Meet Sunita S. | Founder | Creative | Writer | Mompreneur

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

Hi Sunita, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
What is work-life balance and why is it important? Is it a fallacy we should dismiss or a skill that we need to cultivate? For me work-life balance is an art of striking a fine equilibrium between your professional and personal activities, without sacrificing one at the expense of the other. Whether you are a recent graduate, working mom, a budding entrepreneur, or a seasoned CEO… work-life balance is a skill we need to develop & integrate into our lifestyle. Work-life balance for someone in 20s might differ from someone in their 30s, 40s or 50s.
We need to figure out what our ideal balance is & what matters to us the most. There is no simple formula for achieving a perfect work-life balance, as long as you have the clarity & self-awareness to what matters to you the most – you will be able to devise a perfect plan.
Everyone should create their unique work-life balance for the goals in their lives. It should be constantly reviewed, renewed & adapted to the current scenario. I begin by setting out goals that brings value to my professional & personal life. And understand what actions I should integrate into my life to achieve those goals. Every six months or so, I revisit my work-life balance plan & take stock of what works and what does not.
Over the years, I have gone through a series of adjustments centered around different priorities. Initially my career was crucially significant to me. In the next decade, my family took precedence over career. I firmly believe, it will change again in next few years.
Life, to me, entails perpetual change and adaptation, as well as contentment, happiness & joy! Both my work & my personal life are equally essential to me. I would not feel whole if the scales were tipped. Disruption or stress at work OR in one’s personal life gradually & discreetly permeates into another. No one feels good when they are overworked, stressed, or pulled in a thousand different directions.
As someone who wears multiple hats, without a well-balanced plan nothing would ever get done. For me it is an ongoing pursuit! But it does not imply dedicating 12 hours to work & 12 hours to life outside of work. Because there is no such thing as perfection! There are days when I prefer to concentrate more on work than my personal life because of heavy workload. But I do ensure that on other days, I make time for my personal goals around family, fun & creativity. Ultimately the choice falls upon us, do you live to work or work to live?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an operations (manufacturing) professional with apparel industry, product photographer, content creator, recipe developer, writer, blogger, mom – a one woman army! As someone who is passionate about food, health & wellness; my creative endeavors over the last couple of years has given me an unforeseen passage as a content creator & a writer contributing to the blogging community.

From the time my story was published by VoyageDallas, I have been working relentlessly on building RecipeForte website. The website is intended to be a useful resource for people who love food and can learn about helpful how to’s, meal planning tutorials, product reviews and much more. All the healthy recipes available on the website have been tried & tested in RecipeForte kitchen by our trusted friends and have generously earned their stamp of deliciousness approval.

What began as a dream, has since grown into a full-fledged community. Even though the website is at its nascent stage, the overwhelming response from people around the globe makes me truly happy. It makes my heart sing to see visitors from countries like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, U.K, France, U.A.E, Germany, Estonia, Poland, China, Netherland… not to forget majority of hits we receive are from US, Canada & India.

What sets me apart from others is that the skills I have developed as a creative, are completely self-taught. People just see the end product, but they do not get to see what goes on behind the scenes. It took a lot of sweat & tears to get to where I am today, and the journey has just begun for me. Sheer grit & perseverance is what has kept me going. When you work around what you love, nothing seems difficult & every challenge is a step closer to reaching your goal. Few lessons I have learnt along the way are:

• Learn to laugh at yourself, otherwise it is going to be one long & tough life.
• Enthusiasm is the baking powder of life; with it you rise…without it you are flat!
• Make gratitude your biggest attitude.
• Happiness begins with you.
• Always have a back-up plan B, C, or D. Because life will always throw you a curveball…. expect it!
• Trust your instincts (It has served me well!)
• Believe in something bigger than you, whatever it is for you…. Universe, karma, guardian angels, God, Allah. Believe… in the end, it WILL work out for you.
• DO NOT EVER compare yourself to others. Always compare yourself to the lesser version of who you were few years back.
• Actions and words both have value, it is when the two do not align that the value is lost.
• Do not invest your time, energy, or attention into anything that does not bring you peace or purpose.

Through RecipeForte I want to engage, raise awareness, and influence the world’s “Healthy Living Trend.” Our philosophy is to deconstruct classic meals into their healthier versions, highlight the use of seasonal vegetables, emphasize on the significance of “from farm to fork,” create budget-friendly meals, eco-friendly sustainable resources while working on reducing waste in the home/ kitchen.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As an avid hiker I would obviously suggest hiking trips to my guests, depending on how much further they are willing to travel, for a promising naturesque hike. State parks within Texas from Dinosaur valley, Big bend, Cleburne, Cedar hill, Ray Roberts. Or in the neighboring states like Ouachita National forest, Broken Arrow, Lake Texoma, Colorado Bend, Palo Duro Canyon, etc.

For local outing I would suggest Perot Museum, Dallas art museum, Dallas Arboretum, Dallas Aquarium, Klyde Warren Park (especially when they have art & music festival), Bishops Art District, Deep Ellum, Farmer’s Market at downtown Dallas, Legacy West, The Star at Frisco (with a Star tour of the Dallas cowboys), a Cowboys/ Mavericks game, Fort Worth Stockyards, The Boardwalk at Granite Park, The Shops at Legacy, Grandscape in the Colony, Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Frisco, Fury Fun Center (you can bring your own food or have it delivered while you play!), Fortunata Winery in Aubrey, & lastly a visit to Bucee’s is a must!

For Food & drinks – All the great restaurants at the Star, Shops at legacy, Legacy west, Love and War in Texas, Snookered Frisco, Rare Books Bar, J.Theodore Restaurant & Bar, Seven Doors Kitchen, Better Than Sex – A Dessert Restaurant, Dining in the Dark – Tower Club Dallas (not sure if it is still available), Lazydog restaurant & bar, Uncork’d bar & grill Frisco, Don Amigos Frisco, Table 13, Bavette grill, Sixty vines, Whiskey cake kitchen & bar.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t have reached where I am today without the constant support of my parents, extended family, few close friends & my spirited kids for giving me the drive to be better. To come out Bigger, Better & Stronger… with each day!

Website: https://www.recipeforte.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ForteRecipe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecipeForte-107589761064396

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGKBNfMm-kL9R8CLk-dmvTw

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/all0781/_created/
Email – recipeforte@gmail.com

Image Credits
Food Images – ©RecipeForte Personal Shots – ©SunitaSandhuPhotography