Leah Warwick: Hi everyone, I’m Leah Warwick and you’re listening to The Admin Edge. We’re wrapping up this season with a very special guest, ASAP Circle Community Manager, Deanna Danger. Deanna, along with Nakia Whittaker-Woody, host virtual coffee breaks for our big community in the ASAP Circle, a free online platform for sharing resources and connecting with other like-minded professionals. You can find the ASAP Circle under resources on the ASAP website.

Now, here’s me and Deanna catching up at EA Ignite.

Leah Warwick: It’s great to have you here.

Deanna Danger: Thank you.

Leah Warwick: You’re an executive assistant at Vanderbilt.

Deanna Danger: Yep, here in Nashville.

Leah Warwick: So, right on the street?

Deanna Danger: I know, very local. I got to go home and sleep with my cat, you know, so it was very kind of nice to just be here. But I do kind of miss that like hotel feel where you’re like in the room, you know, doing that type of stuff. So, yeah. So, it’s definitely pros and cons.

Leah Warwick: it’s definitely pros and cons, but it’s very easy for you to be here in Nashville with us.

Deanna Danger: It’s so fun. So, it’s a great place to host these things.

Leah Warwick: Yes. And this venue is great. It’s right next to everything.

Deanna Danger: It’s beautiful. It’s a prime locatio; all of the women I’ve run into and people I’ve run into are like, where can I go? I’m like, where do you want to go, honestly? Yeah. I’m happy to have you here in Nashville.

Leah Warwick: Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the warm welcome. And I have been so eager to talk to you because you’re one of our ASAP Circle community managers this year.

Deanna Danger: Yes.

Leah Warwick: Tell me, how did you first come across ASAP and how would you describe the community?

Deanna Danger: Yeah. When I started at Vanderbilt in 2023, one of my colleagues, we just connected. I think because I had to email them and they were like, I’m a part of ASAP, and I had never heard of it. But they knew that I was certified in other types of admin certifications and I had a passion for learning. It’s honestly one of the reasons I took my job, as I was hungry for more. And he was like, you would love ASAP. So I started just stalking the website and seeing what was out there and then I found the community page and found a place of admins talking.

And so I started joining the coffee chats every week, and just participating and meeting people and talking; and then around December of last year, they reached out and they were like, do you want to be one of our community managers? And like, yeah, okay! I love connecting with other admins and I’m super passionate about what our industry is and where it’s going, and what ASAP’s message is is really important. So it was a no brainer to say yes to it.

Leah Warwick: And we’re so glad you did! For anyone listening is like, what is she talking about? ASAP Circle is a free online community that you can join and  learn from others that may be in similar situations.

Deanna Danger: Yeah. It’s like a forum, and there’s different pockets where you can network. You could find a mentor. You could be a mentor. You could ask questions and you could also just celebrate yourself and just be like, “I have no one to say I just did something awesome,” and you have a whole community now that will support you whether it’s for advice or just needing someone to say, “You’re amazing.”

Leah Warwick: One of my favorite things, and this happens on pretty much a weekly basis, is someone will post that they aced their PACE. They got their certification, and then they get all these people in the comments being like, great job.

Deanna Danger: I know the meme game is strong in our group. There’s a lot of fun responses to things.

Leah Warwick: Yeah, you can do emojis and all sorts of stuff.

Deanna Danger: Yeah, it’s great.

Leah Warwick: And Deanna is really great because you provide that perspective of an EA and higher education as well. And we do have a lot of higher education admins in our community, but that said people have a lot to learn no matter what industry sector you’re in.

Deanna Danger: It doesn’t matter if you are someone who is, whatever industry you’re in or whatever level admin… I don’t want to say “just an admin.” I hate that term because we’re more than just admins; but like any level, of whether it’s I’m just starting out in my career or I’m seasoned. Onelike one of my favorite coffee chats is when we celebrate some of the women and men and people that are about to retire. But they’re still showing up. They’re still providing content and  suggestions and opportunity and for growth for others. So it’s great to see the range of people that join.

Leah Warwick: Oh yes, like being a mentor and also continuing to learn yourself.

