17 questions for... Maria Belka, CEO&Co-Founder of Mentors4Starters

For me, work life balance is... the ability to meet my needs in a balanced way. Sometimes there is more work in our lives and that is okay. When we feel that there is too much of it, we must be able to take half a step to the side to be able to listen to our other needs, which are more and more present nowadays.

My most important daily health habits are… 

• I drink live vinegar and have been trying to approach it very religiously for some time now.
• Physical activity – I run most often, but generally I try to move a lot. I very rarely get into a car unless I'm in a hurry.
• I haven't eaten meat for 8 years and I made this decision for all possible reasons: I don't like it, it doesn't look tasty, it doesn't make me feel good, I also don't like the idea of ​​industrial meat production.
• I try, with varying degrees of success, to plan fewer things. When I start setting a calendar, I feel stressed, which then affects not only me, but also my loved ones.

The sport I practice regularly is... running - it is the most regular and easiest sport that I love. Even if I go somewhere for one night, I always take my shoes and clothes with me. I believe that there is no wrong time or wrong place to run. It can always be done. I also play golf and tennis, and for a few months I have been discovering the good effects of yoga practice.

I spend about 6-7 hours a week on physical activity .

My motivation for sports is… to chase away demons.

I meditate… but I'm not a master at it yet. I want to delve into it, but getting to know myself in this way is difficult and demanding. I'm currently in the guided meditation stage and it's not easy, but I think it's worth the effort.

My diet is based on… vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, fish and seafood.

I end the day... by reading a book. Always.

I spend… 7-8 hours sleeping.

The thing I do only for myself is... eating a good and nutritious breakfast.

My little sins are… chips and white wine.

For me, happiness is... successful and balanced relationships with the environment. I went through different stages of these relationships and it took me a while to understand why some are important to me, why I need them and why it is worth giving up some.

Luxury for me is... the ability to manage your time wisely.

My small, everyday steps in taking care of the planet are... sorting garbage, giving up eating meat, choosing public transport as the main means of transport. Sometimes it's impossible to give up the plane, but I fly much less. I'm learning to stop buying a lot of things, but I still have a lot of work to do on this subject.

The advice I would give myself if I were 20 again is... find a mentor. My dad once told me that the most important thing is people, and the business and business model is secondary. It is better to lose with a wise than to find with a fool.