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?

Melia Lisette | Actor/Business Owner

We have had to learn to keep our work life balance even. The business is a constant in our lives and we have had to navigate how to separate friendship and business. Sometimes we even start conversations with “this is a friend conversation” In order to keep healthy boundaries between each other. It has been an absolutely wild ride, but we can’t imagine doing this with anybody else. Read more>>

Michael Jaala Easterling | Filmmaker Duo

As filmmakers and parents, balancing work and family life has been an amazing journey for us. When our first daughter Gia was born, we were set to direct our movie Deltopia when she was just 3 months old. It was intense shooting all day, then doing the night shift with a newborn. But we made it work. Read more>>

Patricia Cosulich-smith | Life, Leadership, & Corporate Coach | Podcaster

My work-life balance has evolved with each new phase of my life, as each new phase brings shifting priorities and new challenges. During my recovery from long-term Lyme disease, chronic illness, and burnout, balance looked very different than it does now as a healthy new mom. Back then, I often needed 12-14 hours of sleep a day and even took a medical leave of absence from school. My life was focused on rest, doctor visits, and health routines. It was an isolating yet formative time, filled with reflection, prayer, solo walks in nature, and art books. That season gave me space to reassess my values and decide what I wanted out of life. Read more>>

Victoria Haynes | Filmmaker & Editor

I started out as an actor, and one thing they always say to you as a young actors is that if there is anything else in the world you think you could be doing, you should quit acting and do that. That idea never sat quite right with me because I’m interested in a lot of things. Read more>>

Brian Shortall | writer, actor, director, producer, improviser

Years ago, I realized the balance of work and life was not “designated creative time” vs. “the rest of my living life.” The lines could be blurred – in a good way. When being open to creative inspiration at all times, work no longer seemed to me like WORK. It was just integrated into my life. And my “life balance” was unaffected, maybe even augmented, because there was no pressure to set aside time to write or rehearse sides for an audition. Read more>>

Lauren Salaun | Women’s Embodiment & Magnetism Mentor, Somatic Coach, & Podcast Host

Growing up, I did all the things – played nearly every sport, did music, was involved with animals, loved art and performing, and so much more – and I excelled in just about everything that I did. In high school, I focused my athletic efforts on soccer, and as a natural leader, was captain of my soccer teams. I also played piano and sang, did theater, school clubs, 4-H, and was in nearly all of the Advanced Placement and honors classes, was Homecoming Queen… I was little miss do all the things, little miss perfectionist, little miss overachiever, little miss seeking validation and getting her worth from what she was doing, what she was accomplishing, and what people thought of her. Read more>>

Billy Griffin, Jr. | Actor, Teacher, Graphic Designer

To be honest, I’m still working on this, all the time. But I think I’m getting better at saying “no” to work (creative or otherwise) that doesn’t sustain me in some way. There’s a three prong test I like: you’ve got the project, the people, and the pay, and if two of the three are good, it’s worth considering. There’s an impulse sometimes, and maybe especially as a freelancer, to say “yes” to everything, to throw as much spaghetti at the wall as possible in hopes that some of it sticks. But burnout is real, and I’ve learned that I need to be a little more selective about where I commit my time and energy. Read more>>

Arsenii Savitckii | Cinematographer & model

I have no balance in my life, if I do something usually I go all in – it can be a curse or a blessing or both sometimes, but I accepted it recently,, accepted who I am and started to build the right routine around it, so I can be more useful for my self and for the people eventually. Read more>>

Gary B, Lamb | Renaissance Man… Actor, Director, Writer, Producer, Singer/Songwriter and Pickleball Coach

At the age of 51 I was playing a part in a musical that I took on because I had never done really long monologues and this character had two 10-minute long stints where he was the only character on stage. It was stressful, but at that time I wanted to challenge myself and I loved the theater company that cast me. However, during the run of the show I had a minor heart attack. EYE OPENING EVENT. My daughter was 12 years old at that time and all I could think about was how much of her life I would miss if I died. I changed my diet and my exercise routine and my work life. I chose only to do projects that make me happy. Read more>>

Dr. Rachel Kovach | Author & Disability Education Advocate

My work life balance has evolved throughout my life. We are a product of the hustler generation. If you aren’t working multiple jobs with additional side hustles, you aren’t able to support yourself or your family. At one point, I was balancing two full time jobs, a PhD program, and my book tour all at once. It was exhilarating and exhausting. However, that intensity isn’t sustainable. I am grateful to now be able to readdress my work life balance, and give more intention to my writing and creativity. Walking the Camino Santiago pilgrimage provided me healing and perspective that helped me get back to simplicity and balance. Now, life gives honor and time to work, but more to family and self-care. Read more>>

Garrett Rahn | Artist & Producer

an important lesson for me to learn about work/life balance was to do my best not to turn everything I love doing into a source of income.a couple years back, I quit my day job and started to pursue artistic endeavors as a full time job. what I found was that it became almost instantly harder to force myself to want to make art. Read more>>

Eleonora Balducchi | Tattoo artist

Work-life balance has been an evolving journey for me, especially since becoming a mother. My son, who’s now seven and in second grade, is at the heart of everything I do and I love being able to be there for him. But balancing motherhood with a career as a tattoo artist, where clients and creative projects demand full attention, doesn’t always come easy and requires a certain degree of flexibility and adaptation. Read more>>

Lisa Jacqueline (jacq) Starrett | Trauma Psychologist and Actor

I’m a hopeless work addict. My whole life has been about putting as much into a day as possible. I would work until I was sick then keep working. That’s not a good life. One day I looked up and realized I was really lonely. The past two years has been about restructuring priorities, with family and friends at the center. And honestly, it’s been wonderful. When I was constantly working, there was always this fear of wasting time- that we’re on this earth for a short amount of time, so I need to accomplish as much as possible. But sharing moments with loved ones is actually what life is about. Read more>>

Huayi Yu | Animation Director

My work-life balance has shifted from simply separating work and leisure to a more seamless integration where work has become part of my enjoyment. As an animator, I find myself observing and experiencing life even during my downtime, amplifying those experiences to gather new and interesting ideas for my animations. This approach allows me to stay creative while enjoying life, so work doesn’t feel like just a task but rather an enjoyable part of my daily routine. Read more>>