Balancing the Grind with Renee Slansky, Dating, Relationship & Life Coach

Renee Slansky is a dating, relationship and life coach, and the founder of The Dating Directory, an online magazine providing tools and advice.

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

I started my first business at 19 years old as a professional cleaner, from there I went on to work also as freelance make-up artist, and build a promotional modelling agency that had over 100 staff.

After giving that up I took up modelling and TV presenting full time as a sole trader for 10 years. I always had a love for business and knew that I would never be able to work for someone else.

My career now as a dating and relationship coach was something that I had never planned! It started with me writing my blog purely out of passion in 2013.

Fast forward 7 years on it is the number one dating and relationship blog in Australia and top 30 worldwide. My writing led me to start giving advice and articles to Your Tango, Huff Post, Elite Daily and some of the top dating sites in the world like Plenty of Fish and eHarmony . 

This then led to people wanting to be coached by me personally and I have since curated four online programs and coached over 300 clients worldwide and been translated into several languages.

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

Every day is a little different depending on what clients and meetings I have, however I still try to have structure and routine.

My mornings are all about spending time with my husband and dog and having a good breakfast and talk. And even though I work from home I still dress for the ‘office ‘and start my day spending time with God.

 I then head upstairs into the office and go through all my emails and admin and communicate with my team and make sure all their tasks and work is on track. 

Depending on what meetings or coaching sessions I have that day, I fill the rest of my day working through my to –do list which usually consists of social media shares, creating content, chatting with my community and improving my business strategy.

I do have one rule – no meetings or sessions on Wednesdays! That is my day to catch up on anything or film more YouTube content or even rest. I try to work smart not hard each day and allow for flexibility in my schedule. 

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

I have always worked from home as all my meetings and sessions are done through Zoom as I have a worldwide client base. I control my schedule and have it at set times with my automated booking calendar so that I am not overbooked or caught double booked!

Working from a home office means I can manage a household and other projects at the same time, however I do miss the community and social interaction that an office environment can have.

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

Work-life balance means working smart not hard. Understanding how to be effective, not just efficient and how to prioritise what really needs to be done.

It also means knowing when to stop and listening to your mental health and body. It won’t always mean doing equal amounts of rest and work each day, but knowing when and where you need to counterbalance. 

5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life? 

I think the last 12 months have been my busiest yet! I didn’t necessarily change anything major but rather learnt to refine my routine and business as my capacity expanded. I think the one mind-set thing that changed for me was to give myself permission to rest and stop and not overwork.

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

I love the book by Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect, I think it’s full of wisdom and practical advice about how to set yourself up to work smart not hard.

Think and Grow Rich is always an amazing read to help with mind-set and understanding the power of thoughts. And I also like The One Thing by Gary Keller. 

7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?

I’ve never been an app or gadget person to be honest! I work on my Mac and my phone and have only the basic apps on there. I do have scheduling tools and software to automate my business. but I think it’s coffee I can’t live without ha!

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

Hmm good question! There are so many people I admire like Ed Mylett, Tom Bilyeu, Lisa Nichols and Jamie Kern Lima . For me I don’t necessarily have to have the wisdom from someone famous, but rather someone who is relevant to my situation and able to impart value.

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

I think something that really resonated with me is the saying “look at yourself through eyes of grace not perfection.” and “leadership is lonely.” 

Building a successful business or career is hard work and we won’t always get it right or have people understand and support us. Being your own best supporter and knowing your limits and strengths is key to having that balance.

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