Real Talk With Lara Casey, CEO of Lara Casey Media

Some women seem to have it all—booming business, emotional and mental clarity, and a loving family. Lara Casey is one of them, and she’s made it a mission to help all women hone in on goals and prioritize the things that truly matter. She graciously took time out of her seriously busy schedule to talk with us about work life balance, her #PowerSheets program, and how to cut out the unnecessary things in our lives.

Name: Lara Casey
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Title: CEO
Company: Lara Casey Media
What it is: Southern Weddings Magazine / Lara Casey Shop
Educational Background: B.F.A. in music theatre, Carnegie Mellon University

What does a typical day look like for you?

I get up at 5:30 a.m. to feed babies, feed Grace, and at 7 a.m. we all go out for a walk in the neighborhood with the big stroller. At 8 a.m., our wonderful nanny arrives to help me get everyone ready for the day. Mornings are pretty crazy around here, even with our awesome nanny helping us. With two babies who need to go down for naps around the same time, it’s tricky. But eventually everyone gets fed and to sleep (most days!).

I take a five-minute shower and throw some clothes on, eat breakfast, and start work around 9:30 a.m. once all the kids are settled. After that, my days are always different. I nurse Josh, try to intentionally connect with Grace, and love on Sarah throughout the day between working on emails, writing tasks, and staff meetings. At 5 p.m., everyone gets in the bath and we start dinner and bedtime.

My husband, Ari, comes home around 6 p.m. when our nanny leaves and helps wrangle all the kiddos to bed. Somewhere in there I make a quick healthy dinner for everyone, which we usually finish eating after the babies go to sleep. At 8:30 p.m., Ari and I are in bed and read, pray, and talk till we fall asleep around 9 p.m.!

If you could have given yourself a piece of knowledge or advice when you started your magazine, what would that be?

Invest in what lasts longer than you. Do things God’s way, not the way the world defines as successful. He never fails.

How did you come up with the idea for #PowerSheets?

I needed a way to tend to all the things in my life that were important, and cut out all the rest. As a former personal trainer, I knew what motivated people to transform, and that uncovering good goals could change lives. So, I created the PowerSheets goal planner for myself at first. Since then, it’s helped thousands of women make what matters happen. I’m so grateful!

What’s your favorite part of your work?

Helping women break down the lies that hold them back from living on purpose. This could be through an Instagram post, writing a book, speaking at the Making Things Happen Conference, or simply in a conversation with one of the women I work alongside.

How on Earth do you juggle being a mom, wife, author, and business owner?

I don’t do it all. I have a wonderful team of women who do this work with me. And I cut out distractions with the help of my PowerSheets. We intentionally don’t have cable TV in our house so we can use the little time we have together to really connect. I don’t use social media on weekends so I can be extra refreshed and focused on my family. All this to say, I set boundaries and prioritize… and I embrace imperfect progress!

Any advice for others who are feeling incredibly overwhelmed by all of the demands in life?

Step away. Step back. Look at the big picture of where you want to be when you’re 80 years old. Focusing on the bigger picture helps us simplify our time by showing us what matters most. If approval from others or social media numbers aren’t going to matter to you when you’re 80, simplify and don’t focus on them today.

Do you think we can “do it all” or do you think we should focus in on just one or two main things?

There is a popular phrase, “She believed she could, and so she did.” I know a deeper truth. She believed she couldn’t and so He did. I believe that we cannot do it all and do it well. We must focus on just doing what God wants us to do, and that thing might be really “small” in the eyes of the world. But, focusing on that has changed my life. It simplifies life to know what the bigger picture is and to run hard after that, no perfection required.

What are your hobbies? What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I love to garden with Grace and laugh with my kids. Ari and I also love reading books together lately and taking mini family adventures, like to get ice cream at a local dairy farm.