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.

Kace Phillips | Partner at RBA, a Dallas-Based Branding and Advertising Agency

Work life balance has always been a pretty tricky subject, and I’m beginning to think that in the digital world, there is no such thing. By that I don’t mean that you can’t have a personal life, but I tend to look at it as work life integration versus a work life balance. There are times during the work day when I need to do things for my family or myself, and there are times outside of the normal work day that I need to be working. There should be a balance, but there isn’t a definitive line of when each should occur. But certainly I’ve had more of a need for balance as my career has gone on. Back in my 20s, if I wanted to leave work at 530, go to the gym for a coulple of hours, eat relaxed dinner, and get back on my laptop to work, I was able to do that. Read more>>

Norah Shazad | Poet & Author

My balance has changed over time because I have been put into a position where I had to learn better time management. While balancing school, both of my jobs, writing, and preparing/shipping orders out, sometimes it gets overwhelming and difficult, but nothing is impossible. I really like this balance, even though I am busy 90% of the time, but it makes me feel productive, and I get a lot of things done earlier than needed. Read more>>

Kyrillos Samaan | Professional Photographer, Videographer, and Graphic Designer

Having photography as a business, 2 other business, being a full time student, and having a full time job, it’s immensely important. Hiring an accountant saved my life because she is able to manage all the backend stuff while I do the most important thing, taking photos. I have a set schedule on how I manage anything. Coffee shop in the morning, knock out all my homework, go to work, then when I’m home, I edit my photos and organize everything. It can get extremely overwhelming but having a beautiful schedule and being consistent with it, it works well. Read more>>

Orlando Hopson | Executive Protection & Executive Assistant

Work Life balance is something I had to get better at. It has definitely changed over time just because I had to learn the real meaning of it for my life plus make adjustments to set boundaries. When I think about balance I don’t its a 50/50 thing I think its about making sure in everything you do between the two you are fully present in those moments to give it your full attention/effort. Like for instance when I’m on the road for work I’m there 100% when I need to be but when its time to FaceTime with my Fiancée and daughter I’m 100% there to ensure they understand that even though I’m on the road for work they are my priority. Read more>>

Roy Haidar | Makeup Artist

Usually, it’s easier said than done. work, life, balance. The word work comes up first before life and balance. That was my whole life Is work. I forgot what life truly meant and what balance really was. Work sometimes can control your life and you become it. After the pandemic, I realized that my mental health, life, and balance needed to come first to be truly happy and satisfied with myself and work. It’s taking a lot of time and effort but getting there. Not checking emails on a Sunday is a start. when it comes to balance, I think of what makes me happy first, what things I can do to get me motivated, excited, and get my day started aside from chores or work.
I stand by LIFE, BALANCE, WORK. Read more>>

Jarrett and Tana Hicks | Health and Wellness Advocates

Work life balance was something we had to tackle early on in the development of our business. As a couple and as business partners, it’s easy to blur the line between work and everything else. At the early stages of our business, we noticed that there wasn’t a clear distinction between when we were working on the business–marketing, developing new ideas, juicing, etc–and when we were just living our lives, so we made a decision to designate time for everything. We blocked out time on our calendars for meetings, juicing, product creation, and recording and editing. This really allowed us to take off our business hats and put on our “just being Tana and Jarrett” hats more easily. Read more>>

Teyanna Lamas | Owner and Founder of WhiskATX

I view balance a bit differently than most. I heard once about how everything does not need to be of this equal balance we all strive for because not everything carries the same weight. For instance, when thinking about work and family balance. Family will always carry a bigger ‘weight’ and should be treated as such. This is helpful to take mental note of in the seasons of busyness to keep me focused on the heavier items and allow the lighter weight items to scale back a bit. Read more>>

Tiara Burns | Podcast Network Founder & Yoga Teacher

As the pandemic altered the way we work and how our life flows, so has my work life balance changed drastically. Before lockdown, balancing work with my life involved hobbies that include being around people as well as travel. However, the coronavirus pandemic has positioned me to work differently and to move about my life with a new cadence. Today I incorporate balance and breaks into my every day life. The most effective method I have been using lately is the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, I work 25 minutes then follow with 5 minute breaks. The brakes allow my brain to relax. My five minute breaks or sometimes feel with snacks or browsing social media or meditation. I’ve been worked out in five minutes! When my business day is over, I am ready to relax and spend time (often virtually or by phone) with my most cherished ones. Read more>>

