How do you balance personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand? We posed this question to 14 leaders, and they shared invaluable insights and strategies for finding harmony.
- Fully Present During Family Time
- Protect Moments of Stillness
- Exercise and Therapy for Balance
- Set Realistic Goals for Content
- Establish Anchor Points
- Strict Boundaries for Personal Time
- Separate Work and Personal Time
- Be Selective About Commitments
- Clear Line Between Work and Personal Life
- Disassociate from Work During Off Hours
- Time Blocking and Digital Boundaries
- Blend Work with Personal Passions
- Focus on Quality Time
- Identify Mission Statement and Core Values
How to Balance Personal And Professional Life
Fully Present During Family Time
Early in my career, I found myself constantly checking emails, even at the dinner table, and noticed how it affected my ability to connect with my family. From that point on, I made a rule: when I’m with family, I’m fully with them. Now, family dinners and personal trips are work-free zones for me, with no exceptions. These moments of being fully present help me recharge and often spark fresh ideas that benefit my professional life.
I also think a lot about how my personal brand connects with who I am both at work and at home. For me, authenticity is key. I’ve found it easier to navigate the demands of both worlds. It’s not about balance being perfect; it’s about making deliberate choices that reflect what’s most important to me.
For anyone struggling to find balance, I recommend setting clear boundaries, sticking to them, and remembering that it’s okay to say no. Not everything needs your attention, but the things that truly matter—your family, your health, your vision—always do. Prioritize those, and the rest will follow.
Brandon Bryler
Chief Executive Officer, Coimobile.io
Protect Moments of Stillness
Balancing personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand requires clear priorities. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to protect moments of stillness in my day. For me, that means starting each morning with time for reflection and mindfulness. This daily ritual keeps me grounded, ensuring I approach both my work and personal life with clarity.
Another key boundary is being intentional with my time. I’ve learned to say no to opportunities or commitments that don’t align with my goals. This isn’t always easy, but it’s essential for creating space to focus on what truly matters—whether that’s leading my team, spending time with my family, or pursuing personal growth.
I’ve also found it crucial to separate work from personal time whenever possible. While building a career is important, I remind myself that life happens outside of email threads and meetings. Being present in those personal moments strengthens my ability to lead with authenticity and purpose.
Ultimately, building a strong personal brand isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things in a way that reflects who you are and what you stand for. By prioritizing wellness and setting clear boundaries, I’ve been able to stay true to myself while achieving success.
Lenny Chase
CEO, Rasa
Exercise and Therapy for Balance
Balancing personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand has definitely been a learning process for me. My work ethic has always been a driving force, but I’ve learned that to bring my best to the business, I have to invest in myself too.
For me, exercise plays a huge role. I make time to hit the gym regularly, and as a keen epee fencer, I’ve found that fencing not only keeps me physically fit but also mentally sharp—it’s like a workout for the body and the mind. Seeing a therapist regularly has also been a game-changer, helping me stay grounded and process the challenges that come with running a business and building a brand.
When it comes to boundaries, I’ve gotten better at setting clear ones. I don’t check emails during certain hours, and I carve out non-negotiable time for hobbies and family. It’s tempting to always be “on” when you’re growing a business, but I’ve realized that personal time isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. That balance has helped me stay consistent and authentic, which is key to building a personal brand that resonates with others.
Tom Jauncey
Head Nerd, Nautilus Marketing
Set Realistic Goals for Content
Establishing a good personal brand as CEO is no doubt a journey of professional and personal exploration. The way I achieve that balance is by setting reasonable goals for my brand and defining clear boundaries.
The first impulse is to constantly produce content, push it out every day, and build an incessant presence online. But that method quickly becomes exhausting. Think of holding consecutive client meetings and skipping content, only to be pressured into writing generic articles later. Setting realistic goals is key. Rather than post everyday, I publish blog posts every week that will provide insight into film and photography storytelling. So I can consistently post great quality content without neglecting my job.
Furthermore, boundaries are essential. Social media can be a time-suck. I have set time periods every week for content creation and then I take a hiatus to fully focus on myself. This can include spending a couple of hours on Sundays putting together content for the week ahead and doing a social media cleanse in the evenings and weekends. Breaks give me time to recharge my mind and not feel “on” all the time.
Some weeks will involve me devoting myself to something else. A high-pressure client engagement can eat up more time and energy and push brand-building into the back burner. The trick is to recognize these ripples. By setting appropriate limits and maintaining clear expectations, I make sure that my brand expands naturally as a complement to my work and personal life.
