24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Junior investment bankers regularly work 80-90 hours a week. Many other high profile professions require the same level of commitment.

Often those on the outside claim that working 80-90 hours a week is bad/wrong/terrible/silly/etc but we’ve spoken with so many folks who say working that much has been the best decision of their life – it allowed them to develop a deep and strong skill set far faster than would have been possible otherwise. In other words, by working 2x the hours, they were able to generate 5x or more the rewards. And depending on where you are in your career, investing heavily in your skills and competence can pay dividends for a long time.

Karla Tuten Creative Director & Mother | Creative Director, Mother, AIGA Mentor, and 40 Under 40 Probuilder Mag

At the start of my career as a creative, I honestly didn’t have great balance. Which honestly was because I truly loved and had passion for my job, so I felt like I was always immersed in this creative mindset. It wasn’t until the birth of my son and I strived to have more boundaries with my work life balance. I set aside time in the mornings and evenings that are sacred to my family. While I still have passion for my work, I also had passion for motherhood and I wanted to succeed in both (which can be challenging at times). And in order to succeed in both, you have to know when to say “no” and to not bite off more than you can chew. I also realized that I needed to pick and choose my battles. Read more>>

Ashley Murphy | Sexual Esteem & Wellness Therapist

I recently moved across the country to Atlanta, Georgia, after working for the last 10 years in law enforcement. For most of my career, I knew that I wanted to actually work in a career that was tangibly rewarding. I worked in various facets of the criminal justice system, but working in the county was the push I needed to free myself. It’s funny because these large organizations and corporations push work-life balance, yet demand so much of you to where balance with anything becomes foreign. I went from being a number – working 40+ hours with sometimes 20+ hours of overtime, going to school full time, seeing clients for free as an intern full time, Read more>>

Nate Richardson | Videographer and Business Owner

I started my videography company, ShutterFilms, in January of 2022. A huge reason I decided to start my own videography business was because prior to that, I worked in the Atlanta film industry. Anyone who works in the film industry knows that the work life balance is terrible, borderline criminal. I was the director’s assistant for a Netflix film and would work between thirteen and fifteen hours a day. In November, I worked every single day of the month until we went on break for Thanksgiving. Point being, the work life balance was overwhelmingly in favor of work and it was terrible for nearly every aspect of my health. Read more>>

Josh Sahunta | Singer-Songwriter, Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist

My work-life balance has changed dramatically even just over the past 3 years of my career. I used to work non-stop. From the time I woke up, until the time I went to sleep again with very minimal breaks in between. I was as many would say, a “workaholic”. I was addicted to work. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night because of the anxiety (and excitement) of having to work again the next morning. Read more>>

Christina Hayes | Esthetician & Investor

Balance changed greatly over the last 5 years for me. I went through a very enlightening journey of depression, anxiety and unfortunately a suicide attempt. Depression led me into my career of esthetics because I wanted to learn how to take care of myself through skincare and beauty instead of continuing to spend days in the bed in a dark house. What I learned in my career is that what is intended to be an inner self care ritual could actually be a mask that many of us wear to seem ok. Read more>>

Coco Gilbert | Co-Founder of The Aunties Producer/Creative Director/Writer

My balance has changed tremendously. Being a new mom I am definitely more in tune with my time management and making sure that Im able to balance being a mom and an entrepreneur. I believe this day and age people forget to manage time to be a normal human being. I enjoy a day of Mommy duties. Aside from it humbling me, you learn that you work so you can live a life beyond your career. Read more>>

Olivia Crosby | Licensed Massage Therapist

Work life balance is something I take very seriously, especially after having my daughter. I used to work very long hours, sometimes even servicing celebrities in the middle of the night. I would work at times with either no days off or only one day off. This work lifestyle eventually affected my ability to take care of myself holistically, and as a massage therapist that is completely unacceptable. One day I made the decision to create more balance. I created a system where I would map out all the important areas in my life and write a few goals down for each category. Read more>>

Leslie Owens | Registered Nurse, IBCLC, and Doula

There is a running joke in the entrepreneur world that “I quit my 9-5 so I could work 24/7” and that is very true, especially when you are just starting out. I am still in the workforce while I get my business off the ground, and it is truly nonstop. I always have a never ending list of tasks to do. My hope is that putting in a lot of work now will mean not requiring so much work in the future. Read more>>

Ari Dennis | Registered Nurse & Owner of Br’Jhai’s Flat Shoe Boutique

I’ve realized over the years and after having a family, that work life balance isn’t an equal serving concept. Trying to give a 100% into nursing, my business, home, which include my husband and three sons then trying to have a social life became chaotic and stressful. And even though I was trying to give my all into all these “categories”there were still parts that were being neglected. So that’s when I had to decide HOW to prioritize and WHAT to prioritize, which ultimately taught me the true meaning of sacrifice. Read more>>

Melissa Elizondo | Marketing Guru & Apartment Investor

I have two businesses. My primary business is a Marketing Agency, my secondary (and just as important business) is investing in apartment complexes for passive income. When I started the Apartment Investing venture over a year ago, I was already working 60 hours a week doing Marketing. A few months into this new adventure I found out I was going to be a grandma and I wanted to make sure when the time came that I had margin in my life to be able to do both businesses and be a very present, very active, grandparent. Read more>>