Welcome to THE BALANCE PROJECT: a series of relevant and refreshingly candid interviews featuring inspiring and accomplished women talking about balance. I’ve always been curious about how women I admire manage the tragically glorified “doing it all” craze. So I asked them. As I suspected, no one really does “it all.” Everyone’s making sacrifices somewhere. And that should make us all feel a little better. I hope the conversation will be steered toward that reality rather than toward the flawed and dangerous assumption that we should try—or even want to try—to perfectly do “it all.”

By the way, looking for THE BALANCE PROJECT novel that was inspired by these interviews? It’s here.

No. 121: Georgene Huang, Founder of Fairygodboss

Age: Biological 35/Psychological 28
Where I live:
 New York City
Job: Founding Fairy (of Fairygodboss.com)
Kids:
 Mother (and sometimes maid) to Max (not-so-terrible 2) and baby Allegra (of 4 teeth)

Have you changed jobs or adjusted anything in your career to have more balance?
Absolutely. Small adjustments happen all the time because balance is not a static state (of mind). Balance depends on what needs and demands you and others around you are placing on yourself at any given time. Sometimes there are very large adjustments, e.g. when you start a company or have a baby. But sometimes the adjustments are literally seasonal. For example, think about how balance looks/feels during the Christmas season. Just thinking about it makes me feel a bit tired.

Is the job you have now the same one you had before kids? If not, how and why did you change directions?
Starting your own company gives you control over your time in a way that being an executive does not. There is no denying that I—and many other women—who own their own companies think that’s a benefit of being an entrepreneur.

However, I’ve also done the corporate executive thing while I had children and there are benefits to that as well. For example, work is not as personal, it’s easier to compartmentalize work and home, and you also have great elements of control depending on your seniority.

In short, I’m not sure that one is necessarily better than the other in terms of work/life balance. I think the pros and cons net out.

Do you think having “it all” is realistic or overrated and why?
The fact that “having it all” is in quotation marks is quite revealing. What I mean is that it’s a concept, an idea: a Platonic ideal. So to the extent that an idea is something YOU have control over, yes, I think it’s realistic. You get to define what it means and how you feel about it.

What part of “balance” can you just not seem to figure out?
I still feel guilty about taking personal trips (weekends or overnight trips) away from my kids. I think this will change over time, because everyone tells me that what children need will change over time.

What part of “balance” are you getting better at?
Feeling less guilt—or even no guilt—for exercising, seeing a friend, or even working on my company (which I consider “me” time).

What was the best advice you ever heard on balance? 
From a mentor/co-worker? 
Strangely, no colleagues/mentors have ever given me “advice” on balance. Maybe that says something about me or them, or the kind of jobs I’ve had (i.e. its not really been culturally ok to talk about it).
From your spouse/partner? 
Again, its not advice, per se. But my husband has and continues to radiate happiness with his choices. He doesn’t consider it “work” or “life” balance choices. He’s just happy. And that, at the end of the day, is what balance looks like.
From your kids? Thank goodness they are not quite giving me advice. But I’m looking forward to that day!

If you had one extra hour in each day and you couldn’t work or be with your family, how would you spend that hour?
I would see my friends. My work and personal life tend to crowd out my social life, but that’s slowly starting to change for the better.

What do you wish you’d known when you were 20?
That it was ok that I didn’t quite “get” Kant or Derrida. I used to obsess over the meaning of dense philosophical texts!

What do you hope to know by time you’re 60?
That it’s perfectly fine to feel scared on a motorcycle.

What part of your home life do you wish you could outsource?
Keeping the house stocked, i.e. who wants to think about making sure there’s enough toilet paper and toothpaste around the place?

Whose job do you wish you had?
I’m pretty psyched about my own.

Whose job are you glad you don’t have?
Any politician’s.

Favorite books?
Too many to name. I tend to like non-fiction books that take me out of my day-to-day life and inspire, e.g. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.

