It’s summer and half the world seems to be at the beach. To help you find time for summer fun, we invited an esteemed group of experts and entrepreneurs (see their bios below) to share their best advice for having a life while also managing a successful business.

During our 1,000 Stories research project, we’ve often heard women entrepreneurs say that work-life balance is a top priority for them. But we know achieving it isn’t so easy when you’ve got a company to run. For seven weeks, our panelists will answer a new question on a work-life theme. Click below to read their sage advice.

The Columns

  • Making-Me-Time

    Making Me Time


  • 2-Creating-a-Healthy-Business

    Creating a Healthy Business


  • 3-Summer-Fridays

    Summer Fridays?


  • 4-How-to-Delegate

    How to Delegate


  • 5-Managing-Technology

    Managing Technology


  • 6-It-Takes-a-Village

    It Takes a Village


  • 7-Expert-Tips-for-Work-and-Life

    Expert Tips for Work and Life


The Panelists

Anne-Weisberg Anne Weisberg is senior vice president for strategy at the Families and Work Institute. She is co-author of “Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace With Today’s Nontraditional Workforce” and has written extensively on women in the workplace. Anne was previously a managing director at The FutureWork Institute, director of diversity and inclusion at BlackRock, and director in talent at Deloitte LLP. Anne is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Law School. She and her husband live in New York and have five children between them.
Follow: @weisberganne and @FWInews


Crystal-Arredondo Crystal Arredondo is 2015-16 board chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and a partner at MPACT Financial Group, an independent wealth-management company in Dallas. Crystal, who was born and raised in Germany by military parents. She became a financial advisor and specialized in retirement planning after seeing firsthand the difficulty of her parents’ transition to civilian life and small-business ownership in Texas after retirement. Crystal especially enjoys helping women and business owners make decisions that support their financial independence. She has served on NAWBO’s national board for 3 years.
Follow: @NAWBONational</a.


Emily-CoueyEmily Couey joined Eventbrite, a global marketplace for live events, in 2011 to lead the company in all things related to people. As of 2015, Eventbrite has grown to approximately 500 employees, known as “Britelings,” in eight offices worldwide, and sells tickets in more than 180 countries. Prior to joining Eventbrite, Emily helped emerging biotechnology and technology start-ups grow to be successful public companies. She has a passion for talent cultivation, building companies that last, and creating a meaningful work environment.
Follow: @Eventbrite


Garnett-NewcombeGarnett Newcombe is co-founder of CEO Real Talk, where she and co-founder Kay Woods share successes and challenges with other small businesses in how they grew million-dollar businesses. Garnett is also co-founder and CEO of Human Potential Consultants, an employment company that works with persons with disabilities, veterans and persons facing extraordinary challenges in obtaining employment. She has received numerous awards and was recognized in 2011 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as one of 100 businesses that have created at least 100 jobs. Garnett is an author, wife, mother, grandmother and a sister to 11 siblings. Family keeps her grounded and focused.
Follow: @CEORealTalk


Kimm-AlfonsoKimm Alfonso is director of seller development at Etsy, where she and her team work to help Etsy sellers succeed on their own terms. Kimm leads the team in crafting thoughtful seller educational materials via video, email, blog posts and in-person events. She’s also a long-time Etsy seller herself. Prior to her role at Etsy, Kimm spent 10 years as a graphic designer. She founded the New York Etsy Team in 2007, bringing together the community of local sellers and creating a forum where sellers could address business obstacles collectively. Kimm has a degree in art history from Boston University, where she minored in women’s studies. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Follow: @kimmchi and @EtsySuccess


Rieva-LesonskyRieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a custom-content and media company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship, and the blog SmallBizDaily.com. Lesonsky, who was the editorial director of Entrepreneur magazine for more than 30 years, writes regularly about small business for numerous websites, is a contributing editor at Success Magazine, and can regularly be seen on MSNBC’s Your Business. She has also appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, The Martha Stewart show and Oprah. Rieva served on the Small Business Administration’s National Advisory Council for 6 years and has been honored by the SBA as a Small Business Media Advocate and a Woman in Business Advocate. She has been named one of the nation’s top 100 Small Business Influencers.
Follow: @Rieva


Sara-Sutton-FellSara Sutton Fell is the CEO and founder of FlexJobs, an award-winning, innovative career website for telecommuting, flexible, freelance and part-time job listings. Sara launched FlexJobs in 2007 while pregnant with her first son after experiencing first-hand the frustrating search for professional jobs that also offered flexible work options. In support of her belief that flexible work will bring societal, environmental and economic benefits for both employees and employers, she started the 1 Million for Work Flexibility initiative in 2013. Sara was named a Young Global Leader (class of 2014) by the World Economic Forum for her work in technology and the employment fields. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and currently lives in Boulder, Colo. with her husband and two sons.
Follow: @sarasuttonfell, @FlexJobs@workflexibility


Stacy-FrancisStacy Francis is the president and CEO of Francis Financial, a boutique wealth-management firm dedicated to providing ongoing comprehensive advice for high-achieving women and couples in life transitions. She is also the founder of Savvy Ladies, a nonprofit organization that has educated and empowered more than 12,000 women to take control of their finances. Stacy is one of 20 of the nation’s leading wealth managers on CNBC’s Digital Financial Advisor Council and frequently shares financial advice on national media. She lives in New York with her daughter, son and husband as well as her dog and cat, Shadow and Merlin. When she’s not running marathons and training for triathlons, she enjoys skiing, horseback riding and baking with her family.
Follow: @FrancisFinance and @SavvyLadies