Back at the beginning of October, I had the pleasure of interviewing new author, Paul David Pope, on the set of Inside Media at the Newseum in Washington, DC.  My interview with Paul was planned, but talking with him on the set with the great lighting and comfy chairs wasn’t. It all came about because the fabulous person who’s the host of Inside Media, Ms. Sonya Gavankar. After she finished chatting with Paul about his family’s connections to the National Inquirer, she graciously offered her set to me.

I met Sonya for the first time that day, loved her bubbly and outgoing personality, and asked for an interview on the spot. I had no idea that she was crowned Miss DC in 1997 or that she’s an executive producer of the Miss DC Pageant. Nor did I know that that she’s also the president of HOBY, a foundation that brings free leadership programs to high schools students.

Have a look at our interview to hear how she stays stays on top of all her projects. Hint: she likes a specific application and mentioned that it saved her marriage!

Connect with Sonya: Twitter | Facebook | Web

A couple weeks ago, I went to New York for the launch of a new book, The Deeds of My Fathers: How My Grandfather and Father Built New York and Created the Tabloid World of Today. I heard this book was (1) written by the son of the man who started the National Enquirer, and (2) that it was a cross between The Godfather and Citizen Kane. How could I NOT go to this book launch, even if it was a spontaneous opportunity that threw my own schedule a little off kilter??

I saw many celebrities that night, including a couple of The Real Housewives of New York, but the star of the night was the author, Paul David Pope. He was quite gracious when I met him, and he agreed to sit down with me for a quick chat about how he stayed sane during the process. Would you believe that this project took 14 years to complete? And, talk about research! Yes, he had help and as he described it, he became totally immersed.

The big surprise during the interview? He uses a gadget that many may consider to be ancient, but he loves it! Check out our interview to hear more.

Photos of Author, Paul David Pope, at the Newseum in Washington, DC

Maimah Karmo is one tough cookie.  She’s a 4-year breast cancer survivor and very generously gives her time to help others facing the same disease with her work at the Tigerlily Foundation.  The foundation, now in it’s fourth year, educates, supports, and advocates for women around the world affected by breast cancer.  No matter the stage, she is there to help from diagnosis, through treatment, and beyond.

In addition to being Tigerlily’s president, Maimah works full time.  She’s also a speaker and single mom to 7-year old, Noelle.  With a full and busy lifestyle, she has found the key to successfully achieving the right work-family balance. Check out our interview to hear how she does it and to find out more about this incredible woman.

Connect with Tigerlily on Facebook

Learn more about the 2010 Tigerlily Foundation 2nd Annual Gala

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• Women mistakenly given breast cancer all-clear (telegraph.co.uk)
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I recently had a chat with Kate Michael, the very busy woman at the helm of K Street Kate and The District Dish. Some of you DMV folks may remember that she was Miss District of Columbia in 2006 or you might haveseen her on News Channel 8′s Let’s Talk Live.

When she’s not out covering an event, she’s writing about all the fab things happening in the District on NBC’s Niteside.  Did I mention that she also models? …and goes to bed at 2 am?  Crazy schedule, right? Check out our interview below to hear what she does to stay keep it together and stay on track.

Click here to watch on YouTube

Do you know “busy?”  Let me introduce you to him.  When you check the dictionary, you’ll see Earl Mann’s name, rank, and serial number next to the word, “busy.”

Here are just a few of the titles he owns:

• Husband
• Father
• Serial Entrepreneur
• Speaker
• Consultant
• Leadership & “Possibilities” Coach
• (Soon-to-Be) Author

He says that though it might sound like a long list (actually, there’s more I could have added to it), he uses a specific technique that helps him to stay on top of it all.  Check out our interview below to hear what he does to manage his time and feel free to share what works well for you.

Videographer:  Connie Banford

*Are you in the public eye and lead a very busy life?  We’d love to hear how you stay on top of things or if you struggle a bit.   Leave a comment or click on the “Contact Us” tab (top menu) to tell us all about it.

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How does a guy with a busy travel schedule keep it all together?  Did I mention that this guy is the co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk, the largest and fastest growing junk removal franchises in the United States? …and that he sits on the board of the Entrepreneur’s Organization?  Well, that guy is Nick Friedman.  He was named one of INC Magazine’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs in America Under 30 and he sat down with me (after a bit of rescheduling) at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, MD to tell me if he stays organized.  But, c’mon, he’s a guy.  Can he really be organized?  Ok, don’t kill me for that last comment – just kidding! Watch our interview below to find out…

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Is it realistic to think that work-family balance is possible?  Can you be a great parent and a great employee (or entrepreneur) at the same time?  Can a family where both parents work achieve this balance?

I say no.  I say that you have to choose to be one or the other and that you can’t do both well at the same time – especially since time is a limited commodity.  Yes, I know that might be a bitter pill to swallow because we might want it all – the great career, the fabulous husband/wife, the adorable 3.2 children, and an organized home with a white picket fence.

Sure, you can have moments of greatness on the family side and on the work side, but is it really balance?  It seems to me that the balance shifts when our focus shifts.  When we try to focus on several things at once, otherwise known as multitasking, we can often end up doing much but not much well.

So, no you can’t have work-family balance BUT you can have “good enough” (and fun, even) with a few bright, shiny moments sprinkled in along the way. What’s wrong with “good enough?” It’s not perfection and it’s a whole lot easier to achieve. 

Perhaps it’s that word “balance” that I have a problem with.  Balance implies even distribution of, well, stuff -  ALL the stuff you’re responsible for. When was the last time you evenly distributed your time or attention to family and work responsibilities?

Is it a reasonable use of your time to keep trying to attain something that is extremely difficult and stressful to achieve?  Or should we keep striving for perfection?

Related Articles

• Launching a Start Up and Having a Family Life:  It’s Possible! (venturebeat.com)
• Healthy People Build Healthy Businesses (startupprofessionals.com)

 

 

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Chilli Amar, the very fabulous personality on the local DC radio station Mix 107.3.  Did you know that her job at Mix 107.3 is not her only gig?  Yep, she’s got two jobs and is a major book worm…she reads at least 1 novel every week.  So, where does she find the time?  Check out our interview…
 
 

Videographer:  Connie Banford (@conniebanford)

Chilli’s Favorite Book & Movie

Who says that only moms know how to run a household and stay organized?  Well, actually, no one said that but it’s a nice segue to the fact that I recently met up with busy dad and Twitter friend, “Mr. Fresh.” He gave some insight on how he keeps himself organized.  Take a look…

Can you imagine what it would be like to get up at 2:30 am every morning to get to work at 4:30 am? …and to split your time between two states? …because your spouse doesn’t live in your state? …and to have a child, er, dog to care for? …and to give your time to a few charities?  Well, Ms. Angie Goff (@ohmygoff) does!

Even with such a busy lifestyle, Angie agreed to meet with me…though it took us three tries before we could nail down a date!  See, I told you she was busy. =)  Anyway, we sat down together for a little chat back in May and I tried to figure out how she pulls it all together.  Think she’s organized?  Take a look at our video interview to find out…

Many thanks to my videographer, Connie Banford (@conniebanford)!