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.

Dr. India Collier | Artist, Mom, Wife and Orthodontist

I truly believe work life balance is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping your sanity on a day to day basis. Self-care is at the center of this balance for me now, but it is something that I didn’t always prioritize. I have incorporated saying no to things I don’t want to do and focused on making time for things that serve my health and my passions. I struggled a lot with this when I first started my professional career, and by no means was this an overnight success. I am an orthodontist by profession, but I have been an artist my entire life. I have an extreme passion for both of these areas, so when I began my professional career I struggled with finding a balance and taking time for myself to indulge in a little self care, which for me is painting. I was used to creating custom paintings here and there as I went through dental school and residency, but I always considered it just a hobby. Read more>>

Tiana Glover | Branding & Marketing Coach

Balance for me with work and life has been one of the hardest parts of my entrepreneurial journey as I still have a full-time job as well. It’s hard to have a personal life. When I’m not at my day job I’m headed home to clock into my dreams from at least 5pm til whenever I’ve hit my most uncreative hour from being tired. I have long days most being somewhere around 16-17 hour days so finding an even balance in life has changed since the beginning. When I think of balance now, it has evolved from not just having weekends off, but making sure I’m fulfilling self-care needs. Whether that’s meeting my core-values of family first or just a hour or two at the salon for a pedicure. Balance is ultimately what allows my sanity to find a happy place with reality. Read more>>

Marika Daniel | Mass Media, Marketing Specialist & Photographer

To me your whole life is all about balance because you’re being pushed in many directions at once. My balance of life has changed many of times due to the fact that as I continue to get older I keep myself busy. I currently balance college, my job, internship, photography, and my social life. Balance is the key to life, because it compels you to be a well rounded individual who can multitask. Read more>>

Kaila Wilson | Business Owner & Nail Artist

Over the past 3 years, my work/life balance has definitely changed. When my career first started I’d work 6 days a week, 12 hours a day. I rarely made time for my family, my friends, or myself. Over time, my mental health started to decline; I wasn’t as inspired as I previously was and I was unhappy. That’s when I knew I needed to make a change. After opening my salon, I scaled down my hours in order to take better care of myself. I think having a good work/life balance, especially when you own a business, is very important. Without it, one can become burnt out and unmotivated. Read more>>

Valencia Holland | Personal Stylist

My work life balance has changed over time because when I first started by business I was a single mom. Fast forward to today I’m now married with more children. Everyday I have to manage my time and prioritize what I do according to the needs in every area of my life not just business. I think balance looks different for everyone and you have to do what works best for you and your life. Read more>>

Maria Sarmiento | Sculptor

Work and life balance has been tricky and difficult as an immigrant because I don’t have the support of my family here. For some time my husband was the only one allowed to work under his visa and I was a stay at home mom with 2 girls. Having time to create art during my daughters early years was very limited as a sculptor it was challenging. Motherhood taught me to be more organized and planning ahead and problem solve very quickly. When my kids went to school I started teaching at college that added another layer into my life. I learned a lot of trying to balance personal and work life. The thing is that we hear a” balanced life” all the time in the media, and now I know there is no such thing of maintaining a perfect balance. One minute it feels you are balanced, but something gets thrown into your life and you are in the cycle again of making it work the best you can. I started my own studio business 11 years ago, but I still was teaching and my kids were in high school. That was a dream that I didn’t know how to do. Read more>>

Monique Banks | Chef MoMo-Private Chef

Work life has changed drastically for me due to motherhood and also the pandemic. I took time off to focus on my family. My pregnancy was difficult towards the end, severe pelvic pain as well as back pain forced me to go on bedrest. My health as well as the health of my baby was my priority thankfully my clients understood and supported my my decision to take time off. I was used to working 14 hour days with hardly any time off. Traveling the world with my clients and being on call 24 hours a day. thrived off of the hustle and bustle and pushing myself to the limit. I was known as the go to person for last minute events etc however due to the pregnancy and the pandemic life was put on hold as I knew it. I focused on launching new business ventures such as an organic skin care line that I make from scratch called Luv Skin Deep. I’m writing a food memoir called The Power of Priority about my life and experiences with my clients and I launched a coffee company called Not Ya Cup Of Tea with my sister. Read more>>

Shannon Smith | Hairdresser

My life used to be all about work, furthering education, working any day and any amount of hours. Then I got married and had a beautiful baby boy! After he was born I ended up having to stay home longer then expected, I also knew I was going to love him, but never knew that kind of love before. The biggest challenge came when I was ok by the dr to go back to work. Finding that balance of being a mom and having a career. I love what I do for a living, I get to go to work and make transformations, people feel good about them self, help people, be creative, and every day is different. I also loveee being a mom. It was probably one of the hardest obstacles to over come. So I started back part time, and then I eased back into full time! Now I have found that great balance between my career and family. Read more>>

