As former president Barack Obama shook hands with foreign leaders, strategized with his cabinet, and spoke to the press during his tenure at the White House, Beck Dorey-Stein was always there, tucked away in a corner absorbing it all.

As an official stenographer for Obama for five years, she witnessed many important moments in the president’s term, such as his historic trip to Cuba, and some personal ones too, such as his morning runs.

In her new book titled “From the Corner of the Oval,” the writer details her time at the White House and what she learned working for the 44th president of the United States.

It all began with a vague posting for a stenographer job on the classified advertisement website Craigslist in 2012. Dorey-Stein said she was working five part-time gigs in Washington, D.C. when she applied. She initially thought the position was at a law firm and ended up blowing off the interview.

Then she received a call from a woman who told her that the job was actually at the White House and that she would be travelling with the president.

“I just went ‘President of what?’ because it was so outside the realm of possibility,” she told CTV’s Your Morning.

A month later, Dorey-Stein was working in the White House, following the president’s every move. She said the stenographers would put recording devices near the president before a meeting and then retreat to the corner during the actual event and transcribe the conversations later.

“We are his professional stalkers. We just sort of creep around from room to room,” she said with a laugh. “It’s very much about discretion and understanding the role and understanding how important it is to have a record of everything.”

Workout buddies

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments from her time was when she went for a morning run on a treadmill at a hotel gym during a work trip. She said she was winding down her run when U.S. Secret Service agents entered the room and one of them spoke to her.

“He goes, ‘I thought you’d be faster than that’ and I turned and it’s not a Secret Service agent, it’s the president and he’s just waiting for me to say something funny and I just drop my jaw and run out of the room,” she said.

It was the first time the president had ever spoken to her, but it wasn’t the last. The pair became morning “workout buddies” following that first encounter.

“When I left he took a departure photo with my family and he wrote ‘Thanks for being such a great workout partner,’” she said.

In the book, Dorey-Stein also recounts what it was like to be in the White House during the transition for Donald Trump’s presidency.

“The difference from day one could not have been more stark,” she recalled. “Everyone seemed kind of lost physically like they just weren’t sure how to orientate themselves in the new building.”

Dorey-Stein said the Trump team’s refusal to work with the previous administration contributed to the confusion.

“There was a ton of yelling, and that happens during any transition, but they had gone out of their way to not co-ordinate with the Obama administration so things seemed even more chaotic than usual,” she said.

As for whether the Obamas have read her book, Dorey-Stein said she doesn’t know.

“I hope so. I hope they read it,” she said.