Gabby Prosise | Health + Fitness Coach

I feel like in the line of work I do, this is THE MOST popular obstacle for most people I speak with. Finding balance in life can be quite tricky at times especially when you’re a mom, or when you have a full time job on top of working a side biz. How I have found balance, is by: 1. leaning into my teammates when I feel like Im in a funk and just can’t figure life out. we have all been in rough patches in life, so at least 1 or 2 ladies can relate to what Im going thru. 2. waking up early! Im NOT a morning person, but on the days I wake up before my kids and get my workout + work done before my girls wake up. Im the HAPPIEST, and feel SO PRODUCTIVE!! BEST FEELING EVER!!!3. Write out my WHY, and have it close by so that when I start to feel like I just can’t handle everything I need to do for my business and life I can refocus. Read more>>

Tonya Hunt | Portrait Photographer

It has changed by leaving work at work and whatever stresses or problems happened I would leave it at the door when I came home, when I’m home I try and dedicate my time to my husband and family. I definitely think about balance all the time and try and work harder at it everyday. Read more>>

Jemila Medley | Pre/Postnatal Fitness Coach, Pelvic Floor Occupational Therapist, Singer/Songwriter, Professional Dancer

Over the last few months as I’ve expanded my business, I have had to set boundaries in place between my work and my personal life in order to create a healthy balance. Being a business owner can consume you…constantly thinking about new opportunities, how you can make something better, contacting clients, emails, etc. But it is so important to find balance. I still struggle from time to time, however I give myself at least 1 full day a week of absolutely no work & no work on social media. Since most of my work evolves around social marketing, this means, I can still go on social media that day but chose not to post or respond to anything business related, rather I enjoy social media as if I wasn’t using it for my business. I also make sure I take 20-30 min per day to check-in with myself to ensure I am pouring what I need into myself and my family FIRST before pouring into my business. Read more>>

Lauren Kutschke | SEO Copywriter

When I started my small business, things were, as expected, slow. Balance was easy. I could walk the dog, sleep a little longer, spend time with friends and take time off. I had the ability to work when I wanted to, which was exactly what I hoped for. The new energy from my business gave me a “yes” mentality. I could do anything, and I did. Over time, balance has become nonexistent and it’s scary. When a small business becomes a successful business, at least in my case, it meant less dog walks, less sleep and less time for the little things I so enjoyed. It’s an interesting place to be in — reflecting on your humble beginnings and mind-numbing growth and yet, I’ve found that I miss the initial balance. I miss the freedom and flexibility of a business at its roots. The strike of a pandemic only led to more work and less time off. This has brought me to a point where balance is not about saying yes, but about saying no — saving my energy for dream work, committing only to the necessary and setting boundaries for myself and my clients. Running a business can be lonely and when you lose yourself in the work, you lose any sense of balance. Read more>>

E-KYD | Rapper

This is something I’ve been dealing with currently in my life. I feel bad if I’m not working on my craft 24/7 but then on the other I feel bad neglecting my friends and family as well. I’ve actually tried both and what I’ve come to find is that by working 24/7 on your craft with no breaks you start to become burnt out and overwhelmed with the process. Going 24/7 makes you resent the chase. I find that when I take a few days off I’m refreshed, revitalized, armed/secure. I come back with a fresh perspective. So pretty much my answer is work-life balance is definitely needed to succeed in whatever venture you’re after. Don’t get me wrong it’s hard sometimes because you always hear that statement, “while you’re sleeping someone else is working.” It can be a battle within your psyche but it all comes down to checking in with self. If your body is telling you to chill and take a step back then do that. Your mental health is top priority. The climb to the top isn’t supposed to be brutal and overwhelming. When you start feeling those waves of emotions running through you then that means it’s time to take a break. Read more>

