What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Kel Pitts | Wedding + Elopement Photographer

When starting your very own business from the ground up it requires a lot of heart and hustle in the beginning. In my specific career, and for many other creatives, that looks like taking on any client that comes your way and working for way less than your value in order to build a clientele and grow your business by word of mouth. The first two years of my business were absolutely packed to the brim with sessions. There were some months I went without not having a single day off from shooting a session and I was staying up until the wee hours of the morning editing to stay caught up. Read more>>

Nicholas Haugen | Director and Photographer

Work life balance is difficult for a lot of people in the production industry. It is long hours and a lot of moving parts during the day that you are very drained by the end of the day. But somehow it is the most rewarding and fun job I have ever done. The people I work with are family and we all have a great time at work but we know when its time to go home that we all have lives outside of work. Read more>>

Anton du Preez | Musician and Physical Therapist

Balance is an interesting question, since it’s different for everyone, and doesn’t have to be “equal.” I have had split passions forever. Music and medicine. Medicine and music. Which one? In my formative years and formal schooling, I focused on both. I lived both. I breathed both. Approaching the end of my undergraduate studies in 2007, I still couldn’t decide, so I joined the Navy, naturally. As luck would have it, and a bit of finagling, Read more>>

Sara Galindo | Cookie Artist & Baker

Work and life can be hard to balance, especially when your business is based from home. In the beginning I tried to book myself as much as I could and it become hard to find free time. I used all my free time as work time. I did this for a couple years and have recently started to give myself more of a set work schedule. I homeschool my two daughters, so it is important I have allotted time for school, work, family and free time. As a small business owner I think it is very beneficial to find time daily to “turn off” from work and focus on other things in life. Read more>>

Jamie Easton O’Neal | Social Media Marketing & Full Time Mom

This was a lesson I learned the hard way! When I transitioned my career from event coordination to working in social media I was completely glued to my phone. There were multiple occasions that people would remind me to get present and get off my phone. But success and validation had an addiction that was strong in me. Eventually too strong! I started becoming stressed to the point that was negatively effecting my mental and physical health. Multiple times I had thoughts of “Screw it! I’m done!” In those deep times, I really started to reflect why I feel this way. I had a moment where I realized my value wasn’t in my career or my success. Read more>>

Whitney Sam | Life Coach

I love this question. My work life balance has changed drastically from my 20’s into my 30’s. In my 20’s I was so focused on working and keeping my job that, I didn’t realize I was putting more into an organization rather than investing in myself and elevating my skillset. I had no boundaries when it came to work and I often felt overwhelmed and burned out. Once I got married and became a mom, my priorities shifted in life. I am a career woman, but the titles I hold such as Wife, Mom, sister, and friend are so much more important to me. Read more>>