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The Room You Need to Build Your Career

Expect less passive learning, and more live thinking, peer challenge, coached discussion and actual decisions.

The Program

EXCELLENCE.

AMBITION.

CONNECTION.

 

Ascend Eight is a curated peer development program for high-performing Executive Assistants, Executive Business Partners, Chiefs of Staff and senior support professionals operating at the top of their field. 

Facilitated by Trinity James, Career Advisor, EA development specialist and APAC Lead for EA How To, the program combines live coaching, practical frameworks, peer discussion and intimate Office Hours with experienced leaders.

 

NEXT INTAKE
Taking applications NOW for January 2027

 

MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA

Kim

“When you’ve been in the workforce a long time, you bring this full mix of skills and experience that can be applied far beyond the traditional EA box. I want that broader value to be recognised.”

Kaitlyn

“I want to be known as a strategic partner, not just an exceptional executor. I want people to understand the thinking behind what I do, not only see the outcome.”

Katie

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and it’s been really great being in a room with people who have different knowledge and experience. I’m learning, not just giving advice.”

WHAT ASCEND EIGHT IS

Ascend Eight brings together experienced EAs and Executive Business Partners from different organisations and industries at the forefront of their careers.

They do not need to be taught how to be good assistants.

They are facing much harder questions.

How do I make the level I already operate at visible? What comes after senior EA? Should I push for a different title or broader scope? How do I handle a difficult workplace situation without losing my confidence? Am I actually ready for roles I have never considered before?

We work on those questions together.

The result is eight experienced professionals seeing their own capability, options and decisions more clearly.

Sophie | Seeing a much bigger career than her title suggested

Sophie joined Ascend8 already carrying responsibility and influence beyond a conventional EA remit. What began to change was her view of where that experience could take her.

“I definitely have got a lot more confidence. I’m now looking at different types of roles that I wouldn’t have deemed would apply to me... executive officer roles, team lead and manager type roles.”  

She described one of the most useful parts of the cohort very simply: hearing what other experienced people were doing and realising, I do that. I could do that.

That comparison widened the range of roles she was prepared to consider.

Sarah | Turning career thinking into an actual conversation

Sarah entered Ascend8 already operating as a highly experienced strategic EA. Her question was: what does progression look like when you are already operating at a high level?

The cohort helped her pressure-test her role, title and scope with peers who understood the work. She began conversations with her executive about how her role should evolve and started developing the business case for what she wanted next.  

The accountability mattered too. Sarah described knowing that she would have to come back the following week and tell the group what she had done. Apparently eight accomplished women asking “So, did you have the conversation?” is a very effective anti-procrastination device.

Her description of the cohort says a lot:

“It’s like having that sounding board, but also your little mini cheer squad behind you.”  

And unlike a conference or webinar, she said the weekly conversations allowed participants to go away, apply something, return and work through what happened with the same small group.

Membership Criteria

Ascend Eight is designed for high-performing support professionals who are already trusted with significant responsibility and want to develop alongside peers who understand the reality of operating at this level.

Title

Executive Assistant, Executive Business Partner, Executive Personal Assistant, Senior Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff and senior support roles.

Industry, Company Size & Maturity

Each cohort is curated to include a strong mix of industries, organisation types and professional backgrounds, offering different perspectives and experience.

Salary

Salary alone does not determine suitability.

If you are operating at a high level but are unsure whether you meet the criteria, we encourage you to apply.

Reporting Structure

Ascend Eight is designed for roles which require judgement, discretion, influence and the ability to operate with a high degree of trust.

Direct Reports

This is not essential.

What matters more is the scope of your role, the level of trust placed in you, and the contribution you can make to the cohort.

Professional Journey

We look at your current role, previous experience, scope of responsibility, exposure to complex environments, future aspirations and the level of insight you can bring to the group.

 

What will I get from Ascend Eight?

Ascend Eight combines curated peer connection, live coaching, practical implementation and direct access to expert voices across the profession.

Connections

The cohort is capped at eight participants.

You will be developing alongside a small group of high-performing support professionals who understand the level of responsibility, discretion and complexity that comes with elite support roles.

The group is designed to create honest conversation, practical insight and genuine peer support.

Live Coaching & Practical Frameworks

Each week includes a 60-minute live group coaching session via Zoom. The sessions are designed to help you reflect, discuss, apply and act. 

 

Office Hours & Expert Access

Across the program, Trinity will host 3x intimate Office Hours sessions with experienced leaders and practitioners. These sessions are designed to give the cohort direct access to high-level perspectives, while keeping the conversation practical, relevant and connected to the work participants are doing across the program.

