# Ep 89: The military, motherhood and Virtual Assistant industry with Amanda Johnson, founder of the VA Training Academy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bump-to-business-owner-6455135/ep-89-the-military-motherhood-and-virtual-assistant-industry-with-amanda-johnson-founder-of-the-va-training-academy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bump-to-business-owner-6455135/ep-89-the-military-motherhood-and-virtual-assistant-industry-with-amanda-johnson-founder-of-the-va-training-academy.md
Podcast: [Bump to Business Owner](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bump-to-business-owner-6455135)
Published: 2025-10-23T05:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bumptobusinessowner.com/e89-amanda-johnson
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/e65d9ad6-3141-4c15-a982-8df3373aa03f/Episode_89_audio.mp3?dest-id=4060887
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bump-to-business-owner-6455135/episodes/ep-89-the-military-motherhood-and-virtual-assistant-industry-with-amanda-johnson-founder-of-the-va-training-academy
Duration seconds: 3576

## Resource

Trigger warning: This episode was recorded during Baby Loss Awareness Week and includes discussion of miscarriage and baby loss. Please take care of yourself. This conversation is long overdue. Amanda Johnson, or The Amanda Johnson as she's known in the Virtual Assistant industry, is founder and coach at the VA Training Academy, host of the UK VA Awards and my mentor. Before becoming a Titan of the VA industry, Amanda had a 23 year career in the military, until personal tragedy changed her priorities. Despite not personally inventing the field (listen in!) Amanda pivoted to becoming a Virtual Assistant, growing an agency and acquiring the training business and awards. We spoke about how grief shapes you, business as a coping mechanism, what to do if a client won't pay and why perceptions of the VA industry are often wrong, for both good and bad. Trigger warning: This episode was recorded during Baby Loss Awareness Week and includes discussion of miscarriage and baby loss. Please take care of yourself. Takeaways: Amanda's career journey from joining the military at 17 to exit Her fertility struggles and how loss changed Amanda's priorities and career How she came to the VA industry as a side effect of grief Building a business as a coping mechanism What to do when a client refuses to pay Why we should aim for work/life integration rather than balance Selling a business Why the VA industry can often be misunderstood, or limited by perceptions Why it's a great career for military spouses especially Amanda's experience of grief and its echoes years later Chapters: 00:30 Introduction to Amanda Johnson's Journey 02:41 From Military to Entrepreneur: A New Path 05:20 The Impact of Personal Tragedy on Career Choices 07:48 Navigating Grief and Finding Purpose 10:24 The Birth of…

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## Transcript

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