A Fine Balance: a podcast that explores how to find a work-life balance that works for you Dalya Wittenberg

The tiresome chores required to maintain a house and sustain the lives within it are more than the sum of their parts. They create a home, and a safe and comfortable haven, both for individuals and for raising a family.

Do they, therefore, fall under the “work” or “home” sides of the work-life balance equation?They certainly often feel like work. Hard work. Yet, they’re unpaid and occupy the time spent when not “at work”.

This podcast episode, features the writer and “home worker” Helen Hayward. In this episode, we discuss:

📕 Helen’s new book, which challenges criticisms of domesticity from the likes of feminist icons like Simone de Beauvoir.


🧚‍♂️ The “Cinderella” moments of being a career-oriented mother and a home-maker.


👵🏼 The pursuit of balance when you are caring for ageing parents as well as a family home and children.


💍 The pursuit of balance when your marriage comes to an end.


👩‍👧Mother-daughter dynamics and finding balance as you seek your own path, and experience rejection.


🧽 Finding meaning and creativity in housework, housekeeping, and home-making - all the “work” that makes a house a home. Some tips, tricks, and inspiration to find your balance when this is part of your “job” and identity.


🙏🏼 The meaning of life.

You can read more about my interview with Helen at www.a-fine-balance.com/podcast.

What did you learn from your parents about the way they worked when you were growing up?
Did their work-life balance approach inspire you to follow in their footsteps? Or did it have the opposite effect and encourage you to do things differently?
In turn as a parent yourself, how do you think the values you place on your work are internalised by your children? Does it matter?
In this short Work, Life Balance Lesson segment I try to unpack this knotty subject of parent-child dynamic through sharing examples of the observations I've made on the subject, and reaching some concluding lessons that have stayed with me from all those conversations.
Here are the links to some of the interviews referenced in this episode, and you can access the full catalogue of 'A Fine Balance' interviews at www.a-fine-balance.com.

"Parent Power" blog post: https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/04/19/parent-power/

"Matthew’s Story: The Work-Life Balance Logic of a Full-Time NHS Key Worker – It’s a Science, not an Art": https://a-fine-balance.com/2020/12/23/matthews-story-work-life-balance-logic-its-a-science-not-an-art/

Jhilmil’s Story – “My Work, My Identity”: on competitiveness, co-parenting & surviving job loss:
https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/08/30/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-episode-2-out-now/

"On Not Being Career-Oriented and Finding Balance as a Musician and a Newlywed": https://a-fine-balance.com/2023/02/03/its-official-season-two-of-a-fine-balance-the-podcast-is-live/


"Finding Balance in Retirement: Tom’s Story – on Empathy, Leadership & Passion for your Vocation": https://a-fine-balance.com/2022/06/18/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-episode-8-out-now/


"Soli’s Story – “Sunny-Side Up, Please”: Self-Care for Caring Professionals, Finding Balance in Mid-Life & Staying Positive When the Course of Motherhood Doesn’t Run Smooth": https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/07/26/happy-1st-birthday-a-fine-balance/.


"Tahmid’s Story – Ethnic minority beginnings, burnout and career change": https://a-fine-balance.com/2021/09/29/a-fine-balance-the-podcast-episode-3-out-now/

My guest this episode is Rami Madbouli, who, at the time of this podcast recording, was working as a Private Secretary to Ministers in the UK Government’s Department of Health & Social Care.

Rami’s 90:10 work:life ratio is the highest figure weighting on the work side that has featured on ‘A Fine Balance’. And whilst this is a work-life balance that – on the whole – works well for Rami, he says that he usually finds that it's met with disapproval.


That Rami applies a 90:10 figure on his work:life ratio was, as always, just a starting point to our conversation. In the process, we touch on:


What it’s like when you feel proud and motivated by the mission of your work, even if you’re not paid any extra for working more than your contracted hours;
Work being something that identifies who you are at any given stage in life;
Finding balance in a relationship when both partners are career-oriented and ambitious;
Making work-life balance choices that deviate from what’s considered “normal” by your peers both in and outside of work;
Modelling your work-life balance choices according to your upbringing, and opting to make choices different to those that your parents made when you were growing up; and
Rami’s tips for squeezing more into one day than you may have thought possible.