Brittani Bumb | Indie Sewing Pattern Designer

Balance is one of those things that I find forever changing! It makes me wonder if there really is ever a time when both are in perfect equilibrium. Over time, I have learned to really lean in to different areas of my life. This concept of “leaning in” comes from the book Slow by Brooke McAlary, where the author describes finding a sort of wobbly balance in life. Sometimes, work is all encompassing, so you may find yourself working longer hours trying to finish up a major project. When doing this, it is understandable that other parts of your life may be neglected — the dishes might pile up, you may find yourself ordering food in a bit more, etc… The key to wobbly balance, however, if knowing that it won’t (and shouldn’t) last forever. There is that fine line between working hard towards a goal with an end in sight and just completely burning out. So I guess my balance has changed more so in how I view achieving the coveted “work life balance,” in that I don’t. I tend to go more with the ebbs and flows of life which have a natural season to them. Read more>>

Chantel Adams | Writer & Entrepreneur

I was never able to get balance right. Either my family suffered or my work suffered or I suffered. Now I think about work and life in terms of work life FULLNESS. How can I live a full life? A full life is fundamentally different than one that’s just filled-up. It’s life-giving and welcomes margin. My work is a stewardship, and my family is a responsibility. It’s all temporary. And one day I’ll be accountable. I don’t want to have any regrets. Read more>>

Olympia Papageorgiou | Recording Artist and Doctoral Student

My life has definitely changed over time when it has come to work life balance. I am pursuing my Doctorate while also being a recording artist in addition to several other things I love to do. I have had to learn when to say “no” to people for things I cannot fit into my schedule. I have also had to learn to say “no” when I am tired, need some self care time and just want a break. We become so consumed with our goals and wanting to do things for other people, we often forget when to say no. It is important to be intuitive with yourself and know when to stop certain activities or at least slow them down. When school becomes overwhelming, I take a small break and work on something fun. I take it day by day and tell myself that I will reach my goals, it just might take some time. I write everything into my calendar so that I can see my schedule in its entirety and make decisions that are best for me. You must know your limits and know that there is more to life than working. Forgive yourself and learn when to say no so that you do not burn yourself out. Read more>>

Marsha Archer | Public Relations Expert

Work-life balance is the most overused phrase, and for many, the most unachievable task. Everyone says it with the best of intentions, but more often than not, duty calls. For me, after being physically and mentally drained after the first five years as an entrepreneur (yes, time slips away as you focus on growing your business), I finally threw in the towel and learned to schedule my ‘me time’ and ‘family time’ like I schedule anything else. Since 2013, my one promise is that I would 1. book travel and slip away for at least three days per qtr. 2. book international travel at least twice per year while checking something off of my bucket list. 3. never move or cancel those plans and while away, never overbook or overcommit myself so that vacation feels like work. And finally, 4. Use my laptop or phone once per day to check something work related for no more than 30 minutes. Read more>>

Kami Anderson | Language Coach, Scholar and Founder of Bilingual Brown Babies

This pandemic has brought on significant changes to what I understood to be the harmony of work and life. I have never really been a huge proponent of the notion of “balance” because each day we make a decision as to what we will prioritize and that can shift depending on whether its family or our business that needs us most. What this pandemic has taught me, is that GRACE more than anything is needed in order to feel good about what you choose to prioritize any given day. Virtual schooling with four children means that I need to make time in my day for any number of technological glitches with them. Working from home means that there are days when I walk past the dirty dishes in order to finish a product launch. Having clients that are dealing with the day-to-day stress of all of the above may mean we don’t do language today, let’s just talk about how you’re feeling today. All that to say, over time, especially this one, grace takes precedence over balance these days. I no longer concern myself with a work/life balance. My focus is grace though my lifestyle as a mompreneur. Read more>>

Lyrical Freedom | Podcaster and Mental Health Professional

This is an amazing question. I would definitely say my work life balance changes a lot. When I was growing up I was taught to have balance in everything I did. But as I got older and began my podcast along with other business ventures I realized balance isn’t always balance. Balance is the understanding that sometimes I had to set boundaries for myself and other people to have successful moments. I also believe balance is staying grounded in moments when I might feel overwhelmed and doubtful of myself. Read more>>

Jessica Erin Bennett | Stunt Woman, Intimacy Coordinator, and Filmmaker

Between having a baby during a pandemic and well, a global pandemic, I have had to come to terms with being a workaholic and feeling deserving of rest. As a freelance film professional, I have spent over a decade constantly hustling, applying for the next job, training, and in the midst of all of that, attempting to have a life. One of my major goals in 2021 was to actually schedule and intend to keep scheduled rest and family time. Among all of my friends, we all have missed monumental family moments. It feels scary to make taking time for myself as my career has often only been as good as my last job. I am choosing to believe that while that may be true, hard work also pays off. We deserve time – time that we choose. Time that we claim. Time that is also for looking back on this life that it was well lived. Read more>>