With eight years of clinical psychology training, my approach to design and web development is quite different than your typical designer: instead of focusing on creating technical solutions, I focus on the person.
Justin Agoglia
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Right out of graduate school, I had this crazy idea of moving away from everything I had studied for and starting a new business offering unique web design services. I emphasize crazy because I had neither a degree in graphic design nor web development. I had completed eight years of clinical psychology; however, I quickly found through several internships/grant projects that my empathy for the children and families I worked with was all-consuming. It didn't feel as though it was a natural fit.
During grad school, I had the opportunity to take a few communication classes. For the first time, I felt like I tapped into something I had never experienced before. The more I learned, the more I hungered to learn even more. And I still have that same excitement and passion today. I'm actually quite grateful for the academic path I took because it allowed me to focus on people. When you have a greater understanding of why people do what they do - from learning about their past to their present situation - you can better help them. Little did I know I would be applying those same clinical principles with the work I do today.
Outside of my web world, I prefer the simpler things in life. I will hike almost any outdoor setting. I enjoy landscape photography. I always look forward to the Spring as I get to work on our herb and vegetable garden.
And since I love to garden, it would only seem natural that I like to cook. Not sure if that's the Italian in me or simply because I came from a home where both parents cooked. I rarely use recipes, as I like to "experiment" and create my own meals.
All of the above ties back to my creative mind, that same mind that fosters my love of web design. I'm blessed to have a wife who shares this same appreciation for the great outdoors and the "little" things in life. I love my job and my life; sharing it with her only makes the journey far more rich and a lot more beautiful.
Other Things You May Not Know
- Things you like to do outside of web design & development
- I love reading/watching stories about inspiring people. They walk a different trail, think on a different planet, and live life with a determined yet clear purpose. I also enjoy outdoor photography, creating meals without using a recipe book, running and hiking, watching the NY Jets, reading and earmarking a good book, writing, and watching a good movie in front of a warm fire. No matter what I do, it's most savored when I can share it with my wife.
- What inspires you
- People who selflessly serve others
- Most Influential Person
- That would be my father
- Formal Education
- Clinical Psychology, Seminary
- Name six things you could never live without
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- My wife
- My family
- Life mentors (both living and passed on)
- Apple & Adobe products
- The natural world
- A loving God who gracefully forgives my imperfections.
- What specific subjects do you like to read
- Aesthetic design, CSS/HTML, spiritual formation, leadership formation, stories about ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things
- We heard you love to garden
- It's true. When I was a young boy, my mother had a compost in our backyard. On one particular occasion, as I was heading out to drop off a bucket of compost, I noticed what appeared to be a large stone in our garden. As I grabbed the stone, I quickly realized it wasn't one after all. It was a huge potato. I then noticed many more piercing out of the ground. Eureka! You would have thought I struck gold. That experience, plus having spent summers at my relative's farm, gave me the gardening bug.
- Current tech gadgets
- iPad, iPod Mini, iPhone...ok, iGetIt
- Current favorite app
- Evernote
- In a group setting, what's one thing you love to do
- Make people laugh
- Name one lesson your mom passed on to you
- Learning to appreciate others and tell them you're thankful
- Name one lesson your dad passed on to you
- Do EVERYTHING with integrity, even at the cost of losing something
- If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be
- John, the beloved disciple and closest friend to Christ.
- Favorite movie
- Field of Dreams
- Current favorite shows
- Touch, Revolution, Restaurant Impossible, Duck Dynasty, Amish Out of Order, Undercover Boss
- Most passionate about
- Giving hope to others
- Other than your parents, who else has significantly influenced you
- Henri Nouwen, Philip Yancey, Frederick Buechner, Michael Card, John Maxwell, Rich Mullins, Dr. Robert E. Webber
- What do you fear the most
- Leaving this world without touching one life
- Three greatest words
- I love you!
- Favorite attire
- Jeans, tee-shirt, and sandals.
- What makes you angry
- Hearing someone share their pain of being hurt by someone else.
- If you could have one superpower, what would it be
- To truly know what another person is feeling. When you have access to the heart, you can then begin to have a real conversation.
- Something I wish I could do again
- Have a baseball catch with my father. As that ball whistled back and forth, something magical happened between us - I got to know my father and he got to know his son.
- What characteristic trait do you despise
- Unfaithfulness
- If you could invite any movie star to your home for dinner, who would it be?
- Robin Williams. I've always been amazed at how his gift of humor could address some very difficult issues. A few favorites: Patch Adams, Awakenings, Dead Poets Society
- Which of the five senses is most important to you
- Hearing
- Worst feeling in the world
- Rejection
- Best feeling in the world
- Making someone feel valued
- First thing you think of when you wake up in the morning
- What can I do today to remind my wife how special she is to me
- First feature you notice in someone you just met
- Their eyes
- Favorite word
- Love
- Least favorite word
- Hate
- What sound or noise do you love
- Laughter
- What sound or noise do you hate
- Crying
- Something most people don't know about you
- I almost lost my life on three different occasions
- Summer or Winter?
- I love all the seasons but, if I had to choose one, it would be summer
- One gift everyone has at their disposal
- Forgiveness
- If you could be an object, what you be
- A mirror. So I could accurately reflect back what I see in others
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt
- Working for Disney as an Imagineer. It would have to be something that allows me to dream big and create new ideas of how to better meet the needs of others.
- What would you want your epitaph to say
- Listened well and inspired others to listen also
- What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates
- Welcome home, son. I've been anticipating your arrival. Oh, and by the way, there's someone else waiting to see you...you once called him dad.
