Juggling a Newborn and a Professional role in Strata – Clarity, Boundaries & Better Outcomes.
Get Strata’d with Rachael Goldsworthy and Tim Sara
Juggling a Newborn and Professional role in Strata – Clarity, Boundaries & Better Outcomes.
This conversation isn’t about “doing it all” or pretending it’s easy. It’s about how becoming a parent forces clearer thinking about work, boundaries, and what delivers good outcomes in strata.
Today’s episode of Get Strata’d offers a conversation with Tim Sara Group Licensee in Charge at NXG Group who has more than 16 years experience – Tim blends statutory compliance leadership with deep expertise in client retention and operational reform. We unpack:-
1. Juggling a newborn and a professional role in strata
- What changes when you add a newborn into an already demanding profession
- Why the challenge isn’t time management, but energy and decision-making
- How parenthood forces sharper prioritisation rather than just longer hours
2. Rethinking after-hours work and expectations in strata
- Why strata historically expected nights and weekends in a way other professions do not
- The difference between being available and being effective
- How 6:30pm AGMs and late-night emails often lead to fatigue, mistakes, and slower outcomes
- Why planning AGMs and key work during business hours leads to better preparation, clearer decisions, and better follow-through
3. Boundaries as a professional standard, not a personal preference
- Why boundaries aren’t about working less, but about working sustainably
- How clear boundaries improve service quality for owners and committees
- The long-term cost of burnout in the strata industry, and why it affects clients too
4. Systems over heroics
- How becoming a parent exposes fragile work setups very quickly
- Why good strata management relies on systems, documentation, and clear processes rather than “just call me”
- How removing reliance on constant availability improves consistency and accountability
5. Emotional labour in strata and at home
- The emotional weight of strata work: complaints, conflict, urgency, and pressure
- Why managing emotional load matters more once you’re caring for a newborn
- How staying calm and structured leads to better outcomes than reactive engagement
6. How fatherhood has helped improve in Tim’s strata practice
- Better clarity on what truly matters vs what just feels urgent
- Stronger communication and firmer decision-making
- Less tolerance for unnecessary noise and more focus on resolution
- Why becoming a parent has made me a more intentional, not less committed, professional
6. Positive Impact
- What has fatherhood taught you about clarity and decision-making?
- How has becoming a parent made you more intentional in your professional role?
- What unnecessary “noise” do you now ignore?
7. Modelling healthy governance for committees
- How the way strata managers work influences how committees behave
- Why structured, business-hours governance leads to better decision-making
- The idea that good leadership sets the tone for the whole community
Tim Sara is Group Licensee in Charge at NXG Group, Australia’s sixth largest strata management company, overseeing Strata Choice, O’Connors strata and StrataEze.
With more than 16 years experience, Tim blends statutory compliance leadership with deep expertise in client retention and operational reform.
He regularly contributes to industry panels publications, and professional forums on governance, service delivery, and the future of strata management.
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