There Is No Such Thing as Work-Life Balance

There Is No Such Thing as Work-Life Balance

People ask me how I manage work-life balance. My honest answer is that I'm not sure I do.

As CEO of SciSports, my weeks tend to blur together across time zones, investor calls, strategy sessions, and flights. The US is active when Europe is winding down. Things move fast, and the role doesn't really have an off switch.

But I'm also a husband to Nadine and a father to Aimee and Milou. Those relationships mean more to me than any professional title ever will.

The guilt runs in both directions, which I wasn't always prepared for. When I travel, I feel the weight of the missed bedtime, the ordinary Tuesday evening I wasn't around for. Nadine holds a lot together when I'm away, from the logistics to the routine to the emotional steady-handedness that makes home feel like home. Nothing I do at work functions without that foundation, and I don't take it for granted.

But there's guilt on the other side too. When I step away for a ski trip, a HYROX race, or a morning workout instead of answering one more email, there's a voice that says I should be doing more. Someone somewhere is working harder. That feeling doesn't fully go away, and I've stopped expecting it to.

What I've found over time is that being constantly available doesn't make me more effective. When I'm running on empty, my thinking suffers, and that shows up both at work and at home. Rest, time with family, physical training, these aren't luxuries. They're what keep me functional.

There's no perfect formula. It's more about making conscious choices, accepting the trade-offs, and trying to be genuinely present wherever I am, even when I haven't got it perfectly figured out.

A few things I keep coming back to: balance is probably the wrong word, it's really just priorities, adjusted constantly. Guilt is a sign you care, not that you're failing. Managing your energy matters more than managing your calendar. Your partner is your closest ally, not just at home but in everything. And being a good leader isn't about being everywhere, it's about being where you're needed, fully.

I don't get it right every week. But I try to approach work and family with the same level of intention. Not balance exactly, more like responsibility.