At the heart of his story though, was Rami’s description of being an introvert, and how he recharges his energy by spending time alone rather than by surrounding himself with other people. This provided a rich, and essentially logical, backdrop to the hours that Rami chooses to dedicate to his work, and, indeed, how he chooses to spend his time outside of work too.

To read more about my interview with Rami and with those other people mentioned on this podcast episode, go to: www.a-fine-balance.com/podcast.

I have learned so much from all the interviews I’ve conducted since launching my blog in 2020 – asking people from all walks of life about the choices they make when balancing work with everything else.

Over time I’ve gathered many examples of actions that people have taken to find their balance. I’ve also noticed common themes emerging from them. So I’ve decided to introduce some short bitesize podcast episodes to showcase and reflect on some of these lessons, which I hope listeners will find useful in considering their own work:life ratio.

The first lesson I’d like to showcase is an issue that I’ve covered recently on the blog and podcast, and that is finding balance when you have a smartphone and you engage with social media. You can read up about all the interviews I reference on the episode at www.a-fine-balance.com.

My guest this episode is my good friend and neighbour, Bettina Jacobs. Bettina works as both a photography teacher and a freelance photographer. Married with three children, there’s already a lot on her plate before taking into account her charity work, extended family commitments and a busy home and social life.

In this episode of ‘A Fine Balance – The Podcast’, Bettina describes how developing her passion into a side hustle has afforded her a sense of balance that was previously not in the scope of her ambitions.

Her journey to where she is today is essentially one of self-discovery, a coming of age of sorts. It also recognises the power that a good mentor and a supportive partner can have in building up a person’s confidence, and encouraging them to make the most of their talents.

In this episode, we cover:
🎙️How turning a passion into a “side hustle” can improve your sense of balance
🎙️The balancing act of juggling work and motherhood when you work two jobs and have three children – how does she do it?!
🎙️The evolution of finding balance in a marriage
🎙️The impact that mental health can have on the pursuit of balance
🎙️The importance of not being quick to make assumptions about someone else’s work-life balance choices.

To see the full catalogue of Bettina’s photography, go to her Instagram page @bettinajphotography.
To read more about my interview with Bettina, go to: www.a-fine-balance.com.

Do you ever feel like you’re dragging your heels in getting started with something?Does your to-do list stare back at you as a reminder of all the things that you need to get done but haven’t made time for yet? And does that in turn create a sense of overwhelm, which skews your sense of work-life balance?

If so, this podcast episode could be just what you need to help get yourself on track to finding your balance in 2024.

My guest this episode is the wellness business mentor, self-belief coach, and host of the podcast “Just Start Now”, Vicky Shilling.

In this episode, we cover:
🎙️Vicky’s practical tips on summoning up the motivation to get things started in your life.

🎙️How “taking control” of your emotions can help provide clarity when setting your priorities.

🎙️How engaging with social media can skew your balance and what to do about it.

🎙️ What it’s like pursuing balance as a career-driven mother who, before having kids, worked 24/7 and loved it.

🎙️How pregnancy impacts your sense of balance (particularly when you’re not broody).

🎙️The experience of being a child of divorced parents and how that experience can influence work-life balance decisions later on in life.

As an avid listener of Vicky’s podcast, throughout this episode I try to keep a lid on my excitement (and nerves) at interviewing an experienced podcaster whose work I have enjoyed. Vicky did not disappoint; her willingness to be open and vulnerable, as well as provide explicit practical advice, provided lots of food for thought, and tips for facing the year ahead with motivation and a positive mental attitude.

As such, there’s lots for listeners to take away, whatever time of year they happen to tune in to this episode. And it feels like the perfect note on which to kickstart Season 3 of ‘A Fine Balance - The Podcast’.

You can read more about my interview with Vicky here: www.a-fine-balance.com/podcast
To find out more about Vicky's work go to: www.vickyshilling.com