The Sam + Jo VA Show
by The VA Foundry with Sam + Jo
THE must listen-to podcast for Virtual Assistants around the globe! Having both independently grown and managed successful VA businesses for 20+ years combined, VA coaches Jo Jensen and Sam Browne joined forces in 2019 to help other VAs specialise, systemise, and scale their very own businesses with confidence. No matter where you are in your VA journey, whether you're just starting out or you've been in the biz for a while, The Sam + Jo VA Show podcast provides you the best insights, ideas and strategies so you too can grow a thriving, work-from-home, virtual business. Learn from those that have not only been there, but they've done it (and continue to do it) successfully! Looking for more clarity on how to scale your business? Access the best virtual assistant training & coaching at The VA Foundry
Episodes
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Ep234 The End Of An Era
Well … here it is. Our final ever episode of The Sam + Jo VA Show. 🥹 After 7 years, 234 podcast episodes, 100k downloads, hundreds of hours of recordings, 7 business planners, 3 global online summits, 5 national industry awards, 5 international VA Day celebrations, 2 overseas retreats and...
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Ep233 Perimenopause: It's Not Just Mid-Life Hot Flushes (Part 2)
If you haven’t listened to Part 1 (ep#218) yet - go do that first. Trust us. That episode literally saved lives and marriages. One year on, we’re back with an update. In true Sam + Jo style, we’re diving in deep as we compare how differently this mid-life hormonal chaos showed up for Jo this time...
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Ep232 An Interview with Marianne - 2025 NZ VA Of The Year
Digital Designer and Online Course Expert Marianne Wullings from Mickie Digital took out the biggest Award at this year’s Seea New Zealand Virtual Assistant Awards - and what a night it was! As well as being crowned VA of the Year for 2025, Marianne also took home Top Performing Team Member and…
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Ep231 When Your VA Team Falls Apart - And How To Handle It Like A Pro
Agency owners (aspiring, newbies and old hats) this one’s for you! In this episode we’re talking about the messy, emotional, not-so-glam side of building a team. You know – the stuff that no one posts about on Insta: When a team member lets you down and leaves you to pick up the pieces. When…
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Ep230 Profitable Payroll: What to Package, What to Avoid
Thinking of adding payroll services to your virtual assistant or bookkeeping biz? This episode is your sign to explore it… the smart way. We’re joined by Alick and Vicki from Thankyou Payroll who break down exactly what it takes to build a payroll offering that’s profitable and stress-free (for…
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Ep229 Loneliness Is Optional, Connection Is A Choice
At times being a virtual assistant can feel like the loneliest place in the world. So many of us work at home in isolation, connecting only at a surface level from behind our keyboards. But it doesn’t have to be this way. ‘Connection’ may have become a bit of a buzz word in recent years, but...
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Ep228 Soft Launch or Self-Sabotage?
Thinking about soft launching your VA biz or side hustle? Think again! Ironically your fear of failure (that’s holding you back from launching for real) has put you on a path that’s doomed to fail. It’s time to take control of your destiny, to take the bull by the horns, to put your fear of…
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Ep227 Playdates to Paydays: The SAHM VA Formula
Are you a stay-at-home mum thinking about starting a wee VA side hustle to bring in some extra income? Then this episode is for YOU! Grab a pen and paper, and get ready to learn the exact steps you need to take to create a profitable side hustle while remaining present for your kids. In this...
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Ep226 This Is Going To Get You In The Sh#t
In business there are oodles of ways to find yourself in the proverbial sh#t – and being in the virtual assistant space means you’re even more likely to fall headfirst. Why? ‘Cos virtual assistants seem hardwired to appease their leads and clients – to the detriment of their own success and…
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Ep225 The Secret to Getting Clients and Team Members to Stick Around
The must-listen-to episode for VAs growing their teams, as well as those looking for ways to foster healthy, long-standing relationships with their clients. Personality profiling has been the single best investment in Jo's VA agency - hands down. The Process Communication Model (PCM) is a…
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Ep224 Are You On Sam And Jo's Naughty Or Nice List?
