A host of factors, developments, and dynamics have made most industries more competitive than ever. As a result so many of us wonder whether there is still such a thing as work-life balance. We reached out to the community to hear perspectives on finding the right balance.

Lora Barnhiser | Artist & Art teacher

There are lots of women, especially mothers, that tend to blame society for pressure they feel. Pressure to keep an even keel on both ends of family and career. I don’t fault them for this claim. Perhaps that truly is where they feel the most weight. I, however, create the pressure on my own. I’m greedy. I always want it all. Somehow, I get a little picture in my head of something I want or think I can do. It becomes an itch that I must scratch. Wife, mother, Art teacher and artist. All of these are all roles in my life that I have chosen to take on. Gone are the days when my biggest struggle was balancing when to grade Art projects vs when to prepare for an Art Market. I now have potty training twins and a completely new teaching platform to juggle. Read more>>

Stephen Moody | Artist & Fashion Designer

I started my first business, a portrait studio, when I had a 2 children under 3, a house payment and 2 car payments and I was just finishing my senior year in college. I knew the requirements of starting a business and gave 110% to making it succeed. But I had to burn the candle at both ends in being a full time dad. It wasn’t easy! But, I had been taught – ‘do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’. And I loved creating portraits of people……my passion for portraiture continues today. It is such an amazing feeling to paint a portrait of someone that will be passed down from one generation to the next……and, the stories that will be told about that individual. I worked a lot as a young father, but my children learned how to work at a young age by assisting me in my work. Read more>>

Karali Hunter | Owner & Founder

I like this question because I get it a lot. Besides being a business owner, I am also a wife, a mom of 2 young boys, a private piano teacher, as well as a member of a performing chamber group. I am ALWAYS busy. I mostly get this question from other women, who are trying to give themselves a little grace as they juggle the responsibilities that are all very important to them. For years I would immediately dismiss the idea of opening the music school for the reason that I couldn’t imagine adding another thing to my plate, and trying to keep it all going. So I guess my response to this questions is that there isn’t really a balance, in the traditional sense. Some days/weeks, I have to be all in on the business, and that means that my kids get less attention. Sometimes I feel the pull from my kids who need their mom, and I have to put business and practicing down to give them the time they need. Read more>>

Greg Rollett | Founder & Co-Owner

Having kids really put my priorities in check. I didn’t want to be absent from their lives. I didn’t start my business so that I had to work 24 hours a day and miss the most important moments in their (and my) lives. It because important to start blocking my time and building my weeks based around the things that were important to me and then schedule my work in to fit around my priorities. For me, this means no calls, meetings or appointments before 10am so I can get to the gym, have breakfast with my family and take the kids to school. This also means no calls, meetings or appointments after 5pm Eastern, no matter how important a call or appointment might be. I stay off my phone, computer and all devices from 5pm-8pm to be present with my family. This also puts pressure on me to get as much as a possibly can between 10am-5pm and then again from 8pm-10pm. Read more>>

Sara Gullickson | CEO & Founder

Early on in my career, I defined success in monetary terms, such as income or business assets. Since becoming a mom of two, success has changed into a more balanced concept. Success for me is happiness. When you are able to let happiness infiltrate your life, it allows you to be a better boss, a better leader, better mother, better partner. I find balance by choosing happiness and I am extremely grateful to be able to wear the titles of both mom and CEO. Read more>>