Deanna Danger: Yeah. And it’s a great place if you’re like, “I want to mentor and I don’t know where to start”. This is a place where you could post and say, “If you’re looking for this type of support, this is what I do.” Whether it’s your industry or it could be a one-off, like I’ll have people message and say, “Can I just pick your brain about something? I heard you make this suggestion” or other groups have started to grow together.

We’ve actually created state and region cohorts. So, they’ve started to meet and get together and I was like, you know what? We need a Tennessee one. So we meet off the Circle, but because of the Circle, and we talk about what it’s like to be an admin in any industry here in Tennessee.

And you see them chatting in their states, and there’s also job posting. So you could, if you’re looking for a role or advice about, “I want to be a remote admin. How do I do this? Or what are some suggestions?” There’s a wealth of knowledge in the admin world there.

Leah Warwick: And we really need each other. We need our community, and especially for admins don’t have a lot of admins at work where they are.

Deanna Danger: Yeah, they’re very siloed and isolated. And if I think what I love about it is: I think about all of my leaders, they network. They’re out there talking to other leaders in their industry or in their city. They always know somebody. And I’m like, why don’t I know anyone? Why don’t I know people that are in my industry and we can learn from each other? My boss is an advocate for that type of growth and how you build your tribe with your people, and you share knowledge. And this is a place to do that; because if our leaders are doing it, we should be doing it.

And that’s what I think the Circle also brings, because if you’re by yourself — and a lot of admins can be or they have such a small team — this is a place where you have thousands of admins of all walks of life that are out there for you.

Leah Warwick: Yes, it’s so true. And I was talking to someone else about this earlier: a lot of executives have what they call their personal board of directors, and it’s all these different people. And it’s like, well, what about us?

Deanna Danger: Yeah, for sure.

Leah Warwick: So, I love that. And I have so many more burning questions for you. First of all, as an ASAP community manager, what do you think for you is the most impactful part of being in that community?

Deanna Danger: As someone who gets to do the Tuesday coffee chats, it’s watching other admins support each other when they come for advice, where they’re in those positions where they’re fighting for that legitimacy that we talk about at every conference that I’ve been to with ASAP. It’s owning who you are, owning your career, and being impactful; and showing any industry how our roles have grown and they’re not disappearing — they’re evolving.

[The ASAP Circle] is a place where you see others lift each other up and get advice, whether it’s advocating for training, or with your leader — we just had a Tuesday coffee chat all about failing. And it was like, when you mess up, how have you gotten through it? And you see everyone just cheering each other on, like, “I’ve been there,” “I have imposter syndrome,” those types of things. And watching your peers help each other out, I think is the best. And following up with each other, like, how did it go on your job interview? How are you doing with that? How did you advocate for that hard situation? And all the advice that everyone gives each other, honestly, is my favorite part.

It’s so heartwarming to know that there’s people rooting for you and helping you grow and find your voice if you don’t have one or you need help finding it. It’s just really fun to watch my peers in the Circle helping each other, that’s my favorite part.

Leah Warwick: And so impactful when this profession, as you alluded to, is often very misunderstood by outsiders.

Deanna Danger: Yes. And frankly, there’s a lot of outdated perception of the roles. I haven’t filed a piece of paper in like years. And that’s what people still think we do. And I think [the ASAP Circle] helps elevate it because you can say to your leader, “I have a weekly meeting with over 100 admins all over the world that talk about what’s going on,” whether it’s AI, whether it’s problem solving, those types of things. And you have this elevation to your career, because you have a place and a cohort of people that you can go to and just help elevate who you are. And it shows that you’re out there growing, and leaders are surprisingly shocked that admins are doing that. It’s a great place to just say, “Hey, this is what I’m doing.” And they’re like, “Oh!” and, you know, they see you in a different light.

Leah Warwick: Yes, because I find there is so much power in community. Strength in numbers, right? So even if you’re the only admin or EA in your department, you’re like, “I’ve got all my team members with me here from other places.” So I’d love to hear more about that. Like, what makes the ASAP Circle ccommunity different from a LinkedIn group or Facebook group. And those can be good too.

