By far the most common conversation we have with the folks we interview is about work-life balance. Starting a business or pursuing a creative career makes finding work life balance really tough because there is no clear start and end to one’s work day. We’ve shared some of our conversations on the topic below.

Sara Wilder | Clinical Life Director/Coach/Therapist

Wow, this question was the most impactful because my whole identity is about balance. As an entrepreneur, I have the freedom to balance the way I needed to balance. The earlier part of my career, my early 20’s, I was imbalanced in too many ways. I spent my energy supporting systems that I did not value. As a result, I was a socially anxious, borderline morbidly obese, codependent, emotionally unintelligent, scatter brained, food addict. Read more>>

Talicia McCall, M.Ed, CFLE | Floral Designer & Certified Family Life Educator

Being a woman, I, like many others play several roles and it has been that way most of my life which makes me used to multitasking and juggling various responsibilities. Over time, it becomes difficult trying to stay connected in all these roles without experiencing stress and burnout. There is no possible way, each endeavor I am involved in will be allotted an equal amount of time. I don’t believe in work life balance. Prioritization is what works for me and my family. My business, my personal life, my extended family, etc. Read more>>

Dorian Starks | 360 Photo Booth Owner

In my opinion, it’s not really that hard because I have a wonderful staff that handles getting the gigs while I’m at either school or events with basketball. They make it easier for me to balance my business, school, and basketball. Read more>>

Sharde Ward | Content Creator

After I graduated college, I went on to work in Human Resources as a tech company. I never understood the importance and true meaning behind “work-life balance” until then; that term was not even something I truly knew about to be honest. I did not realize how detrimental this was, until my mental health was impacted more than anything. I had no way out at the time because I agreed to working for the company for a year. This was the hardest season of my life – I began having anxiety which I hadn’t felt in years at the time, Read more>>

Chamise-Renée | Pose Coach, Actress, Model, Dancer, Relationship Chain Executive, Founder of The Financial Freedom run

Balance… with the life that I live, balance does not exist. I have created “a flow”. I wear many hats and with everyday that I am blessed to see, my agenda is different. I am a business owner of 3 businesses total, myself as an actress being one of them. I’ve been in the entertainment industry since the age of 3 so multitasking and working through my schedule of the day was instilled in me at an early age. Read more>>

Cassandra DeAnn VanCuren | Certified Human Design Reader and Creative Professional Mentor

Where to even start! Being a creative professional is hard. We produce from our hearts and there are no right or wrong labels that can be placed on the work we create. We depend on the outsiders’ eye seeing value and beauty in the things we introduce to the world. This comes with its own set of challenges. Without a secure sense of self and a balance internally, this can lead to challenges of seeking validation, comparison, anxiety and people pleasing. Paths that look more like self sacrificing and being lost in the piling “to-do lists” and chaos. Read more>>

Alice Tam | Owner and Head Baker at Soft Dough Co.

I think about work-life balance a lot. I run Soft Dough Co. alongside my 9-5 corporate job, and it’s not easy to stop working when you have two jobs. Weeknights and weekends are spent running the business – folks are surprised at how little time the actual baking takes up. There’s admin, marketing and operations to take care of too! After a recent burnout experience, I now make time for rest. Sundays are usually free, just hanging out with friends and exploring the city. My days are full, but what I tell people is that I’m conscious about being more productive. That way, I’ll get things done quickly and still have downtime left. Read more>>

Angela Solomon | Owner of Potions And Popcorn

When I was a young single mom, my priority was keeping things afloat materially. I was not able to spend much time or effort on taking better care of myself physically. Over the years that took a toll on me and forced me to slow down and pay more attention to my own needs. I hope that young mothers today are able to practice more self care. Once the kids were in High School, I was able to focus on me again and life began to come back into balance…for a while lol. Read more>>

Nancea Ceo | Costume Designer. Artist.

Still working on work balance. The. film industry demands allot form you with the hours and schedule. 12 hour days are the norm. As a costume designer, my hours sometimes can be even longer than my crew. I have a saying, “if you 110 percent creatively care allot about your work, then the job may be harder.” I am on the inside an artist and cherish the process. Balance is something I strive for although not alway. successful. When in Los Angeles I may begin my day at the Annenberg Beach House, overlooking the ocean, with my assistant to plan the day and do computer work. Read more>>