17 questions for... Monika Janowska-Mleczko, Managing Partner at Point of View Business Communications Consultancy

For me, work life balance is... a moment when I can break away and give myself time for mental health. I also admit that I have a problem with it as a declared workaholic. The time I devote to life and work balance varies greatly because my professional activity is unpredictable. I provide counseling, often in crisis situations, so I never know the day or hour when I will be asked for support.

My 3 most important daily health habits are…

• Daily exercises recommended by my physiotherapist. I have spine problems and performing these simple movements every day brings satisfactory results.
• I try to walk a lot. I have an app that measures steps, but that doesn't mean I'm a slave to it. The pandemic period taught me to take more of these steps. When I couldn't go for long walks, I walked around the apartment. I still have a good habit today - when I talk on the phone, I walk around the apartment or office.
• Skin and body care. I always take off my makeup as soon as I get home, which allows me to use masks frequently in the evening.

The sport I practice regularly is... two or three individual training sessions a week with a trainer. We have been practicing together for several years and I feel very good about it.

I spend about 6-10 hours a week on physical activity .

My motivation for sports is… health, and therefore better physical and mental well-being. Due to my spine and joint problems, I have to keep my body in motion all the time.

I don't meditate... because it's against my nature. I am a fast and dynamic person. I believe in the power of meditation, but I cannot implement it into my life rhythm.

My diet is based on... products that do not adversely affect my well-being. I'm definitely leaning more towards vegetarianism, but I'm not orthodox about it. When I feel like eating meat, I eat it.

I end the day by… reading a book. I have developed a habit of reading in bed at the end of the day and it calms me down very well.

I spend… about 6 hours sleeping .

The thing I do only for myself is... primarily cinema and various activities related to women's self-care. I regularly go to a beautician and for massages. I care about the quality of my skin because I am not a supporter of any significant interference with my appearance. When it comes to cinema, unfortunately my husband does not share this passion with me, so I watch films mainly for my own pleasure. I'm just after the festival in Gdynia, which I go to regularly, and there, in a few days, I allow myself to watch so many films that I probably wouldn't be able to watch in a year.

My little sins are... many things that I probably shouldn't eat according to the doctor's recommendations, but I don't treat it orthodoxly.

Happiness for me is... no major everyday problems and closeness to family.

Luxury for me is... time when I can break away from work for a few days.

My small daily steps in taking care of the planet are... consciously performing certain small but important activities, e.g. sorting waste - here I am very radical and I draw attention to anyone who does not care about it, and saving water wherever possible. Recently, I have also started paying attention to small things that help save electricity and heat.

The advice I would give my 20-year-old self again is... take a much more practical approach to life. Taking education as an example - now it is focused on what you want to do after graduation. In the past, broad education was much more important than specific training for a specific profession.

The book and podcast I recommend is…

• I love the podcast " Report on the State of the World" hosted by Dariusz Rosiak. I also liked him very much as a journalist, when he was the editor-in-chief of the "Forum" magazine .
• As for the book, I'm currently reading my friend's book about Zbigniew Ziobro. It is very interesting and shows many sensational things. For a lighter book, I recommend the book "The Lions of Sicily" by Stefania Auci. Extremely interesting, showing in an epic way the cultural histories and lives of several generations of an Italian family. I like slow storytelling like this.