Deanna Danger: Yeah, they can be. I think the one thing about the ASAP Circle is it’s free. There’s no paywall to get any extra content or anything like that. It’s a free community that you can join that’s just about our industry, the industry of admins. No one’s trying to sell you anything. No one’s trying to do anything but elevate you and grow and be there for each other. There’s nothing but positivity. And when you’re feeling down, it’s a place to go to to be vulnerable in a safe space, and a safe space for the community, where it’s not about outside people. It’s just about us and what we’re trying to accomplish as a community.

Leah Warwick: Yes. And we do take a lot of efforts to ensure that the community stays the safe place. And that’s part of why we have community leaders, because it is a role that is important to us to ensure that that community stays that way.

Deanna Danger: Yes, it’s a place that you can get vulnerable on our coffee chats. We always start with, does anyone have anything they need advice on? Or they’re struggling with, or they just want to say; and the people that speak up, it’s so great to see your community lift you up. And they’ll come with, hey, I’m struggling with someone that I’m working with, or I have this issue, or how did you do this? What is a better way to do this, or how have you grown in this? And I have yet to see anyone ever be mean. It’s just not a place of that, because there’s no one’s here for that type of stuff. It’s really like: We are legit, we’re here, and we’re here for each other. So it’s a really easy gig, because I’m like, everyone’s just so nice to each other all the time.

Leah Warwick: It’s such a rarity. Sometimes you find that online, there’ll be like a certain subreddit that miraculously is not toxic or whatever, and you’re like, yay! But to have that in this day and age…

Deanna Danger: It’s like, no ego. We’re all there for the same reason. And that’s what I think is the best part, is that ASAP has a safe space that also just grows you. It’s almost like when you leave the conferences and you’re empowered and you’re like, yes! I leave the coffee chats going, I have this today, I have this, or I feel seen today. And that sometimes is all you need to feel empowered.

Leah Warwick: Yes. And of course, we know not everyone is able to come to an event like this. So we wanted to provide something where you can build community from where you are. And it is possible.

Deanna Danger: And we have the online forum where everyone can join, so it’s at your time. So the coffee chats are now recorded, because everyone was like, please record them. So we started recording them. And you could view them if you can’t make them live. And you could participate in them even afterwards because there’s chats with them. We always post the topics early. So if you have a question and you can’t make it, you can ask, “Can you read this question?” and get advice and then go back and listen and read it and those types of things.

Leah Warwick: That is so great. I’m so glad you’re providing that. It’s really a great resource to have. And I’m wondering, you did mention that you’ve seen successes in the Circle. Are there any standout moments or stories where you’ve seen a member really help another member?

Deanna Danger: I think my favorite is when I hear about promotions. We talked a lot in the earlier this year about advocating for yourself, for more money and more things like that, asking for that promotion. And I think my favorite is when we follow up and we’re like, “You’re on the call, how did it go?” Or if there was like a struggle that they had, and then they’re back and we get to follow up on it.

It’s my favorite part because I’m like, yes, we helped you on that journey and we’re invested. It’s almost like a TV show where it’s like, “Alright, how did it go? How did this happen?” and watching people get the training. I think one of my favorites was right before APC, someone really wanted to go and it was helping them walk through how to get the yes and they were able to get that yes.

And just seeing when someone’s struggling, to just see someone say, “Thank you” because like they feel seen or they get really good advice and then they come back and they share, I was able to get this, or I was able to wrangle my boss into finally getting this done. I think that’s my favorite part. Also, when someone asks a question on the forum, it never goes unanswered. Someone always has a suggestion or a helpful way, and I think it’s just great to see people helping others, you know?

Leah Warwick: And how organic it’s been. Because really, I will say, as someone who works at ASAP, we kind of just put the Circle out there and said, “It’s yours, community.” We go in there for fun. We’re like, what are people talking about? But it truly is a community effort and it is run by the community, which we want to preserve and we love.

Deanna Danger: Yeah. And then I think that’s another thing that’s different is that even though it’s an ASAP community, it’s not ASAP talking all the time. I do the community manager stuff, but I’m also an admin in higher ed. So I ask questions about higher ed stuff. And I think what’s great is that it’s the people that are building it. And so I just like watching half the time when they post stuff and I’m like, I feel that 100%.

