The Art of the Juggle: It’s about Choices Not Balance
By Kate Hermans
Life, as we know it, is a beautiful mess of tasks, responsibilities, and endless to-dos. But let’s be honest—whoever coined the term "work-life balance" clearly never had a to-do list that looked like a game of Tetris on fast forward!
Years ago when I was asked about glass ceilings and work life balance I used to say that you can have it all, just not all at the same time. But that’s misleading. That gave the perception that it was all in your control and it was just a matter of flipping the right switch at the right time. Here’s the truth—juggling isn’t about achieving perfect balance. It’s just not that organized a process. It is more about learning to toss the right things in the air and catching them with grace (or at least with minimal face plants).
Take my life, for example. I have a demanding career, a family and group of friends that I cherish, a zealous need to exercise for my sanity, and an ever-growing list of wishful hobbies, many of which get abandoned after the first attempt. Take cross-stitching for example. When I was little, my mom needlepointed a Christmas stocking for me. It was something I always cherished so when my first born arrived, I bought a pattern and made her one too! Then our son was born. I started his stocking, bound and determined to “equally” be the mom I thought I should be for both kids. But I soon had to abandon it. I was in a new job, not sleeping much, and figuring out the new stage of juggle that I was in. He still got a homemade stocking; this one was a joint effort between me and my mom, who was retired by then and kindly finished it for me. Same outcome, different path to get there - and an equally fond memory.
As many of you no doubt are experiencing, the demands and opportunities of my career were blossoming at the same time as my kids were growing up. I fondly refer to that period of time as the “lost decade”. Some things I remember. Others I don’t. Most importantly, my kids assure me that I was “there” for the things that mattered. Lots of stories I can share. Here is just one.
One night when I was putting my daughter to bed she asked me to stay home the next morning to do her hair. It caught me by surprise. My daughter had beautiful curls and a wonderful sense of style from an early age. She put her hair in “up dos” way better than I could. She really didn’t need (or want) me to do that. It was her way of asking for some of my time … for me to be more present in her life. Of course I said yes … and then spent a good chunk of that evening re-juggling my morning in career-friendly ways to ensure that I was there for her, while ensuring any balls in the air at work found a safe landing.
So as I reflect on the question about whether or not work life balance is real, the answer is that what I’ve learned is to not strive for balance. Instead, I learned to focus on the art of the juggle—on knowing when to say “yes” to opportunities and when to say “no” to things that don’t serve me, my values or my goals.
Here’s the secret: It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being present. It’s about embracing the chaos and finding the rhythm in the madness. As your life evolves, so does the rhythm so it is definitely not a one and done process. It is a journey and one worth navigating.
So, cheers to the juggle—may our priorities be clear, our boundaries strong, and our laughter endless. Because in the end, it’s not about balancing it all—it’s about juggling it with joy, grace - sometimes with grit - and an ability to laugh at yourself … and with others.
About the author:
For over three decades, Kate Hermans has spent her career successfully leading cross-functional teams to create transformative and sustainable growth across a diverse suite of businesses ($10M-$4B). Currently, Ms. Hermans is a Strategic Advisor and Non-Executive Director to both venture-backed and public biotech and healthtech companies. She is Board Chair of Clue by BioWink, Board Chair of a stealth HealthTech startup, serves on the Board of Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures, and on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Resource Center. Recently Ms. Hermans exited the Board of Ambrx Biopharma (AMAM), following Johnson & Johnson’s $2B acquisition, having served as CEO in 2022, reset the company’s strategy, streamlined company operations and onboarded a new CEO. She is an active speaker across multiple industry forums. Previously Kate held various executive business leadership roles at Ambrx, 83bar, Radius Health, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Wyeth and Intel, working in the U.S., China, Africa, and globally.