How can fathers truly empower their daughters to become confident, independent women? The latest episode of the Dad and Daughter Connection, featuring trailblazer Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis, author of The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises, A Memoir: How a U.S. Tech Entrepreneur Broke the Glass Ceiling and Helped Modernize Latvia. She is an inspiring masterclass in building meaningful, lasting relationships between dads and daughters.

In this moving conversation with host Dr. Christopher Lewis, Daggie Lacis shares her extraordinary life story, beginning with her family's flight from Latvia during WWII, their years in a displaced persons camp, and starting anew in Indiana. Through every challenge, her father played a quietly powerful role—showing love and support, setting high standards, and most importantly, taking an active interest in her life.

One of the core themes of the episode is the profound impact a father’s involvement has on a daughter's confidence and success. Daggie credits her father with instilling the self-assurance and resilience that would carry her from those early challenges to becoming the first woman programmer at Burroughs Corporation, and later a pioneering vice president. She recounts personal stories—like her dad taking her fishing at dawn and helping her tackle impossible math problems in high school—that illustrate how everyday moments foster trust, self-belief, and in Daggie’s own words, the courage to “never give up.”

The episode also explores how fathers can nurture independence and ambition in their daughters without dictating their paths. Daggie’s father supported her interests, provided guidance without pressure, and above all, made himself present—qualities she urges today’s dads to embrace despite the distractions of modern life. As Daggie suggests, “be interested, be involved, be her best friend”—a simple recipe with profound results.

Listeners will also find valuable advice on overcoming adversity, breaking barriers in male-dominated spaces, and why it’s crucial for girls to see themselves as capable of greatness. Daggie’s journey, detailed in her new book The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises, is a testament to both paternal support and personal determination.

If you’re a dad who wants to build a stronger bond with your daughter—or if you simply want to hear an uplifting story of family, resilience, and achievement—this episode is a must-listen. Tune in and discover how the seeds of confidence, sown early, can help daughters rise to meet any challenge the world sets before them.

Ready to be inspired? Listen to this episode and more at dadanddaughterconnection.com.

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TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:02]: Welcome to the dad and daughter connection, the podcast for dads who want to build stronger bonds and raise confident independent daughters.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:00:12]: Welcome back to the dad and daughter connection. I love being able to be here with you every week where we have an opportunity to be able to talk about the bonds that you are creating with your own daughter. And it is so important for us to have these conversations because every day we have an opportunity to be able to build stronger connections with our daughters, to help them to become the strong, independent women that we hope that they will become as they get older. And none of us have all the answers. So it's so important for you and I to be able to learn from other people, other individuals that have had different experiences, that could share those experiences with us. And we can hear them and internalize what they're saying. Gain some tools for our toolbox and allow for us to be able to then be better fathers in the end. That's why every week I love being able to bring you different people with different experiences, different guests that can share that journey with you.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:01:22]: And today we've got another great guest. Dagie Laces is with us today. And Dagie was born in Latvia in 1943 and forced to flee in 1944. After five years in a displaced persons camp in Germany, she immigrated with her family to Indianapolis. Dagie graduated from Butler University and her career includes being the first woman programmer at Burroughs Corporation, then the second largest worldwide IT company, and later becoming the first female line VP. When the Berlin Wall fell, the newly elected Latvian prime minister and foreign minister asked Lacis to install modern technology in the foreign ministry. And that began her work to modernize Latvia and connect it to the West. In 1991, Lace is founded and continues to participate in running the Baltic Technology Group with locations both in The US and Latvia.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:22]: And today she's here to talk about her own journey as a daughter herself that we're gonna talk a little bit about her own experience with her own father. But beyond that, she has a brand new book that honors those trailblazers in technology. And I am really excited to be able to have her here to talk about her book entitled The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises. And we're gonna be talking about that as well. Daggy, thanks so much for being here today.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:02:50]: Thank you very much for having me.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:02:52]: Well, I'm really excited to have you here and to learn from your experiences. And whenever I have a guest who is a daughter herself, come on. I love being able to learn a little bit more about their father. And I guess first and foremost, tell me

