Meet Andy Ptacek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Ptacek.

Andy Leigh Ptacek is a proud wifey to her hunky firefighter and mama to a couple of crazy boys. Living in beautiful Glendale, Arizona in a 1973 fixer-upper on a nice chunk of land with big dreams, one could easily mistake this for a “white picket fence” situation, but her life started out anything but.

Raised solo by a working mom, Andy paid for tuition at Arizona State with settlement money from a sexual abuse ruling while she worked full-time to cover rent and food. In just 3.5 years, Andy had earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School and a minor in Interpersonal Communication so she could effectively pretend not to be an introvert.

As an intern at the local ABC affiliate, Andy became a Rocky Mountain Emmy nominee. She, then, went on to co-found Liquis Design, an online marketing company after her growing family brought her to realize that climbing the ladder at a 9-5 wasn’t her dream anymore.

Ten-plus years and a thriving business later, Andy was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Now, she’s sharing her story and the perspective shifts that saved her sanity so that others can know they too have the power to change their narrative.

Has it been a smooth road?
When I was first diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, my first instinct was to close myself off from the world. I was in a dark place until an amazing neurosurgical oncologist took on my case and was able to remove the tumor. I had a new sense of purpose and excitement about life, but a lot of mental roadblocks to work though. I had significant anxiety and the perfectionist in me had a hard time when it came to not being able to do things as quickly as I wanted after brain surgery. As a business owner and marketing director, I was frustrated at my inability to type while the brain swelling went down. Eventually, I was physically well with no deficits, but it took some self-work and healing to get to a truly good place in my life. Now, I look back and realize all the brokenness I experienced was actually teaching me valuable lessons of perspective and intention to help me grow into a better wife, mom, friend, and entrepreneur than I was before.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
My experience has made me realize that when I can get vulnerable and talk about what I went through along with the mindset shifts that have helped me, I can actually help people on a deep level. I’ve had countless people message me about how they’ve made major life changes or found peace in a situation due to something I shared. This has motivated me to write a book about my crazy roller coaster ride of getting cancer, preparing to die (and preparing my children for a life without me), to step into a new life that was only made possible by my adversities and how I choose to respond to them.

Luckily, my co-founder at Liquis Design held down the business as I tried to hold my life together. I was able to return to work on my own time, and we didn’t miss a step in profit or client happiness. It’s not lost on me how rare and supportive that transition was as I eased back into work.

Liquis Design has been designing websites and online marketing strategies since 2008. I think we’re most known for our follow through. If we commit to helping a client, we don’t rest until we’ve met our goals. That is hard to find in the web design and digital marketing space and we pride ourselves on being different.

Is there anyone, in particular, you would like to recognize? Mentors, etc?
My biggest advocate has always been my mom. She pushes me to dream bigger than feels comfortable and she was the one who sought out a second opinion and Barrow with Dr. Nadar Sanai, the neurosurgeon who successfully removed my cancerous brain tumor.

My biggest supporter is my husband, Bruce. He encourages whatever I set my heart on, but he also gives me a healthy dose of truth when I need it. We’re a team and life is sweeter because of him.

Contact Info:

• Address: Liquis Design 5940 W. Union Hills Dr.
  Glendale, AZ 85308
• Website: andythenewgirl.com – liquisdesign.com
• Email: andyleigh@liquisdesign.com
• Instagram: @andythenewgirl
• Facebook: https://www.liquisdesign.com – https://www.facebook.com/AndyTheNewGirl/

Image Credit:
Rebecca Bailey Hobert

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