Our community is comprised of entrepreneurs, artists and creatives. What’s tough about all of these vocations is that there is no clocking in and clocking out. So what should one do – work all day? Never work? Work 9-5? Finding work life balance when you work for yourself isn’t easy, but it is important.

Annie Tam | Licensed Professional Counselor & Boy Mom

Balance, or rhythm, as I like to call it, is a common hot topic in my world! It’s where I start with my counseling and coaching clients by having them fill out a self-care plan that looks at all the various ways they’re supporting their mind, body, and spirit. It’s important to know what things, other than work, people value and spend their time doing in order to help them find their personal rhythm. I like to refer to my rhythm as a constantly changing pattern that allows me to feel both content and energized. Read more>>

Amanda Alcaraz | Cookie Artist & Mom

Balancing my time has been a struggle of mine since I first started my small business. I am such a people pleaser, that I have problems saying no. I would overbook myself and work myself sick to where I couldn’t get out of bed the next day because I was so nauseous, the room would start spinning. I just felt I had to do all the things all the time. I would think okay, if I start now I’ll be done by this time and then I’ll have time for family things or catchup on household tasks. But the reality is, I am only one person. I can only do so much at a time without sacrificing my sanity. Read more>>

Faith Thomas | Food Influencer

What’s great is that I get to work from home or out and about in the city. Creating that balance between work and home has been easy because I love what I’m doing and because sometimes homelife and worklife are the same thing. If I’m cooking something at home, I can always share recipes of what I’m making with my audience at the same time. Read more>>

Ingrid Panameno | Food Allergy Blogger

When I became self-employed, I had the flexibility to set up my own schedule, however, in the first stages of setting up my business I worked more than 40 hours a week. At the beginning I lost track of how much time I was investing designing and creating content for my website, I used to wake up, work, eat, work, and then sleep late at night. Now, I’ve realized that is not the healthiest lifestyle I can follow. As I need to have time to learn, meditate, and take care of myself, because I can’t provide great results if my body and mind are not in a healthy place. Read more>>

Lyrical The Goddaughter of Hip Hop | Hip Hop Artist, Entrepreneur, Mother

The past year and a half work life balance has changed tremendously. Between motherhood, music, school, working full time, and running my own business, I am always busy. I always have something to work on, and it seems I just keep adding to it. One thing I had to learn how to do is respect my own time, learn to tell others no, and not be ashamed to put myself first. We work so hard for jobs and other people and we leave no energy for our own passions. I made a conscious decision to change that. Read more>>

Teresa López | Accountant & Small business owner

Balancing my 9-5 accounting career, this small business of mine (D|C|D), mom life, family, and everything in between that life likes to throw at us hasn’t been easy. Following your dreams is NEVER easy but it is so worth the extra sweat and tears. And, trust me…THERE WILL BE TEARS (lol). My life has changed in the sense that I choose to practice and become better at my craft on a daily basis rather than settling for my current state. If we’re not growing we’re standing still. I strongly believe my work/life balance has progressed for the better even though it means less sleep. Read more>>

Georgia Green | Life and Leadership Coach

I don’t believe in work/life balance. Let me explain. When we say work/life, we are pitting work against every other aspect of our life. So, work naturally becomes the enemy. I believe work is a part of us, of what we do to execute our purpose, play in our passions, and express our personality. Instead, I believe in work/life INTEGRATION. I practice a model called the 7-elements of wellness which includes Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Spiritual, Recreational, Financial/Occupational. I feel balanced when ALL of the elements are represented in a healthy way every day. Read more>>

Megan Bailey | Interior Designer

My work/life balance changed significantly when I started my own interior design business. My family is the most important thing in my life and I’ve been able to spend so much extra time with my son the last 2 and a half years. From traveling, to random days at the water park during the summer to being able to pick him up at 3 when school gets out every day, It’s so nice to have the flexibility to manage my work schedule with my family’s schedule instead of having to conform to the parameters of an 8-5 job. I feel that I’m very lucky to have this flexibility and I value all the extra time I have for myself and my family! Read more>>

Miso Kim | Artist

Last time I talked to Voyage Dallas, I mentioned my struggle is about finding the right balance of public and private boundaries. And this time, Voyage Dallas asks my perspective on what balance is. Let me use one of my favorite painting since childhood, “Cafe Terrace at Night” by Vincent van Gogh, as an example to describe my version of balance. What draws your attention the most at first glance of this painting? Most likely, warm-lightened yellow cafe terrace is the first one you see–ok, but why? Because the night time blue atmosphere contrasts and accentuates the yellow despite the small ground yellow covers compared to the blue. Read more>>

Andi Fitzgerald | Yoga Instructor

My work life balance has changed drastically over the past few months due to COVID. Before COVID, I was teaching anywhere from 10-12 group yoga classes a week at studios, senior living communities and recreation centers. Since the places I used to teach at have been shut down, and most students still don’t feel very comfortable taking in person classes, I’ve gone to teaching zero in person classes and moving to a completely online format. I’m filming and teaching virtual classes from my house, trying to find the best location to teach and trying to work around barking dogs and lawn mowers. Read more>>

Madeline Rawicki | General Manager and Event Director

I gave birth to a precious baby girl this February, so my work-life balance changed drastically. I’ve been working at Celestial Beerworks for the past two years, and throughout this time from single life to pregnancy to motherhood, I’ve reaped the benefits of family-focused ownership and flexibility in management. I consider myself a bit of a workaholic, especially while having such a fun job, so my daughter has forced me to slow down and to be present, giving my all, in each moment, whether it’s with her at home or while working at the brewery. Read more>>

Robert Grammer | Owner of Klarity Music Group, Producer, Audio Engineer

I speak of balance quite often. I have always been the type of person to work on many things at once, and realized at a fairly young age, that sacrifice would be necessary to get where i wanted to get. Growing up listening to interviews of other entrepreneurs, and role models, i would take their stories and advice to heart. One common trait amongst the majority was, sacrifice. When others were sleeping, they were working, when others were taking a break, they were working and so on. Unfortunately, tho i was productive, this lifestyle caught up to me and began to hurt more than help. Read more>>