I’ve always had a really strong work ethic and I’ve been crazy determined since as long as I can remember. That’s why vacation is always really hard for me. I have an internal struggle about not being able to unplug and not giving that time to my family. For many years I worked sixteen hours a day. It wasn’t until the day my first child entered the world that I began to search for more of a balanced lifestyle.

I had a new baby at home and he needed me for his most basic necessity – food! That required me to make some adjustments. Luckily, I had spent so much time and energy building the foundations of my businesses while he wasn’t around that I was able to do a little schedule reworking once he arrived. He is almost three years old now. I still work very hard, but I definitely have a bit more down time that is spent being his mom.

Even with the more balanced schedule, I find that I have a three-month ticker. Every three months I have to take a break otherwise the next three months will be no fun indeed. I tend to be extremely positive, optimistic and happy. I have a lot to be happy about. I have an amazing husband, family, friends, businesses, team, and members. I have a life full of love and depth. I feel like I’m making a difference in lives every day and that is very fulfilling. But I also deal with a lot of stress. I’m always pushing for the next innovation, and the constant implementation of something new can be hard on everyone involved. So if I don’t take a break to reset myself mentally, I find that I go on a three-month cycle of pretty high level stress.

For me, this has been a hard lesson to learn because it’s hard to stop when I have so much going on, but it’s best for everyone if I do because I can only be the best leader when I am at my best. I have to take care of me and you have to take care of you too!