Mamaearth’s Ghazal Alagh says work-life balance is a 'myth', sets out survival principles

Ghazal Alagh identified sleep as one of the most important tools she relied on.

Entrepreneurship was often assumed to be attractive from the outside, but Ghazal Alagh, co-founder of Mamaearth and a familiar face from Shark Tank India, said her own journey had been shaped more by endurance than glamour.

Alagh, a graduate in computer applications from Panjab University, said the idea of separating personal and professional life was unrealistic. She described work-life balance as “a myth” and instead spoke of adapting to a constant struggle between roles as a founder, mother, and individual. Over time, she said she had established a number of non-negotiables that allowed her to keep going.

Rest and recovery

Alagh identified sleep as one of the most important tools she relied on. She did not consider rest to be optional. “Good sleep is the foundation of clarity, energy, and resilience,” she said. When she was unable to maintain consistent sleep every night, she ensured that she recovered those hours later in the week, which she considered essential to perform at her best.

Deliberate weekends

She also explained how she approached weekends. Instead of treating them as empty space or using them purely for work, she said she scheduled them with intention. She noted that she blocked time in her Google Calendar for reflection, relaxation and even for writing her thoughts down. According to her, a short period of self-check-in, even half an hour, was enough to create calm during an otherwise demanding schedule.

Acceptance of imbalance

Alagh said one of her key realisations was that imbalance had to be expected. “Not having everything neatly figured out is perfectly fine,” she explained. Rather than trying to achieve equal weight between different responsibilities, she accepted the shifts between being an entrepreneur, a partner, a mother, and a daughter as part of the process.

Approach to happiness

She admitted that the pressures of building a company left little room for sustained happiness. “Founders often don’t experience joy for more than a few seconds at a time,” she said. To manage this, she deliberately sought out moments of happiness, and at times, chose to behave as if she were happy in order to stay positive. She described this as a practical method for maintaining courage in the face of difficulty.

Investment beyond finance

Alagh also broadened her definition of investment. She said money was only one part of what mattered. “Everything counts as an investment,” she observed, adding that time, relationships, passion and self-development were equally valuable. She said that by nurturing all of these, she was able to create resilience and growth even in the more unpredictable phases of entrepreneurship.