We recently connected with Danae Labocki and have shared our conversation below.

Danae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?

At IMMIX, one of our core values is to build lasting relationships with our clients — truly walk alongside them. Another core value is to celebrate wins and make sure our clients know how much we genuinely appreciate and believe in them.

We see marketing and fundraising as fundamentally relational work – building trust, sharing in each other’s stories, and creating spaces where people feel valued. That’s why showing appreciation is woven into everything we do.

We love doing small, meaningful things to surprise and encourage our clients — like sending handwritten notes each quarter just to say thanks, offer encouragement, or simply let them know we’re thinking of them. It’s simple, but personal.

We also make it a point to take clients out for a meal or happy hour just to connect outside of “work mode.” It’s relational, not transactional — and that’s important to us. One of our favorite appreciation efforts was when we designed custom long-sleeve shirts for all of our clients. (Living in Ohio means long-sleeve shirts) The shirts had their company logo on the front and our IMMIX rally cry “Let’s Do Good Together” printed down the back. It was our way of saying, together we are part of something bigger. The best part? Years later, clients still wear their shirts — and still talk about them.

At the heart of everything we do, we want our clients to feel seen, valued, and supported — not just as clients, but as partners and friends. At the end of the day, we show appreciation because we deeply care about our clients as people first, and about the good we’re building together in our community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, I’m Danae Labocki, and I’m the Co-Founder and President of IMMIX — a relational, mission-driven marketing and development firm based in Akron, Ohio. My journey into this field didn’t follow a straight line, but it was deeply rooted in service from the very beginning. I started working at a nonprofit-focused agency at just 17 years old. Over time, I fell in love with the impact that strategic marketing and donor development could have — not just on organizations, but on real people and real communities. I watched how thoughtful communication could increase generosity, expand reach, and ultimately impact lives. That stuck with me.

After over 15 years of serving national nonprofits, supporting ministries, and even helping my husband start his architecture business, I felt a clear, compelling pull: to bring that same level of expertise home to Akron. I realized that there were so many incredible local nonprofits and small businesses doing amazing work — but they didn’t have access to large-agency-level strategy or capacity. I asked my longtime friend and co-worker, Chad Crawford, and together we launched IMMIX to serve our city with purpose and integrity.

So, what do we do at IMMIX? We offer cost-effective, customized strategic and creative services for nonprofits and small businesses — including brand messaging, marketing strategy, fundraising|donor development strategy, digital and print communications and paid ads, capital campaigns, website design and build, and more. But more than what we do is how we do it: with relationship at the center of everything.

We believe that marketing and development are about people, not just performance. We help our clients tell their story, deepen their connections, and build long-term impact — because we’re not just here to sell something or drive a short-term result. We’re here to build lasting change.

What sets IMMIX apart is our commitment to be more than just a vendor. We embed ourselves into our clients’ teams. We celebrate their wins as if they’re our own and we sit in the hard together. We believe in being clear is kind, collaboration, celebrating wins, abundance or scarcity, and exercising courage over comfort. Our core values aren’t just on our website — we live them out in the way we communicate, the way we make decisions, and the way we show up every day.

I’m most proud of the fact that we get to help make Akron a better place to live, work, serve, and play. Whether we’re collaborating with a nonprofit that’s serving and loving their neighbors or a small business that’s creating jobs and joy — we see our role as a strategic partner and an encourager.

At the end of the day, I want people to know this: IMMIX exists to do good with you. We’re not here for recognition or a spotlight — we’re here to build relationships that move the needle and make our communities stronger. And we feel incredibly thankful to get to do that every single day.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For most of my career, I believed my value was tied to how much I could do. I started working at an agency at 17 years old, and as a high-capacity, people-pleasing Enneagram 2, I quickly internalized that worth came from performance. That meant long hours, saying yes to everything, pushing through illness, and never showing weakness — because if I stopped, I feared I’d lose a client or be seen as replaceable.

I carried that mindset with me into adulthood and into launching IMMIX. The fear of losing a client, or disappointing someone, kept me in a cycle of over-functioning and overworking. And while my drive helped build the business, it also drove me into the ground. By 42, I had reached full-on burnout. My body had been keeping the score for a while — shingles, gut issues, constant tired, foggy brain — but I kept pushing. Because the lie I believed was this: If I’m not performing, I’m not valuable. If I stop, everything falls apart.

Then I met Ken Shuman from Faithwalking, and everything changed. I began going through their 10-week Foundations Modules, and it wrecked me — in the best possible way. I started to uncover lies/vows I had made to myself without even knowing it – lies that ran deep, and unlearning them has been some of the hardest — and most freeing — work I’ve ever done.

Now, I’m learning what it means to lead from a place of rest, not fear. I’m learning that my value isn’t in my doing, but in my being — in who I am and who God created me to be. I’ve discovered that when I work from a place of rest and wholeness, I show up more fully for my team, my clients, and my family. And you know what? I can still serve with excellence — without burning out.
I’ve learned to protect time for fun and joy, to rest without guilt, and to create space for the things that make me laugh, breathe, and reset. I’ve learned that people will come and go — clients, team members, even seasons of success — and that doesn’t define my worth. That’s not easy to unlearn when you’ve built your whole identity around performance, but I’m doing the work.
And because of that, IMMIX is healthier. I’m healthier. And I’m proud to say we’re building a business where people — not productivity — come first. Healthy leaders build healthy organizations — and that’s the kind of impact I want to leave behind.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Absolutely — there are several resources that have shaped not only how we lead at IMMIX but how we live and show up every day.

“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown was a foundational read when we started IMMIX. In fact, we spent Saturdays for months walking through the book as a team, building our core values and culture from the ground up. One quote that has stuck with me is, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” That simple truth continues to influence how we communicate with clients, teammates, and even in our personal lives. Brené’s work helped us define what courage, trust, and vulnerability look like in leadership — and that changed everything for us.

The Brimstone Coaching Group Podcast is another resource we can’t recommend enough. It’s full of wisdom and practical insight, especially for leaders and business owners who are trying to lead with health, integrity, and self-awareness. Their episodes on managing inner narratives, leading through anxiety, and creating “brave spaces” have been integral for how we show up as a leadership team.

Faithwalking Foundations Modules have been life-altering for me personally and deeply impactful for how we lead at IMMIX. The truth is — if I’m not growing personally, I can’t expect our team or our clients to grow either. Faithwalking has helped me identify and confront old narratives, lead from a place of wholeness, and show up more authentically.

Hiring a business coach was one of the best decisions we’ve made – literally a game changer! We work with Andrew Smith, who brings decades of experience building, acquiring, and selling businesses. He’s helped us fine-tune our operations, reduce costs, think strategically, and make decisions that align with our values and vision. Every small business owner needs a trusted coach in their corner — it’s made all the difference.

And when I’m in the car I’m usually listening to something that fills my brain and fuels my growth. Podcasts, audiobooks, interviews — all of it helps me stay sharp, inspired, and grounded. Most recently I finished “Let Them” by Mel Robbins — a great reminder that we don’t need to control or fix everything. Let people be who they are, and stay focused on what you’re called to do.

At IMMIX, we believe that growth is part of the job — both personally and professionally. These resources have helped us grow into better leaders, better teammates, and better people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.letsimmix.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsimmix
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsimmix
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/immix/

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