Santa’s elves Sprinkles McHustle and Jingle Bossbells have taken over the podcast for a very special Christmas Edition! In this episode you’ll: Play the Naughty or Nice List game (2024 VA Edition). Hear Sprinkles McHustle masterfully re-write the narrative to ensure she’s on the Nice List.…
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Ep223 An Interview With Your Spiritual VA: Kylie Tolman
Virtual Holistic Systems Strategist Kylie Tolman empowers spiritual and soul-led business owners with aligned automations for sustainable, expansive growth. We first met Kylie earlier this year when she joined May’s intake of Launch in 30 Days and within just 10 short months have witnessed her...
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Ep222 Our Predictions For 2025
We’ve pulled out the crystal ball to share with you our biggest predictions for the VA industry in 2025! In this episode you'll learn: The most in demand services for virtual assistants in 2025. What leads and clients are looking for when outsourcing in 2025. Why the brave VAs who specialise in...
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Ep221 Your Word Of The Year
What word best describes how you want 2025 to be? Think of your Word Of The Year as your guiding word for the year ahead. It’s the word that will help you stay aligned with your vision, it’s the intention behind everything you’ll do, and it’s what will keep you grounded in what matters most. It's...
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Ep220 Nothing In Your Business Is Set And Forget
As your VA biz evolves, a 'set and forget' approach can lead to complacency - and nothing good comes from that! We know how easy it is to get caught up in day-to-day client work, but ignoring vital elements like your website copy, contracts, socials, systems and processes will only make it harder...
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Ep219 Ready To Be A VA But Worried About The Job Market? Listen To This!
A question we’re getting asked a lot right now is how the current uncertain economic climate is affecting the VA industry and whether or not that should influence someone’s decision to launch their business - or stick at their 9-5. We’re not here to bullsh*t you or beat around the bush. There are...
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Ep218 Perimenopause: It's Not Just Mid-Life Hot Flushes
In this eye-opening episode, Sam dives deep into her personal journey through perimenopause, revealing why it’s so much more than just the infamous hot flushes. Grab your tissues and get ready to have your misconceptions challenged around this often-misunderstood phase of life. With honesty and...
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Ep217 An Interview With Tania - 2024 NZ VA Of The Year
Freelance Event & Sponsorship Manager Tania DeJonge from Virtually There took home the biggest crown of the night at this year’s Thankyou Payroll New Zealand Virtual Assistant Awards, but that's not all! As well as her deserving win of VA of The Year, Tania is also in the possession of Top...
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Ep216 Get More Leads With This One Website Tweak
We’ve carried out HUNDREDS of website reviews for virtual assistants over the years, helping them to improve their online presence. And because of all those hours spent scrolling, reviewing and providing feedback we know first-hand the #1 most common mistake VAs are making time and time again…
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Ep215 Sam's 35kg Weight Loss Journey
Little did Sam know when setting her 2024 Word of The Year as ‘healthy’ just how drastically that would change her life both personally and professionally. Sam isn’t sharing her journey to shame you into making similar changes in your life or to tell you her way is the only way – ‘cos it’s not!…
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Ep214 Stop Overthinking It: EA Services Are A Niche!
Yeah, we know. The most annoying thing you can say to an overthinker is for them to stop overthinking 😂 Lucky for our overthinking listeners, we’re not just telling you to stop overthinking, we’re telling you WHY your overthinking has made you overlook the very obvious solution to your service...
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Ep213 Agency Owners & Subcontractors - You Can All Be Doing Better
Agency owners and sub-contractors. This one’s for BOTH of you! This is your friendly reminder that no matter the VA pathway you’re on, it’s likely you can be doing better. We know you both have your unique frustrations with one another, and boy do we feel for you when the shit hits the fan or...
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Ep212 The Workweek Reality for VAs: Why You Can't Bill Every Hour You Work
Before stepping foot into the VA space we need for everyone to understand the difference between billable and non-billable work. Just cos you may be available to work X number of hours a week, doesn’t mean all of those hours will be spent supporting clients. Anyone that tells you otherwise is...
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Ep211 Bali Part 2: The Untold Stories
Warning: This episode will make you cringe as hard as you will laugh. You loved Part 1 so much we decided to record Part 2, this time focussing on the untold, after-dark stories from July’s VA retreat in Bali. Nothing (and we mean NOTHING) was left on the table. These are all the stories from…
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Ep210 Our Live Bali Retreat Debrief
Welcome to our un-planned, unexpected, live debrief of the 2024 VA Retreat in Bali! The reason we decided hit record on this very honest, behind the curtain convo? Well, it turns out this (our regular weekly podcast recording session) was our first opportunity to sit down together since returning...
