Designing Friendship with Jenn & Ken Visocky-O’Grady
Some friendships are casual. Others become essential. For nearly 20 years, Jenn and Ken Visocky-O’Grady have been part of our inner circle, the people we laugh with, travel with, raise kids alongside, and lean on when life shifts.
In this episode, we explore what makes a friendship last, even across states and differences. From their early days running a design studio while teaching, to raising their daughter Lulu as “onlys,” to navigating career pivots and family traditions, Jenn and Ken have lived a life by design, on purpose, together, and with friends who became more than friends.
This is a conversation about investing in people, building circles of trust, and why relationships don’t just happen, they’re made.
Takeaways & Talking Points:
How It Started Why two only children and a big, loud family clicked instantly, and the stories that still make us laugh from those first years.
Designing a Life What Jenn and Ken learned from running a studio and building academic careers, and why intention matters when you’re shaping both work and relationships.
Parenting Lulu The lessons (and surprises) of raising an only child, and how community filled the gaps biology couldn’t.
Across States and Differences The practical rhythms that keep long-distance friendship close, and why shared values outweigh shared lifestyles.
Traditions That Hold Vacations, group texts, and small rituals that keep nearly two decades of friendship strong.
Looking Ahead
How they think about legacy, support, and the next chapter as kids become adults and life keeps shifting.
Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)
Friendship isn’t found, it’s built.
Consistency matters more than proximity.
Big life pivots are easier with a circle at your back.
Kids thrive when they feel surrounded, not just parented.
Traditions carry weight, make some on purpose.
Gratitude is what keeps long friendships alive.
Stats Worth Knowing
20% of U.S. adults are only children, and many build deep, lasting friendships.
Couples who align careers report 40% higher life satisfaction.
Children of only parents are 2.5x more likely to be onlys themselves, and thrive just as much.
Friendships lasting 10+ years depend more on shared values than shared lifestyles.
People who live with intention report nearly 2x higher life satisfaction.
At the end of the day, it’s the people who keep showing up that shape our story. Jenn and Ken have been those people for us, and we hope you have (or find) the same kind of friends in your own life. Send the text. Plan the dinner. Make the trip. Relationships don’t just last by accident. They last because we choose them, again and again.
This episode is a reminder: don’t wait for the perfect moment. Reach out today.
Thanks for listening!
Justin & Sarah
PS: Check out the blog for Two Step-Dads Recipe
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