Leah Warwick: Sometimes we go there as a staff and we’re like, this is so cool. And I see the wins too. And when you’re talking about promotions and getting the yes, so much of that is: the work has already been done that proves it, and what is needed then is the confidence in how to say it or how to ask. That’s where your community comes in, because you did all the work, and your community is like, “You can do it.” Have the confidence. It’s scary to ask, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Your people could say, “Phrase it this way,” and that can be helpful.

Deanna Danger: And they share their success. So there is a lot of people that when we talk about stuff like that, they’ve said, “This is how I got to where I am.” I’m really excited because we’re also having community members talk through stuff on our calls. So, having them present. Like one of them, we still chat monthly. We have our own virtual chat offline. She is DISC certified and talked about what it was like to get her certification and how that elevated her career. I have someone who’s going to come in and speak about a different type of certification that’s helped her elevate. People have talked about how they event plan, and just bouncing ideas off of each other to continue to grow is one of my favorite parts — because you see someone feeling confident enough to be like, I can do that. I can ask for that, because I saw you do it and you had this success story that helped me feel confident. Or inspired or just like, I feel lost, or when you’re having one of those days where you’re like, I don’t think I’m doing this right. You have a whole community that’s like one, we’re all there. We’ve all felt that way. And then two, we hear you and we see you and you’re seen. So that in itself helps people feel better if they’re having those struggles.

Leah Warwick: Yes, the validation and then also the proof, “Well, I did that.” And so sometimes that gets me thinking, if I’m nervous about something, I’m like, “Well, she did it. I can do it too.” And I think that really, really helps to feel less alone.

Deanna Danger: And it’s not made up stuff. It’s like, here’s proof that you can go out there and here’s how I’ve helped myself and advocated for myself and feel empowered. So I think that’s one of my favorite parts too.

Leah Warwick: That sounds really rewarding as well. It does take some work to get these communities going, but I think the reason people stay in this community work is because of how rewarding the work is. And I really, really appreciate that.

Here’s a really good question I have for you. From one of our community members, they have a few. But one of them is: “For those who have attended APC or EA Ignite, who’ve had the opportunity to go, how can they keep that momentum going once they’re back home and online?”

Deanna Danger: Sure. I think there’s a couple of things. When you leave a conference, you’re always decompressing. You have an inbox full because you’ve left, you’ve checked out for like three days, four days, and now you’re overwhelmed with all the work you have to go back to. Sticking with your coffee chats, we’ll talk about things that were brought up or lik what was inspiring at APC this year. Nakia, my counterpart community manager, and I we did an [ASAP Circle coffee break] live as a Braindate [at APC]. And it’s just coming back and talking about those things and then asking questions like, “Hey, I was at APC and I was in this room. How does everyone else feel about like AI and strategic partnership and continuing those conversations?”

And I think what’s nice is that going to the coffee chats, honestly, is a way to keep the momentum going where you’re in a practice of already making time for yourself and adding that into it. I think having a community helps you remember to make time for yourself and to take a step away from your email, maybe reread your notes from APC, or staying connected to someone you met.

My favorite part at APC was I got messages from people I finally got to meet in person, and we still talk to each other and just check in, like: “Hey, we had that conversation. Did you try that strategic thing? Or did you try that trick that you learned in that tech webinar?” Staying in touch is really important, and going to the Circle post-conferences is a way to keep that practice.

Leah Warwick: Yes. And keep you accountable with your peers who also went,, and share for those who weren’t able to go. The conference is just one step in the learning journey. It’s usually where you’re introduced to new ideas or maybe different ways of thinking; but then you have to apply it when you get home — and having a community like with Circle to support you with that, and then talk through it, helps you remember to do those things.

Deanna Danger: We talked about State of the Profesion, which is one of my favorite parts of any of the conferences because it’s like, where is our industry going? Where are we at? Here’s the data that shows it; and then talking about that in the Circle of like, here’s where I’m sitting and this is how I see it, and having conversations about it. I think also helps where, if you weren’t here, you could still watch it and stream it and talk about it. It’s also a place where, if you can’t participate in these, we’ll talk about the webinars that ASAP puts on and the free ones and all of that type of stuff.

