About

I just want to say, “Wow!,” Teresa is amazing!  She’s had a really significant impact on our business: implementing a new appointment-scheduling system, helping design a new quarterly service routine, and jumping in right-and-left to help with day-to-day tasks.  And she does it all with such grace!  She’s quickly become an inseparable part of our team.

Good for you for seeing Teresa’s potential and adding her to your team.  I’m so grateful!

Athena Executive Services is different. My assistant is like a magical organization and operations angel. She makes my life work.

I think a large part of what sets Athena apart is Athena trains the executive and the assistant to delegate via fulfilling on intentions. There is a big difference between having to tell someone all of the details of what I need to be completed versus explaining the overall intention of what I am looking to accomplish and working with my assistant to fulfill my intention. Gina’s coaching ensures the intentions are fulfilled.

Additionally, I never have to worry about my assistant getting demotivated because I’ve given them one of the most not fun tasks ever, like organizing all of our legal documents for the past 10 years. Gina ensures that each assistant is connected to what difference those tasks makes for the executive, so the tasks are done with care.

I had the good fortune to hire Tim Long for a year as my Executive Assistant, through Athena Executive Services. I run a 20-person, $5 million dollar DC-based nonprofit and wondered how someone on the other side of the US was going to be able to manage my calendar, travel, and other administrative needs. My calendar alone is like an unruly child, constantly moving and changing, balancing both my work and personal life as a divorced mom of a teenage boy. I need not to have wondered… from the first minute we spoke, I felt like I was talking with someone who not only got me, but made it his personal mission to make my life easier. Not only did he quickly learn our organization’s systems and people, he was incredibly responsive despite the time difference. He presented a professional front to external colleagues and clients, and told me the highlight of his time with me was when he scheduled my one-on-one with Senator Bernie Sanders. (That was a highlight of my year too!) Changes within our organization’s funding made it so I had to give Tim up, but it was not because his support of me was a luxury or something I could live without….whomever gets to work with Tim will benefit and thoroughly enjoy his company.

My Virtual EA has helped me be measurably more efficient. Sam (Virtual EA) has reduced the amount of time and mental space (key) that I was using with emails and loose ends (meetings, follow up calls, travel arrangements, document signing, etc).

With his help I have been able to concentrate more on the vision, culture, team, and resource allocation of our business in a way that has eluded me previously.

Here at Pretrial Justice Institute we were interested in exploring how EAs could support our leadership team. We had a team of three EAs working with our five leadership team members. Debra quickly became an essential member of my team supporting us with all requests- from managing my calendar to the project management of several small projects. Debra was well organized, dependable, committed to accuracy and efficiency, and a team player. And even more importantly, Debra held me accountable to the personal and professional goals I wanted to achieve by having an executive assistant. I enjoyed having her as a part of my team and was very pleased with her work ethic and commitment.

I’ve never done time at a corporate gig, my work experience is 100% business owner, so what I know about running a business is learned from hard-knocks, books, and great coaches. When my business starts expanding, my go-to reaction is to hunker down, handle the extra work and get it done… which is stupid, and enjoyable for no one, including my family. During this year’s busy season, I worked with Gina to bring on a VA. Guys, hiring a VA is seriously boss-level but on training wheels. Alison was able to get onboard quickly and identify the tasks that I hated doing and did them for me. I am certain that hiring an employee would have been a disaster, this is the best way to scale my time, and I recommend Athena to everyone now. They are awesome.

His presence and agility in contributing to our organization quickly became our new normal and helped with my ability to deepen connection to our customers, vendors, and colleagues in a fast-paced startup world critically dependent on professionalism and communication.

I get a level of communication and responsiveness that is above and beyond what I would receive from someone I could hire off Craigslist for $20/hour. Athena Executive Assistants ensure the job gets done professionally and with quality, versus just doing tasks and logging time.

Athena Executive Services charges more than I was planning to pay, but it makes up for the cost of the real estate, taxes, and benefits I would pay an employee. Everything is done virtually, so I don’t have to worry about having a desk or equipment for my EA. One less headache to have.

Another selling point for me, about hiring an Athena Executive Assistant, was the possibility and permission to say “no” to clients and requests that I normally wouldn’t decline. I don’t have to be the bad guy anymore. Alison is the guard of my calendar. She looks at my schedule and says yes or no based on whether I actually do have the time and space to take a phone call, a meeting or that coffee date. She designs a schedule for me that is way more sane that I had before.

After only just a few months, I experience less stress and anxiety and more peace of mind. I’m now able spend more time on the parts of my business and career that I love the most, which at the end of the day, leaves me fulfilled.  Thanks Athena!