Your Influence Changes Everything

What you do matters.

We honor the everyday impact of executive assistants.

One Reminder of Your Impact.

This series reflects a truth you already live.
It may be invisible.
But it changes everything.

Stay Sharp - Stay Intentional - Stay Indispensable.

In The Wild

Real-World Finds

Article: “The Hidden Cost of Being Indispensable” by Hyesha Barrett

This article explores the emotional burden of being the person everyone depends on, examining how early life experiences often condition us to equate usefulness with self-worth. It highlights the fine line between genuine care and unconscious control, encouraging readers to distinguish between truly helping others and seeking personal reassurance through over-involvement. Ultimately, the piece advocates for intentionally sharing responsibility, letting others grow through their own efforts, and recognizing that one's value isn't measured by constant productivity — concluding that exhaustion should never be the price of belonging.

→ Read the article here

Podcast: “FRIED The Burnout Podcast” with Cait Donovan

Cait’s style is direct, funny, and research based. In addition to solo episodes, Cait uses FRIED to introduce you to some of today’s top thought leaders in the world of organizational design, culture, and leadership.

→ Explore the podcast here

From One EA to Another

Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life is a simple but powerful self-assessment tool. Rate your satisfaction across key areas of life — career, health, relationships, personal growth, and more — on a scale of 1 to 10. Plot your scores on the wheel, connect the dots, and instantly see your results: a visual map of where your life is thriving and where it might need a little more attention. It's the same clarity you bring to auditing your exec's calendar — now turned inward.

→ Go Here Wheel of Life Template and Resources

Worth Watching

How to make work-life balance work | Nigel Marsh

13 Minutes `5 seconds

A witty, practical talk on why balance doesn't happen by accident — and why small, deliberate choices matter more than grand gestures.

→ Watch it Here 

What all this says about the EA Effect

The EA Effect isn't just about making someone else's life run beautifully — it's about recognizing that you are also someone worth designing for.

The same skill that lets you build flawless systems for your exec is the skill that can build a flawless system for you. You just have to point the pencil in your own direction once in a while

Why The EA Effect Matters

Because burnout doesn't announce itself — it creeps in quietly, disguised as dedication.

The EA Effect matters because sustainable excellence requires a sustainable human behind it. An EA who neglects her own life isn't modeling excellence — she's modeling exhaustion. When we take care of ourselves, we show the next generation of EAs (and the execs we support) that brilliance and burnout don't have to be partners.

This Week's EA Effect Call to Action

Draft one blueprint for yourself this week.

Pick ONE thing — a dinner with a friend, 20 minutes of a hobby, a walk without your phone — and put it on the calendar with the same seriousness you'd give a board meeting. No moving it. No "I'll do it next week."

Now on to other stuff

Bookmarks

Not everything that is bookmarked is groundbreaking but it's always worth your time. This is my collection of links, reads, products, podcasts, videos, and rabbit holes that caught my attention. If it made it here, it means I found it interesting enough to share.

Some weeks this section is packed, other weeks it's quiet. It all depends on what I’m interested in this week. No affiliations, no sponsorships. Just good stuff I want to share.

If you've come across something worth sharing, reply to this email with it. I'd love to see what's on your radar. I may feature it in a future issue.

• Book: “The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career you Love Without Becoming a Person you Hate,” by Fran Hauser. Fran deconstructs the negative perception of "niceness" that many women struggle with in the business world. In this guide offering essential career advice for women, she tackles a common double-bind: If women are nice, they are seen as weak and ineffective, but if they are tough, they are labeled a bitch.

  → Get it Here  

• Video: The Myth of the Nice Girl | Fran Hauser | Talks at Google. Sharing a wealth of personal anecdotes and time-tested strategies, Fran shows women how to reclaim “nice” and sidestep regressive stereotypes about what a strong leader looks like. THE MYTH OF THE NICE GIRL is a refreshing dose of forward-looking feminism that will resonate with smart, professional women who know what they want and are looking for real advice to take their career to the next level without losing themselves in the process.

  → Watch it Here 

The Dream Desk

Where's your dream office this week?

Reply to this email with your idea or your own image.

Ambient Luxuries

Your desk might be covered in to-dos, but your mind? That deserves a view. Each week, we’ll drop a dreamy background and soundtrack to help you through the day like the behind-the-scenes wizard you are. Headphones in, magic on. This week: Perfect for deep-focus work or winding down — the gentle sound of rain, pencil on paper, and quiet jazz in the background.

Note: These links are publicly available and not affiliated with us just something we love and want to share.

The EA Effect is not just a newsletter.
It's a weekly reminder of your influence.

If you’re curious to explore other issues on influence, prioritization, emotional intelligence, and leading without a title you’ll find them all on the website.

Browse when you have a moment. TheEAEffect.com
We’re glad you’re here.

TheEAEffect.com  ·  See you next week.