The Coronavirus has given many us an opportunity to pause and think about life, our purpose, and even the right work life balance.  What’s your perspective and has it changed over time?

Kevin Tsai | Filmmaker and Human

Truth be told, I was a workaholic for years and am only now undoing the mental damage that it has caused. Just like any other addictive tendencies, overworking is a common form of escape/denial, especially in Asian communities. We tend to run away from our emotions by keeping ourselves “busy,” while not allowing ourselves the grace to be imperfect, let alone to simply exist. Existing is enough, but we were never taught that. It’s a generational problem. Read more>>

Chrissy Chrissy | Yoga Instructor

Balance is this elusive thing that many people strive for. That feeling of pure bliss we feel after a long, deep and fulfilling yoga practice….that is what balance feels like. This is partially why I started practicing yoga in the first place; to find more balance with my emotions. What I have discovered over the last 25 years of practicing yoga and the last 15 years of teaching is that no matter how hard you try, life throws you off balance over and over again. Read more>>

Alexandra Sapp | Filmmaker & Photographer

I think finding the balance will always be a part of my daily practice throughout my career. My approached has changed over time and will continue to change as my career grows. I’ve definitely learned to set boundaries, however, it’s hard as a freelancer or business owner because all the pressure is on you to make it happen. So much work has to be put in to see small progress sometimes and that can be difficult to deal with. Read more>>

Marika Takeuchi | Composer & Pianist

When I was starting my career, work was the most important thing. I spent every single minute thinking about new music and projects, and didn’t appreciate things outside of work much. Over time, with many life changes, I started enjoying small things in life more and more. Especially after having my baby girl last summer, I love spending every minute with her and watching how small things amaze her. She falls asleep listening to my music every night, loves Beatles, and loves me playing piano to her. Read more>>

Anastasiia Neronova | Creative Director

As a Creative Director of a Marketing agency, work/life balance is a crucial aspect of my life. Managing a team of creative individuals and overseeing numerous projects can be demanding, and I need to save that passion to what I do. I have established some personal guidelines. Firstly, I prioritize my work tasks and deadlines to avoid burnout and overworking. I ensure that I take breaks throughout the day to refresh my mind and avoid becoming overwhelmed. Read more>>

Joanne Rose | Screenwriter/Producer

I still meditate daily but this year I began practicing Ho’oponopono. It’s an ancient Hawaiian art and practice of problem solving that helps us achieve greater clarity of purpose while helping us live and work more effectively. A balanced life is the key to success. It’s good for our physical, mental and emotional health, otherwise we become workaholics. Read more>>

Tim Carr | Actor, Filmmaker and Humanities

Work life balance is such a great question, because I think we’re all looking for this right? Or is it even “the balance” we want? I had a conversation about this recently, and it seems like, rather than balance, which means, if you do your balance perfectly, which in itself is really not easy… a perfect balance is 50/50, you’d be giving work 50% and life 50%, wouldn’t that be a failing grade at both things? Read more>>

Jessica Pantoja | Filmmaker

In the past ten years of working as a full-time Cinematographer, my priorities have changed drastically, resulting in a significant restructuring of my life and how I try to balance, particularly after the pandemic. In complete honesty, I realized that I LOVE making movies and using nonverbal communication as my work field; Read more>>

Sophy Hon & Robert Rice | Owners of Chasing Pastries

Work-life balance is so important to daily living. It’s one of the most difficult things to do…but it must be done. Having our own home-bakery business makes it a bit more challenging and it was definitely hard in the beginning. It took some time to adjust, but we did it. Besides baking, Robert and I love being outdoors. Whatever little time we have, we’ll go biking, hiking, sunset chasing, or even a quick scenic drive. So balancing work-life and personal-life is crucial for us. Read more>>