Episode 3: Balancing Act: Work, Life, and Entrepreneurship w/ Darlene Gillard Jones

Are you struggling to balance work, life, and family? In this episode, Kathryn and her guest, Darlene Gillard Jones, provide real advice and heartwarming stories to help entrepreneurs maintain a healthy work-life balance. Darlene was a fashion editor who was doing it all at magazines like ELLE and Essence. But the late nights and constant travel weren’t easily compatible with raising her young children and helping care for her mother with cancer. So, she decided to leave that life behind for a creative life which she controls. 

“Figure out how to simplify things that don't need to be complicated.”
Accepting help can be hard. However, seeking support–whether that’s with cooking, childcare, or day-to-day administrative tasks–is crucial to creating balance in your life. Work-life balance means constantly making choices about what to add and remove from your personal bag of tasks.

“There's a difference between self-care and selfishness. And I think many people don't understand that self-care is honoring myself. I'm refueling my tank so I can give to others.”
Self-care is sacred. If you’re not filling your own cup, you can’t help fill someone else’s. Knowing what is important to you and carving out time for it on your calendar means you’re more likely to take that time for yourself and avoid burnout.

“We are trained from birth to serve everyone but ourselves.”
Balance is often not something that people are encouraged to have, particularly women and particularly women of color. But you need to be able to decide what is important to you and what you need out of your own life.

Guest
Darlene Gillard Jones: https://www.darlenegillardjones.com/