What are you reading right now?
A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren.

Biggest vices…
Activity?
 Checking email too much.
Food? French fries!
Website?
Gmail.

How many hours do you generally sleep at night during the week?
7.

What do you read every morning?
My email.

Complete the following sentences:
I think I: am pretty lucky.
I wish I: were better at telling jokes.
My kids: 
are so beautiful.

Anything else you’d like to add?
It felt pretty self-indulgent to reflect about myself!

About Georgene:
Georgene Huang has always been interested in how people feel about their jobs because she’s had to do a lot of career research! After graduating from Cornell and Stanford, she was a corporate attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell, a private equity analyst at Lehman Brothers, a managing director at Bloomberg Ventures and an executive at Dow Jones. She co-founded Fairygodboss.com because she’s worked with fantastic, helpful women in her career and wants to help make life for working women just a little bit easier.

Find out more about Georgene:
www.fairygodboss.com
Facebook: fairygodboss
Twitter: @fairygodboss
Instagram: @fairygodboss

WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT WORK-LIFE BALANCE? CHECK OUT MY NOVEL THE BALANCE PROJECT!

Related Posts
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 1: Jessica Mindich, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 2: Veronica Beard, Fashion Designer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 3: Emily Liebert, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 4: Lyss Stern, Mom-trepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 5: Lauren Slayton, Nutritionist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 6: Elizabeth Moyer, Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 7: Annabel Monaghan, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 8: Holly Gordon, Director
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 9: Jill Salzman, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 10: Jennifer Levinson, Jen’s List
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 11: Jenny Hutt, Media Personality
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 12: Angela Santomero, Kids’ Media Creator
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 13: Carola Donato, Yogi
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 14: Tiffany Washington, Pastry Designer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 15: Emily Giffin, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 16: Alana Sanko, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 17: Cara Lemieux, Journalist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 18: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, Authors
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 19: Nikki Mark, Author & Foundation Director
Shonda Rhimes on Doing It All
Indra Nooyi on Balance
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 21: Jill Bryan, Comedian
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 22: Cindy Callaghan, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 23: Stephanie Hirsch, Artist
My Times of India Interview on Work-Life Balance
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 24: Whitney Dineen, Author/Baker
AmEx’s Sobbott on Balance
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 25: J0-Laine Duke-Collins, Dessert Stylist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 26: Whitney English, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 27: Jennifer Gooch Hummer, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 28: Melissa Amster, Book Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 29: Nigel Marsh, Author and Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 30: DayNa Decker, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 31: Amy Selling, Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 32: Heather Sonnenberg, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 33: Allison Winn Scotch, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 34: Bibi Kasrai, Entrepreneur and Chef
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 35: Karen Sutton MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 36: Samantha Ettus, Balance Expert, Author, TV/Radio Personality
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 37: Pam Yudko, Holistic Health and Transformational Coach
THE BALANCE PROJECT| No. 38: Nancy Huang, Nonprofit Outreach Director
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 39: Mary Laura Philpott, Writer, Editor and Illustrator
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 40: Towanda Long, Marketing Communications Specialist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 41: Kristyn Kusek Lewis, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 42: Tracy Pollan, Actor and Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 43: Christianne Phillips, Fitness Consultant and Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 44: Susannah Lewis, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 45: Kimi Culp, Producer, Author and Creative Consultant
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 46: Traci Bild, Entrepreneur
The Balance Project Interview Series Turns 1!
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 47: Laura Vanderkam, Journalist and Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 48: Amy Tara Koch, Style Expert and Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 49: Cozy Friedman, Kids’ Hair Expert
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 50: Bobbii Hach-Jacobs, Music Promoter
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 51: Niketa Jhaveri, Game Creator and Web Designer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 52: Sheri Silver, Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 53: Lori Pollan, Cookbook Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 54: Chatón Turner, Attorney and Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 55: Joanne Wilson, Investor and Blogger
T
HE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 56: Nicola Kraus, Author and Creative Coach
