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.

Marques Young | MUSICIAN, COMPOSER & PRODUCER

I am naturally a workaholic and a perfectionist. Though I do appreciate this about my working style, I have notice that it can make my productivity less efficient. The overload of work hours leads to fatigue and burn out. The perfectionist side of my approach leads me to never feel like the job is done. Read more>>

MaryAnngeline Medenas | E-RYT 500 Master Yoga Teacher, Masters of Fine Arts in Dance, Founder of KINEESI Virtual Yoga Studio and Professional Movement Specialist

​Balance is something that I talk about a lot! It is a wild concept because I am always striving towards balance in my body, breath, family, romantic relationship, friendships and so much more. My work life balance has been the hardest for me to regulate but it is one of the most important. I love what I do and I always want to offer more and expand into other projects. I also tend to offer a helping hand in any way I can when it comes to my loved ones. Read more>>

Mark Hopkins | Legacy Guide

I don’t believe in work life balance. I believe chasing it sets you up for failure. It sets you up for a life full of exhaustion and compromises. Why should we compromise in life? In relationships compromise is key but for me, I don’t want to compromise. I want to be 100% committed to whatever I am focusing on at the time. It is like standing in the middle of a see-saw and trying to keep both ends off the group – it is hard work and fragile. Read more>>

Andrew Beltran | Co-Founder Original Grain Watch Co.

When my brother & I started Original Grain circa 2013, it was all about the Grind! How many hours could we put in to “make sure” our business was successful. When starting a company there is no doubt the extra hours are needed, but 15+ hrs a day for 6+ years began to wear on both my brother & I. As youngins we were committed to learning as much as possible about branding & running a business – Also needed. Read more>>

Angelica Mack | Lash Artist & Educator

My balance has changed greatly. I used to think that I had to have optimal balance to be truly happy and successful, like I had to have an even split between ‘having fun/enjoying my life’ and ‘working really, really, HARD’. I realized NOW that there is no such thing as balance, in-fact I’ve realized that I have to be imbalanced for some time to truly reach my goals. I have to be very strategic and focused to get to where I want and I don’t think balance plays a role in that, at least for now. Read more>>

Tommy Lucero | Comedian , Producer, and cook.

I had no balance at all as a younger comedian and producer. I was devoted more so to writing and trying to hone my stage performance, which unfortunately had me see the end of jobs and some relationships. These days I’ve found that staying focused on the specifics are very important, especially when on the road. I’m fortunate in that my “day job” is being a cook in places that keep me on my toes, which transfers over to the world of comedy swimmingly. The balance is much more goal oriented now, I’d like to achieve more than in past years especially now that I’ve stopped drinking. My eyes are a bit clearer to what I’d like to accomplish these days. Read more>>

Chrissy Lewis | The San Diego Facialist

Balance is very important to me. If you don’t have a healthy work life balance you will burn out. I found that to be true when I worked for a luxury spa in NYC. Most of our clientele were celebrities so we would work 12 hour shifts being booked solid. The money was great but it wasn’t worth it in the end. I started to really resent what I created. This life in this city that I had always wanted was becoming exhausting. Read more>>