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Ep209 "I Can Help With That! I’ve DMd You!”
Would you love to have an ongoing, steady stream of leads knocking at your door – all from online networking? Well, you’d better stop breaking our #1 online networking rule then! If you’ve been guilty of dropping links and running instead of building meaningful relationships and showcasing why...
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Ep208 Quick Fire Troubleshooting - Got A Problem? Here's What To Do
You’ve got problems! We’ve got answers - quick-fire style! There’s no pussy footing around in this episode virtual assistants! Coz whose got time for fluff and beating around the bush? Not you that’s for sure! In this episode you’ll learn what to do if: You’ve got clients, but not making money....
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Ep207 The Biggest ChatGPT Mistakes VAs Are Making
Ask anyone what's the first thing that comes to mind when they think of AI and it’s likely they’ll say “ChatGPT!”. Since its launch 2 years ago other competitors have come to the market, but there’s no doubt ChatGPT is the most well-known of all the AI tools, and we’re certain it’s the one the...
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Ep206 Our 10 Most Ignored Pieces Of Advice
You’re not an expert at everything – and no one expects you to be! We all have our zones of genius and we all need help occasionally to succeed in the things we don’t know yet. But even if intellectually we know this, we still discount – or outright ignore – great advice. (And yeah, right now…
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Ep205 The ADHD Friendly VA: An Interview With Mandy
Witnessing a virtual assistant's journey to going all-in on a niche or speciality is a truly beautiful thing, and we’ve had ringside seats for Transcend Admin’s rise to VA fame. VA biz owner Mandy Purdie has found not only her niche – but her calling, and she’s reaping the benefits both…
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Ep204 Can You Grow An Agency Without Premium Pricing?
Are you an aspiring or established virtual assistant agency owner wanting to grow a team while remaining ‘affordable’? Are you struggling to scale, unhappily working all the hours, unable to fully switch off while taking time off and sick and tired of juggling client work alongside recruiting and...
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Ep203 Why So Many VAs Aren't Earning Minimum Wage?
It’s likely you became a VA ‘cos you were over the 9-5 grind. You may have wanted to have more freedom and flexibility than a traditional corporate role allowed you. Or perhaps your priorities changed since starting your family? But let’s be honest, you also became a VA to earn a decent income…
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Ep202 Ghosted No More: 5 Strategies That Work
Are you really a fully-fledged virtual assistant unless you’ve received a “I’ve been ghosted 👻" badge? If being ghosted by a lead, client (or yes, even team member!) hasn’t happened yet, in the words of Alexander Hamilton … “Just you wait” 🤪 Being ghosted can often trigger VAs into a spiral of...
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Ep201 No One Cares How You Look As Much As You Do
It’s a cold hard fact that people do business with people, and this couldn’t be any more true than inside the virtual assistant industry. The quicker you can build the know, like and trust factor online the quicker you’ll become fully booked with a steady stream of leads knocking at your door.…
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Ep200 Why Is The Quiz Telling Me I'm Not Ready?
Last year we released the What’s Your VA Pathway Quiz to help guide aspiring virtual assistants to find their perfect pathway to success. Those that take the quiz get one of four results: Sub-contractor, Freelancer, Agency Owner, and …. Not Ready. Every time someone receives the ‘not ready’…
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Ep199 Will AI Kill The VA Industry?
The knock-on effect of the introduction of AI is HUGE. No one is immune – least of all virtual assistants. We may not have a crystal ball that will predict the future (wouldn’t that be nice!), but we do have a decade plus of industry knowledge and hundreds of hours of research, testing and…
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Ep198 When The Line Between Client And Friendship Blurs
Do you pay your friends to hang out with you? Do you expect your friends sign contracts before hanging out with you? No? Then why are you treating your clients like friends? It's only natural you'll get close to certain clients, especially the long-term ones who you feel comfortable having a…
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Ep197 Should You Go Into Business With Someone Else?
Shouldering the responsibility of running a business, wearing all the hats and knowing the buck is always going to stop at you can feel heavy. So heavy that it often puts aspiring VAs off from moving from lurker to launcher. Too heavy some days that even well-established virtual assistants feel…
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Ep196 Our Biggest Business Icks
It’s real talk time! Yessiree, it’s time to share some of our biggest biz “icks” as virtual assistant coaches, mentors and business owners. Some of these icks are instant turn-offs; our personal deal breakers. Others however aren’t as black and white as we initially thought they'd be prior to...
