Katherine Padilla

Katherine "Coach Kathy" Padilla is the Co-Founder of SOVA — School of Virtual Assistance and Owner of Pipie.co, with more than 10 years of hands-on experience in the virtual assistance industry. She has built and run her own outsourcing agency, hired and trained dozens of Filipino VAs, and personally worked with international clients across the US, Australia, and the UK — real-world, still-in-the-trenches experience that makes her classroom different. At SOVA, Kathy leads the AI-Powered Virtual Assistant Bootcamp, the General VA Bootcamp, and several onsite training programs in Cebu, Iligan, CDO, Butuan, and Bukidnon, teaching in Bisaya, Tagalog, and English and specializing in helping complete beginners break into the industry with confidence. Her focus areas include high-income VA careers for Filipinos, AI-powered workflows (ChatGPT, Claude, Notion, automation), client acquisition, and coaching first-time freelancers from "no experience" to hired. Kathy's students consistently describe her teaching style as patient, practical, and "not overwhelming at all" — and many of her graduates are now working full-time as VAs for international clients through SOVA's train-to-hire partnership with MalachiSoft and the SOVATalents hiring directory. When she isn't teaching, Kathy runs Pipie.co and is a proud mom and wife based in the Philippines.

How to Apply as a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines Without Experience (2026 Beginner’s Guide)

Every single day, thousands of Filipinos type the same question into Google: “How do I apply as a virtual assistant without experience?” If you’re reading this, you’re one of them. And the answer nobody gives you honestly is this: you don’t need experience — you need proof. Those are two very different things, and once

How to Apply as a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines Without Experience (2026 Beginner’s Guide) Read More »

What Is a Virtual Assistant? A Complete Beginner’s Guide for Filipinos

If you’ve spent any time looking into online work, you’ve probably come across the term “virtual assistant” — or VA. It’s one of the most common entry points into remote work for Filipinos, and for good reason. But what exactly does a virtual assistant do, and could it be the right career move for you?

What Is a Virtual Assistant? A Complete Beginner’s Guide for Filipinos Read More »

SOVA.ph is now under the RKAA Corporation brand!

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