The Balance Project Interview Series Turns 1!

The Balance Project turns one today! I posted my first interview, with entrepreneur Jessica Mindich, on January 23rd, 2014. And I posted my 44th today. I’ve been asked the following questions a lot over the past year, so I thought I’d fill you all in on the answers…

HOW DID IT BEGIN?
I’m not very good at managing too much on my plate. (Unless it’s a cheese plate. I’m very good at managing too much cheese.) I get overwhelmed and cranky. I yell at my kids. I’d always envied the women I knew who seemed to have their shit together: successful careers, great relationships with their kids, satisfied husbands, fit and well. I always thought they knew something I didn’t about juggling all the balls.

Late in 2013, I thought it might be fun to ask women I admire how they—pardon the expression and more on this later—do it all. Maybe I’d get some tips. Maybe I’d finally figure out what I was doing wrong: why it was so easy for them and so hard for me. I decided to make it an official part of my website; as a topic it certainly aligned with the theme of my first novel ON GRACE. Then I chose a name (The Balance Project), came up with the questions, made a target list of interviewees, lined up a couple beta interviewees (thank you Jessica and Elizabeth), and got going. I have been so overwhelmed by the positive response it has received and so excited that its momentum is growing.

My goal was to steer the conversation about work-life balance toward the reality that everyone struggles with it. And to debunk the myth that we should all try—or even want to try—to perfectly do “it all.”

HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR SUBJECTS?
My first subjects were all women I knew personally. As the project evolved, my interviewees recommended their friends and colleagues. Interested interviewees contacted me directly asking to be involved. And I also started finding subjects on my own via their blog posts, newspaper articles, etc. Now, anytime I come across someone interesting, I contact her. More often than not, I get a YES! All interviews to date are listed at the bottom of this post.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
So, so much. I’ve learned:

Everyone is making sacrifices. No one is doing it all when we define “it all” as giving 100% to a career, a family, a marriage, and to oneself.
When “it all” is defined more realistically according to a woman’s own priorities and values, then achieving it is absolutely possible.
A lot of people hate the term “having it all.” They think it’s demeaning, they wonder what it really means, they question why no one asks men that question (I asked Nigel Marsh).
Most women realize that it’s better to not try to balance it all each day. But to think of life as seasons or stages. Some days you’ll be great at the mom thing. Some days you’ll be great at the career thing. There will be very few days when you’re spectacular at everything.
To feel better about not being able to figure it all out. Almost everyone struggles with this in some way or another.
And so much more. I’ll be writing more about this all. Stay tuned.

WHERE IS IT GOING?
In 2014, I posted a new interview each Friday. Before I knew it, I had a tremendous backlog of interviews so I decided that in 2015, I would post two or three times each week. So, expect to see more interviews. I’m trying to manage the voices. As I mentioned, the interviewees started off being people I knew and people my interviewees recommended. As I move forward, the voices will diversify more. And I’m also trying to strike a good balance between everyday women and more high-profile women.

DIDN’T YOU WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THESE?
YES! The Balance Project interviews inspired me to write my second novel about the topic of work-life balance and having it all. It’s a subject matter that so many women struggle with, whether they have kids or not. The title of my novel is, wait for it, THE BALANCE PROJECT (description below), and it will be released on April 28. You can preorder it on Amazon now!

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
If you’d like to be featured on The Balance Project, let me know through my Contact page. I’d love to hear from you!

EXCITING UPDATE!! (2/18/15)
Today, Fortune Magazine published a wonderful article about The Balance Project entitled “If you spent a year interviewing women about how they balanced, what would you learn?” by Vivian Giang. It’s featured on the homepage of their Most Powerful Women channel.

Thank you all for your wonderful support of this little passion project of mine. So many of you have told me that you’ve been so inspired by these interviews, that they’ve made you feel better about yourselves, that it’s so helpful to read such honest answers from other women. I’m so glad. And I look forward to bringing you more authentic voices in The Balance Project!

xo
Susie

THE BALANCE PROJECT NOVEL
The Balance Project is a story of loyalty, choices, and balance that will resonate deeply with all women who struggle with this hot-button issue. Loyal assistant Lucy Cooper works for Katherine Whitney, who seems to have it all: a high-powered job at a multibillion-dollar health and wellness lifestyle company, a successful husband, and two adorable daughters. Now, with the release of her book on work-life balance, Katherine has become a media darling and a hero to working women everywhere. In reality, though, Katherine’s life is starting to fall apart, and Lucy is the one holding it all together, causing her own life—and relationship with her boyfriend Nick—to suffer. When Katherine does something unthinkable to Lucy, Lucy must decide whether to change Katherine’s life forever or continue being her main champion. Her choice will affect the trajectory of both of their lives and lead to opportunities neither one could have imagined.

The Balance Project Interview Series Turns 1!

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