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Ep195 Our Failures And Facepalms
Some days social media seems like one massive highlight reel of gorgeous influencer-esq biz owners, working part-time hours from their spotless all-white WFH offices, who in their spare time enjoy baking with their well behaved cute AF children and make money while sleeping soundly in their super...
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Ep194 Stop With The F$%kin Stock Photos!
We want to preface this episode by apologising to our American listeners😉 It’s time to talk all things … stock photos. In particular: Why we hate them. Why your leads are being put off by them. The only time you can get away with using them. What you can use instead of them. The things to look…
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Ep193 Sub-Contractor Or Freelancer - Which Is Easier?
Dude! There is no ‘easier’. There’s also no ‘quicker’, ‘faster’ or ‘better’ (in case you were wondering that too). Every aspiring virtual assistant is different. You have different skills, experience, personality types, available working hours and financial responsibilities. So instead of asking…
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Ep192 This Isn't What I Signed Up For!
On paper your business looks great! You’re fully booked (or close to it), your bank balance isn’t looking too shabby and you may even be growing a team … It’s easy from the outside looking in for other virtual assistants to assume you’re successful, on top of things and freaking loving life! But...
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Ep191 Incentivising Your Subcontractors With Fixed Fees
Hey there VA Agency owners👋 Have you ever considered incentivising your team members with fixed fees instead of hourly rates? There are so many benefits to both you and your team member that it Just. Makes. Sense! But there are some clear dos and do nots to making it work well so that everyone...
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Ep190 Can You Skip Straight To 'Agency Owner'?
There are a few pathway options aspiring virtual assistants can take, one of which is very uncommon. Why? Because skipping straight to ‘Agency Owner’ is not for the faint hearted, and you’ll need a very particular set of skills, skills that you will have acquired over time in your corporate 9-5.…
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Ep189 Are My Admin Skills Enough?
We're officially dedicating this episode to all the admin superstars out there wondering whether their skills and experience are enough to move into the VA space. Spoiler alert: WE’RE 99% SURE THEY ARE! In this episode you’ll learn: Why downplaying your skills & experience as an admin support is...
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Ep188 What Are You Putting Up With?
What are you putting up with? Is your chair as wonky as Sam’s? Is the copy on your website not converting leads to clients? Maybe you’ve got an underperforming team member you’ve been avoiding having to deal with? It's time to say goodbye to not only those niggly little daily annoyances, but also...
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Ep187 It’s So Hard For VAs Right Now!
“But it’s just so hard for VAs right now!” “Man, it’s really tough finding clients – no one is hiring!” “It’s a slow time of year for sure”. NOPE! Stop it! It’s cold hard truth time lovelies. It’s NOT slow. Clients ARE hiring. We know first-hand this to be true. We’ve got evidence to back this…
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Ep186 14 Days To Freedom: Bri's Booked-Out Journey
We’ve coached some of the most successful virtual assistant business owners across New Zealand and Australia but Bri McDonald’s fast-track journey is one for the books! A fortnight after completing Launch in 30 Days Bri had onboarded 4 clients. Days later she resigned from her 9-5, and within a...
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Ep185 Are All Your Eggs In One Basket?
Are you at risk of losing it all by having all your eggs in one basket? Do you have any back up eggs if the worst was to happen and you lost the majority of your revenue in one big ugly hit? You might be riding high right now, fully booked with one or two great-fit, chunky clients, but we want…
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About this show
THE must listen-to podcast for Virtual Assistants around the globe!
Having both independently grown and managed successful VA businesses for 20+ years combined, VA coaches Jo Jensen and Sam Browne joined forces in 2019 to help other VAs specialise, systemise, and scale their very own businesses with confidence.
No matter where you are in your VA journey, whether you're just starting out or you've been in the biz for a while, The Sam + Jo VA Show podcast provides you the best insights, ideas and strategies so you too can grow a thriving, work-from-home, virtual business.
Learn from those that have not only been there, but they've done it (and continue to do it) successfully!
Looking for more clarity on how to scale your business? Access the best virtual assistant training & coaching at The VA Foundry
Hosted by
The VA Foundry with Sam + Jo
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