Missed the Live Show?

For more than 22 years, Amy Friedman has led an exciting career through changing life stages while building brands and producing outstanding programming at Nickelodeon. Hired in 1987 as a production assistant for the original Double Dare game show at Nick, Amy's first job included mixing slime to make Nickelodeon's trademark green slime. Amy moved up quickly, making a name for herself as a writer, director and producer in Nick's branding group. In 1998, she launched Noggin, the award-winning educational pre-school channel. "In the early years at Nick, I participated in the birth of cable television. Eight years later, Noggin gave me the chance to be part of the birth of the digital era." Amy played a key role in building the culture of Nick while launching brands and mastering the process of bringing unique ideas to the entertainment market.  

KE:  When I first met you in 2005, your daughters were very young. You told me that you had "three babies," meaning Emily, Carly, and the creative and passionate work that you do. It was a big challenge to manage all three at once. Can you reflect on that experience?

AF:  I always had the feeling that I wasn't doing enough for my family or my job. I was distracted.  I felt like there was nothing left for me at the end of the day. I split myself down the middle and gave half to home and half to work, forgetting completely that I needed to nurture myself in order to sustain the rest. I didn't want to leave my work, but I didn't know how to make it all work together."

KE:  The girls are 7 and 6 respectively now. What have you learned since those early days?

AF:  The revelation for me was what you and I called "my Thursday night strategy, remember?  Every day at 5:00, I felt my day at work slipping away and my day at home slipping away from me. The choice about which bus to ride home hadhuge implications for my family and my work. I decided to commit to working very late one night per week -- Thursday night. On that day, I would order dinner at my desk at 6:00 p.m., roll up my sleeves and settle in til midnight for the most productive six hours of my work week.

KE:  What were the implications of this for you and for your family?

AF:  For me, it gave a chance to embrace my old passionate work self who loves to be productive and focus on getting the job done. I also suddenly had time to give to my colleagues on the West Coast, who knew they could reach me. For my family, it gave my husband a night of quality time with the kids. He did things differently -- more TV and more sweets --  but the girls loved it. It was perfect for our family.  

On Friday mornings, I had done so much work that I could take the time to bring the kids to school and even take an exercise class. I worked from home and could keep my commitment to be there on Fridays for school pick-up. 
Being there one day a week gave me a chance to look at the faces of my kids' teachers.  It added up to a lot. 

KE:  What advice can you offer other women who are looking for work/life solutions?

AF:  The hour that you leave the office is a very important boundary. I realized that an hour at home at the end of the day is more powerfully and meaningfully spent than another hour at my desk working on loose ends. I kept and set a boundary about leaving work at a reasonable time on Monday - Wednesday and it made all the difference.

There's a time in your career where work is about putting time in. There's a point where it becomes less about that and more about the quality of your time and the results you deliver. If you can stand up tall and set the boundary, it will do the opposite of what you fear. A clear boundary has a contagious positive effect on other people -- women and men. Quality vs. quantity is an idea that applies in both spheres of work and home life.

To hear more on how Amy integrates her life and career vision, listen to her radio show by clicking here or download the podcast.

Need some inspiration for a holistic vision that weaves together your work and life? Learn from former Nickelodeon executive Amy Friedman on the  most recent episode  of Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life.

Be inspired. 

"Authenticity is a critical piece of effective leadership. It is important to work from my gut, knowing where I stand and how I feel about a subject -- and then operating from that state."