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Fortune
Fortune
Emma Burleigh

Boss of $1 billion WNBA team Valkyries says she rejects work-life balance because she loves the grind: 'I'm not apologizing for what brings me joy'

Golden State Valkyries President Jess Smith (Credit: Courtesy of The Golden State Valkyries)

There’s no sleep for Golden State Valkyries President Jess Smith. The women’s basketball team recently faced off against the Atlanta Dream in game three of the WNBA Finals, continuing a whirlwind season for the league’s most valuable franchise. And as the leader of the team estimated to be worth $1 billion, Smith is learning how to make room for every part of her life without sacrificing the work she loves.

“I don’t subscribe to work-life balance, because it makes you try to set something up for failure versus I really try to live in gratitude,” she tells Fortune. “How fortunate am I that the fix that I would want in this life is to actually be with my kids more, work more, be with my partner more, more time in self care. If that’s my biggest problem, that’s a great problem.”

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