk away with practical tools you can use right away—plus a mindset shift that empowers you to reclaim your energy, reset your clarity, and lead yourself forward with confidence.
Change is constant.
But resilience?
That’s yours to build.
Peggy Vasquez is a speaker, coach, and best-selling author. With experience as a Chief Executive Assistant, she understands the challenges administrative professionals face – because she’s lived them.
Today, Peggy helps administrative professionals own their value, lead with confidence, and build careers they’re proud of.
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In today’s fast-paced business world, the role of administrative and executive assistants is more crucial than ever in driving innovation and positive change within organizations. However, a common pitfall is that many organizations dive headfirst into radical change without first understanding the heart of the people responsible for implementing it. This dynamic keynote, which includes mesmerizing entertainment elements, will shine a light on the transformative power of seemingly insignificant actions, inspiring you to take the first step towards positioning yourself as a key catalyst to SPARK success.
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