What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Kate Upton | Therapist

When I first started working in private practice, all of my energy was focused on work. I was always thinking about getting more clients, marketing myself, and building a schedule with maximizing my work hours as the central focus. A little over a year in, as I settle in to having an almost full case load of clients, I’ve had to completely shift my mentality. Showing up for my clients in the way they deserve means being incredibly intentional with my self care and boundaries. Read more>>

Megan Fischer | CEO and Founder, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank

I hate the term “work-life balance.” I think we should be striving for work-life alignment. I don’t want to be a separate person at work and at home. I want my kids to see my work, be part of it, and see the sacrifices it takes to start and run a business. And I want my work family to be just that–a family. I want them to know when I’m having a rough time or taking a mental health day to recharge. And I want both of these parts of life to know that sometimes one or the other will have to take priority for a little bit. Read more>>

Christina Wiginton | Dance Studio Owner & Choreographer

That’s a doozy of a question and something that I’m constantly working at each day. CK DanceWorks is going into our 19th year and before I had my little girls (Evan, 5 and Ellis, 3) I feel like it was so easy to throw myself in my work every hour of the day not spent sleeping. Wake up, start admin work from home, take a shower, continue emailing/planning or choreography, drive to the studio, pick back up where I left off until I actually start teaching dance (ALSO WORK!) and then, drive home, and then proceed to eat dinner while opening my computer to finish off the night with emails. Read more>>

Jay Byers | Photographer & Founder of Jay B Image Lab

Consistency matters, but work-life balance matters more when you’re building your brand. It’s important to create a routine that caters to your personal well-being. In the past, I have felt burnt-out at times because I was pouring so much of myself into my work. I was sacrificing sleep, food, fun and even relationships. Things changed for me when I caught Covid in the fall of 2021. When I tested positive, I realized that I had no choice but to take care of myself, so I stopped doing everything and only rested. Read more>>

Lottie Conner | Corporate Executive & Entrepreneur

I’ve been an entrepreneur since the age of 21 when I graduated from cosmetology school. While in school I was also working part time and I was also a young wife and mother of a daughter. That career advanced to the point of me being an independent contractor in a salon then later becoming a salon manager for 15 years. Within that time I had also given birth to a set of twins so we’re still talking about work life balance right? Lol. So in 2004 I decided to return back to college to finish my BA degree in Psychology while still working full time in the salon and being a now single mother of 3. In 2013 I moved to Birmingham Alabama to pursue a new career in my field of mental Health. Read more>>

Carmen King | CEO & Founder of Black Light Candles

Becoming a Full Time Entrepreneur has tested my boundaries and definition of work life balance. When working in corporate, I believed you should never bring your work home. Once you clocked out, you delete work from your mind. No checking emails on vacation, answering work related calls after hours nor discussing work during family time. The balance worked well for myself. Read more>>

Sincere Hunte | Musician

Finding balance isn’t a easy task. I used to go through the motions of stressing over it, making lists, setting reminders, stuff like that but now, honestly, I have been blessed with the ability to incorporate what I have to do in everyday life. Working as I’m playing. Read more>>

Samantha Gonzalez | Lash Artist and Esthetician

I began my beauty business journey about 5 years ago when I was a full time undergrad student. Balance has been extremely important to me throughout my business. One of the first challenges I had was finding a balance between work and school. I had to learn how to balance taking clients while studying and being on eboard for clubs. After graduating in 2020 I worked full-time doing COVID related work so my schedule changed drastically. I mainly took clients on my days off and in the evenings. Read more>>

Lorri Lofton | Event & Content Curator

I have learned that there isn’t a true balance. Balance involves an even distribution or equal proportions. Even if I evenly distribute myself to all that needs to be done or who needs my attention, the one who suffers is myself. I used to pride myself on multi tasking. However, I get so much more done when I give undivided attention to that one thing. So I’m now focused on work life harmony and allowing myself grace in the process. I often find myself saying ‘Lorri, you’re doing the best you can with what you’ve been given.’ Read more>>

Matt MOJICA | Hip-Hop Artist, Audio Engineer, Producer, Label Owner

As I/we get older I feel as if time gets faster and faster. In order to keep a good “balance” gets harder and harder. But, I find being on a schedule helps me a lot. Giving my self deadlines and planning things out ahead of time for less stress an saniexity later. Being able to squeeze everything you have to/want to do in a single day is near impossible. And I think about it everyday I just want to sit and play Xbox all day and or make music. Read more>>

Leeza Klimetz | Charcuterie & Food Stylist

Finding a healthy balance is probably the most important thing for any business owner to learn. I am a mom, wife and business owner. I also work a corporate job in HR. When I first started my business, I was in no way prepared for the growth of my business, but as it grows, I have to adapt to that. At the beginning, I wasn’t prioritizing correctly and getting burned out very quickly. But over the past year, I’ve learned how to make the most of my time. Read more>>