New World of Work Series: “Work-Life Balance” Event Recap

On April 1st, the Arts & Science program held the final New World of Work Series (NWWS) event of the 2024-2025 academic year. For this event, we as the Student Organizing Team (Camille, Emelia, and Noor) decided to focus on the theme of Work-Life Balance. We thought that this topic would be particularly pertinent at this time, as students were wrapping up classes for the year and entering into the busy exam season.

We had the honour of hosting four Artsci alumni to speak in a panel format:

• Vicky Bui (Artsci, 2024) is in her first year of medical school at McMaster.
• Bruce Miyashita (Artsci 1984) is Lean Sensei at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, where he leads the design and application of Lean principles to the College’s strategies and processes.
• Dr. Samantha Nutt (Artsci 1991) is a medical doctor and the Founder and President of War Child Canada and War Child USA. A leading authority on public health, war, international aid and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt is one of the most intrepid and influential voices in the humanitarian arena.
• Ryan Tse (Artsci, 2021) is completing his final year of medical school at McMaster University. After his first year of medical school, he completed a Master’s degree in Bioethics, and will soon be entering Family Medicine residency training at the University of Toronto.

At this lunch-time event, students had the opportunity to engage in a Q&A-style panel and listen to each of the panelists speak about their experiences and perspectives on work-life balance.

Dr. Nutt began by helpfully troubling the idea of work-life balance, and the binary distinction (which implies that ‘work’ is separate from ‘life’) it assumes. She spoke about how her work brings her fulfillment and a sense of purpose despite its challenges and intensity, and about how she seeks and embraces moments of joy as a way of rejuvenating and finding balance in all aspects of her life. (For more about Dr. Nutt’s work, see this Daily News story, which celebrates her upcoming induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame in recognition of the positive impact that she and her organizations – War Child Canada and War Child USA – have on war-affected children around the globe).

Bruce Miyashita built on this learning, explaining how he thinks of stress analogously to sandbags. With stress, as with sandbags, there is only so much we can carry. However, Bruce broke stress down into ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ stress, explaining the importance of minimizing negative stress (e.g., conflict) where possible, while accepting positive stress – for example the stress that might come from undertaking a stimulating challenge at work. Bruce recommended reading When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Dr. Gabor Mate (available at the McMaster libraries) to learn more about the mind-body connection and potential negative impacts of stress.

Vicky Bui helpfully shared her experiences of transitioning from undergrad into medical school, and discussed how her strategies for maintaining work-life balance have shifted over the past year. Ryan Tse also emphasized how work-life balance can be difficult to master in the fast-paced career of medicine, and explained some of the ways he navigates these challenges as a graduating medical student soon to be entering residency. Both Vicky and Ryan offered important insights into what work-life balance can look like for people moving through professional school.

The event gave students a great view into how alumni at various points in their career balance their work and personal lives, as the panel included Artsci grads near the beginning of their professional journeys and grads who have built long, successful careers.

While visiting campus, Dr. Nutt took a moment to chat with Leah, a graduating Arts & Science student, about the Arts & Science program and what the program means to her as an alumna. Click here to watch their conversation.

We were so grateful to have Bruce’s input and guidance throughout the planning process of the New World of Work Series events this year. Thank you, Bruce, for your ongoing support and for joining the Work-Life Balance panel discussion. We, along with many other Artsci students, were able to gain valuable insights from your generosity, expertise, and wide breadth of experience.

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The New World of Work Series connects current Artsci students, alumni, and other industry professionals for meaningful conversations about the World of Work. The New World of Work Series is supported through a generous gift made by Bruce Miyashita (Artsci 1984) in honour of late parents, Tom and Nancy Miyashita. The annual event series offers a unique opportunity for Arts & Science students to explore emerging themes in the rapidly changing world of work and to take up topics relevant to work in the contemporary moment from a variety of perspectives. It also allows a student organizing team to accrue experience in project management and event planning. Since its inception in 2018, the New World of Work Series (previously the New World of Work Forum) has become a signature initiative within the Arts & Science Program.