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.

Tamra Andress | Christian Business Coach

I believe balance is a lie. Mainly because I was a gymnast for 12 years and I never landed a 10.0 on balance beam. It was basically IMPOSSIBLE – and stats prove this even for Olympians. So if balance is a lie, how do we create work life balance? We show up with intention. We show up with support and open communication. We show up with obedience and diligence. We realize that there are seasons of more emphasis on work than perhaps family – but never forget that LIFE is being lived even while focused on the business. Read more>>

Renée Switkes | Visual Artist

As an artist, educator, and mother, my work-life balance evolves and changes continuously. When my children were little, they would paint beside me and it would take me months to complete a painting. Now they are older and more independent, I have more focused time and am able to complete a painting almost weekly. Read more>>

Jill Soukup | Artist

I firmly believe cultivating balance in our daily lives is essential to maintain sanity. And, for me, prioritizing is the key. I’ve narrowed my priorities to health, family, and work, in that order. A healthy lifestyle comes first because wellness is essential to attend to the other two. Since my health is good, I can dedicate the remainder of my time to family and work. If an opportunity or situation presents itself, it must support one of these priorities. Read more>>

Kelly Mimier | Specialty microgreen, flower, and herb grower; Serial entrepreneur

Once upon a time I was taking 18 credits in college while working an internship by day, an after-school childcare job, and a server gig in the evening; all while juggling an active social life. My first teaching job paid $28,000 (with a Masters’, and I’m rounding up), so I continued to work in bars and restaurants in the evenings and weekends to get by. Ten years later, my husband and I were working full-time, participating in an intense entrepreneurship incubator program, and working all evenings and weekends on our side-hustle. Read more>>

Ashlee Berghoff | Process Improvement Consultant & Virtual Assistant Recruiter

my work and all of the other aspects of my life. I knew it would never magically become easy, but I wanted the autonomy to make those decisions for myself. A year and a half after starting my business, I had my first daughter, and I now have two very young children. Before becoming a parent, I thought that we would be able to find a balance that worked for us and keep that balance going for years at a time. How naïve was I? Our needs as a family change on a monthly basis, I’ve learned how to adapt my business regularly to fit my energy levels and our family rhythms. Read more>>

David Collector | Chef & Owner, Stick Around Skewers

Learning to navigate the constantly evolving work life balance has been a unique experience. When you are passionate about what you do professionally, it becomes easy to prioritize work. In the beginning stages of opening Stick Around, it took every ounce of energy and focus to bring my vision to life. Shortly after the food truck opened, my wife and I welcomed our daughter, and it created a shift in what we considered a healthy work life balance to be. Navigating our new normal has been a blessing in disguise, work is still my passion, but I no longer focus on that as the only thing to strive towards. Read more>>