We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Weckbacher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Safe to say, for most people, work-life balance inevitably changes with age. This has certainly been my experience. In the early days of my academic career (post-doctorate), the balance involved raising my son and making time for family. Now that he is older with a life of his own, making time for family is still essential, but finding balance is less trying.

However, like my husband, work in many ways enhances the quality of our lives. We’re fortunate. My need (our need) for balance is not driven by burnout or dissatisfaction in a chosen career path. From my perspective, balance is finding and embracing ways to grow outside your professional life. Truth to be told, that can be equally challenging—children’s writing, tennis, playing the piano, and learning a foreign language top my list!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
In brief, I am a lifelong learner. I hold three master’s degrees as well as a Ph.D. in education, specialization in child and adolescent development, from UC Santa Barbara. I served as an adjunct professor in psychology and education at various universities for more than a decade, including Cal State Channel Islands and Pepperdine University. To date, I have also published several works pertaining to the role of spatial thinking in childhood and adolescence. The implications of my research are largely related to how educators can help prepare K-12 students to pursue and ultimately succeed in STEM-oriented careers.

As a new venture in my academic career, I created Shape Stories with Farm Friends, a series of books dedicated to nurturing children’s developing knowledge of geometric shapes within meaningful, relatable contexts.
To answer the question, “Was it easy?” Absolutely not!
For some time, I wanted to write children’s stories, but the question was about what? With a little help, I narrowed down my ideas to 1) my love for animals, namely my pets (though many), and 2) what I have learned as an educational researcher, particularly in the area of mathematical learning. Integrating the two was no easy task. My other publications have involved a completely different style of writing—academic writing. So this book, and the others to follow, was nothing short of a challenge!

And I love it!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Truth be told, I find this series of questions to be so out of character for me. I am a bit introverted and nothing short of a homebody.
And . . . a week long trip! Honestly, I’d have to hire someone to entertain the friend but with one recommendation–the Channel Islands Harbor. It’s a beautiful place to visit if you prefer smaller crowds coupled with magnificent views.

But—to answer your questions in part—I frequent a handful of restaurants in both CA and MT.
My idea of an enjoyable evening is sitting at the bar of my favorite Italian restaurant, Farfalla Trattoria, in Westlake Village with my husband. We love to watch tennis, and often order the same cocktails and entrees— sometimes three nights in a row!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Absolutely! My husband Ron fits the bill!

In his words, “when one door closes, another opens.”

Website: http://www.littlewhoobooks.com

Image Credits
Pearl and Duke (mini donkey and min horse respectively)
Main characters, What Is the Shape of My Ears?

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