Brittany Reed | Independent Hairstylist & Salon Suite Owner

Work life balance has been my biggest personal struggle over the course of my career. I have always been a workaholic and overachiever, even in my first jobs as a teenager. In the beginning of my career I was always hustling. I always had that “yes” mentality and never turned down work. But the longer you’re in this industry, the more tired your body gets. You start to realize that not being able to say no leads to a lack of boundaries with your clients and within your business as a whole, especially when you work for yourself. It’s been a long road changing business my structure, limiting and delegating work and creating boundaries with myself. “Work smarter, not harder” has become my motto over the past few years and I can finally say that I feel like I finally have the boundaries and work life balance that I need to live my best life. Read more>>

Grant McMahan | Singer/Songwriter & Multi-Instrumentalist

Finding a good work-life balance for myself has been tricky, because I don’t always think about the process of making music and playing live as work. There are aspects of it that feel like work, like loading in/out and setting up sound equipment, but the act of playing the music and the creation of the music itself feels like something else entirely. It is hard to label it work because I enjoy it so much, and I feel energized from doing it. It’s electrifying and fun and also kind of terrifying haha. I also work as a bartender and server part time to support myself, so I split my time between that, making music/recording, and lately going to open mics and occasionally playing solo gigs. It doesn’t feel natural for me to sit still for too long, and I get somewhat anxious if I’m not working on music in some way consistently, it’s hard for me to convince myself to slow down and take it easy for too long. Read more>>

Jeremiah Alexander | Actor/Producer/Motivational Speaker

Work life balance has been very vital to my success thus far. In life we have only so much time and energy. Growing to know this, I began valuing both more. I have found a better balance in my life by cutting out all the negative energy and people over time. A lot of these choices were hard being that I’m a very loyal person to my friends. I was once told that being loyal isn’t bad if your loyal to the right people. I took heed to this and started becoming more aware by reflecting and taking brutally honest inventory of my past and present life. I would feel drained of energy and my spirit would not feel good when I had relationships with the wrong people and things. I felt zapped of my enthusiasm and further way from my goals. I got tired of not moving forward as fast as I would like and I made a decision to recreate myself. So I did! It’s very important for me to have self accountability and examine my failures with a learning spirt and it is also equally important to learn from my past successes, even if they are small wins. Read more>>

Ruth Ann Ritchie | Flutist & Arts Administrator

When you’re young and learning how to play an instrument, that instrument is your hobby. It gets difficult when your “hobby” becomes your entire livelihood. It’s a passion and something you love and can that easily consume every minute of your day…but it’s also a lot of work. I’ve had to make a it a point in my life to pick up other hobbies that let me step away from the flute and music in general. It’s taken years to strike the right balance of knowing when to put the flute back in the box and let my brain rest by doing something completely different. Read more>>

Adriana Amaya | Manager and On Air Personality

Balancing work life and life itself can be very challenging, but feasible. I have balanced my life by setting out my priorities and having a daily schedule. When you live with a schedule it becomes a habit to always get things done and not leave for tomorrow what can be done today. A true balance is needed because as much as you love your career, job, business, etc. Your family and health are also important. It has surprised me that very successful business people have not been as successful in their personal lives. I want to be careful because I want to be successful in life not just a business, a career, or a job. I desire to retire with a happy heart full of joy and meaning. This can only be accomplished with a balanced life. Part of the balance is to see all your duties with happiness and tackling each one of them knowing that you are closer to your goal. As a wife, mother, worker, student (finishing my MPA) that balance has to be in place to accomplish each goal and still have sanity. Read more>>

Michael Pasvar | Standup Comedian and Podcast Host

Work/ life balance for me is something that is super important. I have a young family and spending time with them is extremely important to me. Trying to juggle my day job, comedy , my podcast, and time with my family can be challenging at sometimes. Over time I have became a lot better and scheduling my time to make sure that I have time for everything. Balance in life is super important. Setting boundaries for everything that you do in life is the best way to make sure that you aren’t stretched too thin. Read more>>

Mindee Le Diehl | Dallas Firefighter/WPD competitor

I started bodybuilding/competing in 2014. At that point, I was working 24hr shifts in the hospital and served my last year in the Air Force Reserves. After that, I moved into state corrections, followed up with federal corrections (both working rotating schedules, both on for 8hr shift/5 days a week). This was all while I was still in Colorado, prior to moving to Texas in 2017. I also completed my master’s in psychology in December of 2015. I had already a good foundation when it came to discipline, and priorities. Adding competing into the mix made it a little more complicated at times but definitely not horribly rough. These first few years, I learned how to properly meal prep, eat my meals on the run, how to get my needed training and cardio in, while trying to function properly on the job. Needless to say, there’s a lot of early mornings and a lot of late nights. Read more>>

