Balancing your life and personal growth go hand in hand

The popular notion of reconciling work and family can be heard nowadays from all parts - the media, politicians, as well as employers. Everyone talks about it, theories and proposals for action abound, but how does it work in practice? Ivana Šindlerová, supervisor for the work-life balance and personal development program, explains why this subject is so close to her heart and why we focus particularly on women in personal development courses.

Balancing what, who, why?
How to handle kids, their extracurricular activities, weekend plans, all while going to work, and ideally a work that fulfills us? And where do we take time for personal interests, hobbies, personal relationships? This is a topic that concerns us all, not only women with small children. We are seeing today the onset of the so-called Sandwich Generation, people who take care not only of their children but also of their aging parents. Yes, we can often feel crushed between two parties who need us. But what about us? Where do we get the energy? We must deal with this matter in a practical manner. There will never be more time and hardly fewer responsibilities. So we need to start with ourselves and learn how to function in it all. We need to stop, clarify what we actually expect from life, or maybe what life expects from us? The courses we are offering are just such a practical guide on how to cope. This is not theory, nor esoteric.

Why do I teach work-life balance courses?
The program is based on professional experience, on the experience of the women I have met, on available time-management tools, as well on my own personal experience. I have personally tried everything I've ever read and learned before I offer it in a course. I have two children aged 7 and 6, I have a job that fulfills me, and I try to further grow and learn. It’s a lot, but it’s possible. It wasn’t always so, I had to test my own limits to understand that it is necessary to organize things. Our program focuses not only on how to handle everything, but also on the time when women return to work after maternity leave and need to figure out how to grasp this change. After this, it’s a very small step to prepare for job interviews and find a new job.

Why personal development and why for women?
I have been working with women for 13 years. Not just as clients in courses, but also as respondents in surveys or as colleagues in our organization. I have met numerous interesting women during my career, in the Czech Republic and abroad. They were migrants, unemployed, women who had to deal with a whole array of difficult issues, university-educated women and women taught by life itself. I've always been fascinated by their tenacity, their commitment and energy to cope with difficult life trials. I believe in the potential of women in general and I think there should be more women in public office. But I also think that women should make themselves heard more, should learn their value, their quality and stand up for it.

What will you gain from personal development courses?
In personal development courses I gladly help clients discover their strengths, clarify life values and priorities, review life roles... Each one of us has a hidden potential, and the saying also goes, that everyone is better than the others at least in one thing. It is important to discover your strengths, follow them, listen to your inner desires and of course plan how to attain them, within your possibilities. This is what we do together in our courses.

How will you determine what you are best at? Come to our personal development course or try an individual consultation. Our trainers will help you discover your inner potential with fun experiential techniques.