So you can’t ride a horse and drink a cup of coffee at the same time. Neither can we. When it comes to life and career we hold ourselves to tippy-toe top standards. We want to be able to do it all and at the same time too. Newsflash: it’s impossible. 

Even the greatest and brightest among us have faced challenges. Like one of our favorite authors and writers Kelly Oxford who once told us she feels like she can’t forge ahead, “every time I have PMS.” The struggle is real, but you’re not alone. Which is why it's all the more important to share these stories, reinforcing the reality that everyone goes through it. 

Read through how 6 amazing women mitigate the hard points in their respective careers.

Lauren Conrad on how her relationship to her career has changed:

“I've been able to find more balance in my career over the last few years. There was definitely a point in my life when I took on too much and was burning the candle at both ends. Since then I've learned the value in saying no and learned to delegate. It can be hard to trust others to work on a brand that you spent so much time on, but you can't do it all.”

“I’ve learned the value in saying no and to delegate.” 

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Sarah Michelle Gellar on taking a major risk:

“As my career has shifted drastically that has certainly taken some adjustment. At my age it would have been so easy to just stay and continue an already successful career, but instead I took the leap and try something I had never done before. Its been exciting, scary, rewarding and quite the adventure.” 

Rachel Bloom on a point in her life where she thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’

“I've never fully turned away from the arts, but there were points in college that my self esteem was so low I didn't know if I could make it in this business.” 

Kristen Ess on challenges she’s faced: 

“The hair industry can be very competitive and sometimes nasty. Other hairdressers/colorists will talk about you as if they know you or circulate gossip and it's a bummer. There were many times when I would hear about something ‘about me’ that was so inaccurate or just plain untrue and I had to learn really early to block that out and know that people who participate in that are just not for me.”

Cleo Wade on a point in her life when she thought, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ 

“I think we all have mini moments of that feeling throughout our day. Our brain is constantly second guessing our decisions. I think you know you are doing something great if you have moments of feeling overwhelmed. 

“You know you are doing something great if you have moments of feeling overwhelmed.” 

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Lauren Paul on the realities of fundraising and non-profits: 

“Starting and running a non-pro:t is incredible but when you sign up for this you have to know that it becomes a 24 hour job. It was important for Molly and I to look at the hours we were pouring into Kind Campaign and find a healthy balance between that and our family, friends and personal lives. It was also important to figure out how we could take some of the jobs we were carrying and bring people on board to help lighten the load. 

All my sisters out there who work in the non pro:t space know how hard fundraising is. There were many points in the first couple years where we were really struggling to get by financially. We would hold grassroots fundraisers with the occasional sponsor. We made a lot of personal sacrifices as a result. Everything changed a couple years ago when we had a huge fundraiser that raised enough money to make all of our programming free of charge for schools. We are proud to say that all assemblies have been free since 2013!” 

Have something you’re struggling with? Share with us in the comments below. It's self-caring. 

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