November 12, 2025 • 13 mins
Forget balance! I open up about what it really takes to run a multi‑hyphenate career without burning out, and why trying to give everything 100 percent all the time sets you up to fail. Our founder Nour shares how she builds her year in seasons—Pilates in summer, deep podcast work in fall, and events during fashion and art cycles—so each lane gets focused attention when it matters most.
We dig into identity, not as a box to stay in but as a compass to guide choices. Whether you vibe with Human Design, the Enneagram system, or simple self‑reflection and astrology, the goal is the same: understand where you thrive and design your days around it.
The truth: clarity plus timing strengthens your voice. You can be a Pilates instructor, a podcast host, and a creative freelancer without losing yourself—if you align your seasons and keep your systems simple.
Enjoyed the conversation? Follow and subscribe, share this episode with a friend who’s juggling roles, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find the show on Instagram and Tiktok.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Welcome to The Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, Noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech,
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories, and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:29):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in, and let's
discover only the best together.
(00:59):
Everyone is different.
Not everyone likes the idea ofjuggling more than one thing.
And it's interesting because Ispeak about this a lot on my
stories, Tanya like Masalan, inmy notes on TikTok, and all of
that.
(01:22):
Human design da haiga isn't toboss.
And me in human design, I'm amanifesting generator.
(01:44):
And it's interesting becausefines they're called generators.
And they don't do that.
They focus on their one thing ata time.
Okay?
And a lot of people think thisis very woo, Lynn said that fit
haged di.
But honestly, guys, I reallythink that this is such an
(02:05):
important thing to explore.
Whether through astrology,Masalan, you know, I'm a Libra.
This is something but I identifywith Aoi.
Or Masalan, the Enneagramsystem, you know, what type of
enneagram graph number are you?
An eight, Masalan, a controller,or a person who likes to chill
(02:26):
and follow the crowd, or whattype of kind of what is your
working archetype?
Okay.
Bas anafil episode.
I have a couple of points thatI'm gonna share with you on how
I personally, as nood, manage tobalance the different things
that I've chosen to pursue in mycareer.
I used to try to force myselfinto the box of like, okay,
(02:49):
we'll make this your career anddo not deviate from it.
And this didn't really work forme.
I felt like I was creativelydecaying away.
When I was Masalan working atone place where I had to go
every day, and it's not about anine to five.
I'm not, you know, I'm notsaying a nine to five is not a
(03:12):
good thing, but I always say howI wish I had been the type of
person that would thrive in anine to five, but I'm just not.
It's not my character.
(03:34):
Who are you?
What do you like?
Where do you thrive?
How do you thrive?
How do you work?
You know what I mean?
Anakanur, I work very well underpressure.
I work very well when I'mjuggling more than one thing.
I get not bored very easily, butI'm not going to be able to
option Sharil niga vasta laaliha.
(03:58):
And that is how I ended upbuilding a personal brand, which
is Nur Hassan.
Having a podcast and community,the curation podcast, and also
being a triple certified Pilatesinstructor in Matt Pilates
Reformer, Pilates Classical andContemporary for both, and of
course, Legri.
(04:19):
And those are three differentaccounts that I have on
Instagram, and I do realize thatit can get a bit confusing for
people.
But heya di shokse, I love that.
Sometimes I'm in my Pilates era,and I'll get more into that.
And sometimes I'm in mypodcasting and I'm recording
back to back for like three,four days in a row and weeks in
(04:41):
a row editing, and that is mypodcast era.
Sometimes I'm hosting events andI'm going to fashion shows and
art shows and just freelancingas nur.
Okay.
So those are the three separatethings that I focus on.
And I don't want to say I wouldadd more, I hope not.
(05:02):
But they do not thrive likethis.
They thrive by selecting onething that is their thing.
And they focus on it and they gofor it.
For example, you're a fitnesstrainer, that's who you are.
You're not gonna go and try anddo 10 different brands.
(05:23):
And that's fine.
I'm not saying anything, I'mjust saying that you've asked me
how I do it.
So I've got a couple of notesand I'm gonna share with you
guys.
Okay, so the first thing is themyth of balance.
Like, I wrote this down becauseI think it's so funny how we
always try to ask everyone like,how are you balancing?
(05:45):
How are you balancing?
I saw the CEO of Pepsi Haya sit,no, but there is no such thing
as balance.
Like, you can essentiallyjuggle, but balance is a very
difficult word because whenyou're juggling, at least we
(06:06):
acknowledge and no fee.
It is not an assumption that youare perfectly just giving
everything your 100%.
So once you let go of the mythof balance, I found that you
leave yourself creative space tofocus on whatever it is you want
(06:27):
in the moment, what needs yourattention.
In the summer, I'm usuallyfocusing more on Pilates because
it is more of the Pilatesseason, right?
