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.

Brad Doss | President of Doss Financial Inc

When it comes to the work life balance for me my opinions and my feelings have definitely changed over the years. I used to try to do work life balance in the sense of “ OK I need this amount of hours at home this amount of hours at the office to sleep to get balanced”. But a couple years ago I change my thought process and instead of thinking of work life balance I think of my life as having multiple seasons and when I move into a different season that shifts how much time is been spent where, according to the season. Read more>>

Natalia da Silva | artist, baker, bad joke maker

My work use to be SPECIFICALLY work. It didn’t feel fun, it didn’t feel like I was accomplishing anything, and it certainly didn’t contribute to my art career. However, all of the work I’ve done before this point got me to where I am now, even if I did not necessarily enjoy it. Sometimes, you have to be a little uncomfortable to get to the point of comfort. I started working when I was sixteen at a mall, and as the years passed, I progressed more and more into the art world. Currently, I work at Meow Wolf Denver as Exhibition Maintenance, so I get to create and experiment all day with my wonderful time. I have a small side business in which I create my own prints, stickers, and clothing, so regardless, I am always creating. These days, it’s easy to balance my work life and personal life; either way, I’m doing something I love. Read more>>

Evin Harris | She/Her Maker, Snowboarder, Hustler

Balance is an ongoing practice. One that I certainly have not mastered. I still work 3 other hourly jobs along with running my business and hand making my products. I have to make a schedule and try and stick to it. Sometimes I am not successful with making enough time for myself. And I see the negatives of that almost immediately. I try and snowboard as much as I can because that is my stress reliever and it refills my cup. Read more>>

Spenser Chambers | Wedding, Portrait, and Lifestyle Photographer

I’ll admit, I became quite obsessed with growing my photography business and had zero boundaries when it came to my personal life. I think so much of our self worth is tied to our careers. I wanted to feel that I was good enough and constantly felt the need to strive for more. To do more. To be the absolute best I could possibly be. I think this mindset is beautiful and super motivating however it can also be damaging. I worked myself into the ground this past year. I felt like I missed out on friends, family, and wasn’t able to show up for myself like I wanted to. As I continue to grow in my business, I’ve learned that what I value most is time. Read more>>

Sadie Burchfield | Photographer

Since I am still a high school student, juggling running a small business on the side has definitely presented it’s challenges! It’s not really easy to edit six sessions when you’re at school 40+ hours a week since I am a student athlete as well! I’ve found it’s important to focus on not getting so caught up in my biz that I find myself not allowing time to do things outside of school like any other high schooler. My busy season this year has been October-December which is of course right in the middle of the school year, but it’s not always as overwhelming as it is now! I personally think as of recently setting that balance has been rough for me because all of my free time has been filled with shoots and editing, but it’s something I’m continuing to work on! I’ve truly been blessed with clients that have not only trusted me to capture their photos, but have been so understanding and patient with my busy schedule! Read more>>

Jeff Musgrave | Antler Artist and owner of The Peak Antler Company

Work life balance was a very serious concern when I launched my business back in 2003. I had a 3 year old daughter and a 1 year old son at home. I made very conscious decisions to be home for dinner every night with my children. And I was very conscious to make it to school plays and sports games, etc. My family comes first and the business #1 job is to support that family. This, for me meant starting my day early so I could come home by dinner time. But it also meant trusting the process, being patient on life, and not trying to force my business to do something it wasn’t ready to do. At 5:00 PM on Friday, I walked out of the shop and left it all behind. It would still be waiting for me on Monday, it didn’t need to follow me home. Read more>>

Preethi Chandrasekhar | Travel Writer, Photographer & Speaker

Several yeas ago I completed my post graduation in Business Administration with an MBA and went to work for my dream company, Johnson & Johnson as a Brand Marketing Manager. It was a dream career. I was on the management path, looking forward to being a director or VP one day perhaps. Except I was miserable for the entire year and a half of working in that environment. For 6 months during that time my unhappiness festered within my body and I was hospitalized several times for severe pain in my abdomen area, once a month. Finally Stanford Hospital doctors found the growing cyst and I had immediate surgery to remove it. Read more>>

Davey Daydream | Audio & Visual Media/Event Producer

If you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life – or is it do what you love and work every day of your life? For most of mine I’ve taken on every opportunity offered, often booking a madman’s schedule without days off. In 2021 our brand, GoodDream.CO, took on just about every client that came our way. By the end of August I was ready for a break that didn’t come till October. Read more>>