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.

Amira Scott | Professional Candlemaker

This is definitely one of the hardest things about running my own business. I thought, like many people, that in working for myself I would find more time for me and my personal life. I mean, when you’re the boss you’ll always approve of time off for vacations, mental health, and medical appointments right? I was absolutely wrong. When I first began perfecting my craft in 2020, I don’t think I ever took a break. If I wasn’t in the kitchen pouring candles I was on YouTube researching new techniques and trying to learn from the information others would provide. Read more>>

Sergio Nazzaro | Real Estate Agent

Work-life balance feels like you are living two different lives. To me, it’s more about work-life integration. Findings ways to have both pillars of life support one another but never become the sole focus of your life. It’s a harmonious relationship that requires vigilance and attention. Balance feels like stagnation where as integration allows for you to adjust your focus as needed depending on your season of life. Read more>>

Terry Tsu | Bay Area Painter and Multi-faceted Artist

The line between work and life at this point is a little blurred. I’ve always been an over-achiever, people-pleaser and my own worst critic. That’s not a great recipe for work-life balance. However, I’ve learned over time to try not to do everything myself and most importantly, allow myself to be me. Read more>>

Frances Karsh | Interior Designer

I think “work life balance” is quite a difficult term and hard to achieve, especially for women. I started my business after working at design firms for 18+ years . Although somewhat flexible they were still 40+ hour work weeks and basically a 9-5 hours.. This atmosphere worked fine while i was single and when my children were young. Read more>>