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Thanks for joining us on today’s episode where we get to talk about Finding Balance.

We are Christina and Peter Pilarski founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.
A question we get asked often as a couple but also as business owners is how do we find balance?
Simply put – it can be hard. When you run your own business you have to make changes so that you can find balance. Owning a business is much different and a lot harder than working for someone else, and with children on top of it, there’s not a lot of time for balance.
However, there is a bit of balance in our company in that we get to dabble a bit in different industries and different cultures as we’re not there all the time to tackle their issues on a full-time basis which can I would imagine to feel all-consuming at times. We have avenues to get out so there’s balance in that sense.
With owning a marketing, communications, and public relations agency, there’s an ease to the fact that sometimes clients don’t work out and that’s just a fact, and then you just move on. So there’s a kind of balance on that end too.

Stuck on a never-ending cycle of repeat

Owning your own business is a bit like being in university stuck in the first semester where you constantly have projects, you constantly have deliverables, you constantly have exams, you constantly have things to figure out (sort of like an ongoing university experience where it feels like it’s all-encompassing all the time).

Getting exposed to different companies has allowed us to build our corporate culture and there’s a balance we have to find between building a company and building relationships with clients

‘Me’ time is important

Physical activity is critically important to balance and feeling a sense of balance. Taking time out for yourself actually makes you more productive. When Christina first started consulting and doing content writing and working for someone, the person she was sub-contracting for said for her the biggest thing to stepping out on your own is that there is no-one to reward you, you have no time off, you can’t just book a vacation, and what struck Christina was that whenever she landed a big contract she would treat herself to something she normally wouldn’t have.

You have to schedule that time for yourself to have that balance. Make small changes to your daily lifestyle. You need ‘me’ time as an entrepreneur and we really recommend the book, ‘Profit First’ as it shifts your mindset from just getting stuck on generating enough profit to pay the next lot of expenses – which is really quite sad! 

You’ve got to put the time into yourself because you have clients relying on you, your spouse relies on you and your family relies on you. If you don’t you’re just going to burn yourself out or fail anyway.

We haven’t perfected balance but we are trying. We’re finding that schedule is important, and holding each other accountable is important too.

  • Christna

    Christina Pilarski is CEO and co-founder of CIPR Communications, a digital PR, marketing, and AI consulting agency serving hospitality, tourism, and luxury lifestyle brands across North America. Before starting CIPR in 2010 with her life partner and business partner, Peter Pilarski, Christina led campaigns in a series of corporate roles and served as Special Advisor to the Minister at Alberta's Department of Tourism, Parks and Recreation. She now leads a team of 20+ staff and contractors across CIPR and its AI-focused division, the Tourism AI Network. Christina holds a BA with Honours and an MA in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary. Outside the office, she's a mom of twins and two dogs, based in Calgary.

    Connect with her on LinkedIn

  • Peter

    Peter Pilarski is the Founder of Tourism AI Network and President of CIPR Communications. He helps tourism and hospitality organizations adopt AI strategically — from AI search visibility and custom tool development to team training and executive advisory. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and AI advisor whose sessions blend practical frameworks with real-world results.

    Connect with him on LinkedIn.

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