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:03:08]: more about your dad. Well, my dad basically was born in Latvia. And in Latvia, his profession was he was a lawyer. He was a public prosecutor. So he and my mom were having a happy life there when the communists took over Latvia, and we had to flee. We actually kind of my mom said and dad said they did laid this decision as long as they could. But when they thought they were just the last boat taking refugees from Latvia to Germany, we were on that boat. And in Germany, we were displaced persons in the American zone luckily because there was a British zone, but there was also a Soviet zone.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:03:52]: We were in the American zone, and and my dad then worked for the US government in the aid department for the displaced persons. We were given after five years, we were given the choice of immigrating to The US, to Indiana, to California, or to Australia. And my mom told me later that she thought that that California would fall off into the ocean and that Australia was too far and Indiana was right in the middle of The US. So that's where we ended up. In Indiana, my dad obviously couldn't use his legal skills because he just didn't have the language nor did he know the official laws. So he ended up working in a factory, which he had never done before. So for him, after really enjoying a very pleasant lifestyle in in Latvia, he became a factory worker for the rest of his life. My dad and I had a great relationship.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:04:55]: My memories of him in Germany, of course, I was very young, but I do remember a couple of moments. My dad was always taking walks with me. We were walking through the the villages and surrounding the camp. And I remember the one time, actually, we went to this building and right outside, there were these string of snakes. I remember starting to scream. And my dad said, oh, don't worry. Those are eels. They're just they're dead.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:05:22]: They're not gonna hurt you. So, anyway, that was a memory. Then in in Indiana, dad, I would say, he was responsible for all of my successes, which included becoming a vice president because he instilled in me high standards of always doing the best I can in every class and always asking me how how it went. And this continued through college. And I was really amazed. He was such a smart person. An incident I'll always remember that I think was very important in shaping my my thinking, my attitude, my confidence was this that one time, I think this I was in high school in Indianapolis, and I was in a hurry. We were taking off for vacation the next day, and I had to submit a some homework.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:06:14]: And there was a trigonometry problem that I just couldn't get. And I was in a hurry, and I had somewhere to go, and I was really flustered. And my dad said, hey. Hold on. Go ahead. You go. Give me the book. And I thought, oh, I gave him the book.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:06:28]: I thought, well, hey. Go on. You know? How can he he hasn't looked at mathematics in such a long time. And what happened was when I came back, dad had solved the problem, and he showed me how he did it. At that point, I realized this is probably not the procedure that my math teacher in high school would have recommended, but he solved it his way. So at that point, I realized in life, if there's a goal, there are many ways to achieve it. So if you start at in a path that takes you down, that you think this is the way I'm gonna get there, and it doesn't work. Hey.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:07:04]: Don't worry. There's always another way. Think out of the box. So those are the that's how I've handled my life after, in the business world. And I think that goes back to that one incident that my dad and I had, which is which involved solving that trick problem. So that but he my dad, of course, his life as a factory worker was totally different. And somehow, I really felt sorry for him, and no one told me, but I never wanted ever to disappoint him. Whenever he asked, how did you do? I had to get that a, and that's the way it went.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:07:41]: It went all the way through college, and I think it made him happy. He came back from the factory, and I he he knew I had a a calculus test or something. How did it go? And I had to say, hey. I got an a. So the inspiration to do the best I can in all of my studies was really our relationship, and that was the foundation for my work in business onwards. So, yeah, I had a great relationship with my dad.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:08:09]: I can tell that you had a great relationship. And as you think back to that relationship with your father, is there one thing that your dad specifically did that truly allowed you to feel seen, heard, and valued as a daughter?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:08:23]: You know, I I can't really say that he did anything in particular. He always, was interested in everything I did, and and I think he was proud to tell his colleagues of my advancements in school. And, well, I remember another thing that he he was really interested in doing. In in high school, the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company offered a scholar an essay scholarship to a university of $1,000. And so we were all there were volunteers to write an essay. And my dad said, hey. Do it. Go ahead and and do it.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:09:00]: I thought, well, you know, I mean, I was reluctant to do it. But he said, well, look. Why don't you do an essay about the communist takeover of Latvia, and I will give you some facts. And so I know he researched it, gave you the facts, and I wrote the essay. And he was so proud that we got in the top three, and then the top three had to present and read it to the audience. And he was in the audience, and I remember, I remember reading it. And, basically, we won. And so my dad was so proud, and I was so happy.