Your Influence Changes Everything

The Calm Operator

AuthorAuthor

Catherine Heiter & Wendy Ganey
September 15, 2026

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.

A Moment of Context

Because every story begins in a real moment you already recognize.

It's 4:47 PM. The executive's flight got moved up two hours, the board deck isn't finalized, and IT just called to say the conference room AV is down for tomorrow's all-hands. Three people are messaging you at once, each certain their fire is the priority.

You could feel the room tilt. Instead, you take one breath, open a blank note, and write three lines:

  1. Flight → rebook, confirm car

  2. Deck → ping design for final slide, no more edits after 5:15

  3. AV → backup room B, no need to fully fix today

Nothing about the chaos changed. But you did — and within minutes, so did everyone waiting on you.

In The Wild

Real-World Finds

Book: The Art of Possibility — Benjamin Zander (conductor of the Boston Philharmonic) & Rosamund Stone Zander

Interview: Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger - “I Was Sure I Could Do It”

From One EA to Another

The Tip: Keep a "Storm List" — a single running note (not your full task list) reserved only for active fires. When three things hit at once, everything goes there first before you react. It forces prioritization before panic.

The EA in the room rarely holds the baton visibly — but they are the tempo. When you stay steady, meetings stay on track, executives stay grounded, and teams stay in rhythm — even when nothing around them is calm.

Why The EA Effect Matters

Because calm is contagious — and so is panic. Every steadied breath you take before responding to chaos ripples outward. The EA Effect isn't about doing more; it's about being the fixed point everyone else can move around safely.

This Week's EA Effect in Action

Try This:

Next time three urgent things land at once, pause for 10 seconds before responding to any of them. Write down the three things. Order them. Then act.

The One-Breath Downbeat" — Before responding to anything chaotic (an email, a meeting, a fire drill), take one slow breath before you speak or act. Like a conductor raising the baton before the first note — the pause is what makes the next move steady.

📣 Share your "Storm List" moment this week — tag us or reply to this newsletter. We may feature a few in Issue 54.

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.

  • Bonus Watch: The 2025 Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert — just to see calm, precise leadership in real time.

    → See it Here

  • Try it! Box breathing, also known as square breathing or four-square breathing, is a technique used when taking slow, deep breaths. It can be done several times throughout the day and helps calm nerves and relieve stress. The use of breathing techniques can also be useful in the reduction of anxiety and depression. When you’re not used to it, anxiety and fear might seem difficult to overcome, but there are ways to manage these feelings.

    → Watch it here 

The Dream Desk - Backstage, Storm Outside

Because things are loud right now — deadlines, shifting schedules, one too many "urgent" messages. This desk doesn't ask you to escape the noise. It asks you to sit right next to it, and stay composed anyway. You don't need silence this week. You need steadiness inside the sound.

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.
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.
We’re glad you’re here.

TheEAEffect.com  ·  See you next week.

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