Amanda Goetz is the VP of Marketing at leading wedding marketplace, The Knot Worldwide, where she leads brand and marketing for The Knot & WeddingWire.

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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?

I started my career in the world of professional services at Ernst & Young where I managed their Entrepreneur Of The Year Program for a few years. A move to NYC led me to manage the brand for a celebrity wedding planner for a few years while helping plan over 150 weddings as part of that role.

Around 2012 the startup space in NYC was really heating up so I decided to step away and launch a tech company in the wedding space. That experience building a company from scratch taught me so much and eventually led me to be hired by the founder of The Knot in 2015.

I’ve now been with The Knot for 5 years! I currently lead brand and marketing for The Knot & WeddingWire managing teams across social, PR, influencers, partnerships and more.

2) What does a day in the life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?

During COVID my days look quite ridiculous. I’m a morning person so I get up early to try and knock out “thinking work” first before my day gets away from me.

From 8am-10am I am a cook, homeschool teacher and mom. I try to keep my phone away and focus on the kids. From 10-4pm I am a manager – I sit on Zoom calls for the majority of these hours with a potentially 30 min break for an online workout class if I can scoot away.

At 4pm I focus on the children again – outdoor time, dinner, bath, homework and bed. By 7:30pm I am back in front of my computer catching up on emails or working on my new startup. The days fly by but my main goal is staying present in the moment.

3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?

The Knot Worldwide has a culture of micro-flexibility. The company focuses on outcomes vs. output, ensuring everyone has very clear goals that ladder up to the company’s goals. If you have clear goals and an aligned strategy on how to meet them, you can give more autonomy as to how someone chooses to get that work done.

My best working times do not line up with other people on my team and that’s ok. COVID has proven that the 9-5pm was an outdated construct created prior to the tech-enabled world and I am very thankful that we are having the right conversations around the future of work.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?

I don’t believe in balance. I believe in intentional choices and the absence of guilt. There are days where I am feeling creative and productive and I crank on work and am not as present as a mom.

There are days where I just want to be with my kids and watch them interact with their surroundings and discover themselves and this life. I accept that every day will be different and release the feeling of attempting to be everything to everyone all the time.

No one can sustain under that amount of pressure.

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5) What do you think are some of the best habits or routines that you’ve developed over the years to help you achieve success in your life?

I value sleep and exercise. Those are two things that I hold sacred in my day ever since high school. It has created a rhythm to my life.

6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?

As a mom of 3, my book regimen is mostly Dr. Seuss. When I do have discretionary time you can find me chatting with diverse minds on Clubhouse app which energizes the extrovert in me. I love active conversations and forcing myself to learn and grow.

A few business & leadership books that have greatly shaped the way I think:

• Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Power of Habit
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• The 4-Hour Workweek

Books that have changed the way I think:

• Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion
• Thinking, Fast and Slow

7) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?

Is coffee a valid answer? Coffee + defining success. If I tackle a day with no definition of success, it will be a wasted day. Success looks different every day but I want to be intentional with my days. If success is recharging on the couch and watching Netflix then I will define that and release myself from guilt of not doing anything else.

8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?

Michelle Obama. She has such a positive, supportive and yet powerful outlook on life. She made such an impact on children’s lives while supporting her husband and raising her daughters. I’d love to hear more about her approach to life.

9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this life. The work is making a decision and then spending time making that decision work for you.

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