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:09:32]: So, yeah, my so my dad and I just knew I had to do well. My dad was always interested in my work and helped me and volunteered to help me any way he could. So so that was my life with my dad.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:09:46]: Now as you grew up and went into your career, as you think about your relationship with your father, how did your relationship influence the way that you navigate life, relationships, or challenges that you either have had in your life or that you experience today?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:10:05]: Well, I think because of the foundation I had with my dad, I was not afraid of challenges of doing something that I was not familiar with. I was not afraid. For example, in my job, when they promoted me, as actually a mathematical programmer, then they promoted me into management. And then all of a sudden, they promoted me to something that was very unfamiliar, and this was, sales. They said they were establishing the vice president. Oh, by the way, the company that I worked for was Burrows Corporation, and they merged with another company called Sperry in 1986. Then we had a new name called Unisys. So when I say boroughs or Unisys, it just depends on what time what year it was.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:10:52]: But, anyway, in the sales situation, they asked me to create a branch for education, and that meant selling to public schools and universities in the state of Michigan. Obviously, more Unisys Burrow's equipment. So I thought sales. I never really liked salesman, and I thought, oh, this is, not for me. But my husband said, hey. You know, why not try it? And I remembered my dad always saying, hey. Don't be afraid to try new things. So yeah.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:11:27]: So I went for it, and I enjoyed it. That was the best job I I had, and we had several successes. We got an $8,000,000 order from Detroit Public Schools replacing IBM. And, yeah, that was just wonderful. But everything I did, the decisions I made, my dad had instilled in me in growing up self confidence, which I used all my life. So to me, my dad was an inspiration. And I think that because he was involved in everything I was doing through college, giving me advice, following my education, and being interested, which I think is really the key. And yeah.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:12:08]: So I was very proud of my dad.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:12:11]: If you could go back in time and you could spend one more day with your dad doing anything, what would it look like?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:12:18]: We would go fishing. My dad, loved for recreation to go fishing, and I I guess a great moment for me was in the summertime. When I was growing up, we would take our vacations on a lake in, in northern, Indiana, and we would rent a cabin and for the family. And the thing my dad liked to do is get up early in the morning at 04:00 or something like that and go fishing. And he always asked me to go with him. So the two of us would go out in the morning in this little rowboat and quietly sit waiting for the light to come up. Those moments are very memorable because he talked then about his experiences as a boy in Latvia. And he was taught he talked to me about how he went fishing there and the pranks he used to play with his little buddies.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:13:16]: And it was just really a wonderful time to be together with my dad. So, yeah, if I had one thing to do and stay to spend with him, I would go fishing. We actually live here in West Bloomfield on a lake. And before my dad passed, he had mom would visit, of course, often. And he loved to take a boat out here in the lake. And I remember one time, he was so happy because he actually caught a northern pike, which are kinda rare here in Michigan, but they used he used to catch them all the time in Latvia. So he was really happy. Fishing is what I would do with him.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:13:54]: Now what advice would you give to other dads who wanna build a lasting and meaningful relationship with their daughters?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:14:00]: Well, I think dad should get involved early on with their daughters, be it sports, but particularly education, and set a high level standard for the daughter. In other words, keep asking how she's doing and help where possible, but follow it. Just follow the the daughter's thoughts and let the daughter choose whatever career she wants. And it may not be technical. It could be acting. It could be being a musician. But whatever her interests are, follow it with her. Give her advice.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:14:33]: And I would say maybe be her best friend going forward, but stay involved. These dates, it's harder because of all the iPhones that we have and all everything going on. Everybody is on their cell phones, But it needs to be done, I think, as opposed to letting the child, the daughter, just do her own thing. No. Ask every day how things went, and can I help you? Be be interested. I guess that's what I'm saying.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:15:00]: Now I mentioned the fact that you have a book called The Wall Falls, A Woman Rises. And I really appreciated this book because there were definitely quite a few things in being a father to a daughter that I there's a lot of lessons that were shared and definitely things that I think that a lot of young women would value and gain insight from. And your story is one of overcoming incredible obstacles. As you mentioned earlier, from fleeing Latvia at an early age to breaking barriers in the corporate world, what lessons did you learn from your father about resilience and how can today's fathers instill the same perseverance in their daughters?