Meet Jene Kapela: Leadership Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jene Kapela and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jene, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I work with coaching clients all the time who say they want to have better work-life balance. They talk about work-life balance like it is something tangible that’s just out of their reach. They feel like they’re doing something wrong because they don’t have it. I used to feel the same way. My response now? There’s no such thing as work-life balance. But there is such a thing as wellbeing. When people talk about wanting better work-life balance, what they are really talking about is wanting more time for the things that matter most to them. They feel the dissonance between how they are spending their time and how they want to be spending their time, and this makes them frustrated and unhappy. Most people think if they could only work less, they would have more time for other things. This doesn’t necessarily lead to balance. True balance can only be achieved when you are satisfied with the energy you’re putting into and what you’re getting out of the different aspects of life that are important to your overall wellbeing. I know plenty of people who work insane hours, but they have balance – because they are living their purpose, and they are still committed to making time for the things that are most important to them. And they do this without feeling guilty about it! Wellbeing is about living life positively and feeling fulfilled. Wellbeing requires balance among your career (purpose), social life and relationship, finances, physical health, and community. We must have the same high level of satisfaction with each of the elements of wellbeing in order for us to function at our best. Learning this has changed how I look at life. It isn’t all just about how hard we work! A few other tips I’ve learned: Know how you’re spending your time It sounds simple, but most people don’t know the breakdown of what they spend time on each week. There’s an easy way to figure this out. Track, by the hour, how you spend your time during a normal week. Then, categorize your activities and count up the hours you spent during the week on each activity. What do you notice? You might find that you have more free time than you thought. Or maybe you’ll find that you’re spending a lot of time on things that really aren’t important to you – and not enough time on the things that ARE important to you. Don’t compare yourself to others You won’t be happy or satisfied if you try to live your life by what other people think is right for you – only YOU know what is right for you. Don’t compare yourself to others and the choices they’ve made. Make choices that support your own values, goals, and ambitions and do things that promote your own wellbeing. Realize things aren’t going to change unless you make a change The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you are not satisfied with your overall wellbeing – if you do not feel like you are living a happy and fulfilled life – you must make a change. Otherwise, your wellbeing will not improve. You are allowed to say NO For me, I’ve learned that I don’t have to be perfect but I can strive for excellence. This has allowed me to give 100% to the things that are most important to me – but it also allows me to say, “no,” to the things that don’t have meaning to me or that aren’t the right fit for me. This doesn’t mean I have it all figured out – but I am certainly closer to living a balanced life now than I was 10 years ago. I can go to bed each day satisfied that I’m doing work I love while at the same time feeling healthy and fulfilled in all other aspects of my life.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the President and Founder of Kapela Leadership Solutions. My vision is to transform organizations by implementing leadership programs designed to achieve each individual’s highest potential, ultimately driving an unprecedented era in a company’s development, growth, and efficiency. What I’m really interested in is helping people develop their leadership ability by understanding their natural talents and applying these as strengths in their lives. This, in turn, allows companies to be more successful in achieving their business goals. What I love most about what I do is that I get to work with a lot of different people and different organizations, doing a variety of things that are all focused on developing an organization’s ability to be successful. I never have a boring day! But I can always go to bed knowing I did something during the day to make a difference, whether for one person, a team, or a company.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a huge fan of Fort Lauderdale! I just love this community, and when people come to visit I make sure they see all of my favorite spots. While we are currently limited by social distancing requirements, there are still a lot of great ways to enjoy this beautiful city by being outdoors. I love the water, so my itinerary would include bike rides down Las Olas to the beach, paddleboarding out of George English park, scuba diving our local wrecks and reefs, and dinner at the many restaurants we have on the New River and Ocean. If there’s enough time, I love a quick trip to Key Large for dinner and sunset over the water.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As a young professional, I was very lucky to find myself in a job where I was surrounded by business leaders with a commitment to community involvement. They instilled in me the desire to strive for both personal and professional excellence while doing work that makes our community a better place to live, work, and play. Specifically, I want to acknowledge the Leadership Broward Foundation and everyone who has been involved for making such a positive difference in our community – I would not be the person I am today without this organization’s influence.

Website: http://kapelaleadershipsolutions.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenekapelaleadership/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenekapela/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenepk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeneKapelaLeadershipSolutions