Joyce Ungco

I’ve always been a homebody. The sheltered one. Growing up as the eldest and the only girl in a family surrounded by men, there was always a quiet expectation for me to be careful, responsible, and composed.

 

I was afraid to fail and afraid to disappoint my family, and that made me very reserved — I didn’t really enjoy life the way I wanted to.

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But inside, I craved independence. I used to look at the bubbly girls — the ones who walked into a room and seemed to glow — and quietly wished I could be more like them.

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I was also never the “typical girl” — I didn’t like Barbies and I preferred playing PlayStation over dolls. Growing up surrounded by men and having only a few girlfriends probably prepared me in ways I didn’t realize at the time. Funny enough, it also set me up for something I never thought I’d do: work in the construction industry, a male-dominated field. But somehow, it all made sense.

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Eventually, I met friends who helped me step out of my shell and enjoy life beyond my comfort zone. Around the same time, I watched the men in my family work abroad and provide for us from miles away. In my mind, that became a blueprint — one day, I would work overseas too.

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My journey wasn’t smooth. While many of my friends were settling into marriages, careers, and clear life paths, I felt like I was walking a different road — not unique, but still a struggle.

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Before moving to New Zealand, I worked in a government agency in the Philippines. That’s where I discovered what I was naturally good at: admin, scheduling, quality assurance, and making sense of chaos.

 

I loved watching crime series on TV, and maybe that sharpened my attention to detail. I became the person who needed systems, order, and structure. Sometimes I joke that I might have a little OCD — the Virgo-type personality, the “I need to organize the organizer” kind of person, who labels everything just because it makes life feel right. Honestly, sometimes I surprise even myself.

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That workplace also brought me a mentor who unconsciously shaped my path and prepared me for the next chapter of my life. Eventually, the opportunity came for me to move to New Zealand. I arrived single, child-free, and ready to build a life from scratch in a country full of highly skilled people, where my type of work isn’t common. I wasn’t the “lucky type,” but something in my heart just knew this was where I belonged.

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My journey here wasn’t smooth either. There were low points and moments of doubt. That’s when I met Kristin, the CEO of EZ Group and FAJ. I was hired as a bookkeeper in one of their construction companies. I noticed gaps in systems and processes, and during my spare time, I started creating workflows and putting structure in place. Those systems eventually grew and were applied across the other companies Kristin built.

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FAJ came about in a way that surprised me. Kristin was at a business seminar, and I was alone in the office when she sent me a message: #findajoyce. At first, I thought she was joking — I didn’t realize that the hashtag was actually the name of her new business venture. We had been talking about helping one of her friends find a VA “like me” — someone organized, reliable, and system-driven. I laughed it off, completely unaware that it was the start of something real.

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Two days later, I found myself standing in front of a whiteboard as Kristin introduced… FAJ.
A real business.
A real plan.
A real vision.

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I was shocked, overwhelmed, and honestly speechless. What started as a casual hashtag message suddenly became the seed of something bigger — inspired by the work I naturally did, the systems I created, and the support I had given along the way.

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I had dreamed before to help and inspire others, and now, looking at it, it fills me with an overwhelming happiness in my heart. FAJ is the result of noticing gaps, building systems, and turning small acts into something bigger. It isn’t just a business — it’s a movement to help people work smarter, reclaim their time, and achieve more.