And then in the fall, I'm moreon the podcast.
And then in fashion season orart season, I'm kind of more
(06:48):
doing my own thing, myfreelance, personal branding,
attending events, coveringevents, and doing all of that
type of work.
So what let letting go of themyth of balance has just
liberated me so much because ohmy god, I have to give every
single thing my 100% all thetime, and it's just not true,
(07:10):
guys.
It's just not true.
So the second thing that I'mgonna, you know, share with you
guys on this topic is though youneed to intentionally prioritize
everything.
So let's say you have a very,very big event coming up, okay,
for in my personal case,Pilates.
(07:31):
That is not the week to bookthree recordings for the
podcast, but it's all aboutcompartmentalizing and
prioritizing and understandingthat life is about seasons,
okay?
Never trying to do it all atonce, because I have tried, I've
tried to teach a class and thenget off the stage and host the
(07:52):
podcast and then get off thestage and then do my event
coverage, and it just doesn'twork.
What works is that today I amNoor the Pilates instructor, I'm
here to teach the class andleave.
Or I'm going to host as NurHassan, the event or the talk or
whatever it is, and that's it.
I am not involving my brand, itis not about the curation today.
(08:16):
Or you are going to be on mypodcast, so it is a full
recording day.
So prioritization is key.
My third point is really, reallyimportant, and it's that you can
wear many hats without losingyour identity, you guys.
I hate this concept of how,especially women, we try to put
(08:39):
ourselves in a box.
Like, who said that you cannotbe more than one thing?
I know that it's reallydifficult, and then some of you
are also mothers, so you addthat title to the checks mix,
and you have a lot going on.
But I truly, truly think that in2026 we will have thrown away
(09:00):
the concept of here's your box,stay inside it, do not exit.
If you're a podcaster, do notexit the podcasting box.
I personally credit myself asone of the people that really
broke those boundaries.
I was like, nope, I'm more thanthat.
I'm not just a podcaster or awriter, I'm a Pilates instructor
(09:24):
too, because you can learn andevolve and grow in your life.
And social media makes it feellike once I coast that I'm one
thing and I put it in my bio, Ican never edit it.
No, the edit button exists andyou can use it.
That's for sure.
Okay, a couple of more pointshere.
I think it's important toprotect your energy, Bordu, in
the sense of like understandingthat you need to know what makes
(09:49):
you thrive.
So if you're the type of personthat, like I said at the
beginning, enjoys a nine to fiveand really doesn't like the idea
of doing more than one thing andbalancing and and all of that,
then you know what?
Don't let people or the internetgaslight you into thinking that
that isn't thriving because itis for you.
(10:10):
And for me personally, being anentrepreneur and having a
multidisciplinary life is whatmakes me thrive.
So we go back to the idea ofdoing the personal work of
finding out what really makesyou thrive and understanding
that it's different foreveryone, and that's totally
(10:31):
okay.
All right, so the th last thingis I'm gonna share with you of
my creative flow.
So I think for everybody,finding a like nice creative
routine for your work is reallyimportant.
For me personally, and about Ireally like to make sure that
(10:53):
every day I start it off with avery neutral palette.
That I wake up and I just don'tthink about anything, not the
podcast, not the class I'm gonnabe teaching later, not my event
that I have to attend.
I just start the day with alittle bit of me time, whether
it's early or late, or with acoffee, or with some journaling,
or whatever it is.
(11:13):
And you guys can check out myepisodes that I've done on my
morning routine and differenttypes of routines.
I just think that once you startoff the day, set the tone of
your mindset.
And hard on eyes, fuck or isthey either show up is they my
colleagues, my clients, andwhatever it is, that sets the
(11:34):
tone for the day.
A couple of things that I reallylike to do that help this are,
like I said before, journalingfor five minutes in the morning,
writing down just a brain dumpof everything that you have in
your mind if you feel like youneed it.
Really important note.
Waking up early at least once aweek to reset your mindset and
(11:55):
your week.
Okay, planning ahead, setting upin your calendar everything that
you need to do for the week.
So, as someone who gets invitedto many events and I have to
keep track of all of that, mycalendar is my biggest savior.
You don't need to, you know,subscribe to complicated apps
and all of this.
There's no need.
(12:16):
Put it in your calendar so thateven if you wake up in the
morning and you forgot, it'sthere.
Okay.
Hold yourself accountable withfriends and family.
Like if I say that I'm going tofilm a season, you know, by the
end of November, then well, Ihave to do it.
I said it.
So that's really important too.
(12:36):
And the last thing is don't betoo hard on yourself.
Give yourself grace and take abreak if you need to, because
ultimately I think this is theone thing that we all can learn
more about the importance ofrest and the idea that yeah, we
are all different, and I can getinto human design and astrology
and enneagrams and all that onanother episode more.
