Life in the Balance
Looking to take control of your work-life reality? Success at work should foster, not interfere, with leading a healthy and fulfilling life. Join Dr. Mark Agars for the Life in the Balance Podcast as he shares what science, best practices, and life experiences can teach us us about prioritizing healthy work-life goals, setting boundaries, and learning to thrive in all aspects of our personal and professional lives.
Episodes

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 35 Managing the holidays.
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Dr. Agars talks about the challenges and opportunities that confront us at the holidays and discusses paths for maintain harmony and balance with the people we love.

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 36 Managing Grief
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Dr. Agars is joined by Clinical Psychologist Dr. David Chavez to talk about the process of managing grief.

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 37 Internalized Capitalism
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Dr. Agars discusses the consequences of internalizing capitalistic values and the pressure that comes with defining our personal value primarily through work, productivity and achievement. Why is this so common and why is it so hard to make priorities of health, relationships, community, and love? We discuss!

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 38 Managing Chronic Illness in the Workplace
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Dr. Agars is joined by special guest Heather Carrasco who shares her experiences of finding health and balance among work, family, and life, while managing a chronic illness diagnosed in early adulthood. Heather shares her story and together they discuss the research and realities of workers managing chronic illness.

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 39 Motherhood and Academia
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Dr. Agars is joined by friend and colleague Dr. Lisa Looney to discuss the experiences of navigating an academic career and being a mom! Dr. Looney is a mom of four and a Professor of Child Development - how did she manage all of that! Join us to hear her story and a discussion of some of the challenges faced by women in academia.

Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Ep. 34 Saying No, Part II
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Thursday Aug 07, 2025
Saying no is hard - so we needed another show dedicated to figuring it out. Dr. Agars is joined by workaholism expert Dr. Gino Howard as they unpack how to develop the skill of saying no.

Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Ep. 33 It's Ok to Say No
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Why do we say yes to jobs and responsibilities that we really don't want to take on? Pressure? Ego? Poor Boundaries? In this episode Dr. Agars talk about the problems with saying yes too much, explores why we do it, and talks about steps to take to learn so say no when we mean it!

Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Ep. 32 Focus on the Problem!
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
In this episode Dr. Agars discusses the trap of solving symptoms instead of the underlying problems. Listen in as he discusses strategies for identifying which problems are really just symptoms of something larger. When we attack the real problem we can make real change.

Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Ep. 31: Stay-at-Home Dad or Executive Chef
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
In this episode Dr. Agars interviews his childhood friend Gary about being a long-time stay-at-home dad. Join us for a fun discussion around how that happened, what made it work, and why he tells everyone he is an executive chef!

Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Ep. 30 Finding Balance During Late Career and Retirement with Dr. Ken Shultz
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
In this episode, Dr. Agars interviews author and aging, work, and retirement expert, Dr. Ken Shultz. What does balance look like in late career and retirement phases of life? How can we be smart about navigating these moments? Dr. Shultz shares his answers!

Dr. Mark Agars talks
Life in The Balance
Dr. Mark Agars has been in the academic and professional realms for over 25 years. Currently he is a Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Director of the Institute for Child Development and Family Relations at California State University, San Bernardino. He is an expert on the work-life interface and shares his thoughts and own struggles to making healthy work-life decisions with anyone who will listen. He is married to his wife Viara and has two boys Maksim and Niko.



