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Virtual Assistant, Elisabeth Talks Purpose and Job Love

Trusty Oak virtual assistant, Elisabeth Chin (formerly Elisabeth Kelso – very recently married!) had the opportunity to sit down with “coworkers” at her co-working space, Trailhead Boise in Boise, Idaho. If you are curious to know what motivates a member of our team to become a virtual assistant, read on!

Meet Elisabeth Chin, Trusty Oak Virtual Assistant

Standardized Expectations

Since entering the education system at the age of 6, Elisabeth Kelso had one expectation; to get into a great college. After accomplishing this goal, her next expectation was to graduate with a job that paid a consistent salary and had great benefits.

Throughout her time in school, Kelso never questioned the path she was on. Her parents are hardworking small business owners, and always taught the value of working a stable job. At first, this was something Kelso never thought she would compromise.


“I had this drive to climb a ladder just to climb a ladder.”


Finding a Purpose

During her time in college, Kelso began questioning her purpose. She continued on her default career path, working hard in academics, getting involved in multiple leadership positions, and pouring time into finding internships.

Kelso is a learner; all of this work was never out of empty drive. However, she couldn’t help but think her hard work was moving her towards this unquestioned goal of getting a stable job. “I had this drive to climb a ladder just to climb a ladder.” Eventually, she decided she needed to try something different. She left her job and began a brand new career.

A Sit-down with Elisabeth Kelso (Chin)

Did you grow up in Boise?

“Yes, I grew up in Boise. I attended Borah High School and graduated in 2009. After high school, I went straight to college in Austin, Texas, and studied writing and rhetoric. I also double minored in graphic design and Spanish.

Read the full interview on the Trailhead Boise website

Amber Gray

Amber Gray is the founder and CEO of Trusty Oak, an Austin-based virtual assistant company providing administrative and marketing support to small business leaders, authors, and creative teams. A people-first approach to hiring, along with a scalable growth model have positioned Trusty Oak as a flexible, dependable, and affordable alternative to hiring administrative and marketing employees. In 2021 and 2022, Trusty Oak was named Freelancer Hiring Platform of the Year, and in 2021 Amber was recognized as Austin Business Woman of the Year.

Before founding Trusty Oak, Amber spent five years at a rapidly growing digital agency based in Austin, TX. Four of those years, she was responsible for hiring and leading both local and virtual teams while working closely with clients ranging from CEOs to bestselling authors to build their brand online. As VP of Operations, Amber helped lead the company’s growth to #15 on Austin Business Journal’s Fast50 List in 2014.

As a female founder and leader of a company that has quickly established a recognizably special culture within a non-traditional workforce, Amber has energized and empowered women from diverse professional and personal backgrounds to go against the grain of historically standard female roles in business, technology, and leadership. Trusty Oak provides an opportunity for experienced admin and marketing professionals to work independently as freelancers, but with a supportive internal network consisting of other ambitious and resourceful remote workers.



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