Sophie Williams

Without question, my parents have been the greatest influences in my life and in the woman I have become today.

Growing up, I watched my dad build a highly successful career at Microsoft, and from an early age, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Some of my favorite childhood memories are connected to his career - waving to him from my bedroom window every morning as he left for work, visiting him at the office and leaving little notes on his whiteboard, and getting to attend Bring Your Kids to Work Day, where I would meet his colleagues and get a glimpse into the professional world he had built for himself. At the time, they were simply special moments with my dad. Looking back, I realize how much those experiences shaped my ambitions and my understanding of what dedication, hard work, and professional success could look like.

Today, my dad is a successful business owner, and I continue to be inspired by his drive, work ethic, and willingness to evolve throughout his career. I have always admired what he has accomplished, but even more importantly, I admire the example he has set for me. I hope that one day I can look back on my own career and feel that I have built something as meaningful and successful as he has.

My mom has been equally influential in a different but incredibly important way. She has always been my sounding board - the person I can turn to for perspective, encouragement, and advice. She has an incredible ability to help me see situations more clearly, and her guidance has shaped countless decisions throughout both my personal life and my career.

Together, my parents are my best friends and my biggest cheerleaders. They have encouraged me to work hard, believe in myself, take chances, and continue pushing toward what I want, while always reminding me of the importance of staying grounded in who I am. Their support has been a constant throughout every chapter of my life, and I know I would not be the woman I am - or where I am today -without them.

Some of the best career advice I have ever received is to find something you genuinely love doing and have the confidence to pursue it wholeheartedly. I have learned that when you truly enjoy what you do, that passion becomes visible in everything you bring to your work - your energy, your commitment, your resilience, and your desire to continuously grow. Passion has a way of turning a job into something you are genuinely proud to build a career around.

I have also been encouraged throughout my career to put myself out there and trust that I belong in the opportunities I have worked hard to earn. Confidence does not always mean having every answer or feeling completely ready. Sometimes, it means being willing to raise your hand, speak up, take a chance on yourself, and step into an opportunity before you know exactly where it will lead. Learning to believe in myself and recognize the value I bring has been one of the most important lessons I have carried with me.

Another piece of advice that has stayed with me is to never lose the human element of work. Careers are built around accomplishments and results, but they are also built around people. Leading with empathy, treating people with kindness, building genuine relationships, and taking the time to understand others can be just as powerful as any professional skill.

Ultimately, the advice that has influenced me most comes down to passion, confidence, and people: love what you do, believe in yourself enough to pursue what you want, and never lose sight of the people around you along the way. Those principles have shaped not only how I approach my career, but also the kind of professional and person I continue to strive to become.

The advice I would give to young women is to never make yourself smaller to fit into a room. Be unapologetically yourself. The qualities that make you different - your perspective, your ideas, your experiences, and your voice - are often the very things that will become your greatest strengths.

Have the confidence to take up space. Speak up, share your ideas, ask questions, and advocate for what you believe in. Especially as women in corporate environments, it is incredibly important that we recognize the value of our voices and have the courage to use them. You do not have to be the loudest person in the room to be influential, but you should never be afraid to make your presence known. Do not let anyone convince you to dim your light simply because it shines brightly.

Go after what you want, even when it feels intimidating. Apply for the opportunity you do not feel completely qualified for. Introduce yourself to the person you admire. Raise your hand for the project that scares you. Be willing to experiment, take risks, explore different roles and companies, and discover what genuinely excites you. Your career does not have to follow a perfectly straight path to be successful. Sometimes the experiences you never planned for are the ones that teach you the most about who you are and what you are capable of.

And never underestimate the power of relationships. Build your network before you need it. Reach out to people, ask questions, stay curious, and surround yourself with individuals who challenge and inspire you. Find mentors who will invest in your growth, but also find people who will advocate for you when you are not in the room. Then, as you grow, make sure you turn around and do the same for the women coming behind you.

Most importantly, believe in yourself before you expect anyone else to. Confidence will not always come naturally, and there will be moments when you question whether you are ready or whether you belong. Take the opportunity anyway. Your voice deserves to be heard, your ambitions deserve to be pursued, and you deserve to take up space in every room you have earned your way into.

