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.

Christopher Johnson | Pastor and Entrepreneur

I’ve been pastoring, mentoring, leading and impacting for the past 17 years now. On top of all of that, I have had the honor of being a full time dad and husband. Starting out, trying to balance it all out was a challenge. It was trying to spend time at the church, scheduling time with the kids and family, then trying to balance my business at the same time. Trying to compartmentalize my life was proving to be too challenging. I personally don’t think that people who are extremely busy should try to balance. I believe in Intentional congruence. This concept is what I live out in my life today. It is the idea that everything should be moving in the same direction. Now, I have to find ways to include my family in what I do at church and in my business. In this way, I can still make money while spending time with the family! For me, it’s not balance but congruence! Read more>>

Andrew Gatehi | Fashion Designer

Within the last year I’ve seen a dramatic change in my work-life balance. For one, scheduling events has been less of a hassle because working from home means less time spent commuting to and from meetings which frees up more personal time. In addition I am not as attached to scheduled dates as I was pre COVID-19. My time in the studio with some exceptions has been mostly spontaneous. In doing so my work and life melt into one which means I am not struggling to make time for one or the other. Read more>>

Sherrie Elyse Penn | Film Set Painter and Sculptor

Work life balance means doing what makes you happy and fulfilled. A few years ago I made the decision to make time for what was most important to me. I wanted to fulfill my purpose and do what I could to make the world a better place. After I left college in 2012, I volunteered many hours with peaceful activist organizations. Activism is hard work but standing up for what you believe in is never easy. I organized festivals, lobbied legislation and helped educate others about unknown food contaminants and sustainable alternatives. I spent the majority of my free time in this effort until my passions shifted. During this time I discovered meditation and personal development. Read more>>

Karrie Gawron | Art Director and Vanlifer

I think the last 18 months have taught us all about work/life balance. It’s important to make sure you have a career that can help you work to live, not live to work. I started my career in New York City when work/life balance was talked about, but not valued. It caused a lot of burn out for people, myself included. In the last few years I’ve taken more time to stand up for myself and realize when work can wait and when life needs to come first. Read more>>

Lauren Carnes | Photographer & Communications Coach

Work life balance: it’s such a coveted – and elusive – thing, especially in the small business & entrepreneurial world. When I first started my business, I was hungry, available, and even if I shouldn’t have been available… I made myself available in the name of opportunity and potential growth. My business grew quickly, but with each new client, I inched closer and closer to inevitable burnout. I’d work late into the night and wake early to achieve more and faster. Read more>>

Kharla Rogers | Hair Artist & Salon Business

I am soooo out of balance lol! Being an entrepreneur you have to wear so many hats along with the hats of family life, and self care. WLB is such a priority but it’s always important to know you can only do what YOU can control. Learning how to back off of tasks that’s out of your control is a lesson for work, life, balance! Read more>>

Allie Martin | Publicity and Visibility Expert

Many people visualize balance as something similar to a scale or seesaw – when weight is added to one side, the other side goes up. However, through my hundreds of interviews with entrepreneurs on my podcast, Selfish, I have discovered we should really think about balance, as more of a bicycle. When we pedal a bicycle, yes, we still put weight on one side, but we have to constantly shift weight between both sides to keep the bicycle moving. If we stay on one side too long, we fall over. And just like anyone learning to ride a bicycle, it is a process. We fall off. We scrape our knees, and we have to get back up and try again. I want more entrepreneurs to think about balance like riding a bicycle, we have to keep shifting our weight or attention to all areas of our lives, and if we don’t, we may fall off. But if that happens, just keep back up and try again! Read more>>

Jamie Young | Founding CEO of Real Results Medical Weight Loss

In the beginning of my business I worked as much as I could which lead to burnout at a pretty early state of my business. To keep my company on a path of growth and to keep me mentally healthy I learned that to work smarter, didn’t mean working harder and work-life balance became a huge priority. The key to work-life balance is all in the systems that you have in place, not only at work but at home too. As my business grew, so did my systems… everything from my calendar, to my digital phone system, and even designing email funnels and responses not only help me maintain a healthy work-life balance but also provides a higher level of care to my clients and those around me. Read more>>

Benjamin Etter | Record Engineer, Mixer and Producer

I spent the first few years of my career as a staff engineer and studio manager at Maze Studios in Atlanta, working 70+ hours a week away from home and keeping odd hours. I saw it as an investment into my career and future opportunities at the time, but I also quickly realized how challenging this lifestyle would become for my home and social lives, as well as my physical and mental health in the not so distant future. This realization is what made me want to go out on my own and figure out if there is a healthier way to work on music for a living. Read more>>

Che Echols | Student, Actor and Model

Work life for me consists of my college courses and my creative lifestyle. The issue I had to overcome is the fact that my major and my creative lifestyle don’t compliment each other at all. Currently I’m a fifth year premed student at Auburn University, but i’m also the vice president of my campus’s modeling organization and a signed model/actor for an agency called Vogue Models and Talent in the Atlanta area. Read more>>