Her Story
About Dawnee
Dawnee Frey is an Executive Assistant supporting the co-founders at Blink Health in the tech industry. With close to 25 years of experience, she began her career as a receptionist out of high school and advanced to claims processor and executive support roles at Group Health, now Kaiser Permanente, where she worked for about 10 years supporting IT executives. After being laid off during COVID, she supported the CEO at Headlight and led a weekly group of EAs before joining Blink Health. She attributes her success to her journey as a single mom and advice from her parents to be a victor rather than a victim. Frey values integrity, hard work, positivity, and reliability, and she shifted from a task-oriented to a strategic mindset after studying The Elevated EA by Maggie Jacobs.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dawnee
01What do you attribute your success to?
My struggle as a single mom has been my main catalyst and motivator. My parents have always told me you're never a victim, you're always a victor. Wanting what's best for my son and not wanting to live in a one-bedroom apartment working two jobs has pushed me to make the best of every situation with a positive mindset.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You have nothing to lose by trying. After being laid off, I picked up Maggie Jacobs' book The Elevated EA which taught me I hadn't even begun to apply myself. Changing from task-oriented to strategic mindset and applying for CEO support roles showed me you never know what you can do until you try.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have nothing to lose by trying. Sometimes it's easy to put yourself in a box and let your insecurities and life limit you, but if you can change that mindset and apply yourself, amazing things can happen. Just the amazing things that have happened in my life was just me trying.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is key - doing the right thing when nobody is looking, because your name is all you have. Working hard and staying positive as an even-keeled person so coworkers know they can count on you. Being reliable is really important.
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