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00:00:01
Why Balance Is a Myth (Especially in Summer) and What to Do Instead
80 Plays3 months ago
Summer is here and if you're a photographer and a parent, you already know the rhythm of life just got turned upside down. In this episode, Elena gets real about the myth of balance, especially during summer break, and what to focus on instead. You’ll walk away with five powerful mindset and workflow shifts that will help you stay grounded, keep your business moving forward, and fully enjoy your family time without burning out or feeling like you’re failing at everything.
This is your summer survival guide for running a business while juggling camps, curfews, and quality time with your kids. Because guess what? Balance isn’t the goal presence and harmony are.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Balance is a myth let go of the pressure to do everything perfectly all at once.
- Shorten your to-do list: Focus on one meaningful task per day.
- Work in short, intentional bursts: Even 90 focused minutes can be powerful.
- Protect your presence: Be all-in where you are—whether that’s with your business or your family.
- Revisit your summer goals: Choose realistic, smaller goals that feel achievable.
- Let it be both: You can love your kids and still want space to create and work. That duality deserves to be honored.
💬 Final Thoughts:
You’re not doing it wrong just because summer feels messy. Let go of chasing balance and give yourself permission to be present instead. When you honor where you are and what you need, both your family and your business will thrive.
🔗 Links & Resources:
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Transcript
Introduction: The Myth of Balance
00:00:00
Elena Blair
What's up, photographers? I am here to speak to you, in my empowered photography listeners, my empowered photographer listeners, about something that I think um i I talk about somewhat regularly, but about balance really being a myth. Balance does not exist. And when summer hits, everything changes.
00:00:22
Elena Blair
um If you are a working mom or a working parent, summertime is interesting. And June, I would say, always sort of sneaks up on me. The school year ends. The house is noisy. There are messes everywhere. Suddenly everything just really feels
Challenges of Summer for Working Parents
00:00:38
Elena Blair
different. If you have little kids, you've probably been shuffling things around in your life all the time. You have little ones at home. But for me, my kids are at school during the school year. And in June, they're all home.
00:00:50
Elena Blair
You're still running your business. You still have sessions to do. Galleries still need to be delivered. Dreams you're still chasing, but you're having to navigate a summer full of kids and camp drop-offs. And i have teenagers enforcing curfew, making sure everyone's home every night.
00:01:08
Elena Blair
Longer days, all of the things. And most of this I actually i obsessed with. I love summer. It feels really beautiful. I actually love having my kids home. But some of it really feels like a lot. It feels like I am being pulled in a lot of directions.
00:01:24
Elena Blair
So how do you move through this? How do you move through your summer with intention so that you don't burn out, so that you do not check out from your family, so you're able to really enjoy your family?
Tips for Staying Grounded
00:01:35
Elena Blair
I'm going to give you some of the tips, some of the shifts. I'm going to give you tips.
00:01:40
Elena Blair
that I do every summer to really help me stay grounded when this rhythm of having kids home and running a business happens. So number one, shorten your to-do list.
00:01:52
Elena Blair
Summer is not the time for endless checkboxes. it You get to enjoy your summer too. Pick one thing every day that's going to move your business forward. One, and let that be enough in summer.
00:02:07
Elena Blair
Number two, work in small pockets. So you're not going to have a full work day anymore if your kids are home, right? So embrace 90 minutes with a really strong plan. Embrace two hours.
00:02:18
Elena Blair
Know that you're sitting down to do something intentional when you open your laptop. Don't open your laptop with just like a blank, oh my God, what am I going to get done? Know what you're going to do and really make those 90 minutes count.
00:02:30
Elena Blair
I like to work before the kids wake up in the morning. I have teenagers, so they My youngest is 11, so they sleep until like nine or 10. um My older ones sleep longer than that. So I work in the mornings in the summer and I just let it go after they've all woken up and it's time for camps and all of that.
Being Present and Setting Boundaries
00:02:46
Elena Blair
Number three, really protect your presence. Give yourself permission to be where you are. And I mean that from both sides. So when I sit down to work, if one of them wakes up and comes in, I say, hey, I'm working until 9 a.m. I'm working in until 10 a.m. or whatever your time is.
00:03:01
Elena Blair
Give me that time and then I promise we'll have a great afternoon. So I'm very present with my work. And then when I'm with my family, I'm with them. I put my phone away. I put my laptop away and I actually enjoy them.
00:03:15
Elena Blair
Number four, revisit your goals. What actually matters in the summer? You don't need to be thinking about your end of the year goal right now. You've just got a couple months with them home. So just what right now do you want to make happen?
00:03:27
Elena Blair
Maybe it's like one, i'm going to market one mini session event for the summer and I'm going to book that out. Or maybe it's writing one blog post a week or whatever. Smaller goals are still worthy and they will feel you, make you feel like you're achieving enough.
Harmony Over Balance
00:03:43
Elena Blair
It's very good for your nervous system. Number five, this is the most important one, let it be both. You can want time with your kids and still want space for work.
00:03:55
Elena Blair
Those of us that run photography businesses, it's coming from a place of passion. We love it. It doesn't really always feel like work. When you love the chaos and you crave that quiet time too, both can be true and both really deserve to be honored.
00:04:10
Elena Blair
I want you to really remember that. And then the other thing I want you to realize is that balance is not real. Balance is a myth. It's really an impossible and unattainable goal that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and constantly falling short.
00:04:27
Elena Blair
It really does. So instead of constantly feeling like I'm failing at something because I'm seeking something that doesn't exist, balance instead I'm all in with what I'm doing in that moment and I seek harmony because when I am happy as a mother, I'm happier as a business partner and a business owner.
00:04:45
Elena Blair
and don't have a partner, business owner. I meant though I'm also happier as a partner when I'm happier in all areas. So when I'm working, I'm focusing without guilt. When I'm with my family, I'm fully present as much as possible without distractions.
00:04:59
Elena Blair
And when I'm creating, I'm immersed in the process without comparison. All right. So remember that summer can be tricky when you are a business owner. Take good care of yourself.
00:05:11
Elena Blair
Stay grounded. I'll see you in the next episode, Empowered Photographer.