Katherine Cruz | Event Coordinator & Balloon Stylist

At the beginning of my journey balance played a big encounter in my life. When starting up my business, I had to think about my daughter and how my progress would affect time with her. I had to create a plan with my family to help me balance mom life and business woman life. With that plan, I am able to fully focus on my business while my family helps out with my daughter so I can challenge myself with creativity and continue to grow as a entrepreneur. Read more>>

Alisa Otto | Founder/Designer of Ottomatic Threads

I am fairly certain I work more now than I ever have at any other point of my career, but I feel like my work/life balance is much better. Since all projects go through me for approval and scheduling, I am able to plan out life in a way I’ve never been able to before; I can easily schedule my kids’ doctor appointments, leave early one day to watch my daughters dance lessons, or close up shop to go hiking when the weather is just right. My kids come with me to work when they are out of school and see what I am doing, which is really important to me. Overall, I feel like I have a lot more control over my life and the flexibility I need with small children at home. Read more>>

Britta Ward | Luxury Travel Advisor

The idea of work life balance was so much more important to me when I had a desk job. Sitting at a computer all day is not was I was made for. Now that I own my own business, I can travel as much or as little as I want. I am on call 24/7 but it never feels overwhelming because I’m not required to work all day. I make money when I work but going out and socializing or traveling and meeting people is what work looks like for me now. Any new person I meet could potentially benefit from my services. I now feel like I’m in a constant state of vacation because I love networking. I travel to see hotels so I know what the product looks like in real life for you as a client. Helping someone get a last minute trip on the books gets me so excited. Read more>>

Kelsey Shofner | Small Business Attorney

I finally decided that balance is the wrong term to use. Ultimately, it is impossible to be balanced all the time. Some days and weeks are particularly heavy for work. In others my family needs me more. Other days I really need some time and space to focus on my own mental health. No one single day or week will be perfectly balanced. Instead, I try to focus on being present where I am. This is not always easy to accomplish, considering that I work 100% from home and we decided to keep our young kids home with a sitter this year. I am basically within yelling distance of my kids 24/7. Prior to starting my business, I felt like I always had to be “on” for work, my phone had to be on me, and I had to respond to every email right away. Even though my previous employer did not require that, I somehow felt like being a working mom meant that I needed to work extra to show my dedication. Read more>>

Marc Liu | Marketing Entrepreneur | Travel & Leisure

Work life balance has always been very important to me: I have many passions, from martial arts (I’m a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) to cooking to travel, and I have always tried to extract as much from life as possible. I also value my relationships with my family and friends great, and have never wanted to sacrifice those for professional ambitions. Over the years, I have the best approach has been to seek work that connects with my passions and gives me the flexibility to organize my own schedule. It’s not always perfect but I think I have done it pretty well. Read more>>

Carolyn Funk | Artist and Art Educator

Having two children in three years definitely forced me to prioritize and think of the word ‘balance’ differently. For me, balance does not mean similar time and energy between work, home, and personal life. Instead, it’s an understanding that my attention will ebb and flow depending on need. Read more>>

Kalee Goodman | Licensed Professional Counselor

Having a balance between work and personal life is extremely important to me. I truly enjoy working with my clients but early in my career I did notice that I did not have a healthy work life balance and felt early stages of burn out. Experiencing burn out early on and having a child forced me to look at my schedule and create healthy boundaries in order to not place all my energy in one section of my life. My schedule at work is Monday-Thursday which provides me an extra day at home with my son. I also try to make sure I have breaks through out my work day to take care of myself. I have found that making sure I have balance during my week has provided myself with peace. I believe it is important to do regular balance checks in your life to maintain a healthy work-life structure. Read more>>

Alyssa Vallecorsa | Artist and Educator

I am an art teacher who has been in the field for 17 years. I started off thinking that I was an artist first, and a teacher second. What has changed over time is that I have realized I am both of these things, all the time. My work life balance is blurred because I like to experiment and have my nose in the art world on both levels, as an educator and as a creator. I rarely think about it as a balance any longer because art encompasses pretty much everything in which I am involved. Read more>>