Cat Dunn is an award-winning Online Business Manager (OBM), Mentor, Speaker, and the founder of the speaker’s event and podcast, Life After I Left.
With a background in corporate administration, marketing, and communications, Cat transitioned from Virtual Assistant to OBM, specialising in streamlining systems and providing strategic guidance for visionary coaches and creatives. She mentors aspiring OBMs through her vibrant community, the OBM Motley Crew, helping them confidently level up their skills and impact.
Cat is a domestic violence advocate and sought-after speaker, empowering women through her raw honesty, resilience, and transformative storytelling. Using her podcast, Life After I Left, her mission is to help women reclaim their power, amplify their voices, and build businesses and lives they love.
Company: Cat Dunn OBM
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Cat Dunn: I’m Cat Dunn, the founder of Cat Dunn OBM and the creator of Life After I Left, a growing speaker event and podcast platform that elevates the voices of women who have overcome adversity and are ready to share their stories and inspire change. As an award-winning Online Business Manager, mentor, and speaker, I specialise in supporting visionary coaches and creative entrepreneurs to streamline their operations, scale their businesses, and grow their communities.
My company provides strategic consulting, systems development, and team management support for business owners ready to step into leadership and focus on the work they do best. I also mentor Virtual Assistants who are transitioning into Online Business Manager roles, equipping them with the mindset, skills, and structure needed to succeed at a higher level. This includes leading The OBM Motley Crew, a professional community for Australian-based OBMs.
My work is deeply informed by my own lived experience as a domestic violence survivor. I believe in the power of systems, structure, and support—not just to grow a business, but to reclaim one’s voice and purpose. Through my events, mentoring, and business leadership, my mission is to help others create sustainable, values-led businesses that leave a meaningful impact.
How do you personally define success, and how has that definition evolved throughout your career?
Cat Dunn: For me, success has evolved from ticking external boxes to embodying internal alignment.
Early in my career, success meant promotions, praise, and a packed schedule AKA the traditional markers of having “made it.” But after surviving domestic violence and rebuilding my life from the ground up, my definition changed. Today, success means being in full integrity with who I am, having autonomy over my time, and using my work to create meaningful impact for others, particularly women who’ve been silenced or underestimated.
It’s also about sustainability (mentally, emotionally, and financially). If I can support my clients to grow businesses that feel good to run, mentor women into leadership, and still have time for joy, community, and the people I love, that’s success to me. The numbers matter, of course, but so does how we feel building it.
What lasting impact do you hope to leave through your business, and what steps are you taking to build that legacy?
Cat Dunn: The legacy I’m building is one of empowerment through action, creating spaces where women can reclaim their voice, own their story, and build businesses that don’t just survive, but thrive.
I want to see more women—especially those who’ve faced adversity—step into leadership roles, create generational wealth, and design lives on their terms. Through my work as an Online Business Manager, mentor, and founder of Life After I Left, I’m helping to rewrite the narrative around what’s possible after trauma or burnout. That legacy starts with systems and strategy but is fueled by belief and community.
To build it, I’m focused on mentoring the next wave of VAs and OBMs, spotlighting raw and real stories through events and media, and continuing to speak and teach in rooms where I once felt invisible. Every offer, event, and conversation is intentionally designed to make the next woman’s journey lighter, faster, and more supported. That’s the ripple effect I want to leave behind.
Beyond financial success, what initiatives—whether in mentorship, sustainability, or social responsibility—are you most proud of?
Cat Dunn: I’m most proud of the mentorship and community-building initiatives I’ve created.
My VA to OBM Mentorship program equips Virtual Assistants with the tools, mindset, and confidence to transition into strategic leadership roles. It’s more than professional development; it’s about helping women believe in themselves and build sustainable, values-led businesses that reflect who they are.
I’m also incredibly proud of Life After I Left, an in-person event series (and soon to be podcast, which launches in May) that gives women a platform to share the stories they were once silenced for. It’s a space where vulnerability becomes power, and where community replaces shame. The ripple effect of this event is undeniable. Women leave inspired, supported, and ready to lead.
At the core of my business is a commitment to social impact: elevating women, especially those who’ve experienced domestic violence, and showing what’s possible on the other side.
What lessons have you learned about leadership that you wish more entrepreneurs understood early on?
Cat Dunn: I’ve learned that failing is the best part. Every time something failed in my business, it forced me to reassess, pivot, and get closer to what actually worked. You don’t learn clarity from success alone; you learn it from the missteps, the awkward launches, the missed deadlines. Failing fast is often the quickest way to figure out what’s right for you and your business—not just what worked for someone else.
Another lesson I hold close is this: your nervous system is your most valuable business tool. Leading from a place of burnout, chaos, or constant reaction will only create more of the same. Regulating my nervous system, e.g., slowing down, setting boundaries, and staying grounded has radically changed how I lead and show up for my team and clients.
And perhaps the most freeing lesson of all: you don’t have to do it alone. Leadership isn’t about being superhuman; it’s about surrounding yourself with the right people who challenge and support you, asking for help when you need it, and staying open to evolving along the way.
Looking ahead, how do you see your industry evolving, and what role do you hope to play in shaping its future?
Cat Dunn: The online business space, especially within the world of digital operations, virtual support, and coaching, is evolving rapidly. More than ever, we’re seeing a push for human-first systems, conscious leadership, and ethical scaling strategies. Clients are tired of cookie-cutter blueprints and hustle-at-all-costs mentalities. They’re craving aligned support, sustainable growth, and service providers who genuinely care.
I believe the OBM industry will become even more vital as more women step into entrepreneurship and realise they don’t have to do everything themselves. As business owners evolve, so must the support around them. That’s where I see myself: not just managing operations, but mentoring the next generation of VAs and OBMs, equipping them with the skills, systems, and self-trust to lead from behind the scenes.
I want to help shape a future where women-led businesses are profitable, spacious, values-driven, and wildly impactful. A future where online service providers are seen as strategic partners, not just task-tickers. And through my work, whether in my mentorships, community, or Life After I Left, I’ll keep creating spaces for women to reclaim their power, refine their businesses, and rise together.
