The Virtual CEO

The Virtual CEO

Amy Wallin used to be the admin, the marketing team, and the entire ops department, all at once. Now she helps founders stop doing that. Amy is the CEO of Linked VA, building offshore support for growth-stage businesses, EAs, ops, marketing, and bookkeeping, so founders can stop drowning in $10 tasks and build the company they set out to build. Here she talks delegation, leverage, and hiring. You don't need another productivity hack. You need leverage.

Episodes

June 17, 2026 17 mins

I've hired the wrong person more times than I want to admit. They aced every test, passed every check, and showed up as a completely different human being.

So I stopped asking recycled interview questions and started asking five specific ones that actually cut through the performance.

Whether you're the one hiring or the one being interviewed, this one's for you.

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Want a VA who actually makes your business run better (not jus...

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Your culture is broken. And it's your fault.

Not your managers. Not the people you hired. You.

Either you created it, or you stood by while someone else did. The fish rots from the head down, and you're the head.

But here's the good news: if it's your fault, it's also within your power to fix it.

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Want a VA who actually makes your business run better (not just “help a bit”)?

Apply here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linked...

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Everyone's talking about AI, but when I ask most business owners what they actually want it to do, it falls apart pretty fast. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how I've implemented AI inside my own offshoring agency, Linked VA, what's working, what isn't, and where I think this is all heading.

I'll walk you through the 3-stage framework I use myself, from building a GPT library, to setting up AI automations, to knowing when (and...

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Ever notice you say the same filler word on repeat, and once you do, you can't un-hear it?

That's exactly what happened to me when I listened back to one of my own podcast episodes. I was sick, pushing through, and the word "right" was everywhere. Now I can't stop noticing it. 

And honestly? That discomfort is the whole point.

In this episode, we're diving into filler words: why we use them, why we each gravitate toward our speci...

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He made three of my VAs cry. So I fired him. 

Some clients aren't difficult, they're destructive. And the longer you keep them, the more they cost you: your best people, your culture, your sanity, and your time.

In this episode, I'm sharing the real stories behind why I've walked away from paying clients, and why it was the best business decision I ever made.

Not every dollar is a good dollar. Some clients cost you far more than ...

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Have you watched the Manosphere documentary on Netflix?

Louis Theroux put it all on screen, the rhetoric, the manipulation, the business model built on convincing young men they were born worthless.

And the loudest voices in entrepreneurship will tell you dominance and ruthlessness are the price of success.

But look at Tony Robbins, the wealth, the empire, the respect.

Built entirely on one belief: you are capable of more than you thin...

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Are you trying to hire your way out of a problem you haven't even identified yet?

I have one question I ask on every single sales call, and it cuts through the bullshit fast.

"What is going on in your business right now that is making you consider getting a VA?"

You'd be surprised how many people can't answer it.

In this episode, I'm calling out the mistake I see most often, business owners trying to outsource their thinking before the...

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Every week I'm in rooms with business owners pitching models, pivoting their offers, and reinventing their structures, and a lot of them are making the same fundamental mistakes.

Before you redesign your offer, pivot your niche, or launch something new, there are three questions you need to be able to answer. And most people skip all of them.

In this episode I'm breaking down the pricing trap that keeps service businesses stuck, why ...

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April 8, 2026 18 mins

Everyone told you pessimists are a problem. They're actually your secret weapon.

I've spent years collecting optimists in my life. I love them, I really do. 

But in business? Some of the most valuable people I've ever worked with were the ones everyone else wanted to shut down in meetings.

In this episode of The Virtual CEO, I'm breaking down why pessimists, or "realists," if they're feeling sensitive about it, are often the best...

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I sat down with KT, co-founder of KX2 Management Group, and honestly? I went completely off script because I just couldn't stop asking questions.

35+ years in business, a radar for reading people, and zero tolerance for ego in the room. KT is the kind of person who walks into a meeting and already knows who's going to be in the "resistance club" before anyone opens their mouth.

We talked about everything from AI and identity, to why ...

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You can bring in all the shiny new clients you want. But if you're pouring them into a leaky bucket, they're ending up on the floor anyway.

In this episode, Amy gets brutally honest about the only 3 reasons clients leave that are actually within your control: your product isn't delivering on its promise, your competitors are doing it better, or your clients just don't feel valued.

No fluff.

Just an honest diagnosis and practical ways ...

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If you’re tired of mentoring people who say they want more…but stay stuck, stay vague, and stay comfortable in the same patterns.

It might be time to stop confusing support with responsibility.

The best mentors don’t just cheer people on. They tell the truth.

Even when it stings.

Real mentorship asks for honesty, discernment, and the guts to call someone forward.

Not everyone is meant to mentor.

And that’s okay.

...

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This one’s for the people who black out the second the Zoom light turns on

Because somehow you’re funny, sharp, and normal… until there’s a recording.

Then it’s bad posture, weird hand stuff, and a full-body identity crisis.

Personally? I don’t trust “natural confidence” that’s never been stress-tested.

We do reps. We review the cringe. We get better.

Turns out confidence is built, ...

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Founders who think “just pay them more” is the only move… watch this

The big dogs can casually toss +$20k and act like it’s loose change. Must be nice.

My standard? I’m not building a business where the “perk” is burnout + meetings about meetings.

The cheat code: time respect, less noise, real flexibility.

Pay isn’t the only flex.
Save this for the next time someone gets poached.

🔗 Th...

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If you’re tired of waking up and instantly resenting the thing you built…

If “freedom” became a cage, and your passion got buried under admin, clients, and constant pressure…

It doesn’t mean you failed.

It usually means you outgrew the way you’re running it.

More money won’t fix a business that steals your freedom.

But changing the rules might.

Simplify.

Delegate the parts you hate.

Clock o...

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If you’ve ever wished you could go back 5–10 years and “do it properly”…

without the expensive lessons, the sleepless nights, the team drama, the time-wasting tasks…

Same.

But here’s the truth: you didn’t “waste” those years, you earned the clarity you have now.

And you don’t need a time machine. You just need to start leading like the version of you who finally gets i...

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If you’re tired of starting over every time it gets hard…

Of telling yourself “it’s just the market,”

Of secretly wondering why it works for everyone else but not you…

It might not be strategy.

I’ve watched founders shift one mindset.

Through the cringe.

Through the quiet months.

Through the discomfort.

And that tiny shift?

It changes everything.

You’re not behind.

You just might need to thi...

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February 13, 2026 21 mins

If you’re tired of being underestimated before you even speak,

Of shrinking your tone to keep the room comfortable,

Of over-explaining just to earn basic respect…

This is your reminder: you don’t need to be louder.

You need to be anchored.

Drop the customer service voice.

Say the thing. Pause.

Ask the question. Hold your ground.

You belong in the room. Act like it.

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If you’re tired of setting goals that feel like pressure instead of possibility...

Of carrying last year’s burnout into this year’s blank page...

Of feeling like you’re fighting your way through business...

It might be time to lead differently.

More imperfect action.

More connection.

More softness.

This year, we’re building success that feels good to live in.

Not just to look at.

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Want a VA who actuall...

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POV: You’ve been “diagnosed” with ADHD by TikTok and now think Google Calendar is ableist...

I get it. Your brain is chaotic.

Same here, bestie.

But if your business is allergic to structure, no one’s gonna trust you with theirs.

Creative chaos is cute until it starts costing people time, money, and sanity.

Be neurodivergent AND functional.

That’s the real flex. 💙

Work with Amy & the team: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

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