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Work life balance is a hot topic. As we live our busy lives, how can we keep ourselves in balance and in check? 

We are talking to Sirena White-Singleton: brand photographer, entrepreneur and storyteller. She will share all about finding the work life rhythm… and not balance.

Sirena knows exactly what it means to be overbooked, overwhelmed and needing to prioritize her time. 

“In 2015 I shot 24 weddings, but the burnout with weddings was real. I was like, yeah, shooting these weddings every weekend is not gonna work having a child.” – Sirena

Fast forward to “2019 and then 2020, I did not book one 1 wedding. Then the pandemic hit so it was a blessing in disguise that I didn’t have any weddings on the books.

A lot of the people that were in that wedding industry got hit hard and I just felt such a relief, because I was like, okay, well what does that mean? Well people quickly realized that if you didn’t have a social media presence you weren’t going to make any sales or any money because everything had literally shut down.

Another turning point in my business was after things kind of started opening back up in May of 2020. That was when a lot of businesses and brands were reaching out to me because they needed pictures.” – Sirena

Sirena’s doubled her income from 2020 and hit the 6 figure mark in 2021. 

“I do not like to waste 2 things: that’s time and money.”

“People just do not have a clear understanding on what branding is. That’s when you come out of the shoot with perfectly posed shots. If you look at a picture and you cannot tell what it is that that person does then that was not branding at all.” – Sirena

“And I believe that is what differentiates us and people get a sense for that. We have to give people credit because they can see the difference when you’re completely invested in them and when you say, “Hey, I think you need to do some more work before we go to that shoot. It’s helpful to know who your ideal clients are so I can help you to serve them.” -Tori

“It’s funny you said that because I actually told a client that last night on a discovery call. I sat down and I broke my process down. She really thanked me for breaking it down and really making her think about it. She’s like, “Oh, wow, I didn’t realize it was so much more than just photos. Now you’ve given me something that I need to work on”. 

I let people know I am not here to take your money. I’m here to watch you grow and just be a better profitable brand.” – Sirena 

Sirena shares with us her journey to success and why clients choose her over everyone else: because she doesn’t waste their time or money. Hear how she brings value through her brand photography and how she has built a strong community around her business. 

She’s a mom, a wife, a business owner and a full-time entrepreneur now. How does she keep it all in balance?

You’re creating a work life rhythm. Distinguish the 2: a rhythm versus a balance.

“So balance, think of a tightrope, someone trying to keep their balance so they don’t fall down. Well that’s hard. That’s really hard, but now think about a rhythm or beat. 

It’s a flow. It’s a vibe. 

It’s not like you have to find that balance. I think when you give yourself grace and find a rhythm and flow into something, it just makes it easier. 

I believe, in life, when people say, “Oh, you need to find a balance”, finding a balance is actually really hard. You can try to spread your attention evenly across all platforms. How many times have you heard someone say, “I can’t post to Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, snapchat”? 

I believe life is too much and you need to find a rhythm that works for you. You don’t have to be in every place at once. So for me flowing is working hard on figuring out what my schedule is. I’m flowing into it and I’m gonna slowly reduce shooting on the weekends so that now I have more time to spend with my family. I do believe in giving myself grace because all times when you try to find balance I think you just place unnecessary stress.”

That flow and vibe flow into how she works with her clients too.

Find out more about how Sirena creates her rhythm, learn how she built her successful business and more. Listen to the full podcast and subscribe to hear more inspirational stories.

Meet Sirena White-Singleton: Photographer/Owner Aneris Photography

Until next time, take one new action that lifts up your brand. Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a thing!