From Balance to Blend: Rethinking Work and Life

A conversation I often find myself having with clients is about the never-ending challenge of achieving work-life "balance".

Many people find it hard to role model what they believe "good" looks like as leaders, simply because of the sheer volume of what they’re managing. Others are deeply passionate about their work and love fully immersing themselves in it.

Whatever your view, work is only one part of the human equation. So perhaps the real question is: can we find a better way to fit it around everything else that makes life, life?

A provocation I often share is drawn from my own experience when I began to experiment with thinking about work and life less as a balance and more as a blend.

Balance can feel precarious. A zero-sum game where one side must lose for the other to win. On the other hand, I found blend allows for expansion, flexibility and change over time.

For example, I've noticed how my own work-life blend shifts depending on the time of year. Because my work often aligns with the academic cycle, "life" tends to take more space during the summer months, while "work" returns to centre stage again when term begins.

This rhythm has taught me that there isn’t one fixed formula. Our blend naturally changes in response to context, energy and priorities.

And sometimes it’s not just the seasons but life stages that call for recalibration.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I unexpectedly found ourselves caring for our elderly and frail fathers during the final months of their lives. Looking back, we were struck by how naturally work moved aside to make space for what mattered most. Afterwards, we both reflected on how much room we can create when something truly important takes priority.

So if you're caught in an unhelpful tug-of-war trying to achieve work-life balance, my invitation to you is this... consider:

What’s really going on for you in the way you’re working and living right now?

What do you want to be different and why does that matter to you?

And what small step could you take towards creating a blend that feels right for right now?