E137 Karen Redman Work Life Balance?
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast – Episode 137
Date: September 10, 2024
Participants: Elise Seifert, Julie Wilson, John Webster and Sheila Webster
Guest: Karen Redman
Start Times and Segments:
[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Elise learned ways to conserve water in the home while staying in Jordan for six months on an archeological dig. We talk about some, e.g., turning the shower water off while we lather up.
[0:09:32] Expanding Minds Interview: [Balance] Regional Chair Karen Redman often says there is no work-life balance. John doesn’t agree. He sees work-life balance as possible, especially if thinking about it over the course of a lifetime. After discussion, they arrive at a similar place. There’s no formula or combination of activities to perform week after week that makes it all fine. You need to be intentional about it and there are days when things just don’t go right. When Karen says there’s no work-life balance, it’s not flipping a switch or checking a box. You need to be intentional about it. For example, I can examine what in my life makes me feel better, so that spilling the milk or having the car run out of gas isn’t as devastating as it might otherwise be. It’s a process and a journey, as opposed to getting it right.
[0:27:17] Move That Body: a pedestrian’s perspective on how some drivers make them feel like pylons – what it feels like when car’s encroach on us. A friendly request to drivers to treat walkers, runners, bikers, etc. like people, not like pylons.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Karen – I know I’m out of whack when I’m with my family and I’m thinking about work, or I’m at work thinking about my family. To me that’s a very good self-awareness check, which makes me think, “Hmm, maybe I need to rethink this”.
Karen – I’ve worked very hard at compartmentalizing my life so that I’m 100% at work when I’m at work, and 100% with my family when I’m with them.
Karen – You need to carve out time for yourself. You need to stay physically active. You need to do something that nourishes you. For me, sometimes that has been working out. Other times it was carving out time to golf a couple times a summer at least with my husband Warren. I also love live theatre. It’s so entertaining. That kind of stuff feed me in a way that brings my balance back when I’m feeling as if I have a lot of weight on my shoulders.
Karen – If I’m going to be very honest John, work-life balance does not exist. I’ve said that to all of my kids. I say that to young women, many of whom aspire to run for political office, when they ask how do you do it?
Karen – When I say there’s no work-life balance, I mean if I go to the studio two days a week and I make sure that I read before bed for half-an-hour every night, then it’s all going to be fine. There are days when the wheels fall off the bus.
Karen – Balance is elusive. Sometimes are better than others. Some days you look in the mirror and recognize, “this was not a good day”.
Karen – When I say there’s no work-life balance, it’s not flipping a switch and it’s not checking a box. Life is a journey. I believe and embrace that. Work-life balance is not something that gets fixed. It’s something that continues as part of your journey. You need to be intentional about it and realize that there are days when things don’t go right.
Karen – Work-life balance doesn’t mean you have a perfect life. I believe it’s the intentionality and examining what in your life makes you feel better and spilling the milk or having the car run out of gas isn’t as devastating as it might otherwise be. It’s a process and a journey as opposed to getting it right.
Guest Information: Karen Redman is Regional Chair of the Waterloo Region, which is a busy and thriving Region. She’s represented Kitchener on the board of education, municipal government and in Canada's Parliament for 20 years. She’s committed to making a personal contribution to a better quality of life for her family, her community and Canada as a whole. She has a Master's degree in Political Science, as well as an Honours Bachelor's degree in English. She’s the recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. She’s married to Warren. They have 4 adult children and they love spending time with their Westy named Roxy.
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(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley