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. 140: Randi Zuckerberg, Entrepreneur and Radio/TV Host
Age: 34
Where I live: New York City
Job: Entrepreneur, Radio/TV host, Speaker, Investor, Producer, Mom
Kids: Two sons: Asher (4) and Simcha (1)
Have you changed jobs or adjusted anything in your career to have more balance?
In 2016, after a decade on the west coast, my husband and I decided to move across the country to New York City with our two boys. We love city living, we love the proximity to incredible arts/culture/food, and we love the fact that you can walk down the street and hear dozens of languages spoken. And career-wise, a move to New York City was a great opportunity for both of us. While we miss the weather in California at times, life just feels so much more balanced now that we’ve made the necessary change to where we truly should be living!
Do you think having “it all” is realistic or overrated and why?
I think you can have it “all” if you take a long-term view. No, you can’t have it all in a 24-hour period, but if you ease up on yourself in the short term and focus on a few things at a time, I do believe that you can have it all in the long run.
What part of “balance” can you just not seem to figure out?
The mommy guilt! When I’m working, I find myself thinking about my children and feeling like I should be spending more time with them. And then when I’m with them, I find myself thinking about all the things I should be doing for my career. It’s an endless cycle!
What part of “balance” are you getting better at?
The forgiving-myself part. Realizing that you cannot do every single thing well, every single day. And being at peace with that realization.
Do you have a favorite time management tool, hack, or other strategy you use that helps you achieve balance that you would recommend to others?
There are so many amazing “on demand” apps out there now. Use them! My favorite obsession of the moment is an app called KitchenSurfing, where once a week, a professional chef will come to your apartment to cook dinner for you–at LESS than the price of dining out at a restaurant, and WAY LESS than the price that I can get out of Whole Foods for. It feels luxurious and indulgent–but at the same time, I’m getting a healthy, home-cooked meal served to me while I get to spend more quality time with my family, instead of cooking and cleaning.
What was the best advice you ever heard on balance?
From a mentor/co-worker? I recently had a guest on my SiriusXM radio show (“Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg”) who told me I should reframe all my thoughts to love. So instead of feeling guilty for working and not being with my children, I should reframe my thinking to: “I love serving my family through my profession.” That really stuck with me.
From your mother? “Don’t forget to eat! But don’t eat too much!” (Jewish mother)
From your spouse? “We’re a team.”
From your kids? “Mama, it’s okay if you have to travel for work. But bring back presents!”
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?
Running around Central Park or singing. My two alone-time activities that keep me sane.
What do you wish you’d known when you were 20?
Travel the world before you have children!
What do you hope to know by time you’re 60?
That I’ve raised thoughtful, kind, worldly boys.
What part of your home life do you wish you could outsource?
Potty training.
Whose job do you wish you had?
Ryan Seacrest. I love how he can effortlessly go between being on-camera talent and off-camera producing. Between his radio show, TV, production house, etc.–he truly is a master of all mediums.
Whose job are you glad you don’t have?
New York City subway exterminator. Eeek!
Favorite books?
The children’s book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch is my all-time favorite book (although I can’t read it to my sons without weeping!), anything by Roald Dahl, and I can’t neglect my own two books, Dot and Dot Complicated.
What are you reading right now?
Right now, I’m reading: Yalda Uhls’ Media Moms & Digital Dads (an amazing book for parents raising children in the digital age) and Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle (a great read for those who wonder how digital communication has changed our relationships). Also, Jon Ronson’s So You’ve Been Publically Shamed. It’s horrifying to think social media can be used as social control.
Biggest vices…
Activity? Candy Crush. Such a time waster! But I just can’t stop!
Food? Coffee! One day I will quit caffeine…but probably not when I have a busy career, two young children, and very little sleep. Sigh.
Website? Amazon!
How many hours do you generally sleep at night during the week?
I always try for 8, and usually end up somewhere closer to 6. Those cute, cute, kids…
What do you read every morning?
I read to my boys every morning. Although lately, my 4-year-old son has been starting to read to me!! #proudmama
Complete the following sentences:
I think I: will finally admit to myself and accept the fact that I will never cook.
I wish I: was back singing on Broadway.
My kids: make me laugh. I am so proud of them and love them so very much.
Do you have a personal motto or favorite saying?
“Work. Sleep. Fitness. Friends. Family. Pick three.”
Anything else you’d like to add?
I love anything that involves women helping other women, so kudos to The Balance Project! I’m honored to be asked to contribute!
About Randi:
Randi Zuckerberg is an entrepreneur, investor, public speaker, and media personality, passionate about the intersection of technology and our modern lives. As an early employee at Facebook, she led major consumer marketing initiatives in the company’s formative years. She is a television host and producer and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011. She has published two books: Dot Complicated, a New York Times Best Seller, about our exciting (but complicated!) wired lives, and Dot, a children’s book about a tech-savvy little girl, set to become a children’s television show in Fall 2016, in partnership with Jim Henson Productions and NBC’s Sprout. Randi is the host of a weekly business talk-radio show on SiriusXM (“Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg,” Wednesdays at noon on SiriusXM Channel 111,) and a frequent contributor on The Today Show.
A lifelong lover of musical theater and a trained opera singer, Randi joined the cast of Rock of Ages on Broadway in Spring 2014 in a leading role for 30 performances. She currently serves on the American Theatre Wing Tech Advisory Committee and is a TONY voter.
Randi is also a passionate advocate for women in entrepreneurship and leadership. She has invested in and advised more than a dozen women-led startups and in March 2016, she will appear on screen as an investor in the television show, Quit Your Day Job, on NBC’s Oxygen, highlighting female entrepreneurs across the country, as they seek investment and mentorship.
Randi is a graduate of Harvard University and currently resides in New York City with her husband, Brent, and two sons.
Find out more about Randi:
www.zuckerbergmedia.com, www.dotcomplicated.co
Facebook: Randi
Twitter: @RandiZuckerberg, @DotComplicated
Instagram: RandiZuckerberg
Pinterest: RandiZuckerberg
WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT WORK-LIFE BALANCE? CHECK OUT MY NOVEL THE BALANCE PROJECT!
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