The first IPWS Thought Activator of the season broached a topic that we can all relate to, especially in a fast-paced city like Shanghai: ‘Should we be doing it all?’

Chloé Reuter, founder of the award-winning agency Reuter Communications, led the conversation and shared her personal story, filled with candid anecdotes and experience-basted tips. Chloé can easily be described as an explorer and an achiever, learning languages, moving around the world and coming to Shanghai over fifteen years ago. Since then, she has built a successful career, a close-knit family and is an all-round inspiration to many.

So, how does she manage to do it all?

Generously opening up about her experience, Chloé started off by saying: “I want to share how I have learnt to prioritize”, a central topic that was brought up frequently through the evening. With this in mind, here are a few pointers, all directly linked to productivity and well-being:

• In a professional setting, “delegate, allow people around you to grow. And always hire people who are smarter than you.”
• “Kindness, treating other people with respect and appreciating all the relationships in our lives.”
• “Find time for yourself: podcasts, pilates or a walk with the dog. […]If you are not centred and alright, things start crumbling around you. You need to be selective with who you hang out with.”
• “How to manage with children? Just as I am proud of my teams, I am proud of my kids. [..]We have a great support network. It takes a village.”
• “Focus on quality time – what are the things that you don’t need to be doing? I outsource those.”
• And finally: “The things we love doing is the stuff we are good at.”

Following the Thought Activator format, the participants split into groups and discussed their own thoughts on creating healthy boundaries, self-awareness and learning to say ‘no’.

A warm thank you to Chloé and all those who attended and contributed to the discussion. Also thanks to our amazing venue for the evening, Azul.