Photo Credit: ShutterstockHaute Beauty Experts share how they maintain a healthy balance between work and their personal life. Here's what they had to say:
Dr. Ashandra Batiste | Smile Expert | Houston
Maintaining a balance is key to my success. My balance begins with getting rest every night. I do my best to sleep a minimum of 7 hours every night. I am committed to working out at least 3 times a week. I have to thank the pandemic for one thing - great at-home workouts! I am a Peloton addict. I truly am addicted to the Pelo-Community. The program truly helped decrease my stress, maintain my sanity, and I got the perk of getting a better body while at it!
Dr. Michelle Luis | Smile Expert | North Miami
Any busy professional will tell you about the struggle of work-life balance. Sometimes we achieve this, and sometimes we do not. A dear friend of mine, and a fellow professional, likes to say, “ life strikes again.” This in reference to those unpredictable circumstances in life. Keeping the balance during these “ life strikes again” moments are the most challenging. The best tools I have to keep the balance are positive self-talk and maintaining an organized checklist of prioritized tasks. I also strive to keep the checklist management as it is easy to keep adding items. My checklist includes both life and work goals such as dinner with friends, quality time with my family, working out, medical appointments, and other activities that keep my body and mind well. I typically write out my list of balanced priorities and desires for the following week on Sunday evenings. I start out Monday with a plan and then I tell myself that I will utilize my time according to this plan. If by the end of the week, I have not achieved the balance I planned on, then I adjust. I do not mentally beat myself up about it. I just reset my list of weekly priorities and desires for the following week. It’s common to roll over something I did not get to achieve the following week. We will never get it perfect, but staying positive and organized with a plan in place are the tools that help keep me on track for balance every week.
Dr. Mimi Yeung | Smile Expert | New York
À healthy work and personal life are not too hard to maintain if you love what you do at your work. No stress to bring home. At home when you are at peace, those around you also are able to achieve their balance in their life with more ease.
Dr. Jupneesh Singh | Smile Expert | Phoenix
Maintaining a balance of personal and professional life is always a challenge for us health care professionals. Having a loving wife that is the mother to our three beautiful children makes it a lot easier. My children enjoy playing sports such as basketball, tennis, swimming, and ping pong. That makes it easy for me to be part of their lives as I enjoy anything sporty. I am blessed to start my mornings off with my family every day. I get to enjoy making breakfast for my children and taking them to school. This really helps me start my day and serve my family first. When I get to the office, it's a natural progression to serving our patients and my work family. Serving our patients, making them feel welcome, and gracing them with kindness are principles I stand behind. I try my best to listen first and understand each and every patient's wants and desires. Then, I am able to offer them options to help them attain their cosmetic goals with conservative dentistry. Being a dentist, I enjoy the flexibility of my work schedule to take time off to spend with my family as well. Spontaneous date nights with my wife are the cherry on top!!
Enlighten MD | Medspa | Dallas
After 17 years of owning a medical spa and speaking to countless patients what I am the clearest about is that no one has it all! Some get great brows. Some have the hair, the lips, the lashes, or even the best tush. I find it more beneficial to help woman maximize their best assets as opposed to focusing on what they don’t like. My job is to help my patients with balance. Nothing is good in excess. You can't have it all but starting each day with a grateful heart is a great place to start. You are only gifted one body that you can't trade-in. Take care of it all because it feels good to be strong, healthy, and confident. Have a plan... Plan your workouts, your vacations, your family time, and especially your beauty regimen. It takes a plan! Call us, Enlighten MD, for that plan.
Aesthetic Treatment Centers (Mindy DiPietro, CEO) | Medspa | Naples
Work-life balance can certainly be an issue, particularly for female entrepreneurs. I can honestly say that this has been a major challenge throughout my career. TIME BLOCKING has been a very effective strategy. Using one master calendar for work, family, and personal obligations has been a lifesaver. Choosing a color for work, family, personal, and social time can give you a visual representation of where things may be out of balance. I find that time with our significant others and our personal health, such as gym time tends to get pushed out first, even though they are essential to our happiness and longevity.
Jackie Pantalone (Studio Sculpt + MOXXI) | Medspa | Southeast Michigan
As a wife, mother, CPA, owner of two businesses, and full-time CFO of an engineering firm--balance is difficult to achieve. My business mentor Dave Kunselman taught me some very important lessons in building a life that you love. 1. Invest in people you can trust and learn to delegate. You are limited by self-performance. 2. After those people are in place, carve out time to do the things you love and that recharge you. Business is the long game and you have to pursue it in a way that is sustainable without burnout. 3. If your work is something you are passionate about, it won't feel like work. Operate in your area of excellence and outsource those things that are not in that zone. I have been fortunate to be mentored and supported by amazing people in my life that have made it possible to succeed in all my many roles in life.
Courtney McCracken, FNP-C (Studio Sculpt + MOXXI) | Medspa | Southeast Michigan
This is a difficult one for me, as my work often fades into my personal life. Understandably, this is just part of the expectation I set for myself while building up my own business. I found that it is easy to lose yourself in what you are passionate about. When I am feeling burnt out or know I have had several busy days in a row, I make it a point to give myself a break. I block off personal days to regroup and do something fun, whether it be with my friends or family. This has been essential to maintaining my happiness and continuing my drive to do what I love.