Never let anyone dim your light - and as you rise, use that light to help illuminate the path for other women, too.

Some of the biggest challenges in the Executive Assistant space are also what make the profession so rewarding. The role requires adaptability, confidence, emotional intelligence, and the ability to continuously evolve - and those challenges create incredible opportunities for growth.

One of the biggest is that the role is constantly changing. Executive Assistants are expected to anticipate needs, navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and make decisions with incomplete information. But that also gives EAs a unique opportunity to develop exceptional business judgment and become trusted partners who understand not only what needs to happen, but why it matters.

Another challenge is demonstrating the strategic value of the role. There can still be a perception that executive support is primarily administrative, when in reality, great EAs are often operating behind some of the most important decisions, mechanisms, and relationships within an organization. I see that as an opportunity for EAs to redefine what the profession looks like - to understand the business deeply, take ownership, solve problems proactively, and demonstrate the impact they can have beyond their traditional scope.

Finding your voice and building confidence can also be challenging, particularly when you are working alongside senior leaders and experienced professionals. As an EA, you are often in rooms where important conversations and decisions are happening. Learning that your perspective has value - and developing the confidence to speak up, ask questions, challenge thoughtfully, and advocate for what is needed - is an incredibly powerful part of professional growth.

There is also the challenge of balancing being highly responsive with being intentional about your own development. EAs naturally spend so much time thinking about what others need that it can be easy to put their own career aspirations second. Making time to build new skills, find mentors, create relationships, understand the broader business, and think intentionally about where you want your career to go is incredibly important.

And perhaps most importantly, the EA profession requires you to become comfortable with change. Leaders change, organizations evolve, priorities shift, and no two days look exactly the same. Rather than seeing that uncertainty as a limitation, I think it can be one of the greatest advantages of the profession. Every new challenge gives you an opportunity to learn something, build resilience, expand your influence, and become a stronger professional.

The Executive Assistant role can give you a front-row seat to leadership, strategy, and how organizations operate.

The challenge - and the opportunity - is recognizing that you are not simply supporting the work. You have the ability to influence how the work gets done.

At the center of everything I do is kindness. It is more than a value to me - it is something deeply personal that I carry with me every single day.

Before my grandmother sadly passed away from brain cancer in 2021, I asked her to write anything she wanted on a piece of paper. She wrote two simple words: “Be Kind.” It was exactly what I expected her to write, because kindness was something she had taught me throughout my entire life. It was who she was, how she treated people, and one of the greatest lessons she passed down to me. I later had those words tattooed in her handwriting, so wherever life and my career take me, I will always carry that piece of her - and that reminder - with me.

Those two words have shaped so much of how I choose to move through the world. You never truly know what someone else is carrying, what kind of day they are having, or what they may be facing outside of the room you share with them. A small act of kindness, a moment of patience, or simply making someone feel seen can have an impact far greater than we realize.

Positivity is another defining part of who I am. Anyone who knows me knows that I make a conscious effort to radiate positive energy wherever I go, regardless of how I may personally be feeling that day. To me, positivity is not about pretending that everything is perfect. It is about choosing how you show up. I want to walk into a room with energy, optimism, and a willingness to be the support that someone else may need in that moment.

I strive to be someone people feel comfortable turning to - someone who listens, keeps an open mind, leads with empathy, and makes others feel heard and valued. I believe you can be confident while still being compassionate, ambitious while still being kind, and incredibly driven without ever losing the human element of who you are.

And I believe we have to remember to have fun along the way. Work will always be important, but so are the relationships and memories we create while doing it. Take your breaks. Laugh with your colleagues. Celebrate each other. Bring energy into the room. Enjoy the moments in between the big accomplishments, because those moments often become the ones you remember most.

Ultimately, I hope people remember more than the work I accomplished. I hope they remember how I made them feel - supported, welcomed, encouraged, and valued. If I can leave a person, a team, or even a room a little brighter than I found it, then I know I am honoring one of the most meaningful lessons my grandmother ever gave me:

Be Kind.