Mixing it with career and family

Waikiki mother and video producer Renae Hardie Braovich believes “you can have it all” when it deciding between starting a family and reaching a career goal.

The mother of one and another on the way produces videos for her thriving business, i-video.

She said the key to success was balance and support.

“I don’t believe in sitting around waiting, if you want something you chase those dreams, whether you are single or married,” she said.

“Don’t put off for the future what you can do now,” she said.

Mrs Hardie Braovich, 41, said marrying young never interfered in pursuing her goals.

“I married at 19 — my husband has supported me in everything I’ve done,” she said.

“I think that is the key, he knows I am creative and my ambition is to direct my own feature film.”

Mrs Hardie Braovich said she always wanted a family.

“When I was 20 I lost my first child and my husband became ill with cancer—we were told we would never have children,” she said.

“I went head-on into my career, writing articles, short stories and a novel, but I kept thinking about film.”

She said she never gave up on the dream of having children and had a son in 2003.

Six months later she was offered a dream job in Sydney, which she knocked back, eventually creating internet marketing business i-video in 2007, gaining the directing experience to pursue her goal.

“I have been experiencing both dreams (film and family) for nine years now,” she said.

Behind the scenes of her family and business life, Mrs Hardie Braovich has been working on a feature film for 15 years and hoped to receive funding to create it one day.

“It is like I have been leading a double life — getting a balance is tricky, but you can get it,” she said.