What happens when a storyteller who's lived on five continents realizes reinvention is a skill, not something that happens to you? In episode 269, Laura G. Patac joins Stephanie to unpack how our own stories and unconscious strengths quietly shape the ceilings we hit in life. For Laura, the answer isn't more credentials, but recognizing your patterns and repositioning what you already have.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(00:12) Welcome to Joy Found Here and Meeting Laura G. Patac

(06:15) Life Across Five Continents: Home Between Romania and Dubai

(08:54) Reinvention as a Deliberate Practice, Not Something That Just Happens

(12:50) From Teenage Poetry to a Storytelling-Driven Corporate Career

(17:29) The Two Stories Everyone Carries: Self-Talk and Your Origin Story

(23:46) Discovering Your Natural Talents Through CliftonStrengths

(26:31) Laura's Top Five Strengths and the "Strength Traps" Hiding Inside Them

(38:45) Living by Values: Freedom, Purpose, and Bold Career Decisions

(45:21) Real Growth Comes From Using What You Already Have

(51:35) Inside Whole, Not Perfect: Poetry, Story, and Self-Discovery

Laura G. Patac is a storyteller, speaker, and Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® coach with over 25 years of global leadership experience across five continents. Based between her native Romania and Dubai, she is the author of Stories With Purpose and Whole, Not Perfect, a 2025 Reader Views Literary Award finalist, and co-founder of EdgeCraft™ and creator of the Strengths Velocity Lab™, helping mid-career leaders turn lived experience into strategic career advantage.

In this episode, Laura shared how her life across five continents shaped her belief that reinvention is a deliberate skill built on reflection and reframing. She traced her storytelling roots to teenage poetry, carried into 25-plus years of corporate leadership, and introduced the idea that everyone carries two essential stories: the one we tell ourselves daily, and the one that brought us here. Walking through her top five CliftonStrengths, she showed how each becomes a "strength trap" when overused, from analysis paralysis to being an indispensable "fixer," tying this to her own near-burnout. She closed on strategic positioning: aligning story, strengths, values, and purpose to build visibility and influence.

Connect with Laura G. Patac:

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Book: Laura G. Patac - Whole, Not Perfect

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What happens when a Gen X president and a millennial account director decide to run a marketing agency—and start a podcast—together? In episode 270 of Joy Found Here, Deanna Dolecki and Ashley Ruggeri of Blue Duck Agency share what it's like building a boutique, fully virtual agency across two life stages—from Deanna's empty-nest reinvention at 50 to Ashley's whirlwind days as a hockey mom. They trade honest, funny stories about hiring each other, disagreeing without taking it personally, and turning their podcast, Ducks Unplugged, into an unexpected creative lifeline.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(04:16) Meet Deanna and Ashley: Blue Duck Agency's Dynamic Duo

(04:57) Deanna's Path: From Undecided Grad to Agency President

(09:12) Ashley's Journey: From Banking to Marketing Motherhood

(13:38) The Hiring Story: Why Deanna Almost Didn't Hire Ashley

(15:30) Building Trust: How They Make Their Working Relationship Work

(18:02) The Podcast Origin Story: How Ducks Unplugged Was Born

(25:06) Inside Blue Duck Agency: What Makes Their Boutique Approach Different

(29:25) Deanna's Road to 50: Learning to Put Herself First

(37:12) Generational Differences: TV Guides, YouTube, and Everything Between

(40:49) Ashley on Parenting Differently Than Her Own Mother

Deanna Dolecki and Ashley Ruggeri are President and Account Director at Blue Duck Agency, a boutique, virtual marketing agency near Boston. Deanna has led agency strategy for 11 years in account management; Ashley brings 15+ years in customer acquisition via banking and energy before finding marketing. Deanna, a mother of two, recently turned 50 and launched a "Road to 50" self-prioritization project; Ashley, an elder millennial and Bentley grad, raises her 7-year-old son while working. Together they co-host Ducks Unplugged, marking its first anniversary.

In this episode, Deanna and Ashley reflect on navigating different life stages as colleagues and friends. Deanna opens up about turning 50, becoming an empty-nester, and learning to put herself first, touching on her divorce, dating again, and buying her first home alone. Ashley shares life as a young mother raising a 7-year-old while helping run the agency, and parenting differently than her own mother did. Both discuss the trust behind their partnership and how their podcast became a fulfilling creative outlet.

Connect with Deanna Dolecki:

Blue Duck Agency Website

LinkedIn

Connect with Ashley Ruggeri:

LinkedIn

Ducks Unplugged Podcast

Website

YouTube

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok

Let's Connect:

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What if the secret to getting everything you want is simply having the nerve to ask for it? In episode 269 of Joy Found Here, Dr. Jen Fry shares how a career built on bold requests carried her from college volleyball coaching to becoming a sports geographer, tech founder, and conflict literacy expert. For Jen, success was never about having all the answers — it was about betting on herself with just 60% of the knowledge, and being okay with hearing no.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(00:12) Welcome to Joy Found Here & meeting Dr. Jen Fry

(03:56) The storytelling lesson of finding "where the bear's gonna attack"

(05:28) The hotel room decision that launched her coaching career at Washington State

(09:03) A winless season and getting fired from her first coaching job

(12:14) Emergency back surgery, a cross-country drive, and a national championship run at Illinois

(14:27) Walking away from coaching to leap into the unknown

(17:05) Getting fired again—and unexpectedly finding her person

(19:41) Earning her PhD and becoming a professional speaker

(24:19) Launching a tech company and betting on herself with only 60% of the knowledge

(35:19) Writing I Said No and honoring her late mother

Dr. Jen Fry is a Sports Geographer, tech founder, speaker, and conflict literacy expert who owns JenFryTalks, a firm focused on the intersection of conflict and culture. A former collegiate volleyball coach with a PhD from Michigan State University, she now runs Coordle, a tech company simplifying youth sports travel logistics, hosts the podcast Five with Fry, and is the author of I Said No: A No-BS Guide to Boundaries Without Guilt.

In this episode, Dr. Jen Fry traces her winding career path — from college volleyball coaching through a chaotic Washington State stint, a national championship run at Illinois, and a resignation driven by burnout — into higher ed administration, speaking, and eventually her PhD. She shares how boldly asking for what she wants has repeatedly opened doors, reflects on writing about her late mother in her book, and offers her core philosophies: make big decisions with only "60% of the knowledge," embrace "effrontery," and never fear hearing no.

Connect with Dr. Jen Fry:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

X

Book: Dr. Jen Fry - I Said No

Podcast: Five with Fry

Let's Connect:

Website

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