The Easemakers Podcast

In his decades long private service career, Rey Flemings has learned that principals want unique experiences no one else can find.

He started out working in family offices, then built the off-market concierge services firm, The Blue. Now, he's the Co-Founder and CEO of Myria, a private marketplace that offers goods, services and experiences you can’t Google. 

This week on the Easemakers Podcast, Rey shares w...

Hybrid roles are a hot topic in the private service industry. Every week, household staffing agencies post new job descriptions for nanny-family assistants, house manager-chefs, etc. Some seem reasonable, and others leave private service professionals shaking their heads, wondering how any one person could be expected to take on so much work.

Why are we seeing an increase in demand for hybrid positions in private service? ...

Catherine Smith and her husband Stuart Smith have built a career in private service side by side.

They were living in the Virgin Islands when they stumbled upon a job in private service. For two years, Catherine managed the house while Stuart managed the property. Then, a hurricane changed everything — setting them on a new path to building their own fractional estate management business in their home state of North Caroli...

Memorial planning is a tough subject, but it's even trickier for estate management teams. Jeff Lambert has seen the impact of being prepared — first in a family office role, and now as a consultant. 

He spent 24 years with the RDV Corporation, a multi-generational family office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he spent 10 years leading the planning and implementation of the funerals and related memorial activities for Richard ...

In our final episode of 2022, members of the Easemakers community share what they've learned this year, what they're grateful for, and what they're looking forward to in the New Year.

Thank you to Jared Miles, Jean Weiss, Shelby Boudreau and Brooke Lawrence for being a part of this special episode, and to everyone who's been a part of our show this year! Thank you to our guests for sharing your words o...

You want your household staff to work together seamlessly — but sometimes, different communication styles get in the way.

In years of working with teams of household staff to make sure everyone's trained properly and working together seamlessly, Tejai Singh has found some unexpected resources to help team members understand each other better.

When she starts working with a new team of private service profess...

A new generation of principals is starting to hire household staff — so what does that mean for private service professionals?

In this episode of the Easemakers Podcast, Philippa Smith, the Founder & Managing Director of Silver Swan Recruitment and the host of the Life in Private Staffing podcast, shares what she's learned about younger principals, and how PSPs can stand out in the hiring process.

Subsc...

Like most estate managers, Bobbie Halminiak learned everything she knows on the job — which means she's learned a lot of lessons the hard way.

In this episode of the Easemakers Podcast, Bobbie shares the story of one the biggest challenges of her career, how she stayed persistent to find a solution, and what she learned about working with vendors along the way. 

Subscribe to the Easemakers Podcast to hear f...

John Christensen is a 25-year private service veteran, who grew up with service mindset.

John's parents owned hotels and restaurants in Denmark, and he worked his way up, starting as a dishwasher at his dad’s restaurant when he was 14. He planned to eventually take over the family business, but when he left Denmark to get experience in hotel management, he fell into private service instead.  He became an Estate Manag...

Jean Weiss spent 15 years in entertainment, doing costumes on shows like ER, the West Wing, and Parks and Recreation. Today, as an estate manager, she says her TV career prepared her for private service. Her keen attention to detail and ability to move at lightning speed help her feel ready for anything.

In this conversation, Jean shares the story of a recent crisis — and how she was able to navigate it with a cool head a...

In a special bonus episode of the Easemakers Podcast, expert estate manager shares steps for getting started with household operations, and her tips for turning chaos into predictable work.

In a new household operations workshop starting October 19th, Shelby will dig into the themes she covers in this bonus podcast. Modern Household Management: How to Streamline Operations for Homes and Estates is designed to help you fee...

Brianna Shute has spent her entire career in private service — but over the years, she's grown and evolved, right alongside her principals' families. She started out as a nanny and a family assistant, but knew someone needed to take on the role of managing the household. 

She started taking on more and more, and over time, she became an estate manager. For the last 10 years, she's worked with the same family, but her ...

In February, 1981, on his 18th birthday, Chris Ely started his first job out of school: serving as a footman to Queen Elizabeth II.

Over the next three years, Chris catered state dinners at Buckingham Palace, learned the intricacies of each of the Queen’s homes, traveled on the royal yacht, and had a front-row seat to history (sometimes, with a view from the Queen’s carriages).

Today, as the world mourns the loss of Queen Elizabeth I...

One week, three holiday dinners, no notice. When Holy Week turned into 'hell week,' Latricia Friend made the impossible possible for her principals — and now, she's sharing how she did  it in the latest episode of the Easemakers Podcast.

In this conversation, Latricia shares the story of how she was able to juggle three holiday dinners for three different families, all in the same week — with just a few days...

Estate managers and interior designers both want to make their principals happy — so why is it such a challenge to work together? We asked two friends to debate some common scenarios, and to share how they've built a positive working relationship.

Peter Van Ryder is the owner of Estate Management Solutions, a placement, recruitment, training, and consulting firm based in Dallas, TX. English Minter is a Dallas-based in...

Household employment can be riddled with risk. How do you create a healthy work environment, get ahead of challenges, and keep tough situations from escalating?

As the CEO of TEAM, an all-in-one payroll and HR provider that’s custom-built for household staff, Rachel Green has seen it all — and in this episode of the Easemakers Podcast, she's sharing real-life stories and tips to help you minimize risk.

Tune i...

Brian Daniel has worked with billionaires, royalty and Hollywood A-listers — first as a personal assistant, and then as a recruiter. He's seen it all in his 25 years in the industry, but he says today is a unique moment in history: a gilded age in private service.

Why? Demand for private service roles is higher than ever, salaries are climbing, and the opportunities are endless. But how do principals and private serv...

How do you care for a luxury wardrobe and manage the closet of a couture collector? After 20+ years in business, the team at Garde Robe knows the ins and outs of caring for precious clothing. The luxury wardrobe storage and valet service has seen it all — and in this episode of the Easemakers Podcast, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Doug Greenberg is sharing practical tips and lessons learned for private service professionals...

Edgardo Roman Bolaños and Teresa Vanderford have service hearts, times two. Both Roman and Teresa combined their backgrounds in private service with careers in military service.

As enlisted aides, they supported Air Force generals with everything from travel and uniform preparation to household management and entertaining. 

Now, they're sharing what they learned in years of supporting top-ranked military leaders on the latest ep...