 

Peer Development

You will learn from the facilitator, the frameworks, the Office Hours guests and most importantly, from each other.

Ascend Eight is built on the idea that professional growth is stronger when it happens in the right room.

Ascend Eight gives you that room.

Cathy | From career transition to a new role

Cathy joined the founding cohort while navigating a senior-level job search after redundancy. Within around two weeks, she had secured a new senior role in local government.

One of the things Ascend Eight gave her was immediate access to people working in different organisations and sectors, including a cohort connection that helped her recognise and pursue an opportunity.

That is what a professional network can look like in Ascend Eight.

 

Vetted participants.

Curated peer development.

Live coaching.

Access to experts.

How does it work?

Each week, you will attend a 60-minute live group coaching session via Zoom. Between sessions, you will complete practical tools, templates and reflection exercises designed to help you apply the work inside your actual role.

Eight core cohort sessions cover:

  • vision and strategic focus;
  • value, strengths and strategic positioning;
  • executive presence and personal brand;
  • communication, influence and managing up;
  • focus, boundaries and role design;
  • visibility, networking and opportunity creation;
  • negotiation and career progression;
  • and your personalised 12-month Ascension Plan.

Between sessions, participants use focused preparation and practical tools to bring current situations into the room. Office Hours are interspersed through the intake so expert perspectives can be applied to the work already underway.

OFFICE HOUR SESSIONS

Throughout Ascend8, the cohort has 3 x 45 minute office hour sessions where EA's operating at the top of their field will join us to answer questions directly, share insights from their personal career path and give strategies that worked for them.

Office Hours guests will be selected around the needs of the cohort and announced to successful applicants, and recent guests have included:

ALICIA FAIRCLOUGH

Founder, EA How To | Former EA 

A global view of the administrative profession: how the role is changing, what high-performing EAs are asking for, career trends, compensation and where the profession is heading next.

ANNE-MARIE OTAĂ‘EZ

The Chief of Staff Architect

Chief of Staff career pathways, strategic partnership, executive influence and what it actually takes to move from supporting leadership to operating alongside it.

LIBBY MOORE

Former Chief of Staff to Oprah Winfrey | Executive Coach

Career reinvention, high-performance executive partnership, possibility and the courage to make deliberate choices about what comes next.

YVETTE PEARSON

Business Operations Consultant | Former EA & Chief of Staff

A real-world view of what can come after EA: Chief of Staff, business operations, revenue operations and broader organisational leadership.

ANU LAMBA

Executive Assistant to Country Head of Operations, Amazon

A senior EA’s perspective on strategic partnership, trust, judgement and how to operate effectively in complex, high-pressure organisations.

Lisa | Finding her voice during a difficult professional chapter

Lisa entered the program while navigating an extremely difficult workplace situation and deciding what she wanted from the next stage of her career.

Ascend Eight gave her somewhere to work through live decisions with people who understood senior support work and could challenge her thinking.

“This has really made me think about what I actually really want for me and what comes in the next few years of my career... it’s pushing me to go and look for something else because I know I’m worth more.”  

When she brought a live workplace issue into the cohort, members helped her prepare questions, examine the situation from different angles and work out how she wanted to respond.  

Her biggest shift was beautifully practical:

“They’ve taught me not to settle. It’s about standing up, being and finding my voice, but in a kinder way to myself.”

Apply Now

Applications are now open for the Ascend Eight 2027 cohorts, beginning January 2027.

Each cohort is capped at 8 participants, and applications are reviewed individually to ensure the group is made up of true peers who will benefit from, and contribute to, the room.

$2,800 AUD

Ascend Eightis an application-only cohort for experienced professionals. There is no payment required unless your application is accepted.

Your investment includes the complete 2027 cohort experience: eight core live sessions, preparation resources and practical tools, private Office Hours, ongoing peer connection and facilitated career coaching throughout the intake.

Applications are open now:

Complete the application form here.

IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT APPLYING...

We asked members of the founding cohort what they would say to another senior EA considering Ascend Eight.

“Do it. Do it right now. You will not regret it. It will uplift you in ways you didn’t realise.”

Sophie
Senior Executive Assistant

“I’d say do it, and I say that as someone who was a little cynical of coaching. It’s been so insightful to really drill down into: what do I actually want, how can I get it, and what do I need to do along the way?”

Katie
Executive Assistant

“Absolutely, just apply. You get to know each other so well in a short amount of time, and you create your own EA network straight off the bat.”

Sarah
Senior Executive Assistant

Harness the power of community, connection & experience. 

Applications are now open for the January 2027 Ascend Eight cohorts.

Apply Now