In the last few years, the line between work/life balance has only become more blurred as many of us have transitioned to remote or hybrid work. It seems to be more important than ever that we prioritize rest within our daily wellness routines, and stop forgetting to add our Out Of Office alerts to our work emails. In this series, we teamed up with some friends and community members and ask them:

“What does a day-off look like for you?”

Your Name & Pronouns:
Amanda Lee Smith (she/her)

Before we dive into the fun stuff, what do you do for work?

Job title: CEO + Co-founder of Monday Creative.

What you do: A little marketing, a little biz dev, a little legal/HR/finance. A little more positioning, visioning, planning, unblocking the team and raising the profile of the biz in our industry and growth cities like Austin, Portland, and Denver.



During an average week, how do you spend your time off?

These days my off-days start on BC’s Sunshine Coast where I recently found my dream property—a little rancher with just enough fixer-upper-ness and a sprawling half-acre garden with raised beds for veggies and almost a dozen fruit trees.

I’m a classic keener so even on days off I’m usually up around 7. I relish solo time with black coffee and my journal, then a 10k trail run or making brunch for any house guests that are starting to get up!

A big chunk of the day is for working in the garden, and then I reward myself and any helpers with a visit to Bricker or Sunday Cider. Along the way I’ll probably stop at one of the neighbourhood market stands for baking, eggs, or fresh flowers.

Evenings are for building a fire and reading, or sitting around the dining table with homemade pasta and bottles of wine, until we all get too sleepy to gab any more (which, let’s be honest, is usually by 10pm these days!)


What does work/life balance mean to you and how do you try to integrate this in your day-to-day schedule?

There are only two things I need every day to find balance: some deliberate quiet time (ideally reflecting or processing in my journal) and at least 45 minutes of movement (be it a run, a Tight Club class online or some A La Ligne pilates).

How has this changed in the last few years?

I used to go to the gym or in person classes almost every day, and since the pandemic I’ve really struggled to commit to exercising on someone else’s schedule! I also find I need a lot more restorative alone time than I used to. Pre pandemic I could have plans every night, and now I can only really do a couple social engagements a week. It’s a way nicer balance!


Anything in your health or general wellness routine that you could never give up?
Running in the forest is my one mainstay. It is hands-down the most lifegiving part of my day. I also take a whole lotta baths (usually with some sort of spa-evoking essential oil, a mug of nettle tea and a book)



It's been a long week. What's your go-to for:

Recreation —> When I can swing it, I still LOVE an aggressive hill climb—the Grouse Grind or the stairs at Wreck Beach when I’m in the city, or a newly discovered secret beach access point with stairs upon stairs near my place in Halfmoon Bay.

Relaxation —> I got really into two new meditative activities during the pandemic: puzzling and embroidery (is there where I should put a grannie emoji?!). I love that both give me a sense of productivity and use just enough of my brain, but are slow and methodical with a physical outcome. It’s a bit like distance running in a weird way!

Reward —> The big payoff for me is the moment when I can sit down with people I love at the big table under the lights in my backyard, eating food we just pulled from the garden.

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