Work-Life Balance Confessions: Conversations & Advice on Finding a Balance That Works For You

This episode features the menopause educator and coach, Jacqueline Rose. Our conversation explores the challenges of work-life balance, career progression, and the impact of family responsibilities on professional life. It delves into the experiences of women navigating these complexities and the strategies they employ to achieve balance. The conversation explores the challenges of work-life balan...

*THIS EPISODE, AND THE ACCOMPANYING SHOW NOTES, WERE ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2023 (SEASON 2: EPISODE 8). THE AUDIO HAS BEEN REMASTERED FOR ENHANCED SOUND QUALITY* This episode features former blog guest Sam Franklin, a father of two who works part-time as Head of Innovation Consulting in a global tech corporation. I published a write-up of my interview with Sam on International Men’s Day 2020, whi...

This episode features Jennifer Y Afriye - a business-owner and author of a book entitled  Rest is the New Hustle . Our conversation delves into the purpose of life and work-life balance, exploring the existential questions and the impact of time management on personal growth and legacy. It emphasises the importance of fluidity and intentionality in managing time and setting priorities, as well as...

My guest this episode is Dolly Jones - former editor of Vogue and author of Leaving the Ladder Down: How to Combine Career and Motherhood, from the Women Who've Done it , described as a funny, practical and crucial guide for women facing the life-changing prospect of returning to work after having children. When Dolly agreed to come on the Work-Life Balance Confessions podcast, I expected we'd hav...

The podcast episode explores the concept of work-life balance and the role of sleep in achieving this balance. It features personal stories, insights, and lessons from various individuals, highlighting the individualised nature of work-life balance and the impact of sleep on overall well-being. Takeaways Individualised approach to utilising sleep in pursuit of your work-life balance The impact of...

My guest this episode is Urmi Hossain, who prides herself on balancing two distinct sides of her work-life balance equation: her 9-5 and her 5-9. Our conversation explores the concept of work-life balance and Urmi's unique approach of balancing her corporate job with her creative pursuits. It delves into the influence of culture, family, and personal values on work-life balance, as well as the imp...

In this episode, featuring Erika Coleman, Erika shares insights from her mentor and personal experiences, highlighting the transformative power of adversity. The conversation delves into the importance of seeking balance in relationships, setting boundaries, experiencing burnout, managing panic attacks, and the role of religion, community, and well-being in achieving balance. Key takeaways include...

This short solo episode welcomes listeners back to the podcast in 2026 and shares the exciting update about the podcast's rebrand: what's changing, what's not changing, and why. We cover: Why I'm bringing the "confessional" aspect of the podcast to the forefront. Why the term "work-life balance" isn't such a 'dirty word' after all. And how this rebrand aims to make the podcast easier for new liste...

In this conversation, I look back over the personal stories and insights from various guests throughout 2025. The episode covers challenges such as overwhelm, grief, and neurodiversity, while also providing practical tips for enhancing balance. Key themes include the importance of gratitude, the impact of perfectionism, and the necessity of sleep in achieving a harmonious life. The conversation em...

My guest this episode is no stranger to mixing things up: she has moved countries and even continents multiple times in her life; she is a scientist with a PhD, describes herself as an artist, and has gone on to train as a Reiki master; and now she literally mixes things up as the creator of her own skincare brand, combining evidence-based science with the wisdom of ancient healing philosophy. Her...

Productivity is the metric by which so much of our working and home lives are measured. On the surface, it's all about getting done what you need to get done. And who doesn’t feel good when you get lots of things you need to do done, right? Yet, what’s the interplay between productivity and work-life balance? Does being more productive – so, for example getting more ticked off that proverbial to-d...

Burnout at work can be like a fire that flames intensely until it eventually devours all its fuel and extinguishes in exhaustion. Conversely, boredom at work can be more of a fading ember, gradually fizzling out into oblivion. What they have in common, however, is their potential to lead to a similar work-life balance tipping point, where a person is prompted to make drastic choices in pursuit of...

