Sonia Rodriguez in The Nutcracker. For the National Ballet of Canada principal dancer, balance comes from physio, bubble baths and a healthy dose of self-awareness.
For a trendsetter: Spending time in the field, and knowing when to go back behind the desk
There's nothing that compares to meeting someone who is blind, watching them go into surgery, then meeting them two days later and watching them see their grandkid for the first time. The fact that all of that can happen [through the TOMS Eyewear program, which helps restore sight to people in need] because someone bought a $110 pair of optical frames is just so fulfilling, so I love to be there to witness it when I can. With my work, I try hard to strike that right balance between the time I spend out in the field and the time I spend doing what other CEOs do – running and building a business. Even as my time has become more structured, I still go on about two big trips a year and on those trips I make sure that I have a few days set aside to experience a country in its most authentic and rawest form. That keeps me motivated and connected to why we started the company in the first place. At the same time, the more we sell, the more we give, and the bigger the business we create, the more impact we can have on the world, so there are times when I need to be back in the office like anyone else.
Blake Mycoskie, entrepreneur and founder of TOMS Shoes
For an arts executive: BlackBerry blackouts and taking a pass on housework
I love my mornings in the dark before my family's awake – that's my sanity time, where I read headlines and my Google alerts. Before, I used to gather all the newspapers I could and read everything, every morning – it would completely stress me out that I might not know about an event that affected our world or our business before getting to work. But I've let that go, along with the gym, sadly. Instead, I walk everywhere. When I'm overwhelmed at work, I go for a walk. I even park at Ryerson and walk to the office, it's the only way I get exercise. Another thing I've learned to do is relax; relax when it comes to the house, order and chores. I delegate more work to my kids and it's a load off me and my husband's backs. It means more time spent together, and despite work being 24/7, we try to limit how it affects our personal time. I try to have dinner with my kids as often as possible; I limit my BlackBerry monitoring until after the youngest is asleep. The job I do is all about time management and making time for the things that you care about or really need.
Michèle Maheux, executive director and chief operating officer of TIFF
For a TV host: change the channel and have a laugh
Maybe "tired" is a word that's disguised as "stressed." I think we feel it all – tired, stressed, fatigued. Sometimes I just get anxious to get out there and get on air and wait for a conversation to take a life of its own. You know you need a break when you're live and you end up using clutch words or having long, pregnant pauses. That's when you know you have to pull back and get some rest. Sometimes I don't want to watch hockey, I have to change it up a bit. There are 1,300 games in a hockey season, you can't watch every single one – it's physically and emotionally impossible! If you try, how much are you going to absorb, how much can you focus? You want to come on air and have energy, be enthusiastic and have your passion shine bright. If I'm feeling stressed or overwhelmed, sometimes just lying on the couch and closing the door and channel surfing seems to be the best remedy. Exercising a minimum of once or twice a week is a great stress-buster. Also, socializing at work – laughing is a big stress reliever. Even if it feels like the world's ending, humour can pull everything back into perspective.
Nick Kypreos, Sportsnet hockey analyst
For a sports executive: a workout, a good support team and the quiet of the country
I'm very high-energy and the people I work with invigorate me. Because of how much I love my work, stress isn't so much of an issue, as is sleep deprivation. If there is a magic elixir to having work-life balance, I still haven't figured it out – sleep is my greatest deficit. If I could figure out a way to not need to sleep, I would. My work routine is anything but typical, the only typical thing is the length. My time to think is either early in the morning, late at night or when I'm on a plane. I try to start my day by exercising, going to the gym. I know for sure that if I exercise I have more energy and mental clarity throughout my day. When I'm going from meeting to meeting to meeting, the smart, kind, passionate team I work with gives me a boost. My days off are spent recharging in nature at my country house, where I can sleep in, read a newspaper, go for a hike or two, play tennis, golf and, depending on the season, cross-country ski and snowshoe. It's important to feed your soul and to have work that turns your crank. But I do know that there is no compromise for lack of sleep.
Kelly D. Murumets, president and CEO of Tennis Canada
For a principal dancer: physio, bubble baths and a healthy dose of self-awareness
I'm in a very competitive job, and get to work with many other talented dancers. It's a pretty stressful environment, period. My biggest struggle is competing with myself, especially when we get a new production and new coach. I try to accomplish everything at once, and it doesn't work like that. So I try harder and end up getting frustrated with myself. At that point, I need to take a breather and some time to absorb all the new information, then come back to it with a fresh state of mind. Throughout my days I make sure to get physiotherapy in when I can – dancers are always dealing with some sort of ailment because of the physical stress we endure. I try to finish my day with a massage or therapy, but if I can't, I take a bubble bath to recuperate after putting my two boys to sleep. Eating is important too, I always have either protein bars or almonds lying around because I'm cranky when I don't eat. I feel like I have to be very aware of myself before I get into a loop where I feed myself negativity. It can be tough because you always want to prove yourself and show that you're on top of your game and capable of accomplishing what people ask of you.
Sonia Rodriguez, principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada