Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Beth Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Beth, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
In the era of constant connection and an abundance of beautiful inspiration at your fingertips, finding balance has been key to minimize burnout over my 15 year event planning & design career. As the owner of 36th Street Events, a luxury wedding planning & design company, my team and I have the ability to help couples that align with our philosophy. Regardless of the trends that come and go, in the end, my passion stems from the core of what I do, which is helping two beautiful humans get married. Knowing this has helped me continue to connect with my clients, feel aligned with my work and produce an amazing experience in the ever changing and stressful situations throughout my career.
Personally, I’ve felt that around every 5 years, I begin to feel the pull from burnout. Over the years, I’ve tried to rethink the word ‘burnout’ as really as an indication that you need to revisit what your role is within your career. Burnout doesn’t mean you need to make drastic changes, sometimes it’s just readjusting the way you are thinking and the things you are in charge of. Asking questions like, ‘What do you still get excited doing’ and ‘what areas do you excel at and what areas could you outsource’ and most importantly, ‘How can I set up boundaries to have a more balanced work / life schedule’. Also, it’s important to acknowledging that every person’s career journey is going to look and feel different than yours. The most beautiful thing is to encourage and celebrate those in your industry. Lifting each other up versus looking at each other as competition only elevates the industry as a whole.
Early in my professional journey, I found out how much a positive community influence could change the direction of your career. As a new owner, I was pushed to grow in ways that I couldn’t see myself or was not ready for. By sitting down and having monthly conversations with key people within my industry, it lead me to feel the confidence that should have already been there. When the feeling of burnout comes around, I find connecting and surrounding yourself with the industry community you built can both inspire you and give you an outlet to talk through some of the things giving you this feeling. This could be individuals in the same or similar role as you or through organizations offering this community connection. Find your people, set a schedule to connect once a month and keep each other accountable.
One thing I found that has helped me over my career as a creative entrepreneur has been setting and sticking to office hours. For me, this means I even go and turn off apps on my phone so I’m not tempted to mindlessly check them when I should have shut off for the day or should be focusing on a project. For those bigger tasks that you just can’t seem to get motivated for, if it’s something that only you can do, I’ve found batch working these projects very impactful. It allows you to really focus in on that particular project and allow you to get a lot done at once. If it is something you can let go of, and financially can do so, outsourcing is also a wonderful way to free your time to focus on what lights you up and keeps you going. If you’re not sure what has gotten you feeling burnout, journaling (even for just 5 minutes a day) is an amazing way to check in with yourself and discover topics that keep coming up
Being in a predominately female driven industry, we often give more of ourselves in our work. Self care is key. It’s so easy to lose ourselves in the work we are so passionate about and not even realize it. It is so important to not forget about finding a work / life balance. This doesn’t have to mean taking a day off work or going to a spa, although those are lovely from time to time. This is finding ways to integrate time for you within your work day. This will look different for everyone, but you could set aside time to take a walk, read, meditate, work out and be outside on a daily basis. If you are in control of your own schedule, add the time into your calendar to have 5 minutes to work on deep breathing or just time to do check in with yourself during the work day,. You’ll find you have more drive, more motivation and be more inspired when you find this balance.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
36th Street Events is a luxury events company in Austin, Texas creating thoughtfully planned, beautifully designed weddings. We specialize in creating unforgettable events and a customized experience around what is most important to the couple.
A Kansas native, I moved to Austin in 2008 dreaming of sunny days and beautiful weddings. My career started as an intern with the founders of 36th Street that year. My loyal, driven personality (and lot of hard work) lead me to purchasing the company and making it my own in 2013. I have a passion for supporting the women on our team, celebrating love and equality through our work.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Connection / There is nothing more beneficial than taking the time to get to know those in your community, shadowing and experiencing the industry and learning from others
2. Communication / Understanding it’s okay to ask questions and it’s also so important to be timely in your responses to someone else
3. Staying Calm / In the most stressful situations, it’s so important to take a deep breath and stay calm. Realizing that nothing is ‘on fire’ and often just that reminder can help fix/adjust how you handle a tough situation.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Being in a stressful job, it’s so important to know ways to calm yourself and others. I have found deep breathing to be such an important skill to have. Not only does it help calm your nervous system, those few moments can clear your mind and keep you from going into fight/flight mode. I also always encourage those on my team to appear calm through your voice and actions, even if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Outwardly showing this to others, allows them to feel confident that things are or will be okay.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.36thstreetevents.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/36thstreetevents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/36thstreetevents
Image Credits
Julie Wilhite Photography, Gracie Byrd Jones Photography, Gayle Brooker Photography, Jenna McElroy Photography