(12:59):
But in general, that is how Ibalance without balancing
because there is no such thingas balance.
I think we're all doing ourbest, and the most important
thing is to do what works foryou.
I hope this was a helpfulepisode, and I will see you guys
on my next podcast.
(13:21):
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration podcast on Instagram,
at Nour Hassan, and at Pilatesby Nour to stay tuned on all of
the content that is available,as well as the curation podcast
on all podcasting platforms andthe curation on TikTok.
Welcome to The Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, Noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech,
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories, and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:29):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in, and let's
discover only the best together.
(00:59):
Everyone is different.
Not everyone likes the idea ofjuggling more than one thing.
And it's interesting because Ispeak about this a lot on my
stories, Tanya like Masalan, inmy notes on TikTok, and all of
that.
(01:22):
Human design da haiga isn't toboss.
And me in human design, I'm amanifesting generator.
(01:44):
And it's interesting becausefines they're called generators.
And they don't do that.
They focus on their one thing ata time.
Okay?
And a lot of people think thisis very woo, Lynn said that fit
haged di.
But honestly, guys, I reallythink that this is such an
(02:05):
important thing to explore.
Whether through astrology,Masalan, you know, I'm a Libra.
This is something but I identifywith Aoi.
Or Masalan, the Enneagramsystem, you know, what type of
enneagram graph number are you?
An eight, Masalan, a controller,or a person who likes to chill
(02:26):
and follow the crowd, or whattype of kind of what is your
working archetype?
Okay.
Bas anafil episode.
I have a couple of points thatI'm gonna share with you on how
I personally, as nood, manage tobalance the different things
that I've chosen to pursue in mycareer.
I used to try to force myselfinto the box of like, okay,
(02:49):
we'll make this your career anddo not deviate from it.
And this didn't really work forme.
I felt like I was creativelydecaying away.
When I was Masalan working atone place where I had to go
every day, and it's not about anine to five.
I'm not, you know, I'm notsaying a nine to five is not a
(03:12):
good thing, but I always say howI wish I had been the type of
person that would thrive in anine to five, but I'm just not.
It's not my character.
(03:34):
Who are you?
What do you like?
Where do you thrive?
How do you thrive?
How do you work?
You know what I mean?
Anakanur, I work very well underpressure.
I work very well when I'mjuggling more than one thing.
I get not bored very easily, butI'm not going to be able to
option Sharil niga vasta laaliha.
(03:58):
And that is how I ended upbuilding a personal brand, which
is Nur Hassan.
Having a podcast and community,the curation podcast, and also
being a triple certified Pilatesinstructor in Matt Pilates
Reformer, Pilates Classical andContemporary for both, and of
course, Legri.
(04:19):
And those are three differentaccounts that I have on
Instagram, and I do realize thatit can get a bit confusing for
people.
But heya di shokse, I love that.
Sometimes I'm in my Pilates era,and I'll get more into that.
And sometimes I'm in mypodcasting and I'm recording
back to back for like three,four days in a row and weeks in
(04:41):
a row editing, and that is mypodcast era.
Sometimes I'm hosting events andI'm going to fashion shows and
art shows and just freelancingas nur.
Okay.
So those are the three separatethings that I focus on.
And I don't want to say I wouldadd more, I hope not.
(05:02):
But they do not thrive likethis.
They thrive by selecting onething that is their thing.
And they focus on it and they gofor it.
For example, you're a fitnesstrainer, that's who you are.
You're not gonna go and try anddo 10 different brands.
(05:23):
And that's fine.
I'm not saying anything, I'mjust saying that you've asked me
how I do it.
So I've got a couple of notesand I'm gonna share with you
guys.
Okay, so the first thing is themyth of balance.
Like, I wrote this down becauseI think it's so funny how we
always try to ask everyone like,how are you balancing?
(05:45):
How are you balancing?
I saw the CEO of Pepsi Haya sit,no, but there is no such thing
as balance.
Like, you can essentiallyjuggle, but balance is a very
difficult word because whenyou're juggling, at least we
(06:06):
acknowledge and no fee.
It is not an assumption that youare perfectly just giving
everything your 100%.
So once you let go of the mythof balance, I found that you
leave yourself creative space tofocus on whatever it is you want
(06:27):
in the moment, what needs yourattention.
In the summer, I'm usuallyfocusing more on Pilates because
it is more of the Pilatesseason, right?
And then in the fall, I'm moreon the podcast.
And then in fashion season orart season, I'm kind of more
(06:48):
doing my own thing, myfreelance, personal branding,
attending events, coveringevents, and doing all of that
type of work.
So what let letting go of themyth of balance has just
liberated me so much because ohmy god, I have to give every
single thing my 100% all thetime, and it's just not true,
(07:10):
guys.
It's just not true.
