How Rosanna Berardi of Berardi Immigration Law Tackles The Extreme Work Life Balance Of Being A Woman Business Leader During Covid-19
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We are all starting over. We’ve all heard that this is our “new normal.” We’ve never had the opportunity to start all over again with the rest of the country. You have a clean slate. Take advantage of it. Learn a new skill. Start that new business. YouTube is your best friend and teacher! I am bad at Excel. I recently went to Lynda.com and downloaded a free 30-minute course on Excel 101. Now, I’m still not great at it, but I am better than bad.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Many of us now have new challenges that come with working from home, homeschooling, and sheltering in place.
As a part of my series about how busy women leaders are addressing these new needs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rosanna Berardi.
Rosanna Berardi is the Managing Partner of Berardi Immigration Law and the CEO of High Wire Woman, where she helps working women create a blueprint to live their lives in a simpler way and take back their most precious commodity: their time.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I left the job of my dreams at a highly-coveted big-firm job fifteen years ago to hang a shingle in the legal world. I started with just one client and an office desk in a tiny apartment, and have grown my practice into an award-winning, multinational, full-service immigration law firm with thousands of clients around the world spanning countless industries. I knew I wanted it all. I had no choice but to branch out on my own and customize a life that made having it all possible.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started at your company?
Several years ago, a priest came to my office for a consultation. He was wearing his collar and had just come from mass. He advised me that he proposed to a Russian bride and needed my assistance with her green card. A priest was engaged. And needed my help. I thought I was on Candid Camera!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
In April, I launched High Wire Woman, a consulting business for working women. I am passionate about helping women do it all and stay on the high wire. Life is very complicated for the working woman, especially in the post-COVID world. I help women create solutions and systems for their personal and professional problems.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My parents have propelled me to my success. My Mom, who passed away in 2012, had a 10th grade education and cleaned rooms in a nursing home for 17 years. She was my biggest fan and always encouraged me to take any opportunity that came my way. She had anxiety, but she never passed that on to me. She always said “you are the person I always wanted to be.”
My father immigrated to Canada in 1954. He was an orphan having lost his mother when he was three and his father when he was 14 years old. He raised himself. Taught himself the language. Delivered bread for many years. Became a hairdresser, married my Mom and moved to the U.S. in 1964 where he established Belissima Hair Fashions, a hair salon for women. He ran his business while owning and managing 12 apartments to support my brother and I through professional school. He gave me the courage to become an entrepreneur.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Can you articulate to our readers what are the biggest family related challenges you are facing as a woman business leader during this pandemic?
COVID-19 has rocked my personal and professional life. We have a 14-year-old son who, like most kids his age, studied online from March to June. Although he is self-sufficient, I have struggled with keeping him positive and away from technology. It’s so easy for kids to play video games, watch YouTube or send Snaps all day.
Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
The challenges were immense. Just like working moms everywhere, I was dealing with huge professional hurdles and doing my best to parent through an extremely strange situation. While the U.S./Canadian border closed for the first time since 9/11 and I had to lay off the majority of my team, I also had to be sure that our son’s mental health was in check. I did this by spending a lot of time with him, just chit chatting and being there for him. I encouraged him to exercise and bought him some weight equipment. I am very plugged into his mental well-being.
Can you share the biggest work related challenges you are facing as a woman in business during this pandemic?
I am an immigration lawyer. My entire law firm is predicated on international travel to the U.S. Never in my life have I seen anything like the extensive travel bans that exist today. It is difficult to stay positive and to keep my entire team positive when no one can enter the U.S. to live or work!
Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?
I’ve been diligent about diversifying my practice. We have several clients in the United States who still need immigration services. We are committed to blogging and filming videos to inform our clients and reach new ones. I’ve increased by media presence in an attempt to further market the firm.
Can you share your advice about how to best work from home, while balancing the needs of homeschooling or the needs of a family?
I came up with the idea of High Wire Woman for my consulting business because each day, I feel like I am walking on a high wire, trying not to fall off. The demands on working women are insane. We are supposed to walk 10,000 steps, make home-cooked meals, have a picture-perfect home and appearance, raise responsible kids, excel at our careers and make time for date nights. Who can do this?
The only way to stay on the high wire is to design a plan. Literally, everyday I design a plan for accomplishing all of the things that need to be done. The only way to accomplish tasks including cooking dinner and doing homework with your kids, is to plan them at a granular level.
Can you share your strategies about how to stay sane and serene while sheltering in place, or simply staying inside, for long periods with your family?
I am not a person who likes to stay home. I am an avid traveler and theater buff. The coronavirus has been very difficult for me. At the beginning, I survived by talking long walks, listening to podcasts and upping my cooking game. As time went on, I began to travel again but this time differently. I’ve rented three homes within a two-hour radius of my hometown and enjoyed them with a friend. The change of scenery was perfect and it was a nice break from my family (who I love dearly!)
Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have understandably heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your perspective can you help our readers to see the “Light at the End of the Tunnel”? Can you share your “5 Reasons To Be Hopeful During this Corona Crisis”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- Nothing is forever. 2020 has been a long and arduous year. Everything has changed. However, someday we’ll look back and realize all of the new things and lessons we learned. There is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
- Stop longing for your old life. It wasn’t as perfect as you think. We are in the constant state of change and 2020 amplified it. Think of how boring your life would be if nothing ever changed. High Wire Woman was in the back of my mind for about a year. I decided to green light it during the pandemic because it was a part of me that I wanted to share with the world. It’s provided me a positive outlet to work with other working women, write and blog, all things I truly love.
- Health is wealth. Now more than ever, we realize how precious our lives are and we’ve stopped taking good health for granted. If you are healthy, you are the wealthiest person in the world. Steve Jobs was one of the wealthiest men in the work and yet succumbed to pancreatic cancer. We need to stop dwelling on the little things we could change and just enjoy having our health. I’ve recently declared a truce and refuse to diet. Instead, I am focusing on eating real food, moving every day and enjoying the fun things in life, like cake!
- If you take the time now to pause and recharge, your life will be infinitely better. We would never allow our phones to run out of battery life., but yet we allow ourselves to grind all day and never, ever turn off or recharge. Put down your phone. Now. Even for 5 minutes. Look around and see the beauty in front of you. Stop scrolling. Now.
- We are all starting over. We’ve all heard that this is our “new normal.” We’ve never had the opportunity to start all over again with the rest of the country. You have a clean slate. Take advantage of it. Learn a new skill. Start that new business. YouTube is your best friend and teacher! I am bad at Excel. I recently went to Lynda.com and downloaded a free 30-minute course on Excel 101. Now, I’m still not great at it, but I am better than bad.
From your experience, what are a few ideas that one can use to effectively offer support to their family and loved ones who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?
I’ve learned that sometimes you just need to be around others to support them. It’s been a difficult few months and I often found myself at a loss for words for my 14 year old son. So I stopped worrying about “the perfect words” and just hung out with him and shared boring stuff. It got us talking and laughing. Being present is a gift.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The harder you work, the luckier you get. This is my life mantra and I’ve achieved great success by being the hardest-working person in the room.
How can our readers follow you online?
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
