Corinne Bowen, Renaissance Woman

In TOEFL, students are often asked to give 45 second responses to questions such as, “Who is your hero?” or “Who do you admire most?” When they ask about my heroes, Kris Carr is the first person who comes to mind. We don’t have Kris Carr here for us today, but I can do you one better: the brilliant, beautiful, wise Corinne Bowen, who happens to be Kris’s right-hand woman. For Corinne’s interview, I struggled with what to “label” her, and finally decided Renaissance Woman was the most accurate description. In addition to helping run Kris’s wellness hub, Crazy Sexy Life, Corinne is a budding novelist and certified yoga instructor. Oh, and in her spare time? She does super-cool things like record vocals for the Freeminer Birds‘ latest album, Fill the Shelters. (That’s her super talented hubby’s band.) Enough from me; go read about Corinne in her own words.

1. Can you give us an overview of your different jobs/roles?

Four days a week, I work for Kris Carr at Crazy Sexy Wellness. We’ve always struggled to pin down my job title because I do everything from corresponding with Kris’ fans, to managing our website, to developing future programs with Kris and her husband/business partner, Brian. It’s a fulfilling and inspiring job, since I have the opportunity to create and build Crazy Sexy Life with two of the most creative and kind people I know. One of my favorite things to do is brainstorm with my bosses! What could be better?

I am also a writer. This has grown into a career over the past four years. I have experience as a grant-writer and a columnist, but my passion is fiction. Earlier this year, I signed with an agent after working on my first (completed) novel for about fifteen months. Rebecca Strauss at McIntosh & Otis is a dream and I am happy beyond measure with her as my literary agent. Writing is my bliss, so I am grateful each day to be on the path to publication.

2. How did you find yourself pursuing two careers simultaneously? Was it a deliberate choice, or was it more organic? Do you prefer working on two paths to working on one?

It was organic. After graduating with a Master of Public Administration, I realized that I wasn’t happy working in my field or in a traditional office setting. Only a year later, I quit my job, moved to an ashram for a month and became a certified yoga teacher. It was more of a compulsion than a decision since my inner compass was so strong that I couldn’t ignore this new path. During the following year, I was a yoga instructor and freelance writer, but something was still missing. Then, I saw Kris Carr’s documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer. As the credits rolled, I told my husband that I was destined to work with Kris and the rest is history. Along the way, I started working on my current novel and the dream of becoming a published author became stronger each day until I knew that I needed to pursue this path with the same passion I had used to achieve my goal of working for Crazy Sexy Wellness. Being a part of both worlds is a challenge, but they compliment and enrich each other. All I know is that I am happy in this moment and until that changes, I’ll remain on this course.

[Editor's Note: Go check out Corinne's write-up about the vision board she put together with Kris at the center. Talk about manifesting your dreams!]

3. How do you manage to balance your different roles? Do you feel it is balanced?

It’s not easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m learning more about balance each day. Most of my imbalance and stress is self-created—either I’m being too hard on myself or I’m taking myself too seriously. At first, I wasn’t able to step away from my computer, whether it was because I was working on my novel or for Crazy Sexy Wellness. During that time, my family and home suffered, but luckily I have an amazing husband who rode out this tough time and cheered me on.

Following your dreams isn’t easy. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who care about my health and will call me out when I’m pushing too hard. Long nights are necessary when you’re blazing your own trail (in my opinion) but once you’ve left your training wheels behind, I think you have more head space to realize that you need to be rested, happy and healthy to keep things going for the long haul.

Gala Darling, the woman behind Love & Sequins

Here are a few things I do to balance work and life:

• I do not check my work email in the evening and on weekends. Sounds simple, but this “rule” has changed my life for the better.
• I set goals. If I have a major project or novel revisions due, I create a daily word count goal or a task checklist.
• I have a life coaching session every other week to discuss any work/life imbalances and create a game plan for overcoming any challenges.
• I make sleep (7-8 hours/night) and healthy eating (vegan, veggie juice, NO fast food) a priority.
• I exercise. Lately, I’ve been running 3 times per week with my husband (nurturing my body and my marriage!).
• I read and listen to inspiring books and podcasts. I’m obsessed with Gala Darling’s Love & Sequins podcasts right now!
• I spend time outside. Working from home can be very isolating, so I make an effort to take long walks outside, especially with my husband.
• I have fun! Movies, dinner with friends and family, exploring Baltimore, and bookstore browsing are just a few of the things I do to unwind.

Check back tomorrow for Part II of Corinne’s awesome insight.