Our community is filled with hard-working, high achieving entrepreneurs and creatives and so work-life balance is a complicated, but highly relevant topic. We’ve shared some responses from the community about work life balance and how their views have evolved over time below.

Trecy Bleich | Designer/Owner

Over the years, my balance has changed because now my son is old enough to handle some things on his own. Because I work from home, it is easier for me to balance being an entrepreneur and being a mom.  I have a better handle on maintaining the needs of a business and trying to raise a good human. I think about balance as an inclusion of all aspects of one’s life. It is very important to have a focus in life but also to have the ability to break away .  This to me creates a healthy mind and well-rounded individual who has a better scope of everything in our world and not be extremely self involved. Read more>>

Brian Allen | Digital Marketing Leader & Dad

My views on work-life balance have definitely shifted over the years. In my 20’s and early 30’s this was not something I even thought about too much. I loved my work, and could do a lot of it at home in the evenings, so at the time I did not have any issues working 60+ hour weeks. I even thought that it was a blessing to be able to look at it that way. I could never understand how people could just shut off their work mind at 5 PM and then turn it back on at 8 AM the next morning. Once I had kids, there was an immediate internal conflict that I had to deal with. I had put so much self-value on my ability to “go above and beyond” for work that when something else more important needed that time, I felt an immediate guilt struggle. I felt guilty for not being able to be present at all times in my thoughts with my kids, but also felt guilty for not being able to be the 60 hour per week “rockstar” that I felt I needed to be to be successful. It really forced me to prioritize things and look at work a bit differently and compromise between those two intrinsic values. Read more>>

Callie Cooke | CrossFit 11:24 Gym Owner

I think my mentality behind work life balance has changed! I used to think that I had to “play” as hard as I worked, and now that I am the business owner, that has changed. I have changed my thinking to really focus on the smaller things that give me balance! Such as: an hour to myself, or having an afternoon to do things rather than needing an entire weekend to get R&R. The little moments such as a bath, or having an hour with my husband has really become more special than I ever thought. Read more>>

Lyndzey Dare | Licensed Massage Therapist and Fitness Instructor

Work life balance is possibly the most challenging concept that I constantly have to think about. I am a workaholic. I love what I do, and I love where my business is going, so it’s hard to stop thinking about work. Even before I was a business owner, I had multiple jobs and only prioritized working out and eating well. One of my best friends would come over and help me meal prep just so that she could spend time with me. Everything changed when I started dating my husband. He had two young children and lived an hour from me. After a few months of dating, we decided I would move in with him once my lease was over. I spent a full year trying to come to terms with not being able to work all the time. When I moved, I became a stay-at-home mom and had one small part-time coaching job. While I viewed taking care of the children and home as a full-time job, I knew that that would be over the following year. As both boys went to school, I found myself unfulfilled. Read more>>

Emily Newman | Fine Artist and Creative Entrepreneur

I used to think of a work/life balance being balancing my “work” load with the priorities I have of being a wife and stay at home mom. Throughout 2020, having no separation between the two, I realized that the two are intertwined at their core. I cannot separate them and they are essential to one another. My art is an extension of who I am as a wife, mother, and human. I bring my life into my work, and I bring my work into my life. I include the kids (my youngest is literally a collaborator in my most recent collection) in my painting time and I run the business side with them in tow. I run ideas past my husband and grow from his creative perspective. I love inviting them into what I do. I hope that by bringing them into my process, they’re challenged creatively and practically. Read more>>

Sasha Revolus | Creative Director + Serial Entrepreneur

Balance requires boundaries for me. I use to be the person to always try and fit everyone in. Didn’t matter if I slept, ate, or thought about myself. If I knew I could do the task, I would add it to my to-do list as a priority. After about 6 years of this, I had a huge mental break. I was very depressed, couldn’t complete any task at all, and had gained a tremendous amount of weight. I had a conversation with a friend and she told me something that would change my life. Stop doing things you don’t want to do. Happiness lies at the end of that. Not sure why, but I felt like I got permission to say no. From that moment life became a checklist of only what I wanted to do. I started adding self-care, vacations, days off, and hobbies to my to-do list. The reality is life is one big checklist that needs sprinkles of fun. When planning always think about yourself first because nothing can get done without YOU. Read more>>

Sensei Raven Ekundayo, CLC | Yoga Instructor, Life & Wellness Coach, Mental Health Professional

