Stay Ready with Christina Torres

Why I'm Done Pretending EA Work Isn't Worth Six Figures


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The unfiltered origin story of The Executive Effect—recorded in my car because epiphanies don't wait for recording studios.

After 10+ years killing it as an EA at Blackstone, Morgan Stanley, TD Securities, and now managing a $1.24M event portfolio, I had a breakdown that turned into a breakthrough: Why the hell was I treating my most valuable skill like a backup plan?

In this episode, I'm getting raw about:

  • Why I spent a year trying to "level up" out of EA work—only to realize I downgraded myself into doing 3x the work for 40% less pay
  • The internalized shame around being "just an assistant" (spoiler: that's bullshit and I'm calling it out)
  • How I kept giving away million-dollar systems for free at work while struggling to pay rent
  • The exact moment I realized executive support isn't my fallback—it's my superpower
  • Why companies will pay you $145K+ to support a C-suite exec but think $85K is "generous" for managing their entire marketing and events strategy

The truth bomb: Being an EA came so naturally to me that I dismissed it as "easy"—meanwhile, I was building expense management systems with Excel macros, creating 90-day onboarding guides, and training every new hire because no one else could systemize like I could.

I was literally doing consultant-level work for an employee-level title. And I'm done with that.


This is for you if:

  • You've ever felt embarrassed calling yourself an EA despite running million-dollar operations
  • You're working yourself to death in a "bigger" role that pays less than your EA job did
  • You keep getting promoted into more work without the compensation to match
  • You've been told you're "overqualified" or need more "leadership experience" (translation: they want to underpay you)

Episode Length: ~15 minutes of uncut, unfiltered truth
Vibe: Car confessional meets business strategy session
Warning: Contains justified rage about corporate nonsense and several well-placed f-bombs

Mentioned in this episode: Morgan Stanley's EA support groups, the $75K profit year that almost broke me, and why my ADHD brain is actually my competitive advantage in executive support



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Stay Ready with Christina TorresBy Christina Torres of Run and Tell That