So I think going to the Circle and having that practice when you leave something like this is a great way to keep that momentum fresh, because you’re still constantly learning every week, because you’re making that time for yourself and you’re not letting your notes just sit on your desk. You come back and you’re like, I’ll get back to this PowerPoint that I’m never going to look at again. Where if you’re already in practice with going to the Circle, you’re already still doing those types of things to stay connected and fresh in that way.

Leah Warwick: That’s so true. That’s so true. And for me, also, I have to have a practice. I have to have a schedule. If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not happening, right? So that’s really, really important to keep in mind. And another question from our community that came up: “There are so many resources in the ASAP community and it’s awesome, but also a little overwhelming. So where should a new member like me start?”

Deanna Danger: First going to the page and logging in, there’s a Welcome that drives you to all of the different types of pages. That’s your starting point and start small. Like, even if it’s going to read. I love it when someone’s like, “I have never posted, but now I finally have a question.” And the coffee chats, you could just listen. Sometimes  one of my favorite parts is the admins who are off camera and they can’t talk, because they’re covering a front desk or they’re doing something, but they’re there anyways. Like, they’re showing up.

So just little moments. Take 30 minutes to just listen to something, check in when you can. My favorite thing is in the morning, I log into my email, I also log into ASAP and I look at the page and I see if there’s any questions. I think of it as reading the news. So if you’re going to take the time to read, you know, an email about what’s going on in the world, take that five minutes. Just check the page and see if there’s anything on there that you’ve missed or you want to chat about or you have a question about. And I put it into my daily practice that way.

You don’t need to go full in. You could just start small and check out each section; and even if it’s just reading, that’s still a way to be involved where it’s like, I don’t have to dive in or be on camera and ask questions if I don’t want to.

Leah Warwick: That’s a really good point. There’s many levels, and it’s introverted friendly. Just because you’re joining the coffee chat doesn’t mean you have to be camera on it.

Deanna Danger: There are some times where a lot of everyone are off camera, just because we’re trying to sneak in that 30 minutes for ourselves and our day. So I think that’s great. Or you see someone walking behind them because, you know, this is what I’m doing and it’s part of the gig. It’s part of what we do. We’re also busy.

Leah Warwick: So busy. The fact that the coffee chat is something that people are doing in the spare minutes they have at work, I think just goes to show how needed this is and how important it is.

Deanna Danger: Yeah. And that I hear a lot from admins is, “I don’t make enough time for me.” And if you just take, whether it’s five minutes to just check the forum, or 30 minutes for one of our coffee chats, even rewatching a coffee chat afterwards — if you can’t make the time, it’s doing something for yourself in a self-care moment for your own job. It’s your career self-care, is how I like to think of it as.

It’s just one of those things. It’s like your SPF. The Circle is one of your skincare routine types of things, but it’s your career routine. It’s something that’s going to elevate you and it’s so easy and it’s free and it’s low effort, but high impact.

Leah Warwick: Well, I couldn’t have said it better. You could not have said it better. Thank you so much.

Deanna Danger: Thank you.

Leah Warwick: Please tell everyone how to get on Circle.

Deanna Danger: If you go to the ASAP page and you go to the community, you’ll find the Circle there in the drop down. It’s free to join. Once you’re on, we get a notification that says people join. I love when we have these conferences, because I think today I had 19 notifications just in an hour of people joining. And then you’re on and then that’s it.

Leah Warwick: So, so easy. And Deanna’s on there, if you want to say hi.

Deanna Danger: Hi! you could always reach out to me or message me; and that’s the thing, you could private message on there. So if you have questions or you want a certain topic covered, we are always taking suggestions. If you have something that you are dying to get advice on or something like that, reach out to me or my counterpart Nakia. We are all about building the community.

Leah Warwick: I’m so grateful for that. Thank you.

Thank you for listening to the Admin Edge, produced by the American Society of Administrative Professionals. Original music and audio editing by Warwick Productions with audio and video production by 5Tool Productions. If you like this podcast, please leave us a nice review, five stars, and subscribe. If you’d like to submit a listener question, you may do so on our website at asaporg.com/podcast.