Welcome to Seed to Success – the podcast where I (Adrienne Donnelly) share my passion for helping women create successful, sustainable, and enjoyable Virtual Assistant businesses.
With the support of incredible industry experts and an amazing community, I offer helpful resources, valuable advice, and inspirational stories that equip you with the skills and confidence needed to set up a life-changing virtual assistant business.
Learn more about Seed Virtual Assistants via www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au
How to Have Difficult Conversations, with Jennifer Bicknell
You know the conversation you need to have. You've known for weeks. Most of us were never taught how to have a hard conversation, and in a service-based business that gap can cost you sleep, income and the confidence to hold your boundaries.
Left alone, a small issue tends to grow, and a two-minute conversation can quietly turn into a dispute.
In this episode, host Adrienne Donnelly sits down with Jennifer Bicknell, an employment lawyer and self-described dispute prevention advisor with more than thirty years of experience. Jen helps businesses have the conversations that keep small issues small, and she shares a simple planning framework you can use before your next tricky client, team or contractor conversation.
You'll hear about
The three reasons we avoid difficult conversations
Why confidence changes the client power dynamic
Giving candid feedback without the sugar coating
Planning a conversation with the six Ws in minutes
Handling a client concern you weren't meant to see
Hard conversations get easier with a little preparation. A clear what and why, a bit of planning and a willingness to listen can carry you a long way. Choose one conversation you've been putting off and give it two minutes of planning this week. Dealing with it early protects your boundaries, your sleep and your client relationships.
Resources and Links
Connect with Adrienne & the Seed Community:
Website: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au)
Instagram: @seedvirtualassistants (https://www.instagram.com/seedvirtualassistants)
Facebook Group: Seed VA - Australian Virtual Assistant Community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082065292124728)
Learn more about the Inner Circle: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle)
Connect with Jennifer Bicknell:
Website: jenniferbicknell.com.au (http://jenniferbicknell.com.au/)
LinkedIn: jennifer-bicknell-lawyer-coach-speaker (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bicknell-lawyer-coach-speaker/)
If this episode made you feel a little less alone or gave you something to think about, share it with a fellow business bestie. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's new on Seed to Success.
24 Sept 2026
Using AI Without Ending Up in the Headlines with Baidy Barton
There's a smart way to use AI in your business, and it has nothing to do with avoiding it out of fear. It's about knowing exactly where the lines are, so you can use it with confidence.
Whether you're drafting client emails, researching a project, or letting AI handle admin in the background, a few simple habits make the difference between using it well and using it recklessly.
In this episode, Adrienne Donnelly sits down with Baidy Barton, founder of Tailwind Growth and a governance, risk and compliance expert turned AI native growth leader. Together they explore what AI safety actually looks like for small service based businesses, from real world data breaches to the practical guardrails every VA and OBM can put in place today.
You'll hear about
The difference between personal and sensitive information
The real risks AI creates for VAs and OBMs
How to anonymise client data before it goes into AI
Why "zero trust" folder access matters
How to talk to clients about AI use
AI isn't something to be scared of. It's a tool, and like any tool, it works best when you understand how to use it responsibly. Baidy's advice is simple. Question what you put in, question what you get out, and always ask yourself if you'd be comfortable seeing that information on the front page.
Resources & Links
Connect with Adrienne & the Seed Community:
Website: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/)
Instagram: @seedvirtualassistants (https://www.instagram.com/seedvirtualassistants)
Facebook Group: Seed VA - Australian Virtual Assistant Community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082065292124728)
Learn more about the Inner Circle: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle)
Connect with Baidy Barton:
Website: www.tailwindgrowth.ai (https://tailwindgrowth.ai/)
Instagram: @tailwind_growth (https://www.instagram.com/tailwind_growth/)
LinkedIn: tailwind-growth (https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-growth)
Cyber Wardens (free AI and data security course for small businesses): https://smallbusinesspeak.org.au/cyberwardens/ (https://smallbusinesspeak.org.au/cyberwardens/)
Book recommended by Baidy: The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny
If this episode made you feel a little less alone or gave you something to think about, share it with a fellow VA or OBM. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's new on Seed to Success.
10 Sept 2026
What Does Your First Year in Business Actually Teach You? with Ashli Newton
The first year of business rarely looks like the highlight reel we see online. It's messy, it's humbling, and most of the real growth happens quietly behind the scenes while you're still figuring out your pricing, your boundaries and who your actual ideal client is.
In this episode, Adrienne Donnelly sits down with Ashli Newton, founder of Three Leaves Admin and a member of the Inner Circle community, to talk honestly about her first twelve months in business. Ashli supports small business owners, tradies and Airbnb hosts with the busy back end work that keeps things running, and she holds nothing back about what that first year actually looked like.
You'll hear about
Why Ashli started her business and what finally pushed her to take the leap
What one client scenario taught her about the real value of a solid contract
How unpaid invoices reshaped her contracts and her boundaries
Why she stopped undercharging and learned to know her worth
The wins that came from patience, alignment and steady systems
If you're in that first messy stretch of business and wondering whether it ever gets easier, Ashli's story is proof that it does, one aligned client and one clear boundary at a time. Growth doesn't need to be loud to be real. 🌱
Resources and Links
Connect with Adrienne & the Seed Community:
Website: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/)
Instagram: @seedvirtualassistants (https://www.instagram.com/seedvirtualassistants)
Facebook Group: Seed VA - Australian Virtual Assistant Community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1082065292124728)
Learn more about the Inner Circle: www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle (https://www.seedvirtualassistants.com.au/innercircle)
Connect with Ashli Newton:
Instagram: @threeleavesadmin (https://www.instagram.com/threeleavesadmin/)
Facebook: Three Leaves Admin (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582962196327)
If this episode made you feel a little less alone or gave you something to think about, share it with a fellow business bestie. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss what's new on Seed to Success. 🌱
Who has been a guest on Seed to Success
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Emma Heuston
Sharon Ella
Sez Gower
Lee Longmire
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 36 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
44
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
Contact Seed to Success
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Seed to Success
Who hosts Seed to Success?
Adrienne Donnelly host the show. Published by Adrienne Donnelly.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does Seed to Success take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
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