Get off the assistant roundabout!

“I’ve got fear, imposter syndrome and anxiety totally under control!”, I said.

“I’m now a worthy, professional adult, who will never again question my talents and abilities!”, I said.

Then all the #IALivingWage stories started coming out... and those deep-rooted insecurities from my assistant days started popping up like a mean game of Whac-A-Mole.

You’re not good enough!-- Whack!

You missed out on your best money-making years. No matter how hard you work, you’ll never catch up to your friends who are buying houses and starting a family. -- Whack

You call yourself a copywriter and creative strategist now? I call bullshit! Deep down, you’re still that scared, people-pleasing, complacent assistant.-- Whack! Whack! Whack!

The fact that these stories were so triggering for me confirms something that I’ve known for a long time: being an assistant for too many years is traumatic, and that trauma will seep into every nook and cranny of our being if we allow it.

While I’m SO HAPPY #IALivingWage is taking the media by storm and that negotiations are underway, we must address that this conversation is about so much more than money. It’s about worth. SELF-WORTH! And that comes from within.

The sad truth is that assistants are groomed to adhere to the system. The moment you took that ‘entry-level assistant position’ (the one where you ‘paid your dues’), you unknowingly entered into a codependent relationship that taught you to live in fear, play small and keep an appreciative smile on your face. We’re so lucky to be working in Hollywood, right?

According to Dr. Neo on the Zoe Report, “Put simply, codependency is when your self-worth is dependent on something external to you and dysfunctional, but you stay trapped in that dependency...You feed into a vicious cycle.”

Sound familiar?

Showrun Your Life was created to get you believing in YOU again, so you can confidently exit this codependent relationship on your own terms.

It’s about diversifying your career so this broken industry can no longer define your worth. Because even if IATSE negotiations go well and the studios agree to pay $30/hour: 

A) That’s still not enough.

B) We have only treated a symptom rather than the underlying issue, which is a much tougher conversation.

C) They still aren’t acknowledging that these positions are NOT entry level, but expert level.

You, my friend, are an expert-- an expert storyteller, coordinator, producer, problem-solver. 

I’d even argue most veteran assistants are entrepreneurs at heart. It’s the startup of YOU, baby. 

My mission is to help you take agency over your life and your career by shifting your mindset, equipping you with new skill sets and helping you uncover your true identity and purpose. 

It’s time to summon that bright-eyed, bushy-tailed version of you that showed up to Hollywood hungry and confident that you would make it. 

Remember that hope-filled, authentic you, who knew you had something special to offer this world? The one that existed before you got stuck in the assistant roundabout that has a big ‘Exit Closed’ sign over Staff Writer Ave.?

That you still exists deep down! And s/he’s ready for an adventure! For something different.

You don’t have to stay stuck in the traffic circle of assistantdom in order to accomplish your dream. There are so many other off-ramps available, and you might end up liking a different route even better!