Andrew Cussens
Digital Marketing Specialist| Founder & CEO, FilmFolk
Establish Anchor Points
One of my favorite techniques for combining life and work while creating a personal brand is establishing no-nonsense “anchor points” in my life. These are particular activities or moments that function as pauses or anchoring rituals to keep me grounded to both my own needs and work goals. For instance, my mornings start with a 30-minute meditation, journaling and intention setting for the day—this is when meetings or social media don’t exist. It allows me to identify what’s important to me before I start writing or connecting with my readers. These anchors provide a rhythm for my day so I don’t get pushed everywhere, and they give me a sense of agency over my time.
The thing that makes this method work is that it, in an indirect way, impacts the authenticity of my personal brand. If I reserve time for deliberation or private work, the professional spaces I attend are more focused. For example, when I post online or give a team talk, the positivity and clarity I bring is the result of prioritising that time.
Thomas Franklin
CEO, Swapped
Strict Boundaries for Personal Time
Balancing personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand requires clear boundaries, prioritization, and efficient time management. I ensure my weekends and time outside business hours are strictly for personal activities, with no calls or meetings scheduled during these periods. This non-negotiable boundary allows me to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
To manage my time effectively, I prioritize tasks based on their urgency and impact, focusing on high-value activities that align with my professional and branding goals. I use automation tools like Hootsuite for social media and Trello for task tracking, streamlining my efforts and freeing up time for personal pursuits.
Setting boundaries also extends to selectively taking on projects that resonate with my values and long-term vision, saying no to opportunities that could stretch me too thin. Regular self-care, such as exercise and mindfulness, ensures I remain energized and focused.
By reflecting regularly on my strategies, I make necessary adjustments to sustain this balance. Building a personal brand isn’t about working endlessly—it’s about aligning your professional efforts with your personal values, ensuring both aspects complement rather than compete with each other. This balance enhances productivity, creativity, and overall well-being.
Sahil Sachdeva
CEO & Founder, Level Up PR
Separate Work and Personal Time
Balancing personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand requires intentional boundaries and prioritization. One key strategy is separating work and personal time by setting non-negotiable hours for family or self-care. For example, I dedicate my evenings to my family, ensuring that client communication or work tasks are paused after a specific time. This helps me stay present in both roles.
Additionally, I’ve established boundaries around social media and public-facing content. While I share aspects of my professional journey to connect with my audience, I’m mindful of keeping private moments with loved ones off the grid. This balance allows me to show authenticity in my personal brand without compromising my personal life.
By focusing on quality over quantity—both in relationships and in branding efforts—I ensure that I’m growing professionally without losing sight of what truly matters in my personal life.
Jimmy Patterson
President, TruScape LLC
Be Selective About Commitments
Balancing personal and professional life while building my online life coaching brand requires some intentional choices. It’s not about doing everything perfectly but about finding strategies that keep my energy and focus strong. Here are three practices that have made a real difference:
- Be Selective About Commitments: When building a brand, there’s often pressure to say yes to every opportunity, but not every event, project, or partnership is going to be a good fit or worth your time. By being clear on my priorities, I’ve learned to focus on what aligns with my goals and values, which helps me keep my schedule manageable and prevents burnout.
- Use an Editorial Calendar: Planning content in advance keeps my brand consistent without needing to be constantly creating and posting in real time. This way, I avoid being glued to my phone or feeling the need to check social media constantly, allowing me to stay present in my personal life.
- Prioritize Self-Care: It might sound simple, but without taking care of your physical and mental health, it’s hard to bring your best to both your brand and personal life. For me, this means regular exercise, daily meditation, and quality time offline with family and friends.
Bayu Prihandito
Psychology Consultant, Life Coach, Founder, Life Architekture
Clear Line Between Work and Personal Life
Firstly, it’s important to me that I draw a clear line between work and personal life. Running a startup takes up lots of time and energy, however, I realize the importance of a proper work-life balance and how it helps me avoid burnouts. Additionally, I believe that having proper time off helps me recharge, which increases my productivity and creativity during work hours. That’s why I dedicate most of my evenings and my weekends to something other than work. Here, it’s crucial to communicate this with your team. At Noiz, I’ve created a culture where we respect each other’s boundaries and free time. My employees know not to reach out to me outside of work hours unless it’s an emergency. And it goes both ways. I’m very much aware of their time off and respect it.
