"Freedom [has been a win for me]. [I have] less stress and more energy in my life because she can take the pressure for the other things that aren't the best use of me."
— Barbara Burgess, Executive
The Challenge
Barbara Burgess is an executive at The Wright Foundation, a community dedicated to lifelong learning and personal transformation through education, coaching, research, and thought leadership. Like many busy leaders, Barbara had relied on an internal half-time assistant to help manage her administrative responsibilities — but when that team member transitioned out of the organization, she found herself without the support she needed.
Rather than going through a traditional hiring process, Barbara looked for a smarter path forward. Her colleague Kate, who runs the Foundation's graduate university, had already discovered BELAY after researching the concept of virtual assistant support for executives and had hired a VA for herself.
"She came across BELAY and hired her Virtual Assistant. I had a staff member who was half-time my assistant and half-time doing a different role in our organization. When she transitioned out of the company, we rejiggered some spots and that's when I thought [that] rather than looking to hire somebody, it may make sense just to do it through the same company."
Inspired by Kate's experience, Barbara reached out to BELAY — and a new kind of executive partnership began.
The Solution
BELAY matched Barbara with Virtual Assistant Tonya Mobley, and their engagement began with a deliberate focus on calendar and schedule management, with the intent to expand into broader project support as the relationship matured.
The two established a weekly meeting rhythm where Barbara could offload everything on her mind, trusting Tonya to own the follow-through. That scope quickly grew to encompass much more than scheduling.
"She holds an external to-do list to follow through on things I need to be thinking about, does look-aheads on the calendar, brings up things that might be challenging coming up, and blocks my calendars for projects."
What set the partnership apart was how quickly Tonya absorbed the language and nuance of the personal transformation industry. Barbara had hoped Tonya would eventually become "half of my brain" — and it happened far sooner than either anticipated. "That happened faster than either of us expected," Barbara noted, as Tonya became the true cognitive extension she had envisioned from the start.
"There's a freedom to know that somebody has your back. I don't have to think about certain things because she's going to do that for me, and I trust her to do that."
— Barbara Burgess, ExecutiveThe Impact
The results of Barbara's partnership with Tonya Mobley have been both practical and deeply personal. With a trusted partner handling the details, Barbara has experienced a meaningful reduction in stress and a renewed sense of energy — freeing her to focus on the work that only she can do.
"Freedom [has been a win for me]. [I have] less stress and more energy in my life because she can take the pressure for the other things that aren't the best use of me."
For Barbara, the most significant outcome is the confidence that comes from knowing someone reliable has her back. She no longer carries every task and reminder in her head — she trusts Tonya to handle what needs to be done, without requiring follow-up or reminders.
"There's a freedom to know that somebody has your back. I don't have to think about certain things because she's going to do that for me, and I trust her to do that."