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:15:48]: Well, the main message is never give up. Never give up. There are always obstacles in life, but there's always a way to get around that obstacle. An example is, when I started my company in Latvia, my game plan to play these were Latvians that we trained in the western ways, the the western technology, and the plan was for them to do the programming to solve problems in Latvia. We continually presented Western ways, the way the West works in the banking and the transportation area, etcetera. Everyone was listening, but we weren't getting the orders, the business. Our people, my staff, the programmers were programming prototypes of the operation. Everybody liked it.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:16:36]: They were ready to they ordered it, but the order never came through. It was stopped. So things like these were obstacles. I had 60 people that needed to be paid, and I was paying personally. And so I had decided another way. How are we gonna do this? So, basically, we decided to look at our US clients, Unisys clients, and offer our Latvian staff on short term projects using the technology that they had learned, which they were very good at. And so that's how we went from even though our programmers showed how Latvia how things are should be done, Latvia was not quite ready to implement all that in order to pay their salaries. It took them a while to do that.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:17:21]: But so yeah. So I had to to think out of the box, not give up, choose another path, which was really to go offshore, to go to The States. And everybody, of course, was happy. It solved my problem of paying the people. They were happy to see America and so forth. So in the book, I The Wall Falls, The Woman Rises, I I describe obstacles. It was nonstop things that I and I just kept going. And this all was basically instilled by my dad who basically lived his life and told me never to give up.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:17:57]: And that's basically what I did. And I really, I owe everything to my dad.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:18:02]: Now your book also highlights your journey through vastly different cultures and personal transformations. How did your relationship with your father or other male mentors shape your view of leadership and independence? And what can dads do to support their daughters in times of change?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:18:22]: Well, you know, no one really mentored me to speak of. It was just instinctive. I just every project, every assignment I had, I did the very best I could. And I didn't in business, there's such a thing as playing politics. I didn't do it. I did what was best for the company and I they basically, I guess, appreciated. For example, I did some unique things when I was vice president here in terms of, buying a company, a software company, which Unis has had never done before. But it it was interesting that I had to make the presentation to the chairman.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:19:02]: My boss wanted to listen because you see this was a risk, and anyone that actually presented it would be the one who would be at risk if it doesn't work. But luckily, everything worked out. I presented it, and I was really happy because we got new users as was the plan with the software company. So, yeah, I guess it would say instinctive because of the way I was raised. It all goes back to my childhood.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:19:29]: You talk about the fact that you were a trailblazer in a male dominated industry. What role did your family, especially your father play in giving you the confidence to step into leadership and how can fathers today encourage their daughters to pursue ambitious careers without fear?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:19:48]: Well, I mean, I after graduation, I didn't realize it. But when I applied for a job being a mathematician, my professor at Butler University suggested I try the computers at companies, either IBM or Burroughs, which were in Indianapolis, or an insurance company. And, basically, my parents said, what do whatever you think. My dad said, well, whatever you're comfortable with. Well, the way it happened actually here was something that was quite strange, so to speak. At that time, I was engaged, and my husband had taken a job on the East Coast. And we agreed to work one year and save some money. So Burroughs offered me $25 a month more, which is a silly reason, but that's how my career started.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:20:37]: And the reason I learned I was the first programmer is that a couple weeks after starting at Burroughs, my boss called me in to tell me he apologized. He said, Dagie, I'm very sorry to have given you all these tests. He said, but you see, no woman has ever applied, and we didn't know whether we could hire a woman as a programmer. So we had to call Detroit, which is the headquarters, to see, can we hire a a woman? And their human resources people said, well, there are no rules against it, so go ahead. Just give her a test. So that's how I started. That's how I know I was the first female programmer at Burroughs. And my parents, they saw how my dad, I think in particular, saw how in the evenings, in the very beginning when I started the programming, I brought back huge books about how a computer works.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:21:29]: Because you see, at Butler at the time, there were no computer courses. And I had theoretical math only, so I had to figure out how to do assembler programming on the Burrows machine. And he saw me try. He just said, you're doing a good job. Just keep going. And so, yeah, they told me to do the best I can, and I did and I picked it up. And Burroughs gave me a offer to come to Detroit, to use my math skills, which is what I did. So, yeah, and then, of course, I left home and, you know, my dad stayed in Indiana.