Daniel Dower is an example of more than making it all work: He faced some unusual challenges in his life during his EMBA career. He became the father of triplets, who joined four other siblings.

As president of Texas Business Strategies, which provides consulting services in investment management, Dower was able to take some time off temporarily and worked about 20 hours per week for several months.

“In the first few weeks after the babies came home, people I had never met would show up at our house and offer to help with dishes or laundry, people who had heard from the friend of a friend that knew we needed help,” he says. “When I was in Chile [for an international EMBA trip], the local Albertson’s manager delivered groceries and put them away.”

He continued to shift his schedule after the babies came home. An average day started at 6 a.m., when he cared for the babies until about 9 a.m. He then worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., spent 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with his family, and studied from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Post-program, he has a different perspective on time. “Now, I find myself wondering why I needed so much down time before,” he says. “My life’s always been very busy, but I used to complain about getting less than eight hours of sleep or not having recreational weekends. Certainly, our yard needs some work, but the EMBA was very rewarding.”