Meet Dimitra Lioliou | Head of Content at The Working Gal | Head of Marketing at EDL Services

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dimitra Lioliou and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dimitra, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I started working immediately after high school, I had never thought about work-life balance. I didn’t even know what this was all about as I worked full-time while at college.

When I started my companies (yes, I own two businesses!), I was so used to working indefinite hours, early morning to late nights, usually during the weekend. I didn’t have the time to question anything regarding work-life balance and why it was essential to achieve it. I was so fulfilled by the everyday hustle that I thought I was just a workaholic who highly valued their work — “workaholic” used to be my pet name as well.

This modus operandi worked for many, many years quite successfully until I realized that I was stuck in a place where I wanted to do everything by myself. I kept canceling plans with friends because I was busy and felt overwhelmed for no particular reason.

Then, at a family gathering, I realized that I hadn’t seen some of my favorite people for over a year — it was shocking. And I was determined never to let this happen again. Therefore, I decided to start delegating tasks at work, taking the weekends off, and tried to avoid the PTO guilt while traveling with friends. The significant change happened when I hopped on a trip with some girlfriends some years ago. I chose not to take my laptop and work phone with me, and I never looked back after those five stress-free days. The best part is that nothing happened that my fantastic team couldn’t resolve, and I actually came back with some great business ideas! Giving my subconscious a break ended up being a win-win for everyone.

Ever since I had this trip, I rarely work on the weekends. Now, I spend quality time with myself and my loved ones and try to stay within the normal limits of working during the week, which actually did wonders for my productivity and my creativity as well (working in marketing needs both!).

However, achieving balance, especially when everything is so fast-paced nowadays, is not easy, and it’s not always manageable. For instance, if there is a big deadline, it can be hard to say, “Hey, I’m not working after 6 pm.” But when things are not very busy, I aim to moderate work and life. The way that works for me to achieve it is discipline. We talk about discipline, productivity, and effectiveness, but we tend to apply them only to our work, not to our personal lives. But you do need discipline when you wake up in the morning to keep yourself from grabbing your phone and replying to emails instead of enjoying your cup of coffee in peace. You also need discipline to get out of the office and join your Pilates session every week. So, balance can be achieved only if we discipline ourselves to do the fun things, not just the errands.

Also, balance shouldn’t be conceived as an everyday occurrence. There may be periods when we are not balanced because things at work are busy, and, realistically, we may miss some drinks with friends or a fun event during those times. But that should balance out with periods when things are slower, and this is where we can pay more attention to life. And this is a less stressful and more wholesome way to achieve balance instead of trying hard and putting yourself in a position of trying to jiggle around 24/7.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a proud owner of two businesses; the first one is a Web Development & Digital Marketing Agency, EDL Services, that was created to cover the gap of quality digital services in an all-in-one solution for business owners who don’t have the time for endless meetings with different teams and want effective, affordable and quality services, only by talking to one person!

The second one is The Working Gal, an online space for the working gals out there who want something fun to read and want to improve their lives in every aspect.

I am equally proud and excited for both businesses and the team I have created over the years that support my vision and my ideas. Owning a business, especially as a woman, is not a piece of cake, for sure. It needs patience, empathy, communication, and the willingness to take risks; all day, every day. However, it’s good to go to bed every day thinking that you are able to contribute to society only because you can support financially a couple of people.

The challenges for business owners are numerous, but good communication with the people around you is the key to overcoming them.

What I want people to know about my brand is that whatever is put out there for our customers/readers and whatever we offer is made with love and enthusiasm and, first of all, ethically.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely suggest Piedmont Park for a long and nice stroll and a visit to the green market.
It would also take them to the World of Coke and the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Also, Little Tart Bakeshop and, of course, a visit to Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park & The King Center.
And last but not least: Ponce City Market!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My big shoutout is dedicated to all my favorite people, family, friends, my amazing business team, and, most of all, my husband, who supports my creative ideas non-stop and is always there to help me get out of my writer’s/business owner’s block!

Website: https://workingal.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_working_gal/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-working-gal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theworkinggal