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 57: Shiri Sarfati, Marketing Expert
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 58: Audrey McClelland, Entrepreneur and Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 59: Jessica Lahey, Writer and Teacher
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 60: Lindsay Bressler, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 61: Marie Claire Lim Moore, Banker, Author and Speaker
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 62: Stacey Ballis, Novelist and Cookbook Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 63: Amy Hochhauser: Co-Founder, JoyRide Cycling Studio
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 64: Molly Sims, Actress, Author and Humanitarian
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 65: Colleen Oakley, Writer and Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 66: Nichole Montoya, CEO of Cheddar Up
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 67: Eileen Palma, Author and Instructor
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 68: Adina Grigore, Founder of S.W. Basics
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 69: Dana Pollan, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 70: Melissa Hawks, Owner, The Well Appointed House
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 71: Emily Greenspan, Art Consultant
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 72: Michelle Hodges, Software Executive and See Girl Be Founder
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 73: Kendra Basner Mallen, Attorney
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 74: Alysa Bajenaru, Dietitian and Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 75: Anita Shepherd, Founder of Anita’s Yogurt
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 76: Dana Marlowe, President of IT Consulting Firm
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 77: Jill Royster, Marketing Consultant
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 78: Debra Olshan Cooper, Entrepreneur
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 79: Zainab Zaki, Technology Product Manager
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 80: Marisa de los Santos, Novelist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 81: Kamy Wicoff, Writer and Publisher
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 82: Kristy Woodson Harvey, Writer and Blogger
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 83: Jane Green, Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 84: Meredith Schorr, Author and Paralegal
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 85: Melissa Marks Papock, Founder of Cabana Life
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 86: Cindy Chupack, TV Writer/Producer and Author
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 87: Betsy Ames, Founder of Mindful Style
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 88: Erin Baebler, Author, Writer and Coach
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 89: Danielle Weisberg & Carly Zakin, Founders of theSkimm
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 90: Heather Bauer, Dietitian and Founder of Bestowed
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 91: Jennifer O’Regan, Teacher, Coach, Book Champion
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 92: Debbie Major, CEO of Zylofone and Performer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 93: Dorie Clark, Marketing Strategist, Author, Speaker, Professor
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 94: Peggy Davenport, Attorney
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 95: Terrianne Patnode, Attorney
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 96: Jillian Griffiths, Chief Operating Officer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 97: Gillian Zoe Segal, Author and Photographer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 98: Pauline Nakios, Apparel Company Owner
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 99: Jessie Rosen, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 100: Reese Witherspoon, Actor/Producer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 101: Elyssa Friedland, Writer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 102: Lisa Reichmann and Julie Sapper, Running Coaches
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 103: Jackie Kolek, Communications Executive
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 104: Stacy Sukov Blackman, MBA Consultant
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 105: Nancy Easton, Wellness in the Schools Executive Director
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 106: Lisa Sugar, POPSUGAR Founder and Editor in Chief
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 107: Bobbi Rebell Kaufman, Reuters Anchor and Reporter
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 108: Jennifer Berson, PR Executive
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 109: Jo-Ná Williams, Attorney and IP/New Business Advisor
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 110: Susan Ascher, Author, Coach and Speaker
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 111: CC Minton, Author and Health Advocate
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 112: Sara Blakely, Founder of SPANX
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 113: Courtney Nichols Gould, Co-Founder & Co-CEO SmartyPants Vitamins
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 114: Kristy Wallace, COO of Ellevate Network
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 115: Kimra Luna, Personal Branding & Online Business Strategist
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 116: Jenna Segal, Producer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 117: Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich, Media Specialist/Career Expert
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 118: Khanh Nguyen, Fashion Designer
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 119: Sarah Marie Martin, Investment Banker
THE BALANCE PROJECT | No. 120: Julie Fasone Holder, Management Advisor