Balance is actually my favorite word, it’s how I live my life. It’s a continuing journey of evolving my balance. My brand is all about Wellness and Mental Health, so I’ve had to learn how to dump the energy that I may receive from my clients and practice consistent self care in order to refuel my love tank. When I was younger I did a lot of giving away my energy and allowing others to fill me with their pain and hurt. As I’ve lived and worked more and more in my field, I’ve been able to grasp a far better understanding of what it means to show up for self, while still assisting in the healing of others. I’m not perfect, so I still have moments where my balance shifts; however, I remind my of the importance of coming back to the middle through meditation, reading, yoga, exercise, long walks and a few other things. We all have to come up with a list of things that bring us peace and tap into our joy when we’re feeling low. These things will show up for us when we need them. THAT is a huge part of my brand. THAT is at the core of my balance. Read more>>

Jessica Ware | Divorced/Independent Woman

My balance change drastically after I moved 3 years ago. I got married 2 years ago and I have 2 kids (13/9). I started working a full time job that is 12 hours overnight 5 days a week. I barely have time to focus on anything for myself anymore. My husband recently walked out on me living me to balance everything all on my own . Now, even though all this stuff hit me at once, I still remain humble and find balance and peace amongst myself. I have never been the type to just throw in the towel, I have to keep pushing for the sake of my kids and my own goals. Life has been tough I admit that, but the way I am set up I will push through. Having the balance to keep going and struggling allows me to know that God is not through with me yet. Read more>>

Dr Sam March-Howard | Chiropractic Prenatal and Pediatric Specialist

I used to strive for balance because in my mind there is a time and a place for everything. As I struggled to find that balance often, I now realize that I am looking for synergy or harmony instead. Now that I am 11 months postpartum, a multi-business owner, a wife, and a mother, my ambition is even stronger! So now balance doesn’t exist. Focus does. Embracing what is in front of me does. Finding synergy in the flow of life does. Balance is simply a misnomer. Read more>>

Katsy Garcia | Illustrator + Designer

I used to have no concept of work life balance—I used to think that driving myself to work as hard as possible was the only way to get things done and that giving 200% effort in everything would secure my career. As much as I have been able to accomplish in the past, working oneself that hard isn’t sustainable in the long run, and I got burned out pretty quickly. It was honestly during the pandemic and after living for so long in self-isolation that I learned how to be forgiving on myself. It’s easier for me to recognize now when I’m feeling overworked, and to stop myself before I run out of creative juice. I’m more attuned to my needs and I’ve learned what things help stimulate my creativity and productivity—which includes time away from work to unwind and do unremarkable, mundane things like watch tv shows, clean my house, or call a friend. Finding that balance between work and rest is constant a work in progress, but the more I intentionally work on it, the easier it gets. Read more>>

Lorelle Oliveira | Lifestyle Influencer

My outlook on work life balance has intensified tremendously. I value my time with my family and truly cultivating peaceful spaces in my life. Although I love creating content, maintaining my brand/ business and also, flying for a major airline, I’ve always made my family my number one priority. I think too often we sacrifice the aspects of life that are truly important for the demands of capitalism. Yes, financial stability is important but I understand very clearly that when this life is over, material things will mean nothing. The memories I’ve made, the time I’ve spent thinking and enjoying the fruits of my labor will be what remains. I think every entrepreneur should truly prioritize their time to reflect what’s important to them. For me, my husband, daughter and I spend a lot of quality time together. Even during the week when our schedules are hectic, we MAKE THE TIME. Read more>>

Richard Hempton | Entertainment Professional

I am a self-professed workaholic, but there are conditions attached to that. Before I started working for myself II held a lot of different jobs and though I held the same work ethic I was never a workaholic. Meaning I left the job at the place of employment. I never took my work home with me as a bartender or a publishing assistant but now, it happens. I think it happens because I absolutely love what I do. I would pour coffee on a film or television set before going back to a 9 to 5 office job or service job. Some people really like that work and I enjoyed it when I did it but I never really loved the work. Now, not only do I love what I do I also work for myself. All of my hard work directly benefits me and my family. But burn out happens even in work that you love. If 2020 taught me one thing, it’s that it’s ok to not be busy all the time. I can still love what I do and have other activities and interests. With no choice but to slow down in 2020, I found a place for leisure in my life. Read more>>