The Sam + Jo VA Show

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.
• Support the official petition for Jingle Bossbells to remain on the Naughty List FOR LIFE.
• Learn what you can do to ensure you move from the Naughty to Nice List in 2025.

Find out more about Scale It Mastermind here.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

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 transformation from a little bit lost, generalist freelancing VA, to an award winning, thriving specialist VA agency owner!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How to build a spiritually aligned business.
• Why energies in business matter.
• The incredible outcome of niching within a niche.
• The impact the Launch in 30 Days course can make on an already launched virtual assistant business.

Find out more about Launch in 30 Days here.

Connect with Kylie and find out more about her services here.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

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 2025 will reap the rewards!
• The biggest mistakes virtual assistants will make in 2025 when it comes to either embracing (or ignoring) AI.
• Why all VAs need to get comfortable with Support Stacks.
• The pitfalls of the rise in 'Accidental VA Agency Owners'
• Plus so much more!!

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo 

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 easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of client work and before you know it, you’re saying YES to everything and everyone, leaving nothing left in the tank and ending up with a business (and life!) you’re not entirely sure you recognise (or want).

Setting yourself word for 2025 is a perfect addition to your goal-setting for the year ahead and could be the single most powerful decision you make this year.

In this episode you’ll learn why setting a Word of The Year is such a transformative exercise and how to do it in a meaningful and intentional way.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

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 to catch up later.

The solution?

Regularly reviewing your business fundamentals typically requires only minor tweaks. But let things gather dust too long, and those tweaks can turn into major overhauls.

Remember folks: keeping up is always easier than catching up!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The reasons why nothing in biz is set and forget – as much as we wished otherwise.
• The triggers reminding you something you set and forgot needs revisiting and revising.
• The list of things in your VA biz to review, tweak and update regularly.
• Why the transition from Freelancer to Agency Owner puts a spotlight on your-out-of-date messaging, tools, pricing and more.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

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 virtual assistants who are thriving, and others who are barely surviving.

Want to know exactly what the VAs who are thriving are doing? Then hit play, cos we’re spilling all the not-so-secret trade secrets.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• What you need to do to have a thriving VA business in an uncertain economic climate.
• Why confirmation bias could be the end of your business.
• How to avoid the feast and famine cycle.
• Why referrals only get you so far.

Book your private Coaching Call here.

Find out more about Launch in 30 Days here.

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

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 vulnerability, Sam bravely addresses the mental health challenges that can accompany perimenopause and dispels the myths surrounding hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Our hope is that this episode provides clarity and support to women in their 40s who are facing similar struggles.

Join us for a conversation that aims to empower, enlighten and educate, breaking the silence around perimenopause for those who may be suffering in silence.

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns or treatment options.

Trigger Warning: This episode briefly touches on topics related to suicidal thoughts, which may be sensitive to some listeners.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The perimenopause symptoms that will surprise you.
• The defining moment when Sam realised she needed help.
• How one documentary saved Sam’s marriage, and her life.
• Why hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not the villain it’s been made out to be.

Resources:

• The 34 Symptoms of Perimenopause by Happy Healthy You
• Must watch/listen to Diary of A CEO Podcast Interview with Dr Mandy Pelz (Fasting, Hormones, Cycles, Perimenopause)
• Sex, Myths And The Menopause documentary (Davina McCall)
• Sex, Mind And The Menopause documentary (Davina McCall)

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

Sam + Jo xo

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 Performing VA Freelancer AND Best VA Speciality or Niche for 2024!!

Has it all sunk in yet? Not on your life! Tania is well and truly still in a 'pinch me now, this can't be real' phase of her success.

But that didn’t stop one of the most loved VAs in Aotearoa from sitting down with us just days after her big wins to share her inspiring 9 year (and counting!) business journey, the gold nuggies she has for other VAs who are experiencing the same struggles she’s overcome, and why community and connection are so important in the VA space.

#itsavibe!

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The niche that changed EVERYTHING!
• The structured business planning system that helped Tania become an award-winning VA.
• The reasons Tania kept entering the NZ VA Awards despite never getting past finalist status for 3 years straight.
• Why Tania moved from an embarrassing low casual hourly rate to fixed fee packages, and how it enabled her to reach $15k revenue months.
• The perimenopause/menopause symptoms that lost Tania clients and what she advises all VAs do in order to prevent the same happening to them.

Connect with Tania from Virtually There here and see how she can help you create epic events that captivate and inspire:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Facebook

Sub-Contractor, Freelancer or Agency Owner?

Your perfect virtual assistant pathway is just minutes away! Take the quiz here.

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 when DIYing their site.

Today we’re sharing with you the simple tweak you can make to your website copy guaranteed to ensure you're not losing leads online.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The #1 mistake VAs make on their website and how to fix it fast!

Build your website in a day! Check out The Essential Website Template (plus tutorials!) for Virtual Assistants here.

Sam + Jo xo

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!

Sam is opening up about her journey to getting healthy in all the ways in the hope it will help (maybe even inspire) other women in their 40’s who are having similar struggles.

There is so much overwhelming ‘wellness’ noise online that it can do more harm than good, so if this episode helps cut though the stress of not knowing where to start, then we reckon it’s worth opening up so vulnerably.

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns or treatment options.

Trigger Warning: This episode very lightly touches on topics relating to eating disorders which may be sensitive to some listeners.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Sam lost 35kgs in 9 months without setting foot in the gym or breaking a sweat.
• Why gut health matters.
• The life-style changes Sam has made in 2024 to work towards a healthy body, mind, business and family.
• The downsides of dramatic growth and how to overcome the guilt of being ‘selfish’ when investing in yourself.

The resources and products mentioned in this podcast:

Love Ya Guts Foundation Box (Culvic Humic Concentrate, Organic Bentonite Clay, Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, Liver Detox Tea, Collagen)

Magnesium Oil Spray, Salt Lab

Must watch/listen to Diary of A CEO Podcast Interview with Dr Mandy Pelz (Fasting, Hormones, Cycles, Perimenopause)

Live Cultured Goodness, Wildly

Turmeric Supplements

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)

(Although it wasn't mentioned specifically in the podcast, we want to make it very clear that throughout this journey Sam has been seeing her GP regularly for observation and testing ensuring the lifestyle changes she has made were safe ones for her personally.)

Sam + Jo xo