At the end of the year 2021, Karine Ferri is releasing a book at Éditions Robert Laffont: A life in balance. We met her:
Hello Karine. As a woman, mother and leader, how do you manage to “not choose”?
K.F : I deeply love what I do, professionally, but also in my personal and family life. I appreciate the spotlights as much as the peace and nature. I’ve been at peace for a while now with “these two Karines” and being a woman of both light and shadow.
To successfully reconcile the two, however, I am very organized: paper agenda, to-do list… I plan everything! I also separate my professional and personal time as best I can, so that when I’m on set, I am focused on the shows, but, once home, I become very unreachable, preferably by text message, in order to preserve a family cocoon.
Your book is called “A life in balance”, how did you come up with the idea?
K.F : The project was born during the first confinement, where we maintained proximity to the public via social networks. I then felt an interest in what I shared from my daily life : my recipes, exclusive photos… This book was built on the same dynamic, so that it is accessible to all women, in close proximity and in confidence: I share my playlists and favorite dishes…
It was also the opportunity to bring together “tips and tricks” that worked for me during the maternity hospital and that I wanted to pass on. With this book I hope that women will wear a less harsh look on herself. We do our best to reconcile life as a woman, mother’s life and professional life, we should not be under excessive pressure either, especially since social networks unfortunately already play this role. For my part, I have always made the choice to listen to myself first and not necessarily follow the latest trends.
You also address the feeling of worry that arises at the same time as motherhood, what is it?
K.F : Indeed, this feeling is both terrible and brilliant… Awesome, because it means that we are lucky to have become parents, but also terrible because it takes away a certain amount of lightness in everyday life! Once a baby in our life, we then think for many, we very often wonder if our child is well, if we are doing everything well too… This is how my mother told me in the past: You will see, when you have children, you will sleep less well ”, then took on its full meaning, from the time of pregnancy.
On a daily basis, what is your lifestyle?
K.F : Sport is an integral part of my daily routine and it was also the case when I was pregnant. Nevertheless, I am not very strict on the diet, I prefer to have fun and if I make a difference, compensate for it the next day by being a little more reasonable or by playing sports.
You share sports routines in your book, how did you develop them?
K.F : The first reflex to have, whether you are a future or a young mother, is to request the prior consent of your doctor to practice sports. Then, the idea is not to go in the performance but rather in a maintenance of physical and mental form. The exercises were all co-constructed with my sports coach, Xavier Ritter, who has been following me for years. I also share meditation suggestions to make the wellness approach holistic.
Which advice (s) are for you the most personal among those shared?
K.F : For women who have just discovered their pregnancy but who wish to wait until the first few months have passed to announce it to those around them, I like this tip which consists of replace wine with grape juice during family reunions, aperitifs with friends or professional cocktails, it worked very well for me!
Otherwise, once a baby is present among us, the fact of placing several pacifiers in bed was of great help to us during nocturnal awakenings: it is easier for him to find his pacifier on his own and to fall asleep again.
You also attach, it seems, a certain importance to the awakening of the senses?
K.F : Indeed, for example, music is very present in our daily life, as is awareness of touch, which involves baby massage, after bathing. I take a real time to exchange with my children at that time to massage them, talk to them …
One last question: how do you manage to save yourself break times?
K.F : I have a real need to moments of silence so that I can then be available, both for my family and professionally, on the set. I then do as many parents do, I improvise: during the children’s naps, when they are at school… These are not necessarily long sessions, ten minutes are enough but to be regular. We can then find “A place of refuge” that we will have imagined, in which we feel good and where it is possible to relax.
Thank you Karine!