Walking the Leadership Tightrope: Principals’ Experience of Work–Life Balance

Principals experience high levels of anxiety, frustration, and stress, often struggling with their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Balancing work–life responsibilities is critical, yet we know little about how school principals understand and navigate work–life balance (WLB). Building on boundary and spillover theories, we employed an interpretive qualitative research design and interviewed 10 school principals in Missouri to better understand their experiences with WLB and its impact on their well-being. Our findings revealed that while principals themselves understand the importance of WLB, they shared that achieving it is challenging for individuals on their own. Instead, there is a need for a community of understanding and systematic support to help them achieve a better balance.