Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Gray.
Hi Amber, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ten years ago, I embarked on my first entrepreneurial journey when I bootstrapped my executive virtual assistant agency, Trusty Oak. In 2015, I was the first virtual assistant providing back-office administrative support for small businesses – mostly in the Austin area to start – but we quickly grew to expand with clients and virtual assistants in as many as 26 states across the country. In March 2025, I sold a profitable 7-figure-revenue company to my COO and her husband who is now the new CEO.
Prior to starting my company, despite never going to college and for more than a decade working as a pharmacy technician, I joined a small startup marketing agency in Austin, where for five years, I learned as much as I could from my CEO, a skilled team of experts, and our clients. This was where I first fell in love with business operations and leading teams.
I love technology, project management, and learning how to optimize productivity through effective delegation and working with highly collaborative teams. This has been a key focus for me for many years, and was the inspiration behind writing and publishing my new book, Firing Yourself: The High Achiever’s Guide to Effective Delegation in June 2025.
But as I became more successful in my business and thought leadership around delegation, something else was happening within me. I was burning out, recovering for a season, then burning out again. Vacations weren’t bringing the relief they did before, and as my industry began a massive shift due to the rise of AI and the popularity of offshoring administrative services, I was facing bigger and bigger challenges to keep growing.
My body was the first thing to signal to me that I had to make a change. I had ongoing neck tension and even had “frozen shoulder” for more than a year. I couldn’t lift my right arm above my head for months and experienced daily pain and restriction in my movement. I read an old book called The Mindbody Prescription by John E. Sarno, and this gave me the first inkling that my physical symptoms may actually be due to emotional trauma stored in my body. This new awareness unlocked a two year long process of learning to trust the wisdom of my body and to begin exploring my inner world through various new practices and therapy.
It was through this healing process that I recognized that what my business needed to thrive and what I needed to thrive had diverged, and it was time for me to exit. After 15 months of consideration and exploring six offers to buy my business, I was relieved to turn over the business to someone I already know and trust – someone my team knows and trusts – and to finally allow myself to recover from burnout.
It’s been about six months since I exited my business, and I have not launched into anything new yet. At first, I spent a few months trying to discover what was next, but then I realized how much of a gift the liminal space between what was and what will be really is. This spurred me to launch a self-initiation project I call 100 Liminal Days. I am currently working through a fantastic book and course called, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, and blogging daily on my website, https://amberlgray.com/category/100-liminal-days/, as I document a real-time, raw account of my experience lingering in that middle, neutral part of a transition.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Besides the overarching challenge of my own physical and mental burnout, growing a business and making and keeping it profitable was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. There were many times during my ten years in the business that I wasn’t able to pay myself my worth. I believe strongly in empowering autonomy within my team, which meant that I delegated every aspect of my business. This set me up for the opportunity to exit smoothly, but it also resulted in lower pay for myself for many of those years. I think this prioritization contributed to my burnout – not because I was overworking, but instead because I was carrying a greater financial burden to continue caring for the entire ecosystem of my business, and slowly falling out of alignment with purpose-filled daily work.
Some of the key decisions and events that benefited my business and kept me going during the hardest times included starting a remote workforce well before the pandemic normalized this practice, switching my service packages to a subscription model, increasing rates periodically to continue paying the freelancer VAs a competitive rate, and working with a business coach.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It’s a bit of a strange perspective, but what I’ve been most known for in the past is not what I want to be known for in the future.
I’m very proud of what I created through my business, and for the book I wrote to support leaders in learning how to delegate more effectively. I’m proud of leading collaborative teams and creating hundreds of work opportunities for American freelancers all over the country. I’m proud to have won a couple of awards, been featured as a guest on various podcasts talking about delegation and leadership, and been invited to share from a few small stages.
But now, I’m shifting into more of an artistic era of my life.
As a writer and speaker, I hope to inspire high achievers like me who have an everlasting desire to make a big impact in the world to do that more authentically and without burning out. I believe this requires a deeper commitment to our own mental and physical wellness by slowing down, training our attention or focusing skills, and becoming more selective about what we say yes to doing. Learning how to do deep work in our highest-value areas and to shed away the shallower activities that eat away our time, attention, and energy is how we increase the reach of the ripple effect of our work.
As an artist, I hope to support others to awaken their senses and recognize that they too are meant to be creative – not just practically productive as we tend to become as adults, but to allow themselves opportunities to be childishly creative. Art is always healing to the creator behind the work. Artistic expression can be a powerful way to reclaim our authentic self and create further healing experiences for ourselves and those with whom we share our art.
As I have not landed on “what’s next” for my vocational endeavors, I am actively patient in my process of making the in-between space something intentional and foundational for what will emerge for me. I’m experimenting and sharing my experience vulnerably in my blog series, 100 Liminal Days. I hope that publicizing my journey can inspire even one person to navigate their own transitional seasons of life.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I have lived in the Austin area since 2009 and been in East Austin since 2016, so I’ve seen massive growth and changes to our wonderful city. But one thing that has remained a constant for me has been the spirit of creativity and innovation. The nightly live music, the art festivals and galleries, the neighborhood gatherings for good food, art, and music – this is why I love Austin.
And these things would not be here if not for the incredible artists and entrepreneurs who work to bring all of these amazing experiences to our community.
As for what I like least about Austin – I’ll be petty and complain about the traffic and construction. 🙂 Honestly, there’s so much to be grateful for here, and I can even see those things as signs of growth. I’m thankful to live in a city that keeps going and growing, and creating new opportunities for all of us to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amberlgray.com/category/100-liminal-days/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambergrayatx
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberlgray/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmberGrayATX
- Other: https://amberlgray.com/book
