Dunmorean of the Month: Patricia Dougherty

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore native Patricia Dougherty took her life’s work, business experiences, and industrial psychology background as inspiration to write a self-help book.

Born and raised in Dunmore, the 1971 Dunmore Central Catholic (now Holy Cross) graduate entitled her book “Your Boundaries, Your Power, Your Peace: Break Free from Guilt and Take Control of Your Life.”

Daughter of the late Tom and Peg Dougherty of Dunmore, the new author said she wrote the book for everyone who has ever felt stretched thin by obligations.

“Boundaries aren’t walls,” she said. “They’re gates. You choose when to open them and when to close them.

“That choice is where your power and peace come from. That lesson is the heart of the book.”

Dougherty worked behind the scenes of some of corporate America’s most demanding offices, rising to Senior Administrative Analyst while supporting G-suite executives of a Fortune 500 company. She earlier in her career supported senior research analysts on Wall Street.

“It was a career built on saying yes, and it taught me how much saying yes to everything can cost,” she notes.

A graduate of Marymount Manhattan College where she received a bachelor of science degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Dougherty worked in the research department of Goldman Sachs and in industrial relations for Colgate Palmolive, spending 35 years in New York City before retiring in 2016.

“I always had a knack for writing,” she said. “I would write down interesting quotes and save them. I started writing in retirement.

“I was a people pleaser in my working years. I always stayed late. I couldn’t say no without feeling guilty. I looked at my psychology degree and work experiences and began to write.”

Through practical strategies, real-world scripts and evidence-based techniques, readers can discover how to say no without feeling guilty and protect their time and energy from burnout.

“Limits need to be set that stick in relationships and at work to create lasting peace,” she said.

The book empowers readers to reclaim balance and confidence.

Featured across major news networks, it introduces readers to a powerful new resource for overcoming guilt, reducing stress and establishing healthier boundaries in personal and professional life. She writes with a focus on time management, self-discovery, and creating a balanced life.

Her book offers readers practical tools to regain control of their time, reconnect with their purpose and find clarity in the chaos of modern demands.

“The book was born from a growing need to help individuals manage competing demands and provide a roadmap for breaking free from people-pleasing and rather to build lasting emotional well-being,” she said.

Personable and articulate, the Dunmore native brings a grounded, practical voice to her book, having navigated the corporate world gathering rich life experiences that now inform her writing.

Currently retired in Saint Augustine, Florida, she has a sister, Peggy, who resides in Scranton. Her late brother Tom “Doc” Dougherty was a basketball coach at Dunmore and member of NEPA Chapter of PA Sports Hall of Fame. The Chapter’s annual Service Award was recently named after him.

The cover designer for the book is Brent Pettit. The book is published by Amazon and can be purchased at: amazon.com/dp/Bo63D6Bkx7. Those interested in her discussion guide, workbook, or speaking engagements can email to: [email protected].