Work-Life Integration: How to Design a Career That Supports Your Whole Self
If you are anything like me, you woke up on January 1st with a renewed sense of purpose. “2026 is my year!” I thought, as I proceeded to plan out how I could incorporate my New Year’s resolution of self-care into every aspect of my life. Get 8 hours of sleep, hydrate, eat 30 plants a week, meditate for 5 minutes a day, volunteer, move my body… etc., etc., and so on.
One glaringly absent category from my round-up? My career. As someone working a *mostly* traditional 9-to-5 hybrid schedule, my initial thought was that there was no room to incorporate my annual goals into the category where I spend literally 25% of my life. “Remember to bring my Stanley back to the office, and remember to fill it up at the water fountain, I guess,” was about as far as that notion could go…or so I thought.
As a Libra sun, I’ve been defined as a seeker of balance since birth. I used to subscribe to the idea that my work and my personal life needed to be separate, co-existing but never mingling, which often felt impossible to achieve. As a media and communications professional, I find that my work is a 24/7 experience, despite my 9-to-5 work hours. I talk to international clients early in the mornings and late into the night, address urgent matters on the weekends, regularly attend client dinners post-workday, and consume our media whenever possible. All of these things were what made me fall in love with my job: the feeling that I was part of something bigger than myself. As long as the world is talking, there will still be work to be done, which means communications careers don’t necessarily fit into a neat, fixed timeframe each day.
This reality is reshaping how I want to think about career goals this year; not by perfectly separating my work and life, but by finding more ways for both to intentionally integrate. That way, I’ll feel like my whole self 100% of my day, not just when I am off the clock.
What is work-life integration?
Work-life integration is a more holistic and fluid way to think about our professional and personal lives. When we seek work-life balance, we often think of rigid separation between these two silos of our being, i.e., leaving work at the office, keeping strict response hours, and slamming the laptop shut until Monday. This approach works for many people in mentally taxing, demanding occupations or those who choose to work simply to supplement their personal lives. I have many friends who enjoy their jobs, yet distinctly define how they make money as simply that: a job to pay their bills. There is nothing wrong with this approach, as it often creates mental separation where individuals feel like they need it most.
For those of us actively pursuing careers in communications, our framing might feel different. Sure, we might respond to an email at 7:00 AM over our avocado toast, or need to take a conference call as we walk to our evening spin class. While this certainly shouldn’t be an expectation for our career, maybe we find that this is our personal choice. We’ve found a way to blend work with our passion, which exists within our whole being. In other words, we’ve integrated our work and our lives in a way that feels authentic to our whole selves.
Work-life integration could look like aligning your career with your personal beliefs, seeking opportunities that provide you with the flexibility you need in your day-to-day life, or embracing a community at your company that speaks to your sense of belonging. Integrating your passions, well-being, and purpose into your professional growth can not only make the workday more meaningful and fulfilling but also ensure you can show up authentically both off and on the clock.
If this is the type of career you want to build for yourself, let these five steps serve as your building blocks.
Five Steps to Design Work-Life Integration
1. Have a heart-to-heart with yourself.
As cheesy as it seems, the first step to building a career that speaks to your whole self is knowing your whole self. Ask yourself these questions: What are my values, personal goals, and core beliefs? What strengths do I bring to the table? What skills do I want to utilize in my career? What day-to-day demands do I need to prioritize in my schedule? Reflecting on these core life pursuits will shine a bright light on where and how your career can align–let these answers guide you as you navigate professional growth.
2. Start aligning right where you are.
Seek out ways to let your strengths and passions shine in your current role, whether by volunteering for a new company organization or club that speaks to your passions and beliefs, or suggesting a new system that better aligns with your strengths. Few things demonstrate authenticity more clearly than the courage to begin something new, and taking initiative in ways that energize and excite you will create more opportunities to feel aligned.
Additionally, ensure that your communication with your supervisors and colleagues remains truthful to your needs and capabilities. Ask for help, speak up about mistakes, and maintain an open dialogue about your workload. Clarify what you need, whether that is a two-hour work block of uninterrupted productivity, a fellow thought partner to talk through scenario solutions, or the flexibility to pick up your kids after school. Being truthful about how you can show up in your position creates clear expectations and boundaries within your team, which will limit burnout from overextension or miscommunications.
3. Seek alignment outside of your current skillset.
Sure, it would be easy to be born with all the skills we’d need to have the career we always dreamed of, but where’s the fun in that? The most valuable skills are collected over a lifetime of learning and unexpected exploration. Understanding the skills you innately possess is just the first step; the second is to develop the skills you’re curious to have.
My first job in communications was licensing viral video content. I came from a creative background with a bit of social media management experience, which gave me a unique understanding of how clients could be using the videos they licensed. What did I know nothing about? Contracts. Something about the concrete nature of the rules and language scratched a happy itch in my brain, however, which left me with a desire to learn as much as I could about them. Did I want to become a lawyer? Not necessarily, but I did want to speak the language and understand how to interpret what I was reading. That was four years ago, and now, after a master’s degree in Entertainment Law, I work with the intellectual property of media brands and get to scratch the happy contract language itch in my brain every single day.
Expanding your skillset can happen outside of a traditional education setting, too! Utilize the resources available to you to explore topics that pique your curiosity. Seminars, summits, conventions, and fireside chats are all amazing opportunities to dive into a new subject. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, simply by following your curiosity.
4. Cultivate your community.
One of my favorite quotes is from Ryonosuke Satoro: “Individually we are one drop, but together we are an ocean.” Navigating career steps alone, whether seeking growth and expansion in your current role or mapping a strategic pivot, can feel like a Sisyphean task, impossible to conquer. But by utilizing community networks that align with your mission, speak to your soul, and offer resources to lift you up, the weight of that task can feel so much lighter. (If you’re reading this blog post, bravo! You’re already doing it!)
NYWICI is an incredible resource to seek connection, mentorship, and authentic moments, which just may “create ripple effects that shape careers, confidence, and lives in ways we may not immediately see,” as NYWICI President Beth Feldman so eloquently penned. We are fortunate to have a community like this at our fingertips, and there is no better time than now to get involved!
5. Remain flexible.
When building a career that feels aligned and grounded in who you are, remember that who you are is ever evolving. A dream career does not necessarily mean that the path forward is climbing each specific rung of a ladder, but could, instead, mean playing on every jungle gym on the playground. Our careers can be moldable and adaptable to the seasons of our lives, where beautiful and unexpected things await at every turn. Be open to change, remain pliable, and enjoy the journey!
Remember, work-life integration is about creating a career that works with your life, not against it. What is one small change that could bring your work and life into better alignment today?
