When two people are meant to meet, the universe always finds a way to reconnect them, even after years apart. That’s exactly what happened when Alexandra Terrey and Joanna Zhang crossed paths again after three years. What began as a professional chat evolved into a profound discussion about conscious leadership, business growth, and the power of tuning into our inner world.
In this episode of the Conscious Leadership Podcast, Alexandra sits down with Joanna, founder of The Operations Genius, to talk about how her spiritual journey shaped her leadership style and how she built a business that’s transforming the way small businesses scale through part-time virtual assistant services and on-demand admin support.
From Financial Planning to Finding Her Flow
Before creating The Operations Genius, Joanna ran her own financial planning business. But as her practice grew, she found herself overwhelmed by tasks that didn’t align with her strengths, from marketing to IT.
“I was struggling and frustrated,” she recalls. “I needed support, but I didn’t have the budget for multiple full-time hires.”
That struggle sparked an idea.
Joanna realised that if she needed flexible, reliable support across multiple areas, other entrepreneurs likely did too. So, she started assembling a “star team,” a group of specialised professionals who could collaborate virtually and fill skill gaps without requiring full-time employment.
That model became The Operations Genius, a company offering Flexible Virtual Assistant Plans for Businesses, Remote Executive Assistant Services, and Virtual Office Support Solutions designed to boost business efficiency and help entrepreneurs regain their time and energy.
“We’re like a toolbox,” Joanna explains. “Clients can pick one, two, or three specialised skills, and we’ll build a customised support team around their needs.”
Building Businesses with Heart
As Joanna and Alexandra reflected on their shared evolution, they noticed a shift, not just in business, but in mindset.
Three years earlier, their conversations were purely strategic, linear, logical, and productivity-driven. Today, they’re grounded in something deeper, emotion, purpose, and self-awareness.
“Previously, when someone asked me who I am, I would talk about my business,” Joanna says. “Now my conscious answer is simply, I am myself. I live my mission daily, helping teams and people grow. That’s who I am.”
This shift came from learning to lead from the heart instead of the head. Many entrepreneurs operate from competence, doing what they’re good at, but lack the fire that comes from passion. For Joanna, rediscovering that inner spark required reconnecting with her emotions.
“We often suppress our feelings and just keep doing what we think we’re good at,” she says. “But numbness builds up. Real growth happens when we start feeling again, when we respect our emotions and let them guide us.”
The Evolution of Leadership: From Doer to Leader
Joanna also shared powerful insights about the phases of leadership every business owner experiences:
The Doer Stage – When you start out, you do everything yourself. The hardest part here is learning to trust others to handle tasks that you could do “better” or faster. The mindset shift? Focus on the long-term vision, not short-term speed.
The Delegator Stage – Once you start delegating, it’s easy to slip into a commanding role. The next step is shifting from a “title leader” to a service leader, someone who leads with compassion, patience, and support.
The Empowerment Stage – As your team grows, your role evolves into empowering others to become leaders themselves. This is where scaling happens, through trust, empowerment, and balanced leadership.
“Leadership is a journey,” Joanna reflects. “We evolve from being doers to delegators, from managers to leaders, and finally, to spiritual leaders who serve with compassion and alignment.”
Helping Businesses Scale with Ease
Today, The Operations Genius supports solopreneurs and small-to-medium businesses that want to grow without the stress of hiring full-time staff.
For solopreneurs like coaches, consultants, or creative professionals, Joanna’s team provides Task-Based VA Services: Flexible Virtual Assistance When You Need It, from bookkeeping to design to technical support, all under a time-based, scalable model. This allows clients to scale their support up or down depending on their workload and priorities.
“One week, a client might need five hours for admin support. The next week, ten hours for a webinar launch. And if they’re taking a break, they can pause services anytime,” Joanna explains. “It’s flexibility without compromise.”
For larger companies, The Operations Genius offers Freelance Administrative Assistant Services and Scalable Business Support Services to handle overflow work, project-specific tasks, or temporary skill gaps. Clients can also choose Time-Blocked Virtual Assistant Help: Focused Support When You Need It, ensuring they get the exact amount of assistance required, no more, no less.
This On-Demand Admin Support: Flexible, Reliable, and Cost-Effective model empowers businesses to stay agile, efficient, and stress-free while maintaining high performance.
Wisdom for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
When asked what advice she’d give her younger self, Joanna smiled and shared something profound:
“Don’t limit yourself with your past experiences. Every challenge is happening for you, not to you. Each experience carries a life lesson, once you’ve learned it, it’s served its purpose.”
She also shared a quote that guides her:
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung
It’s a reminder that conscious leadership begins with choice, the decision to grow, to trust, and to lead with both logic and love.
Final Thoughts: Business Beyond the Hustle
Joanna’s story is a powerful example of how entrepreneurship can evolve from hustle-driven ambition to harmony-filled purpose. By combining strategic outsourcing with conscious leadership, she’s proving that success doesn’t have to mean burnout, it can mean alignment, flexibility, and fulfilment.
If you’re a small business owner looking to free up your time, scale sustainably, and build a team that grows with you, explore The Operations Genius’s wide range of virtual office support solutions and flexible virtual assistant plans for businesses. Connect with Joanna Zhang on LinkedIn to learn more about how her team can help you focus on your genius while they take care of the rest.