Stop Chasing Balance: Rock Your 5 BIG Life Pillars
You’ve poured your heart into supporting leaders and teams. You juggle inboxes, calendars, and curveballs with grace. But tell me, are you living a busy life or a BIG life?
You don’t need another “work-life balance” pep talk. You need a plan that works in the real world, with deadlines, kids’ calendars, aging parents, budget spreadsheets, and a body and soul that deserve care. That’s why I created the 5 BIG Life Pillars and why I’m inviting you into my new women’s empowerment movement built around my books Give Yourself Permission to Live a BIG Life, Red Lipstick ON!, and the 5 BIG Life Pillars Workbook.
I want you to hear this in your bones: you can live boldly and beautifully, starting now, and you don’t have to wait for “someday” or “when things calm down.” (They won’t.)
Real Talk From Me to You
If we were sitting together over coffee, I’d look you in the eye and say this: live with intention and purpose. Don’t drift. Don’t run on autopilot.
Your life is precious, and YOU get to build it.
When I turned 73 this year, I took a long, loving look at my journey: the hills, the valleys, the surgeries, the pivots, the love, the laughter, and the victories.
- 2011 – I lost my husband after his brave battle with pancreatic cancer.
- 2014 – I survived a rare skull-base tumor and 13-hour brain surgery, while fighting off bacterial meningitis.
- 2015 – I had open-heart surgery, a complication that sent me right back into the OR, and a recovery that tested every ounce of grit I could muster.
- 2020 – I pivoted my company in a global pandemic.
I’ve learned that a BIG life isn’t pain-free; it’s purpose-full. And the framework that’s held me through every season is what I call the 5 BIG Life Pillars: Career, Family, Financial, Spiritual, and Wellness.
Through it all, the pillars held. Not perfectly. Not “balanced,” but with intention, equal attention over time, and a whole lot of courage.
If I could navigate those valleys, you can navigate anything you’re facing, with your pillars as your guide.
You’ve seen me for decades in the Office Dynamics world coaching executives and assistants, hosting our annual Conference for Administrative Excellence, and cheering you on to higher ground.
Now, I’m inviting you into my personal women’s empowerment brand—centered on my books Big Life, Red Lipstick ON!, and the 5 BIG Life Pillars Workbook—so you can step into your boldest chapter.
Think Bigger, Bolder, Braver—With Joan Burge 
Celebrate the debut of Joan Burge’s empowering new book and personal brand, Red Lipstick ON! at our virtual launch party.
Discover the 5 Pillars mindset, hear behind-the-scenes stories, and leave energized with practical tools to elevate your career and life.
Invite a friend, bring your questions, and get inspired to lead boldly—at work and beyond.
Reserve your spot and show up ready to think bigger, bolder, and braver today.
What the 5 BIG Life Pillars are (and why they work together)
I created the 5 BIG Life Pillars so you can stop running on autopilot and start leading yourself with intention. These aren’t ordinary pillars. They’re a holistic framework to help you live boldly, courageously, and on purpose.
- Career – Your craft, impact, and growth.
- Family – Your relationships: relatives, friends, pets, your “work family.”
- Financial – Your security, stewardship, and future-proofing.
- Spiritual – Your source, purpose, and peace.
- Wellness – Your body’s strength, energy, and self-respect.
You don’t strengthen your life in buckets. You rise above the “busy” and see how it all interweaves. When one pillar shifts, the others feel it. You’ll learn to give equal attention over time instead of chasing the myth of “balance.”
12 Secrets to Rocking Your BIG Life Pillars
You don’t need more motivation. You need a method. Use these as a quick-start checklist. Pick two to practice this week.
- Ban the word “balance.” It’s a mirage. Real life surges. Some seasons demand your health; others, your career or finances.
- Think “equal attention over time.” Zoom out to a 6–12 month horizon. Rotate focus intentionally so each pillar gets its moment. Over a year, every Pillar gets love.
- Decide what matters most in each pillar. Specific beats vague. In Career, is it strategic influence? In Family, weekly dinners? In Wellness, stamina? Define success your own way.
