Meet Amber L. Gray

We were lucky to catch up with Amber L. Gray recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
My confidence is usually just courage in disguise! It’s not uncommon for me to show up confidently while feeling nervous and afraid on the inside. I put myself in challenging situations despite my fears, and my confidence grows as I see that I can do hard things even when I feel intimidated.

I also have discovered over the years that understanding my strengths and weaknesses through the use of personality assessments like StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and DiSC helps me recognize when I am naturally inclined towards a goal or if I need to increase my education around a topic or situation or even lean on the strengths of others. Knowing when to tap into external resources has helped me increase my confidence and trust my instincts.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Leading my company is the most challenging and rewarding endeavor I’ve ever tackled. At Trusty Oak, my goals start with creating a safe work environment where our virtual assistants and the Trusty Oak team have a sense of belonging and purpose.

Many of our virtual assistants have chosen the freelance, remote lifestyle because of past experiences with bad bosses, unhealthy work/life balance, or being underutilized for their many talents. On the other side of the table, many small business founders left their jobs (myself included!) for some of the same reasons. I started a virtual assistant company to support those individuals who take pride in the work they do but also want to prioritize a healthy, fulfilling life.

Trusty Oak supports freelance virtual assistants by connecting them with fractional, flexible work with vetted clients committed to a collaborative partnership with their VA. We support small business leaders by empowering self-care through delegation to qualified, pre-vetted freelancers.

I’m also committed to educating others on how to successfully partner with a VA and to delegate effectively. I’m writing a book and creating an e-course to help leaders optimize their productivity to save time and money. Sign up for our email list at trustyoak.com to be notified about the course launch in Fall 2023.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Some of the most impactful strengths serving me on my business journey have been my ability to inspire others to join me and get behind the mission, to pivot quickly when something isn’t working, and to be patient with the process.

We can’t be good at everything and can go much farther as a team, so finding ways to attract the help you need is crucial to long-term growth and success. We can inspire others to join us on our mission when we stay curious about others and show gratitude often.

At times in the business, I have had to make hard decisions to let employees go or to take a risk on a new opportunity. I’ve learned over the years that it’s better to make these decisions quickly when they do arise. Procrastinating hard decisions or overthinking has always led me to doubt myself and drain my energy, but when I bite the bullet and do hard things through calculated yet prompt action, I keep my focus on what matters most and see a better impact sooner.

But even with quick action, results take more time than we hope! I don’t love it, but patience has been key to my personal growth and business successes, too.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey is my favorite book. I have read this book multiple times and reference it often because it has so much to apply to all relationships, including personal ones. The book explains that things happen faster in high-trust relationships, and Covey shares 13 behaviors that increase trust in relationships.

I love The Speed of Trust because so many people think trust is either there or not, but the book breaks down the truth that we can learn ways to build trust in new relationships and rebuild trust when someone has broken our trust, too.

Increasing trust in our working relationships helps us achieve more faster, and it is key to scaling a business successfully. Trust is so important for effective delegation. Fun fact – this book also inspired the name of my company: Trusty Oak!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Professional headshot by Felicia Reed Photography Speaking Panel photo by Olga Likhacheva

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,