One theme surfaces consistently across interviews with senior African businesswomen about balance and success, the most sustainable version of both is defined personally rather than adopted from a conventional external template. Women who have built genuine success across business, entrepreneurship and executive leadership in Africa repeatedly describe rejecting a generic definition of balance in favour of one built around their own actual priorities.
There is no single universal formula for balancing a demanding career with the rest of life, and pursuing someone else’s specific version of that balance frequently produces more frustration than following a version genuinely built around one’s own priorities.
Balance is defined individually, not adopted from a template
Rather than pursuing a conventional or externally defined version of work-life balance, the more durable approach is defining what balance genuinely means for each individual’s specific circumstances and priorities, which will differ meaningfully from person to person even at a similar career stage.
Long-term success requires the same individually defined clarity
Success itself, not just balance, benefits from an individually defined standard rather than a conventional external one, since pursuing a generic definition of success that does not reflect a person’s own actual values tends to produce achievement without genuine satisfaction.
Family and personal priorities are part of the definition, not separate from it
Treating family and personal life as considerations entirely separate from professional success, rather than as part of a single, integrated definition of what a fulfilling life actually looks like, tends to produce more internal conflict than treating them as genuinely connected parts of the same picture.
Independence of thought matters more at senior levels, not less
The further someone progresses into a senior leadership role, the more valuable it becomes to think independently about what balance and success mean personally, rather than defaulting to conventional expectations that may have made sense earlier in a career but no longer reflect current priorities or circumstances.
The structural barriers these women describe are documented in the women’s economic participation research published by the International Labour Organization.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a single definition of work-life balance that applies broadly to senior businesswomen?
No, according to consistent themes from interviews with senior African businesswomen, the more durable approach is defining balance individually based on personal priorities and circumstances rather than adopting a conventional external template.
Does success need to be defined the same way balance does, individually rather than conventionally?
Yes. Pursuing a generic, externally defined standard of success that does not reflect a person’s own actual values tends to produce achievement without genuine satisfaction.
Should family priorities be treated as separate from professional success?
Treating them as genuinely integrated parts of a single definition of a fulfilling life, rather than as entirely separate considerations, tends to produce less internal conflict than keeping them artificially separate.
Does independent thinking about balance and success matter more at senior career stages?
Generally yes. As someone progresses into more senior leadership, conventional expectations that made sense earlier in a career may no longer reflect current priorities, making independent definition increasingly valuable.
What is the risk of adopting someone else’s specific definition of balance or success?
It frequently produces more frustration than defining one’s own version, since someone else’s specific priorities and circumstances rarely map cleanly onto a different person’s actual life and values.
Originally published in May 2017. Updated September 2026 to draw out the lasting themes across these interviews rather than the original television-show framing.
