A host of factors, developments, and dynamics have made most industries more competitive than ever. As a result so many of us wonder whether there is still such a thing as work-life balance. We reached out to the community to hear perspectives on finding the right balance.

Kat Davidson | Children’s Book Author/Campground Developer

Growing up I believed value was based on how productive/efficient I operated in work and personal life- it didn’t leave much room for self-reflecting, pondering, wondering. My intention was to respond to e-mails within 24 hours; I would find myself working 16-18 hour days and took on any requests for help from others – burnout is real! After finding myself completely exhausted, body physically shutting down and becoming sick constantly, finding balance was critical. Read more>>

Brian Jennings | Preacher, Author

I witnessed many people I deeply respected in the generation ahead of me do amazing things in the world but lose their families. I committed to not sacrificing my family for the sake of good work, even church work. At the same time, I wanted to give my best to my career (church ministry, writing, and justice work). I’ve not done this perfectly, but I’ve learned some things: 1. Feeling tension isn’t bad. If I felt a little pull to be home more and a little pull to give more to work, maybe those competing tensions would balance me out. But if I felt no pull to be mindful of either, I might be missing something. Read more>>

Desiree Gonzales | Charcuterie Board Artist & Food Stylist

Increasing the number of long weekends out of town has really helped that work life balance for me, especially the last 6 months or so! I have a sister that lives outside of Phoenix and I try to get there as often as I can, not just for visiting my sweet nephews, but also in the simple fact I’m away from my desk, computer and all work in general. When I’m in town, I find it harder to take the time from the things I need to do to doing the the ones I want to do. Read more>>