So the second thing that I'mgonna, you know, share with you
guys on this topic is though youneed to intentionally prioritize
everything.
So let's say you have a very,very big event coming up, okay,
for in my personal case,Pilates.
(07:31):
That is not the week to bookthree recordings for the
podcast, but it's all aboutcompartmentalizing and
prioritizing and understandingthat life is about seasons,
okay?
Never trying to do it all atonce, because I have tried, I've
tried to teach a class and thenget off the stage and host the
(07:52):
podcast and then get off thestage and then do my event
coverage, and it just doesn'twork.
What works is that today I amNoor the Pilates instructor, I'm
here to teach the class andleave.
Or I'm going to host as NurHassan, the event or the talk or
whatever it is, and that's it.
I am not involving my brand, itis not about the curation today.
(08:16):
Or you are going to be on mypodcast, so it is a full
recording day.
So prioritization is key.
My third point is really, reallyimportant, and it's that you can
wear many hats without losingyour identity, you guys.
I hate this concept of how,especially women, we try to put
(08:39):
ourselves in a box.
Like, who said that you cannotbe more than one thing?
I know that it's reallydifficult, and then some of you
are also mothers, so you addthat title to the checks mix,
and you have a lot going on.
But I truly, truly think that in2026 we will have thrown away
(09:00):
the concept of here's your box,stay inside it, do not exit.
If you're a podcaster, do notexit the podcasting box.
I personally credit myself asone of the people that really
broke those boundaries.
I was like, nope, I'm more thanthat.
I'm not just a podcaster or awriter, I'm a Pilates instructor
(09:24):
too, because you can learn andevolve and grow in your life.
And social media makes it feellike once I coast that I'm one
thing and I put it in my bio, Ican never edit it.
No, the edit button exists andyou can use it.
That's for sure.
Okay, a couple of more pointshere.
I think it's important toprotect your energy, Bordu, in
the sense of like understandingthat you need to know what makes
(09:49):
you thrive.
So if you're the type of personthat, like I said at the
beginning, enjoys a nine to fiveand really doesn't like the idea
of doing more than one thing andbalancing and and all of that,
then you know what?
Don't let people or the internetgaslight you into thinking that
that isn't thriving because itis for you.
(10:10):
And for me personally, being anentrepreneur and having a
multidisciplinary life is whatmakes me thrive.
So we go back to the idea ofdoing the personal work of
finding out what really makesyou thrive and understanding
that it's different foreveryone, and that's totally
(10:31):
okay.
All right, so the th last thingis I'm gonna share with you of
my creative flow.
So I think for everybody,finding a like nice creative
routine for your work is reallyimportant.
For me personally, and about Ireally like to make sure that
(10:53):
every day I start it off with avery neutral palette.
That I wake up and I just don'tthink about anything, not the
podcast, not the class I'm gonnabe teaching later, not my event
that I have to attend.
I just start the day with alittle bit of me time, whether
it's early or late, or with acoffee, or with some journaling,
or whatever it is.
(11:13):
And you guys can check out myepisodes that I've done on my
morning routine and differenttypes of routines.
I just think that once you startoff the day, set the tone of
your mindset.
And hard on eyes, fuck or isthey either show up is they my
colleagues, my clients, andwhatever it is, that sets the
(11:34):
tone for the day.
A couple of things that I reallylike to do that help this are,
like I said before, journalingfor five minutes in the morning,
writing down just a brain dumpof everything that you have in
your mind if you feel like youneed it.
Really important note.
Waking up early at least once aweek to reset your mindset and
(11:55):
your week.
Okay, planning ahead, setting upin your calendar everything that
you need to do for the week.
So, as someone who gets invitedto many events and I have to
keep track of all of that, mycalendar is my biggest savior.
You don't need to, you know,subscribe to complicated apps
and all of this.
There's no need.
(12:16):
Put it in your calendar so thateven if you wake up in the
morning and you forgot, it'sthere.
Okay.
Hold yourself accountable withfriends and family.
Like if I say that I'm going tofilm a season, you know, by the
end of November, then well, Ihave to do it.
I said it.
So that's really important too.
(12:36):
And the last thing is don't betoo hard on yourself.
Give yourself grace and take abreak if you need to, because
ultimately I think this is theone thing that we all can learn
more about the importance ofrest and the idea that yeah, we
are all different, and I can getinto human design and astrology
and enneagrams and all that onanother episode more.
(12:59):
But in general, that is how Ibalance without balancing
because there is no such thingas balance.
I think we're all doing ourbest, and the most important
thing is to do what works foryou.
I hope this was a helpfulepisode, and I will see you guys
on my next podcast.
(13:21):
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration podcast on Instagram,
at Nour Hassan, and at Pilatesby Nour to stay tuned on all of
the content that is available,as well as the curation podcast
on all podcasting platforms andthe curation on TikTok.
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