THE BLOG

Six things about impostor syndrome that get repeated constantly, including by people who mean well, and including at various points by me. Here is what the evidence actually says instead, and the one intervention with real support behind it.

Every assistant has a sentence they have been carrying. The research on how managers receive what they are told says where to say it, what shape to give it and when, and what the extra asks are doing to you in the meantime. A landing test, a three-line script with a builder, an expectations ledger, and the line.

A task list is the inaccurate description of your job, not the modest one. Three of the four kinds of work you do go missing every time you describe yourself. Here is how to put them back.

There is almost no peer-reviewed research showing that risk registers work. Not that the evidence is mixed. That there is barely any. Here is what the evidence does support, and what to run instead.

AI may be changing how support work gets done, but it also gives us a chance to look more closely at the judgement, trust and context that make great assistants and Chiefs of Staff genuinely irreplaceable.

Boundaries are not about saying no. They are about protecting the clarity, identity and leadership you need to operate in high pressure roles. This piece explores why boundaries erode, what it costs you and how to rebuild the ones that actually hold.

Ever felt like your role at work is evolving faster than you can keep up? This post explores the identity paradox, the tension between wanting stability and craving growth, and offers practical ways to stay grounded while navigating change. Whether you're an EA, Chief of Staff, or somewhere in between, this is for anyone figuring out who they are while still getting things done.

Ever feel like the more you lead, the more disconnected you become? You’re handling the chaos like a pro, but something still feels... cold. This post explores the hedgehog dilemma, a metaphor for emotional distance at work, and why even the most high-performing leaders need real connection. If you’ve been leading at 90 miles an hour but wondering why it still feels lonely, this one's for you.

I wasn’t overthinking. I was buffering emotions, with spreadsheets. Productivity had become my escape hatch, a polished way to dodge discomfort. But here’s the truth: you’re not broken, you’ve just picked up a coping strategy that’s been rewarded by the world. There’s a better way to thrive—one that balances ambition with emotional honesty. Start with a pause, name what you feel, and remember: you’re not a machine. You’re human.

There is a particular silence about eleven minutes into a meeting. Somebody has made a proposal, two people have agreed, and you have a thought forming that does not match the room. In 2025 I wrote about the pull you feel in that moment. This one is about the machinery underneath it, because the interesting question is not why you stayed quiet; it is how a room full of reasonable people, several of whom privately had doubts, converged on one answer anyway.

That uneasy feeling when actions do not align with values? That is cognitive dissonance. Learn how to recognize and manage it.

Master the art of working with your executive. Use intuition, psychology-backed frameworks, and practical steps for better communication and

Change isn’t just something you witness—it’s something you lead. Learn how to navigate change with strategy, influence, and impact.

EA as the pilot, CoS the navigator—precision meets strategy. Discover how this dynamic duo drives organisational success. Read more!

The phrase arrives in your first week, usually from someone kind, as though it were a single skill like touch typing. I wrote about managing up in 2023 and I still think those lines are right. What I did not have then was the evidence underneath them, and it says something quite specific: the relationship is not issued to you with the job title. It is built, it is built faster than anyone warns you, and it is built out of a small number of things you can do something about.

These three little words can conjure up negative thoughts such as an individual settling or you giving and someone else taking. We have...