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.

Karen Belton | Owner/Pastry Chef

Work-life balance is very important to me, which is why starting a family-owned business has been a top priority for me and my husband. I am a self-taught baker and I have worked my way up over the years. I started off baking cakes for our girls’ birthdays from there I started selling cakes on Craigslist, to working as a cake decorator, until I eventually moved my way up to being a Pastry Chef. The only problem with working for a company was I had no control over my own schedule, I was working long hours and weekends, which left me exhausted when I finally did have time to spend with my family. Now with our own business, we manage our own schedules and are able to spend a lot of quality time with our children. Read more>>

Gilbert “Catfish” Mares | Radio Host

I have a great work life balance. I have a steady career in Los Angeles. I play music on the weekends and during the week Produce, host and promote a radio show on 99.1 KLBP FM Read more>>

Jenny Holden | Founder & Formulator

Starting Oleema Skincare required a nuanced approach to balance. When I officially launched my business I was already a mother of three young children. I think that with motherhood, comes a little wisdom and a better understanding of my priorities. To be completely honest, it has been difficult at times to harmonize both roles. While I still took many risks, I had a more cautious and strategic approach because I needed to juggle family commitments and financial stability along with my dreams of launching a successful natural skincare business. Read more>>