I'm sorry to say that I've had to include a trigger warning at the start of this podcast episode, to warn listeners that some of the themes touched on throughout my recorded conversation with Helen Jeffries - a Senior Civil Servant in the UK Government, a prolific blogger on autism, a Trustee for the charity Ambitious about Autism , and an accomplished musician - are of a heavy nature, including a...

What do turning 4 and hitting 50 have in common? Together they mean that the podcast A Fine Balance: Work-Life Balance Confessions is officially old enough to contain some wisdom, but still in its infancy and curious to learn more. This month not only marks the podcast’s 4th birthday, but also the major milestone of its 50th episode. To celebrate, we’ve pulled out all the stops with a special 50th...

In this episode of 'A Fine Balance Work-Life Balance Confessions', I'm joined by Victoria Mortimer, a finance director and life coach, to talk about the intricacies of work-life balance from the perspective of the accountancy profession. We explore the juggles of personal finance management, emotional well-being, and the importance of open communication in relationships. Victoria shares her journe...

They say that there are only two sure things in life: death and taxes. So given that death, and coming to terms with loss, is something that we will all encounter at some point in our lives, thinking about the interplay between bereavement and work-life balance seems like an essential, albeit difficult, thing to talk about. In this solo episode of "A Fine Balance:Work-Life Balance Confessions", I...

In this episode, I sit down with Johnson Situ, a political advisor and diplomat who has dedicated his career to politics and public service. He also happens to be the first politician that I've hosted on this podcast, so I took full advantage of asking him all about what it takes to pursue a work-life balance when you're an elected public figure, and when your work is driven so strongly by your id...

Do you ever feel judged for how you balance work with everything else in life? Or feel that people's judgments about you at work or in your personal life impacts on your overall sense of balance? If so, you are not alone. In this episode, I explore some of the real-life examples shared on the blog and podcast of how people have described responding to feeling judged, and the impact it has on their...

Have you ever found yourself on a life or career path that took you completely by surprise? When a plan you’d mapped out so clearly in your head didn’t unfold the way you’d imagined — or hoped — it would? Well, my guest in this podcast episode, Lana Manikowski, is no stranger to that kind of turning point. So much so, that she’s written a book entitled So Now What? , and hosts a podcast of the sam...

Creating a meal-planner often comes up in podcast conversations as the 'gold standard' of time-management. Plan what you and your family are going to eat every day of the week, shop and prepare accordingly, and sorted: you've truly got your life together. I'm not knocking it. It's a great, simple technique that anyone can adopt to save and organise your time. But here’s the thing—not everyone does...

In this anonymous work-life balance confession, I share the story of "Susan" (not her real name) who revealed in a confidential interview the emotional and financial struggles she contends with in pursuit of her balance between work and everything else in life. I share Susan's story of the crushing pressure of managing life on her own, with inadequate financial support from her ex-husband and the...

In this episode, I dive into the lessons I've learned about the transformative power of gratitude and its profoundly positive impact on work-life balance. Drawing from the real-life experiences of past podcast guests, I explore how cultivating gratitude has shaped their perspectives, helping them find greater balance between work and everything else in life, and enhancing their overall well-being....

In this episode, self-employed gardener Joe Roukin, otherwise known as Mr Plant Whisperer , joins me for a candid conversation about his experience as a married dad of two who is the primary carer in his family. Joe shares his unique perspective on how to strike the right balance between staying organised and ‘going with the flow’, while tackling work-life pressures with a problem-solving mindset....

The rhetoric around work-life balance is often twinned with messaging around self-care and well-being. And whilst it's true that the end result of improving your work-life balance is usually an enhanced sense of well-being, there are many ways in which a person can get to that point. And one of those that this episode addresses is working more. Yes, you read that correctly: this episode explores h...

This solo episode is dedicated to an anonymous "Work-Life Balance Confession" of a woman named Kerry (*not her real name), who did not want to reveal her identity. Kerry's work-life balance story originally featured on the blog, and centred on the themes of finding a work-life balance when: 📋You have a never-ending ‘to-do list’ 🤰You're a solo parent (Kerry pursued IVF with a sperm donor, so is r...