It's no secret that Gwyneth Paltrow enjoys the finer things in life.
But, like all working moms, Goop's founder and chief creative officer makes an extra effort to put herself first every so often. "I have yet to meet someone who isn't burdened with hyper-responsibility," Gwyneth says in SELF's May issue. "Everyone is suffering from this sense of 'I have to do it all and I have to do it perfectly.' It's all my friends, all my colleagues: We try to do everything to such a high standard. And I'm like, 'Where did we get this from? Because I'm f--king exhausted!'"
Gwyneth is hands-on with all aspects of Goop. "I'm responsible for every photo, every piece of content, all the product that we're making. I do all the creative," she says. "But I'm also involved in the business side and the strategy. It's challenging!" Gwyneth's business endeavors come second to her role as a mother, though. Speaking of daughter Apple Martin, 11, and son Moses Martin, 10, (with ex Chris Martin, 39), she says, "If I make my kids something delicious and we sit down to eat it, and I put my phone away and I really listen, that is such money in the bank."
For Gwyneth, it's important to work with people who share similar attitudes about balancing their personal and professional responsibilities. Goop employs mostly women, though there are two men on the team. "I love working with mothers," she says. "Mothers take care of business!"
Mothers take care of business in other ways, too. As Gwyneth, 43, says, "We have this idea that you can't be a mother and a businesswoman and like to have sex! How is an intelligent woman a sexual being? It's really hard to integrate those things. Like, 'Gwyneth has sex? Really?' It doesn't seem to go together. But I think it's important, as mothers and as women contributing to society in whatever way we each are, that our true sexuality doesn't get lost or put aside."
Suffice to say, life is good a Goop. ""I think women here would tell you that the work-life balance is pretty good. We want to enjoy life. But there's a lot to do!" the Iron Man 3 actress tells SELF. "We're all awake to the fact that we really can achieve what we set out to achieve."