Crafting Magic: Streamlining the Success of EA’s

My name is Catherine and I am the Founder/CEO of Entourage Managers. Perhaps most importantly, I am also a fellow Executive Assistant (EA).

Jason Wachob, founder of MindBodyGreen said it best – “It’s about well-th, not wealth.” I love that quote.

Over the last few decades, the American Dream shifted from a celebration of freedom to a glamorized workaholic mentality. As assistants, we often experience this disconnect firsthand. As a result, the life of an Assistant can be lonely even when we are part of a team.

When working in perfect alignment, the relationship between assistant and manager is a powerful one. No obstacle goes unconquered. No need is left unmet. In fact, it can be argued that one could not really exist without the other, at least not as brilliantly.

As is the case with anything of value, achieving this level of synchronicity requires a level of work that can be incredibly taxing for both parties.

I envision the world deviating away from a churn-and-burn mindset and into a more prosperous one of heath and fulfillment. It is my hope that this blog provides you with insight, compassion, support and community to help you integrate sustainable wellness and happiness into your life and career.

Let’s start with a little background on myself and the reason I created EM in the first place.

The Beginning

I entered into the world of Executive Assisting at a young age. My grandmother was the Presidential Advisor on drug policy during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Her accomplishments afforded me the opportunity to spend my youth traveling alongside accomplished executives and developing key emotional intelligence.

I continued assisting great influencers throughout my twenties, working with and learning from: The Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, a national NPR Host and a former SpaceX VP turned wellness CEO.

As it often does, life tossed my twenty-year-old self a curveball in the form of ovarian cancer. Battling cancer at a young age ignited a fire to experience a life of purpose and to help others evolve in the process.

Instead of harping on the “why me?”, I spent this time thinking about how I might use this insight to create a more meaningful life for myself and others. EM is my interpretation of the answer to that question.

I want success for myself, but my definition of success comes from facilitating and enabling the success of others.”

Managing the Lives of Others

My experience as an assistant has given me candid insight into the world of life-management. Over my career, I have been handed the keys to an estate with the instructions to “deal with it” while the owner relocated cross-country. I have handled the insurance appraisal and sale of a million dollar Picasso painting, designed the interior of a lake house and organized elaborate parties.

As you know, these ‘big ticket’ items do not even begin to scratch the surface of the tasks handled by EA’s.

Next to every powerful individual is an equally remarkable assistant who makes it all happen. And it never just happens – it happens seamlessly and without friction.

While performing these extensive tasks, sometimes for work and sometimes as a favor to friends, I realized the unmet demand for high-level executive assistants. Upon further inquiry, I discovered that this need could be met by simply facilitating a healthier and more equitable working relationship between those in need of assistance and those providing it.

I decided to create Entourage Managers, a venue for both assistants and managers to identify workflow problems, provide insight and helpful advice, and create solutions together – as a community. Together, we can harness the magic and craft a powerful work-life relationship for both EA’s and managers that is complete with wellness and growth.

Creating a Solution

Starting a business is something that happened organically for me. I saw an opportunity for improvement and felt passionately enough to attempt a solution. When I began designing the solution, I was still working as a full-time EA which meant any idle time was consumed by business development.

Eventually, after trying to juggle my full time work and budding company, I realized that no one was going to take my part-time project seriously if I didn’t give it my full-time attention.”

 I decided to take the leap and focus all my heart and energy on building EM to meet my vision.

What You Can Expect

Each week, we will publish a new article about the many opportunities and challenges that assistants and managers face in their careers and in their responsibilities to one another.

We hope it will help lessen the gap between assistants and managers and enable a healthy work-life for both.

As this blog progresses, I would love to hear your feedback and comments, after all this blog is not about the ‘me’, it’s about EM!

In the assistant/manager partnership, there are not two stories, but one, and it is the kind of story that has the potential for magic.

Let’s create magic together.

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