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:22:03]: So but my dad encouraged me all the way. He saw me. He knew I didn't have a computer background and he saw how I I told myself I have to do this. I've gotta learn this because the first girl programmer is not gonna fail. And this goes back to my dad instilling the value of don't give up. So, yeah, he it they were my dad was very supportive.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:22:25]: Now your journey required strength, courage, and adaptability, and sometimes fathers struggle to balance pushing their daughters and to be strong while also being emotionally supportive. What advice do you have for dads who want to encourage their daughters to be fearless without making them feel like they always have to be tough?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:22:50]: Well, I think it just goes back to, I guess, how you raise them. For me, Understanding that we came from total poverty to The US, and my dad had to go to a life of working in a factory. I always felt like I needed to help out, and I never really I mean, I always knew I had to do everything to help my parents and his and also myself, and my dad supported me. So I think if dads get involved early on expressing an interest in the daughter, not necessarily telling her she has to do this, this, and this and get an a class. Just asking and following her interests. And then the child should automatically come to the dad, and the dad can be a friend. And hopefully, things get closer from that point on. But no.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:23:43]: I think to answer your question, the thing is interest. Now, obviously, if there are discipline problems, things like that, I never experienced that with my children or my grandson now. But, I guess in the very beginning, dads have to instill interest and a confidence in the fact that they're interested in the daughter. How are you doing? What are you interested in? And they keep following. I mean, they make suggestions, but I don't think she dad should ever dictate. So be the being strong business, I guess, would be if, if you you have to discipline someone. Right? I hopefully not. If your father is your friend, and I think that's really the kind of the goal of all dads, to make the daughter their friend.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:24:30]: Now you were a pioneering woman in the tech industry and later played a key role in Latvia's modernization. Looking back, what do you think fathers can do to ensure their daughters see themselves as capable of achieving greatness? And how important is it for girls to see strong female role models in their lives?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:24:51]: Well, I never had anything like I didn't choose to succeed. In my story, I just wanted to do my job. And I guess at Unisys, I did wanna become vice president. That was my personal goal. And I think, you know, my dad instinctively made everything I was, I did. And I wouldn't say I did it because my dad I became what I am because of my dad. And he didn't, you know, particularly tell me, daddy, I want you to be a vice president at Unisys. But he always said, do the best you can in any job and make sure that you're happy doing it.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:25:25]: And I really was. I had a great career at Burroughs Unisys. I enjoyed every job, and some were more difficult than others, but I did my job best as I could. And all goes back, you know, I didn't really have a role model that looked up to. I just wanted to be vice president. I grew up in a world with gentlemen. There were always guys because that was before women were really into programming days. This was a little bit before that.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:25:51]: And so that's why I was basically the only woman in meetings and so forth. I was treated just fine and and my bosses were great and gave me great opportunities. And I didn't look to myself as a I didn't look to myself as a woman in a guy's world. I just looked at myself as a person doing a job. And I had great colleagues and they supported me. And the reason I became vice president goes back to the what my dad instilled in me growing up, and that remained with me all my life. So I just think dads should tell the daughters, hey. You can do and be anything you wanna do.

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:26:27]: You just have to have the will, the desire to do it.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:30]: Great points and a great message for all fathers of daughters. Now, Dagny, if people wanna find out more about you, about the book, where should they go?

Dagnija “Daggie” Lacis [00:26:39]: Well, my website is, my full name, just Dagnia, d a g n I j a l a c I s, all one word, dot com. And my email is daggie, that's d a g g I e, at, and then dagneyelaces dot com.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:57]: And we will put links in the notes today so that you can actually find this for yourself. Dagie, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for sharing your journey today, for sharing your relationship with your own father and how what he did over the years helped you to become who you are today. And I know that your book and what you are putting out into the world is definitely going to help other women and others to be able to better help young women to find success in their own journey, and I wish you all the best. Thank you very much.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:27:32]: That's a wrap for this episode of the dad and daughter connection. Thanks for joining us on this journey to build stronger bonds and raise confident, independent daughters. Remember, being an engaged dad isn't about being perfect. It's about being present. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with a fellow dad. And don't forget, you can find all our episodes at dadanddaughterconnection.com. Until next time, keep showing up, keep connecting, and keep being the dad she needs.

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