Why I Stepped From Chief of Staff Into an Executive Assistant Role And Why I’d Do It Again

People often assume career growth is linear: more responsibility, bigger titles, higher altitude.

But it's actually more complicated, and in my case, stepping from Chief of Staff back into an Executive Assistant role wasn’t a regression. It was a recalibration of my life, energy, and impact.

And I’d do it again without hesitation.

I needed my life back

Being a Chief of Staff is immersive by nature. You’re operating at the intersection of strategy, execution, people management, and constant crisis navigation. Add personal ambitions on top of that, and suddenly your entire identity becomes “on call.”

I was great at it. I genuinely enjoyed the strategic challenges.
But the pace came with a cost: no mental breathing room, no real personal life, and a creeping sense that I was permanently behind.

At some point, I realized I wasn’t choosing growth anymore, I was surviving it.

Moving into an EA role gave me something I had not felt in years: space. Space to think. Space to build other projects. Space to be a human being who isn’t defined only by the emergencies of powerful people.

And ironically, that space made me more effective.

The myth: EA vs Chief of Staff is a hierarchy

One of the biggest misconceptions in our world is that an EA role is a “step down” from Chief of Staff.

It isn’t, it’s a different angle of influence.

As an EA, I still support the CEO. But I do it in a way that gives them the clarity and capacity to even think strategically. Without a strong EA, operations slip into chaos. Meetings stack, decisions get rushed, and eventually someone expects the CoS to be both strategist and admin.

That’s how burnout happens.

Most leaders don’t realize this until the system cracks: you can’t run a high-functioning operation without an EA grounding it.

In fact, many networks automatically assumed that when I was a Chief of Staff, I was the EA anyway. That alone says a lot about how misunderstood the roles are.

And here’s the truth: executive assistants work strategically every single day. We read context, interpret tone, shape communication, control flow, and manage ripple effects before they hit leadership. That is strategy.

It just doesn’t come with a 'C' title.

What changed when I shifted roles

The first thing I noticed was peace.

Not boredom. Not disengagement. Peace.

I could see my impact in real time. My days had clarity. I was able to focus on becoming better at what I do instead of simply trying to keep pace.

I invested in myself. I completed a Google project management certification. I built systems. I regained sharpened organization and presence.

The hardest part? The pay cut. That part is real.

But the deeper reward was finding the right CEO to support, someone who values judgment, discretion, and operational thinking. With the right leader, the work becomes purposeful again.

Where I bring different value as an EA

My Chief of Staff background didn’t disappear when I changed titles. It shifted how I operate.

I see around corners.
I don’t run to my CEO every time there’s friction. If something can be solved independently, it gets solved. I’m comfortable working with limited detail, because I understand the business context around decisions.

I’ve learned how to apply strategy inside day-to-day execution:

• I read dynamics before they become conflicts

• I protect time before it evaporates

• I navigate nuance without needing constant direction

And because of that, I’m entrusted with deeply personal and sensitive information. That level of trust matters.

The best part?

I get to help people live better, calmer, more effective lives… while finally living one myself.

This is a message to three groups

To CEOs and founders:
A great Executive Assistant isn’t a luxury. They’re infrastructure. They create the stability that allows everything else to function.

To recruiters:
“Overqualified” is often another way of saying “exactly what you need, but you don’t know how to frame it yet.”

To Chiefs of Staff wondering if this life is sustainable:
A parallel shift isn’t failure. Sometimes it’s preservation, clarity, and smarter use of your strengths.

I’d do it again

Because this version of my career honors both parts of my reality: I still support leaders at a high level, but I also get to build other aspirations, develop myself, and keep a personal life intact.

And truly, I’d choose that balance every time.