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.

Vanessa Hendrickson | Photographer / Working Mom

As a working mom and wife , work balance is always on your mind. I do not work the traditional 9-5 job. People tend to think we have all the time in the world. As a business owner, we work past the regular 40 hour/7 day week. Even though it can be challenging at times, I love the freedom of making my own schedule .I have been fortunate to have the opportunity of booking sessions and events around school functions, swim, soccer, birthday parties, even holidays. I do not make100% of the activities but I make sure I do not miss the important things.  I make it a point to block out family time on a schedule so I can unplug and really be present at home. Read more>>

John Pagnam | Illustrator/Tattooer

Balance is very important. Early in my career I was very work focused and left little time for anything else. I was prone to burn outs and developed health issues as a result. Today I have more balanced days allowing for exercise, good sleep, and time with my wife. I work half as much as I used but am more productive. I find your quality of work is more important than volume. Read more>>

Jennifer Weedon Palazzo | Mama-in-Charge of MomCaveTV.com

I’ve never found the perfect work/life balance. What has worked for me has been to think of things as a “season.” For instance, this season is summer (when my kids are home from school) and baseball season (when we are constantly at the ball field.) What can I do in this season? I don’t have the time for uninterrupted, focused writing. But I can make social media videos on my phone from the car or jot down creative ideas for when the kids get back to school. For moms of young children, work/life balance really doesn’t exist “in this season.” Wait until they are older. Read more>>

Brandie Sellers | Licensed Professional Counselor

I grew up in a family that valued hard work, and as a perfectionistic only child I interpreted that to mean something like, “Work hard until you’re dead.” It has taken a cancer diagnosis and getting a degree in counseling for me to understand that we did not come here to work hard, suffer, and then die. I value work as a part of my life, but I also value leisure time as an integral part of my life. Being an aging human and cancer survivor takes maintenance. As a business owner, I arrange my time now so that I see clients four days per week, and use Fridays for my own therapy and other self-care. This balance helps me to be a better therapist, a better mother, and a more joyful human. Emphasizing leisure also translates to my client care. I ask my clients what they are doing for fun or rest this week, and often the I answer I get is something akin to “cleaning my closet.” Ugh. As a culture, we need to learn how to value and practice rest. Read more>>