- Decide your non-negotiables vs. nice-to-haves at work and home. They protect what you value. These are sacred. Clarity changes everything.
- Make a “Stop Doing” list to reclaim energy. Deleting is as powerful as doing. I stopped cooking dinners and hired a chef. Result: better fuel, less stress, more energy.
- Set boundaries. With family, at work, with spending…with yourself. Boundaries let your “yes” mean yes.
- Assess the pillars 3–4 times per year. Rate each 1–5. What needs attention next quarter?When you adjust, you don’t spiral.
- Plan boldly. Then pivot gracefully. Life will throw curveballs. You’re allowed to feel it, and then adapt. You won’t crumble.
- Celebrate your wins daily. Tiny or titanic, mark them. Movement builds momentum. I’ll dance in my kitchen by myself if I have to.
- Use visuals to train your brain. Photos, vision boards, post-its—keep your future in view so your subconscious helps you get there. Pictures pull your future forward.
- Lead yourself with staying power. No more waiting for permission. No one is coming to rescue your dreams. Build the plan, recruit mentors, and keep your promises to yourself.
- Bake in fun to every pillar. Joy is rocket fuel. Every Pillar gets some fun—yes, even Financial. So dance in your kitchen, plan low-cost game nights, serve at a cause you love, try a new class at the gym, sing your prayers on the drive to work.
Why The 5 Big Life Pillars Matter, Especially to Assistants
You are the heartbeat of results. You see around corners, connect dots, and elevate everything you touch. Use the pillars to future-proof your career, strengthen your relationships, remove money stress, deepen your inner resilience, and energize your body. You are the central nervous system of your organization. You manage energy, information, expectations, and influence, often quietly.
When you work your Pillars:
- Your Career rises from “support” to strategic partnership.
- Your Family (friends, partner, pets, work crew) gets the best of you, not the leftovers.
- Your Financial life stops leaking energy and starts building freedom.
- Your Spiritual core steadies your decisions under pressure.
- Your Wellness fuels your presence, stamina, and joy.
Ageism? Naysayers? Be a warrior. Let your actions change the room. Keep showing up strong, learning, lifting, and leading. The world is catching up to women who won’t dim their lights.
Try This This Month (Quick Starts You’ll Actually Do)
- Career: Choose one bold move (apply for the project, ask for that 1:1, enroll in the course, propose a new process). Put it on your calendar by Friday.
- Family: Pick one ritual (device-free dinners 2x/week, Sunday calls, monthly friend date, handwritten notes). Schedule it.
- Financial: Open your calendar and book a 90-minute money date. List accounts, beneficiaries, passwords, will/trust status, and one debt or savings target.
- Spiritual: Start a 2-minute nightly gratitude journal. Keep the pen in the book.
- Wellness: Choose one habit you’ll repeat (10K steps, weights 2x/week, 25 squats after makeup, water before coffee). Track it for 30 days.
Join the movement: follow Joan
You are not here to drift. You are here to lead yourself, to live with intention, and to build a life you love, pillar by pillar. I’m cheering for you. Let’s do this together.
- Follow my personal brand: JoanBurge.com
- Say hi on social: @JoanBurgeOfficial on Facebook & Instagram
- Read my books:
- Give Yourself Permission to Live a BIG Life (my memoir) is where I first named the Pillars and told the whole, unpolished story—losses, wins, and the gritty middle.
- Red Lipstick ON! is your spark to show up, at work, at home, and for yourself, with courage, style, and joy. It’s a mantra, not a makeup, about aging with audacity, leading yourself, and refusing to dim your light.
- The 5 BIG Life Pillars Workbook helps you turns ideas into action, with practical assessments, planning pages, and prompts to weave the pillars into your daily life.
- Keep leveling up your career at OfficeDynamics.com
- Put your red lipstick on, figuratively or literally, and step into your power. Not “someday.” Today.
I’m cheering for you, learning with you, and building right alongside you.
See you at the Red Lipstick ON! Virtual Book Launch Event!