Tevis Rose Trower, Work-Life Integration Advisor to Corporate America — and Guitar, Yoga and Surfing Enthusiast 

For me, one of those moments of serendipity in life – squarely in the “things happen for a reason” category – happened while I was attending, on a whim, an evening workshop for women (known to many Sex And The City fans; we’ll leave it at that!), and met Tevis Rose Trower.

Trower, a red-headed dynamo, is a work-life integration pioneer. Spurred on by finding an answer to the question “Why do we hate work?” this surfboarding yogi wants to change leadership and the nature of work within corporate America, so she founded Balance Integration Corporation.

She is also currently a faculty member at NYU’s School for Continuing and Professional Studies specializing in advanced management studies, a certified creativity coach, and a board member of the New York Yoga Teachers’ Association. There’s much more to her C.V., but not enough space here to list it all!

Tevis is a friend whose coaching skills are a clarifying and empowering tonic – which I soak up when we carve time in our full schedules to get together. We also share a love of a good laugh, and from her themed potluck dinners (“1960’s buffet anyone?”) to her use of the term “gurupreneur,” this entrepreneur is making it happen on her own authentic terms. 

Why are you an entrepreneur?
Seeing a need that wasn’t being filled compelled me to create a solution, but so did my desire to test myself, to see what I was capable of creating as a human, as a professional, and in service to others.

Leaving a handsomely-compensated senior role in a corporation was beyond daunting, but the thought of not acting upon something I felt passionately about just wasn’t an option – my heart and inner drill sergeant just wouldn’t let me!  Starting my company, Balance Integration, wasn’t so much a choice as it was a mandate from that nagging voice inside of me saying, “Hey Tevis, do something!”

What problem are you solving?
We, as a culture, needlessly surrender our physical and mental well-being in the face of daily pressures, and our relationship with our lives, including our work, suffers as a result of it.

Looking around from cubicles to corner offices, I could see that professionals of every stripe and rank struggle with this, often forgetting that being in an optimal state is really our first “job,” and that everything is enhanced by maintaining that state of being. Keeping an eye on our goals professionally — and managing ourselves responsibly personally — is a life skill we have to both remember and cultivate. 

What problem would you like solved?
Sunburn!  (Note: Again, bear in mind that she’s a redhead…)

Biggest regret?
That I waited til I was in my 40s to start playing guitar, surf and snowboard.

Which talent would you like to have?
Popping and locking.

Best pat on the back you’ve ever received?
When employees who experience our programming come up to me, or one of the team, and voluntarily tell us how whatever the program was has impacted their lives; there aren’t words to adequately describe how that feels, but even after fourteen years doing what we do, I get misty.

Advice you wish you’d had (or had followed)?
The best advice is always the simplest, and we’ve all heard everything we need to know.  The trick is being ready to receive it.   My favorite advice, though, came from a former boss: “Be bold.”  Thanks, Betsy Scolnik!

Your pitch in 140 characters?
“Balance Integration helps professionals thrive so their organizations can thrive. A corporate chill-pill, we are the “go-to” experts in helping employees to be at their very best.” 

The Twitter follower you can’t live without?
The notion of not being able to live without any one Twitter follower is deeply troubling.

Your nails on a chalkboard moment?
Negativity.

The job you’d actually love?
I actually love what I do – deeply!  If not doing this though, I’d love to be a horse whisperer.

Biggest misconception about being an entrepreneur is?
There isn’t any one broad misconception to debunk, because how entrepreneurs work is one hundred percent idiosyncratic. Working in pajamas? Sure, some do. Working insane hours?  Sure, some do. Passion-driven?  Sure, some are. Losing sleep over being successful? Sure, depending upon the person and the night.  Aren’t many of these stereotypes just as likely to be true of anyone?  I have entrepreneur friends who can’t bear to work from home, others who can’t imagine working any other way.  Some dive in for passion for a product or service, others simply see a wise business opportunity and go for it fueled by their love of a good challenge. Who we are, what drives us, how we work, what our fears are and how we manage them is as individualistic as we each are.

Inc. or Rolling Stone or…..? Which magazine cover?
Fast Company.

What are you reading?
Total escapism:  Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere.

What book is your must-read?
The Bhagavad-Gita [ a book of Hindu scripture].  This book is a treatise on what it means to be in the moment, fully committed, and at peace with whatever is, even in the face of total mayhem. I find it as inspiring as it is practical, so much so that I even wrote a guidebook for applying its wisdom to professional challenges.

What book did you read which would have been put to better use as a doorstop?
One man’s doorstop may be another man’s bible.

If I wanted to do what you’re doing…what’s your advice?
Focus on serving, not “should-ing.” In the coaching/wellness space, I’ve observed that despite best intentions, often the passion to show people other ways of living becomes dogmatic and loaded with judgment.  Instead, support people by working with their lives exactly as they are, and help them identify tiny shifts they can make one choice at a time.

What conference would you like to keynote?
The big TED.

Short cut, long route, road less travelled? What’s your roadmap?
Follow your bliss.

Podium you’d like to stand on? 
As long as the topic is earnest and the participants engaged, I’m game!  For instance, two favorite podiums from the past come to mind: one where I facilitated a full-day event for executives, sponsored by the Harvard Business Review in Lima, Peru.  The joy of watching seasoned executives explore the topic of “Insight & Innovation” is something I’d love to repeat.  The other was teaching 300 officers of the NYPD how to meditate.

One place in time you’d like to visit?
Having majored in history, this question is like choosing one favorite song, book or movie!  Thinking priorities though, coinciding a visit with the lives of any of our great wisdom teachers would be amazing…the Buddha, Christ, Confucius, Plato, etc.

Part of the trick to staying focused is?
Actively cultivating a connection to what is really essential and inspiring to you.

One last thing: what’s the question I should be asking you?
When we’re going to get together and shop for shoes!