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

Perfectionism is often seen as a hindrance to work-lifebalance. After all, the dictionary defines a perfectionist as someone "not satisfied with anything less than perfect" - a mindset that can easily lead to burnout. In this episode, I explore insights from podcast interviewswhere perfectionism (or the lack of it) has come up. I’ll share the key lessons I've learned along the way, including: ⭐️...

In this episode of A Fine Balance , we explore some serious life challenges that can impact a person's work-life balance, through the personal story of my guest Lorna McKenna. Lorna works full-time in local government, alongside running her passion project of coaching and hosting a personal development podcast called "Evolve & Expand". She is also expecting her first child so is on the cusp of...

In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, this episode of “A Fine Balance” touches on the past, present and future of the podcast. On the past, I take a look back at what prompted me to create a podcast that delves into the subject of how different people pursue their balance between work and everything else in life. On the present, I share a gift that’s available right now for any listeners curious...

9/11 marked a dramatic turning point in the working life of this episode's guest, Routh Chadwick, a New York resident who at the time was an aspiring actress. The career changes that evolved from thereon maintained a degree of drama, as Routh went on to train as a clinical social worker and counsellor. From TV sets as a counsellor on the Jeremy Kyle show, to caring for patients on the psych ward,...

This podcast episode is a quick introduction and guide to a new tool, which has recently launched on the website, www.a-fine-balance.com, called the "Work, Life, Balance Self-Assessment". If you've downloaded the self-assessment, or are considering doing it, then take a listen to this episode to get some ideas about how to complete the assessment, what to bear in mind as you do, and for some addit...

In this episode of A Fine Balance – The Podcast , I’m joined by Faust Ruggiero, a US-based therapist and author whose career spans over 35 years of working with people from all walks of life. From his time in clinics, prisons, and inpatient facilities to his role as a consultant for major corporations, Faust brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insight. Throughout our conversation, Faust int...

Does escaping the rat race improve work-life balance? What does it take to make this work-life balance choice work? Does it afford a person a less stressful lifestyle overall? And why don’t more people go for it? This is the episode for you if... ⭐️ You’re finding the pace of city living stressful, overwhelming and lacking purpose ⭐️ You’ve always wondered what it would be like to move away from...

Work-life balance isn’t typically a topic you’d associate with single, young professionals with no caring responsibilities. Yet, as this episode's guest, a business development manager and creator of the Single Sounds podcast, Katie McNamara shares, this is a time in life when there’s a lot going on. When you're starting out in your career and independent life, there are plenty of decisions that n...

This work life balance lesson episode explores which is better for your work-life balance: being self-employed or employed? To do this, I've summarised the lessons I’ve learned from interviewing a range of self-employed and employed people – about whether it’s better for your work-life balance to be your own boss, or to be employed by someone else. I've also done a bit of number-crunching to find...

This is a special episode to mark Disability Pride Month, which falls every July. My guest is Emma Livingstone, a married mum of three, who, in 2018, founded a campaigning movement called "UP - The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement", to improve care services for adults living with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Emma was diagnosed with CP in childhood, but it was only when she reached adulthood that she realised...

Do you rely on your morning routine to set yourself up for the day? Could your morning routine do with some improvement? Are you curious about how establishing a morning routine could help enhance how you balance work with everything else in life? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this episode could be just the one for you. A clear trend has emerged from all the conversations...

Do you plan your day’s outfit the night before? Guided by the mantra of “setting yourself up for the day ahead”, Rebecca is resolute that incorporating time first thing in the morning to exercise her mind and body provides her with the foundation to live a balanced life. Eliminating the need to decide what to wear, and find said clothes and accessories, buys her time and headspace to fit this all...

This Work, Life, Balance Lesson is all about finding a balance between work and everything else in life when you hate your job.   Now, hate is a strong word, which I don’t use lightly. In this case, it’s a direct quote from people I’ve interviewed on this podcast who have talked about this exact thing. And it’s right that it’s a strong word because when you don’t like the work you do, it has an in...

This podcast episode features Dan Knowlton, a marketing professional, business owner, and podcast co-host. Our conversation covers the pursuit of balance and… 📈Being a marketing professional and business owner 🌆Corporate working cultures 😊Having fun both in and outside work 👬Sibling dynamics 👤Fatherhood and being the parent in a partnership that doesn’t carry the mental load 💪🏼Going to the...

Housework is an unavoidable, time-consuming labour-intensive reality of adulthood. Whether you own your own home or rent, live alone, with friends, strangers or family members, the house-keeping tasks that make a house a home need doing. The part that home-making plays in a person’s work-life balance varies from person to person. The subject of “domesticity” doesn’t always come up when I interview...

The tiresome chores required to maintain a house and sustain the lives within it are more than the sum of their parts. They create a home, and a safe and comfortable haven, both for individuals and for raising a family. Do they, therefore, fall under the “work” or “home” sides of the work-life balance equation? They certainly often feel like work. Hard work. Yet, they’re unpaid and occupy the time...

What did you learn from your parents about the way they worked when you were growing up? Did their work-life balance approach inspire you to follow in their footsteps? Or did it have the opposite effect and encourage you to do things differently? In turn as a parent yourself, how do you think the values you place on your work are internalised by your children? Does it matter? In this short Work, L...

My guest this episode is Rami Madbouli, who, at the time of this podcast recording, was working as a Private Secretary to Ministers in the UK Government’s Department of Health & Social Care. Rami’s 90:10 work:life ratio is the highest figure weighting on the work side that has featured on ‘A Fine Balance’. And whilst this is a work-life balance that – on the whole – works well for Rami, he say...

I have learned so much from all the interviews I’ve conducted since launching my blog in 2020 – asking people from all walks of life about the choices they make when balancing work with everything else. Over time I’ve gathered many examples of actions that people have taken to find their balance. I’ve also noticed common themes emerging from them. So I’ve decided to introduce some short bitesize p...

My guest this episode is my good friend and neighbour, Bettina Jacobs. Bettina works as both a photography teacher and a freelance photographer. Married with three children, there’s already a lot on her plate before taking into account her charity work, extended family commitments and a busy home and social life. In this episode of ‘A Fine Balance – The Podcast’, Bettina describes how developing h...

Do you ever feel like you’re dragging your heels in getting started with something? Does your to-do list stare back at you as a reminder of all the things that you need to get done but haven’t made time for yet? And does that in turn create a sense of overwhelm, which skews your sense of work-life balance? If so, this podcast episode could be just what you need to help get yourself on track to fin...

Season 3 of ‘A Fine Balance - The Podcast’ will be coming out soon. Listen here for what to expect from future episodes. For more information, go to www.a-fine-balance.com/podcast and for updates, you can follow @afinebalance_blog on Facebook or Instagram.

In this special bonus episode, which is both the final episode of 2023 and the final episode of Season 2 of ‘A Fine Balance - The Podcast’, I look back on all the conversations I’ve hosted on the podcast this year. We dip into each 2023 podcast interview, and play back an extract from my conversations with guests about how they balance work with everything else in life. Also included is an short a...

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, which felt fitting given that his take on work-life balance centred on empowering men to take ownership of how they choose to spend their time, both in and outside wo...

On 7th October 2023, the world woke up to horrific news of a terrorist attack in Israel. The trauma of this attack, and the war that has ensued, is far-reaching and multifaceted. And, as I write, it is still so raw and unfolding. With the help of my friend, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, Dr Ian Moran, I have hastily pulled together an "emergency" podcast episode, to host a conversation...