17 questions for… Areta Kempińska, managing partner at the BIRETA translation agency

How are you feeling today? Quite well, thank you very much for inviting me to talk in your series.

For me, work life balance means... not striving to be a perfectionist in all areas of life. When I try to perfectly perform professional tasks, those related to home and family, and at the same time find time for myself - it is impossible to maintain perfectionism. It is worth finding people who will support us and to whom we can delegate responsibilities, both in our personal and business lives.

My most important daily health habits are…

• Physical activity every morning. Most often it is functional training or cycling. When I'm tired, I choose yoga or stretching, but it's a constant point for me every day.
  
• Giving up eating meat. I am 80% vegan, but I sometimes eat fish or seafood.
  
• Limiting meals containing sugar.
  

The sports I practice regularly are... road cycling and kitesurfing. In the winter season, I ski a lot, including ski touring and cross-country skiing. I can't imagine life without sports. Sport allows me to take care of my physical appearance and mental balance. I noticed that due to the war in Ukraine and the constant need to provide help, many of us face great emotional challenges related to this topic. Therefore, especially at such times, you should take care of regular physical activity.

I spend 7-8 hours a week on physical activity .

My motivation for sports is... the desire to be physically fit for as long as possible and to maintain emotional balance. It is very important for me to stay in shape. Sport helps me break away from work, mental effort and challenges at home and focus on one activity. It is also very important in running a business - when challenges or problems arise, clearing my head helps me look at them clearly and makes it easier for me to find an effective solution.

My attitude towards meditation is… promising. I treat yoga practice as meditation, but I know that I don't have enough of it.

My diet is based on... groats, vegetables, legumes and whole grain rice.

I end the day by… reading and I like it very much.

I always spend at least 7 hours sleeping .

The thing I do only for myself is... sports.

My little sins are… cookies. I try to make them vegan and whole grain, but yes, sweets are my sin.

Happiness for me is... an internal sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that does not come from external stimuli, but comes from within us. Happiness also means achieving a balance between work, personal and family life.

Luxury for me is... free time.

My small daily steps in taking care of the planet are… 

• Giving up eating meat.
  
• Segregation of garbage.
  
• Limiting unnecessary purchases.
  
• Giving clothes a second life.
• Supporting translations of the energy industry, which is currently undergoing transformation: old coal-fired power plants are being closed and replaced with clean energy from photovoltaic farms, wind farms and nuclear power plants. I am happy with this change because care for the environment and the idea of ​​sustainable development are close to me.

The advice I would give myself if I were 20 again is... appreciate yourself, like yourself and believe in yourself.

A book or podcast that I recently read and recommend is… Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing.