Leading with Heart… Career, Parenthood & Real-Life Balance
In honor of Mother’s Day, join Kelly and Cynthia for an honest, relatable, and uplifting conversation about the realities of building meaningful careers while raising families. This special Wellness Hour moves beyond the highlight reel to explore the real decisions, trade-offs, and strategies that working parents navigate every day.
Through candid reflection, they will share their personal career journeys, including when parenthood entered the picture and how their families have grown alongside their professional paths. Together, they will unpack the biggest challenges they’ve faced at home and at work — and the practical ways they’ve learned to respond with intention rather than overwhelm.
Participants can expect thoughtful discussion around:
Managing the very real feeling of “missing out” and reframing parent guilt
Creating protected family time during the busiest career seasons
Practical systems and habits that help maintain balance (including what to delegate)
Preparing for the unexpected — from sick kids to work emergencies
Navigating social media pressures in a world that often portrays perfection
How workplace culture and career choices can support (or strain) the parenthood journey
The wisdom they would share with their younger working-parent selves
Moments of pride that define success both professionally and personally
This session is designed to normalize the messy middle, celebrate progress over perfection, and offer practical, real-world strategies for professionals who are balancing leadership at work and love at home.
Kelly Zibell, AMS, PCAM
Kelly is Chief Customer Officer for Communitas, where she oversees Community Management Services, Operations, Escrow and Accounting. In this role she brings more than 20+ years of industry experience spanning rental management, portfolio management, administration, project management, accounting, and executive leadership.
Known for her direct communication style and commitment to continuous improvement, Kelly is passionate about educating homeowner-association leaders, real estate professionals, and industry partners to elevate the practice of community association management.
Kelly holds the PCAM and AMS designations from the Community Associations Institute (CAI), along with a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute — credentials that reflect both her deep industry knowledge and project-management expertise.
Cynthia Jones, Esq., CCAL
Sellers, Ayers, Dortch & Lyons, P.A.
Cynthia is licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina and focuses her practice with Sellers, Ayers, Dortch & Lyons, P.A. on representing community associations and real estate developers. She regularly advises clients on the development, creation, and organization of condominium and homeowners’ associations, as well as the interpretation, enforcement, and amendment of governing documents. Cynthia also routinely assists clients with the collection of unpaid assessments, including liens, foreclosures, and bankruptcies.
Cynthia is highly active in the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and currently serves on the National Board of Directors. She has held numerous leadership roles at both the national and chapter levels. She also serves on the South Carolina Bar’s Community Association Law Committee.
In recognition of her professional excellence, Cynthia was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL), an honor extended to fewer than 175 attorneys nationwide who have demonstrated distinguished contributions to community association law and a commitment to the highest ethical standards.