Rachel Duke | Aesthetic Injector | DMV
The first step is to find your passion and be able to monetize that. When you are fully into your craft, it becomes part of your self-care equation. Even then, you still need to be able to step back and see yourself and your career from a different vantage point. This balance is different for everyone. We must create opportunities for self-reflection that are healthy for each of us to make adjustments that allow us to achieve our hoped-for future. Having that monthly lash appointment, hair appointment, or spa appointment just for you and engaging in activities that are non-negotiable in terms of you missing them is the discipline we all need. I have found, over this last challenging year, attending online virtual conferences on personal development have helped me self-reflect and take some time away. Your balance may be to take a day and stay in bed, another may be to take a vacation, it’s all ok. Find what helps you give 100% in all you do in and out of the office.
Dr. Alina Sholar | Medical Aesthetics | Austin
Personally, I have concluded that the chase after work-life balance actually results in much more frustration and dejection than real satisfaction. For many, work is considered something one is obliged to do, but if we consider the amount of time and energy that work consumes, we are summarily dismissing a huge part of our lives. Instead, we should view work as our action in the world. Our task is to live each moment, recognizing that at that moment, whatever we are doing, we are expressing our life’s purpose. It is in each moment, at work or at home, that we are cultivating what is to come; that we weave the tapestry of our lives. There is no time out. Every moment counts. So in reality, if we feel our lives are out of balance, it is because our work does not nourish us and does not foster our possibilities to exercise our creativity; our passion; our joy, and our potential. That is what is out of balance! Once we begin to pursue purpose instead, we will experience a new whole-heartedness in everything we do. The balance will find itself.
Dr. Tahl N. Humes | Medical Aesthetics | Denver
"Putting in 100% effort at home and at work as rewarding as it is exhausting,” said Dr. Tahl Humes, founder, and medical director at VITAHL Medical Aesthetics. “I make my mental health the priority. A good night’s sleep and a positive attitude are crucial. Mental and physical health is the key to happiness, personal fulfillment, and professional satisfaction.”
Mint Wellness Center | Wellness | Miami/Fort Lauderdale
As the owner of Mint Wellness Center, I can guarantee that every day we strive to offer beauty and relaxation. I consider that work occupies a large amount of our time and we are constantly taking it all to our house. Balancing personal and work life is essential and overworking negatively affects our physical and mental health, increasing stress levels, disrupting personal relationships, and our ability to do a good job. That is why achieving a healthy balance between work and our personal life helps improve our health. Personally, I believe that in order to maintain a balanced relationship between work and our personal lives, it is important to set limits. Leading a healthy lifestyle is essential to cope with stress and achieve a set balance, so diet, physical activity, and getting enough sleep all play an important role in our daily routine. Many times the daily responsibilities and obligations force us to dedicate more time to our work and leave aside our own personal health but there will come a time when our body will demand some self-care. I have always considered that beauty is not only external but also internal, which is why Mint Wellness Center is a spa that offers beauty treatments that provide a total relaxation experience.
Dr. Karyn Grossman | Skin Expert | Los Angeles
You can’t take care of everyone if you are not taking care of yourself. That’s why I believe keeping a healthy balance between work and personal life is vital to each individual well-being. As a single mom and business owner, I know how challenging it can be, but with some effort, it is definitely possible. Learning to be 100% focused is a helpful tool. When I am at work, my patients have my undivided attention, when I am with my family, they have my undivided attention. This keeps everyone’s bucket full, they know that when I am with them, nothing is more important. Also, I keep a detailed calendar in which I block off time regularly for myself and my family, the rest of the time I dedicate to work and my patients. Sticking to the schedule and planning out time to relax is very helpful.
Dr. Mamina Turegano | Skin Expert | New Orleans
It’s important to know your limits. As much as I love seeing patients in my practice, I knew that for me to have a normal personal life, I had to cut back on my hours at work. And when I’m at work, I try to get all my work done there (notes, lab reviews, biopsy reviews, etc) and not bring it home with me. I also make a daily to-do list (it just works for me), but I emphasize the three most important things I need to get done that day and focus on those and try not to beat myself up if I’m not tackling all the things on my list.
Dr. Mara Weinstein-Velez | Skin Expert | Rochester NY
It’s no surprise that after last year, the work-life balance paradigm has experienced a major shift. My personal experience is not unique – being a working mother of three, dedicated wife, and motivated career woman – but I’ve had to learn to reprioritize and dive deep into what I am most passionate about in order to achieve and maintain some form of balance! Here is my philosophy:
• I’ve had to make a conscious effort to prioritize my health and personal well-being first. Without a healthy, happy, and rested mom, wife, friend, peer, or colleague, I cannot give my best to fulfill that role. I try to set aside an hour each day for your “me time” to exercise, meditate, read, or do whatever it takes to reset.
• The second priority is family. Overscheduling myself is so easy these days with back-to-back zoom calls, virtual lectures, and clinic, leaving little time left for my family. I try my best not to “bring work home” and make a conscious effort to be off of my phone & social media and fully present when it’s time to be with family.
• My third priority is work and my patients - Although they are always top of mind! I strive to continue to educate myself on new techniques and technology to be able to offer the best experience for my patients. It brings me such joy & fulfillment when a patient smiles while looking in the mirror after a treatment, or when I’ve given them hope for improvement & relief from their skin concerns!
