As you probably know, I started a new blog series last week called Life-Work Balance. This is something that I’m very passionate about because it’s been part of my daily life for several years since 2012.

I’ve been using this personal experience of mine to inspire and change the lives of other entrepreneurs like me. I’ve always incorporated life-work balance tips in all of my coaching programs but now I specialize in the body + mind connection. This, in my opinion, is the foundation for a successful life for each of us.

Last week I explained what Life-Work Balance means to me and why it plays an important role.

Today I will share my personal story so that you can understand better my journey. I went from an overwhelmed business owner to a thriving solo entrepreneur with an endlessly positive attitude and a clear vision for my future.

It all started towards the end of 2011. At the time, I was still in the event and wedding industry as an accomplished designer and planner. It was an extremely busy year for me: I had booked a lot of events, I was involved with several non-profit organizations as their hospitality chair or event planner, and I had very little time to relax.

I was always working, working, working because I loved my job. However, in order to accommodate all of my clients’ needs I started sleeping less and less.

I remember towards the end of the year I was exhausted and I started to experience different symptoms that seemed unrelated to each other: I was suffering from frequent sinus infections, I had joint pain, I had trouble concentrating, I was constantly anxious, and something just didn’t feel right. I also had a very negative mindset and I realized I wasn’t enjoying working with my clients anymore. Everything I was doing was not fun anymore. At first, I thought I was experiencing burnout which happens often to event and wedding planners like me at the end of the busy season, but I knew there was something else.

This situation generated a lot of overwhelm and frustration and, the more I was thinking and worrying about it, the less I was able to focus on my job and to find a solution. Every doctor I saw (several specialists) couldn’t find any cause to these symptoms, all medical tests (many!) were fine and this was also adding to my frustration.

That was a very low point in my career because I felt stuck and I felt I was not serving my clients in the right way. I needed to find a solution.

So, after about 6 months living like this, something happened. I turned to the Internet and I started researching the symptoms I had to see if there was some type of connection. I found a lot of articles and studies about food allergies and how the immune system operates, and the body + mind connection. It turned out that some foods could be the ones to blame for my condition so I started to eliminate sugar, gluten, and dairy from my diet. Also, the lack of sleep was something that I could not ignore any longer. So I started forcing myself to sleep at least 7 hours each night.

Well, after a couple of weeks I started to see the light! I felt happier, lighter, my mind was clear, I remember I was waking up in the morning and the first thing that I wanted to do was singing. My energy levels were very high, and my performance at work was amazing. I felt like a new person!

This experience changed my life completely and actually helped me grow my coaching business. I was able to create my current coaching programs because it made me realize that your personal and professional life are tightly connected. You must pay attention to yourself, to your body, in order to be successful and achieve your goals, regardless of the type of job you have.

Since then I’ve been a huge promoter or Life-Work Balance where you and your personal life come first, then work can get done. I decided that I come first, and you should do the same. YOU should come first. It’s not because I don’t like my family or my friends or my clients enough. It’s not because I don’t like my job enough. But it’s because, if I don’t take care of myself first, I won’t be able to take care of others.

My signature coaching program, Life-Work Balance, helps my clients upgrade themselves so that they can live and work better thanks to a 6-pillar framework:

1. Eat better
2. Sleep more
3. Move daily
4. Stress less
5. Love yourself
6. Value time

I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago. The guest was a celebrity wedding designer, and one of the questions was, “How do you keep the right work-life balance?” I don’t really like the term work-life balance: for me, it’s Life-Work Balance because you, your personal life come first. He simply responded saying, “Well, you have to be careful not to work for too many hours during the day, other than that I don’t really know. Life is so busy for everyone!”

That response was so disappointing to me because it didn’t really provide any solution to the problem. It also confirmed that many people don’t realize that, in order to achieve the right balance, you have to start from within your body and mind, you have to pay attention to what you eat, how many hours you sleep, how often you move. Your well-being can bring a balance to your life and allow you to work better.

So, my dear friends, start focusing on YOU, on your body, on your well-being before getting to work. Every morning, every day, every week. It’s very important that you give enough attention to YOU before everything else. And, if you’d like to know more or get some help on how to do it (because let’s face it – it’s not very easy in our busy life) let’s connect!

I will be happy to help you overcome the challenges of being a busy professional. We are human beings and we need to take care of ourselves! Schedule your FREE Clarity Call with me HERE.

Next week I’ll start discussing the five principles that I follow in more detail. Are you ready?

Sabrina Cadini

Holistic Precision Life Coach, Brain Wellness Coach, and Life-Work Balance Strategist helping busy professionals and high achievers live and work better by prioritizing themselves. I use different modalities (epigenetics, neuroscience, chronobiology, and positive psychology) to implement effective lifestyle changes.