# @martikabrianne on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ5H2hhupU5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66981732-martikabrianne-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/b9965dd068.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-22T15:05:43.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Martika B. Jones (@martikabrianne) — https://gondola.cc/martikabrianne

## Caption

“Work-life balance” might be the biggest lie sold to ambitious entrepreneurs.

Let me explain before you come for me. 😅

When my husband and I started building our companies, the feedback came fast: “You’re working too much.” “You need balance.” “Don’t burn out.”

So we tried. And every time we did, it felt like we were drifting further from the very dreams we were working toward. Progress slowed. The fire dimmed.

Eventually we took a step back and noticed something:

The people telling us to slow down were either
(a) not building what we were building, or
(b) already past their own seasons of imbalance - comfortable now, but conveniently forgetting what it took to get there.

Here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud:

Founders have to pay startup tuition. And that tuition is often paid in time, intensity, and seasons of imbalance that the people around you won’t understand.

That doesn’t mean burning out. It doesn’t mean neglecting your health, your marriage, or your peace. We protect those fiercely.

But it does mean rejecting the idea that there’s one “right” rhythm for everyone.

We don’t tell people to impose hustle culture on others. So let’s also stop imposing our definition of balance onto founders who are in a build season.

Nothing great was ever built with perfect balance.

It was built with seasons. Intensity when it mattered. Rest when it was earned. And the wisdom to know the difference.

Give yourself permission to build at your own pace - even when it doesn’t look balanced to everyone else.

#Entrepreneurship #FounderLife #WorkLifeBalance #GiveYourselfPermission #StartupLife

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## Tags

worklifebalance, giveyourselfpermission, entrepreneurship, startuplife, founderlife

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