Jolly Duong isn’t just one of the most unique strata managers you’ll meet – he’s one of the most remarkable humans you’ll ever come across.
A self-proclaimed “reformed lawyer” who found his calling in strata management, Jolly is also a para-athlete and a passionate advocate for resilience and reinvention. In March 2024, a sudden spinal cord injury left him a paraplegic. But instead of letting adversity define him, Jolly chose to redefine himself with courage, humour, and an unwavering determination to push beyond limits.
SCA (NSW) Director Natalie Fitzgerald caught up with Jolly to discuss his story and how he transformed Challenges into Triumphs.
For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting you, can you introduce yourself? – Feel free to tell the story of how you got your wonderful name 😊
Well, my name’s Jolly — yes, that’s actually on my passport. I would love to say that my parents gave me that name because they wanted me to live with joy, to carry lightness through life. But it was actually the name of the doctor that helped me out of the womb. My name is a tribute to one of the people that helped me come into this good.
And while life hasn’t always been light, that name has been a reminder: even in the darkest moments, you can still choose to be Jolly.
You’re a ‘reformed lawyer’, as we like say, switching from law to strata management, why the switch?
Honestly? I realised that while law gave me knowledge, it didn’t provide me with connection. Strata management whilst it sounds boring and mundane, but it’s actually about people. It’s about solving real problems for real communities. And after everything that happened to me, I realised people matter more than paperwork.
You participated in the City to Surf only 154 days (!) after your accident,…ummmm how?
Stubbornness. Pure, unfiltered stubbornness. Everyone told me it was too soon, too hard, and impossible. And maybe they were right. But for me, the City2Surf wasn’t about running 14km. It was about proving to myself that I was still here, that I could still set a crazy goal and move towards it. Every push of the chair was a reminder: my body might have changed, but my spirit hadn’t. When I got to the finish line, it was probably one of the first times that I felt like my life wasn’t over. It was going to be so different, so much more tricky, but it can still be so beautiful.
Chicken and the egg questions. Did your resilience give you the motivation to flourish after the accident, or did the accident motivate your resilience?
Great question. I think the accident didn’t create resilience in me, it just highlighted it. Resilience was always there, buried under convenience and comfort. I always liked pushing through the hardest of things, getting my body to be as exhausted as my mental state when doing Triathalons.
The accident stripped all that away and left me with two choices: give up or dig deep, deeper than I have ever dug with my mind. And when I dug, I found a well of resilience that honestly at the time felt like a trickle. The accident didn’t motivate my resilience, but it sure as hell demanded it.
Tell us about all the awesome opportunities you’ve said yes to since the accident? You’ve met some pretty amazing people, yeah?
Oh, where do I start? From para-archery with Olympians, to speaking alongside leaders who’ve shaped industries, to connecting with communities I never thought I’d be part of. It has all been an amazing journey so far. Saying ‘yes’ has opened doors I didn’t even know existed, doors that I next saw before. The most amazing part? The people. Every ‘yes’ has led me to someone inspiring, someone who reminds me that the world is bigger than my own story
Strata has called you back even as you face an entirely new life, what do you love about it?
Because it’s never just about buildings. It’s about people. Strata brings together the messy, beautiful chaos of humans living side by side. It’s where law meets life, and I get to be right in the middle, helping people find solutions. It might not sound glamorous, but when you help a community work better, you’re actually giving people a better home. And that’s something I’ll always love.
I am very thankful to all my clients who thought about me, sent me messages, and flowers whilst I was in hospital for the last year. As much as I may have helped them in their troubled times, they have helped me immensely whilst I tackled my own.
Diversity makes the world go round, and you are very diverse (& fabulous) being Asian, openly gay and disabled – how do these parts of your whole influence your world view and decisions?
I used to see those labels as separate boxes I had to tick. Asian. Gay. Disabled. But the truth is, they’re not boxes, they aree lenses in which the world sees me and each one changes how I see the world. Being Asian taught me discipline and family. Being gay taught me pride and authenticity. Being disabled taught me resilience and creativity. Together, they’ve made me not just diverse, but whole. And every decision I make now is filtered through that wholeness with compassion, with integrity, and with the belief that difference is strength.
Whilst it is probably uncommon to say, I am still thankful for the experiences that have led me to be where I am. It is tough, and unbearably hard sometimes, but like many things in life, it all passes through, and being of so many intersections, it gives me the opportunity to interact with such diverse and unique communities.
Jolly is speaking at the upcoming SCA (NSW) Convention on Wednesday – for further information and pricing head to SCA (NSW) Convention.
