In a world where the demands of career and family often feel at odds, Happy & Family founder and author Giulia Catana opens up about her personal journey navigating the balance between professional ambition and mindful parenting. Sparked by her return to a leadership role shortly after maternity leave—and the questions that followed—she created a platform to support families striving for both success and serenity. In this interview, she shares the insights that shaped her approach, the myths she’s working to dismantle, and practical strategies for couples aiming to build a more equal, connected, and joyful life together.

What inspired you to start Happy & Family, and how did your personal experiences shape your approach to work-life balance?

When I went back in my leading position as HR director after a quite short maternity leave, people started asking me how I handle both: job and family. I realized it must be something people like to hear about, so I started with happyandfamily.com. My own experience taught me to work on my stress in order to be the mindful mom my kids deserve. I deeply care about giving them a happy childhood and about supporting their resilience and mental health from the very beginning.When you’re stressed yourself, it just doesn’t work!

In your book „Happy & Family,“ you talk about achieving work-life balance stress-free. What are some practical steps people can take to start making this shift?

First I recommend practicing mindfulness. That’s how you discover your inner believes, talks and criticism. Once you start listening to your thoughts in a more objective way, you’ll find out what stresses you the most. In my case I discovered that I gave more weight to the recognition of others than enjoying my life. That caused a lot of stress.

What are the most common misconceptions about work-life balance that you see in relationships, and how can couples overcome them?

First that comes to my mind is: “He earns the money, THEREFORE she takes care of the rest.” This is fundamentally wrong. Not only feeding gender pay gap and motherhood penalty, also the relationship tents to disbalance.Why is earning money considered the main criteria for shaping our private lives? Why does having a higher income often seem unrelated to how much time we spend with our children — consistently and consciously? Children deserve both their mom and dad. It’s crucial for their development to grow up in a family where roles and responsibilities are shared equally. Couples should talk openly about this balance — not just before, but also after becoming parents.

Both partners need to reflect deeply on their own beliefs about work and family, and take a critical look at the models they experienced growing up.

How important is it for both partners to share responsibilities equally, and what challenges do couples face when trying to divide tasks? 

It’s fundamental for a happy and sane life for the entire family that all members do daily, normal tasks. But it’s not about a sharp 50/50 calculation. It’s more about the mindset: When dad wants to „help“ and first need a list, what to do, instead of just doing!

In your experience, how can partners navigate the mental load that often falls disproportionately on one person?

If both share financial and „life” work topics in a fair balance, the related load reduces automatically.

What role does communication play in creating a fair share of responsibilities in a relationship? What strategies can help improve communication between partners?

First of all, it’s essential that both partners trust in their love. If you truly love each other, you stop being afraid of bringing up topics that might cause friction.

When one partner can’t speak up and share what’s on their mind, that tension doesn’t disappear — it’s just covered up by silent suffering. That’s why communication is crucial in any healthy relationship — and even more so in love.

How do you encourage families or couples to set boundaries between work and personal life without feeling guilty or overwhelmed?

I’m not sure that setting boundaries is essential for a happy life. I believe if your job and day by day life both fulfills you both will give you joy and power for each one. Both are part of who you are. If one part becomes dominant — or more importantly, if it causes you stress or makes you feel off — take a closer look at why.

And then: change it.

What advice would you give to individuals who are struggling to ask for help from their partners or colleagues, especially when it comes to balancing responsibilities?

This is related to the above topic of mindset. Ask yourself why you don’t trust in the relationship. Why should one part benefit from the other’s sufferance? Would the other part “make” you suffer? Really? If so, this has nothing to do with being partners (at home or office). Ask yourself what you would recommend to a good friend of yours. We often tend to be far less supportive and compassionate with ourselves than we are with others.

Can you share some examples of how small changes in daily habits or routines can help reduce stress and create a more balanced life for couples?

As I describe also in my book, I trained myself high lightening in mind the word “I must”. Must I really? Is there any law? Or do I “believe” I should and would rather feel guilty if I don’t react. This changed my life, I do hope yours too when you’re reading this.

Looking ahead, what do you think is the future of work-life balance in the context of modern partnerships, especially as work environments and family dynamics continue to evolve?

 strongly believe that next generation will skip the mind fucks of nowadays regarding work and gender equity. Not only due to the smart use of technologies and new work models. With this in mind, couples today should start letting go of their old-fashioned beliefs.

Both partners and their children will benefit from a happier, stress-free life!

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