Secondly, when it comes to building my personal brand online, I try to separate my professional identity from my personal one. This means that my brand is solely centered around my expertise. For instance, my LinkedIn profile focuses on my professional achievements and my company. At the same time, I prefer to keep my personal life private. This, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that I appear less authentic on social media. On the contrary, I share my own experiences, challenges, and advice. I just choose to keep the personal aspects of my life to myself and respect it when others do the same.
Dmytro Tymoshenko
CEO of Noiz, Noiz
Disassociate from Work During Off Hours
Having built up my team from just myself to now more than 30 people, it’s essential to take time for yourself. In saying this, one of the best ways you can do this is to disassociate from your “professional” self when you are in your “personal” self, and vice versa.
One of the best ways I’ve found to do this is to set “off” hours, where you completely disengage from your work. During this time, I focus on myself, my family, and my life. Having a distinct separation from work and home will give you the space to disconnect, meaning you can come back to work with fresh energy.
Another way you can do this, particularly in a leadership role, is to be more selective about the projects or work you take on. If you have built a business from the ground up, it can be easy to feel like you need to oversee everything, but this is why you’ve brought on staff.
By creating this distinct separation, you can easily separate your “professional” brand from your “personal” brand, ensuring that you maintain professional appearances while still having a fulfilling personal life.
David Janovic
Founder and CEO, RJ Living
Time Blocking and Digital Boundaries
I grew from 4,000 to 42,000 followers on LinkedIn within 18 months. Here is what worked for me:
- Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks for work, content creation/personal branding, and personal time. Stick to your schedule.
- Digital Boundaries: Limit online engagement to certain hours. I allocate 90 min per day from 9 to 10:30 a.m. for content creation, posting and engaging with the audience.
- Non-Negotiables: Prioritize personal activities (e.g., family time or workouts) by blocking them in your calendar.
- Set Block Intentions: Define goals for each block (e.g., drafting content), so each session is productive.
Raja Skogland
Scaling Companies, Building Personal Brands & Board Efficiency. Top 100 Most Influential Women in the European Vc & Startup Space in 2023 & 2024, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor in 100+ Startups
Blend Work with Personal Passions
My approach is to blend work with passions that fuel me, so it doesn’t feel like a constant “work mode.” If I’m learning or exploring something new in productivity or tech, it’s enjoyable and refreshing rather than purely work. This way, I stay engaged without burning out, as my professional interests blend into my personal learning and growth.
I avoid social media overexposure and keep my private life off the grid as much as possible, sharing only what’s relevant to my professional brand. By keeping some parts of my life offline, I create a boundary that protects my personal moments. This balance lets me engage meaningfully in my professional sphere without feeling like I’m constantly “on display.”
Alari Aho
CEO and Founder, Toggl Inc
Focus on Quality Time
Balancing personal and professional life while building a strong personal brand is more about the quality of time than the quantity. For me, it’s crucial to focus on both work projects and moments of recovery. I plan my schedule to ensure that even with a high workload, there’s room for family, personal growth, and rest.
As a CEO with additional responsibilities, it’s inevitable that work sometimes spills over into personal time. However, I’ve set boundaries that keep me grounded. Regular exercise, hobbies, digital detoxes, and meaningful time with loved ones help me stay productive and maintain a fresh perspective.
It’s not just about balance. It’s about creating harmony that allows me to stay resourceful and inspired for new ideas. This approach helps me sustain the energy needed to build not only a successful company and my personal brand but also a fulfilling personal life.
Alexandr Korshykov
Founder & CEO, DreamX
Identify Mission Statement and Core Values
To build a strong personal brand that balances your personal and professional life, you must first identify your mission statement core values, and then create goals. Starting with your “why” and then delving into the supporting values that drive you, can help you determine what activities you participate in, from content, event attendance, or even partnerships. If you receive offers that aren’t aligned with your personal mission statements and values, you can more easily commit to declining to allow space for opportunities that are a better fit.
After you’ve documented those items, you should then move on to creating specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals that reflect the resources you have to devote to your brand building. For instance, if you can only reasonably devote two hours per week for content, your goals on the total amount of content and the expected results should mirror that total contribution.
This can also be applied to your budget. If you are self-funding your brand, you must consider what organic growth you can achieve and what you’re willing to invest in—which may not be only digital advertising, but also the cost of transportation or registrations to events for networking and sometimes wardrobe—you can’t appear everywhere in the same outfit—unless that is a part of your brand!
These foundational elements of mission statements, core values and goals can help you establish boundaries regarding the time, money, and activities you participate in which will allow you to develop and maintain a consistent brand image.
LaMecia Butler
Firstgen Thought Leader
