Leah Husemann's EA Cheat Code: Three Samosas for 15 Minutes | CCing my EA Podcast S1E3

Leah Temena Husemann shares how playful “virtual bartering” helps EAs build relationships and manage competing requests, from charging three samosas for 15 minutes to asking for dog photos, recipes, or travel stories. She also explains when an EA should intentionally wait before carrying out an executive’s request and how to turn a folder of thank-you emails into a performance-review summary with AI. The EA cheat code: Three samosas for 15 minutes When someone asks for 15 minutes with Leah’s executive, she might joke that getting time this week will cost three samosas, while waiting until next week will only cost two. The samosas aren’t really the point. Leah chooses something connected to the person and their culture or interests. It might be dumplings, pork buns, a photo of their dog, a recipe, or a story from a recent trip. That small moment of humor turns a cold scheduling request into a more personal interaction. It helps the other person feel that Leah speaks their language, breaks down the initial barrier, and makes her more approachable. From there, Leah can better understand what the meeting is actually for and how urgent it really is. If someone is leaving the company in four weeks, she can prioritize that conversation. If the request can wait, the relationship she has built makes it easier to push the meeting back without making the person feel dismissed. Leah calls it a “virtual barter,” but one colleague eventually made it real. After traveling from Plano to Jersey City, he brought her an entire box of samosas because the meeting she had arranged proved so impactful. This approach took time. Leah first needed to establish her credibility with her executive and the wider team before she felt comfortable adding more personality to these interactions. The food is just the opening. The actual cheat code is finding a personal, playful way to turn a transactional request into a relationship. -- Also in this episode: • Moving from the Philippines and beginning her career as a part-time filing clerk • Building an 11-year partnership with the same executive • Why a supportive executive relationship creates room for an EA to grow • Learning not to judge someone from the first few interactions • When intentionally delaying an emotionally charged request protects the executive • Saving appreciative emails in a wins folder and using AI to summarize them • Why building a community at work makes the role more fulfilling At the time of recording, Leah was a Senior Executive Assistant at JPMorgan Chase, where she had worked for 13 years and supported her executive for 11. She also coached colleagues internally, led workshops, supported offsites, and helped other EAs learn how to use AI. -- Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:31 Leah’s role at JPMorgan Chase 1:31 Eleven years supporting the same executive 2:20 Why a supportive executive relationship matters 4:27 From filing clerk to Senior Executive Assistant 6:42 EA cheat code: Three samosas for 15 minutes 8:51 Why the “virtual barter” works 10:48 When someone actually brought the samosas 11:46 Earning permission to show more personality 13:33 Adapting the tactic beyond food 14:32 Don’t judge someone from the first few meetings 16:56 When not to do what your executive asked 18:25 Build a wins folder and let AI summarize it 20:16 The most fulfilling part of the job 20:44 Outro -- Vimcal EA: https://vimcal.com/ea CCing my EA newsletter: https://ccingmyea.com Instagram:   / ccingmyea   TikTok:   / ccingmyea   LinkedIn:   / ccingmyea   YouTube:    / @ccingmyea   Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/show/6BuKDPxb... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... -- The CCing my EA Podcast shares the real tactics and stories Executive Assistants learn from supporting busy executives. Presented by Vimcal EA, the first calendar co-built with Executive Assistants: https://vimcal.com/ea