Welcome to The Vital Life where we spotlight Vital Proteins® employees. This week, Influencer Relationship Manager, Meghan Braselton, gives us a look inside her day working remotely.
Lively: Thanks for sharing your day with us! To kick things off, can you tell us about what you do at Vital Proteins and what you enjoy about your role?
Meghan Braselton: I work in the marketing department, specifically on the social and influencer team as an Influencer Relationship Manager and I truly love my job so much. Every day is different in terms of my work schedule and the tasks that I have to work on throughout the day. It’s a big reason why I love it so much, because it is ever-changing and very fast paced. To try and describe what I do, I basically touch every single thing that involves influencers of any follower count including weekly organic outreach and product gifting, brainstorming campaign strategies to help support new product launches, retail promotions and launches, and the strategy and execution for all those fun influencer/PR mailers that you see influencers sharing on their Instagram. I also help manage our ongoing paid influencer partnerships, their content and timelines, as well as the negotiations and conversation with influencers that we hope to partner with. As of late, I have been doing a lot of work with our international strategy which has been something that I have loved … There is a new project every day and the days go by quickly. My team is also the best and we all have so much fun working together, brainstorming, etc. for the projects that we have. It makes the job so enjoyable.
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L: Walk us through your morning routine – how has it changed (or not) since staying home?
MB: I am such a morning person and love a routine during my work week, so I like to get up early at around 7 a.m., work out, shower, take a Vital Proteins Cleanse Collagen Shot (I do not go a day without one of these; I have the 12-packs stocked in my kitchen at all times), make coffee, talk to my mom on the phone and listen to The Daily podcast as I start working my way through emails. I am/was addicted to CorePower yoga sculpt and would go to the 6 a.m. classes before COVID-19, so I definitely miss my in-studio class routine but am able to wake up a bit later to do a class from home, or for the limited time that they were allowing in-person, masked classes (that was a game changer).
Currently, I have been doing a mix of virtual live CorePower yoga sculpt classes, Yoga 2.0 sculpt or Megan Roup’s Sculpt Society, to try and keep my motivated. I always have a cup of coffee as I am easing into the workday and then usually make my go-to smoothie, which contains some kind of combination that includes frozen bananas, mangoes, berries, pineapples and chia seeds and top it with granola. I usually use almond milk or Vital Proteins Collagen Water™. If I’m not using Collagen Water, I add 1 scoop of the Original Collagen Peptides, but I also love mixing it up sometimes with the Morning Get Up & Glow™ powder. I would say something huge in my morning routine that has changed, and that I really miss, is being able to get to the office and catch up with the rest of my team in person before diving into work. However, even with our work-from-home policy, there hasn’t been a day where we don’t side text about the same things we would talk about in person.
L: Where have you been getting inspiration for projects or tasks you might be working on throughout the day?
MB: Working in influencer marketing and social media, there is constantly input from every type of social channel (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.) that there are always new ideas and inspiration coming through to our team. We are constantly sharing what other influencers are posting and seeing what other brands are doing to help us spark new ideas for our upcoming projects. My team and I are always talking throughout the day about new ideas that pop into our heads, so the dialogue of ideas and brainstorming is always flowing. Even when we stop working, we all share things that we see on our own social channels with one another and continue the open conversation of ideas that we think of while we are randomly making dinner. It is really unlike anywhere else I have ever worked, where everyone is always open to new ideas. No idea is too big or too small, and there is no judgment from the people that you are brainstorming with. Somehow, the ideas always end up turning into something creative, well-rounded and amazing.
L: Lunchtime! What’s your plan?
MB: I am actually not really a lunch person. I love having a big breakfast and a good dinner. I usually just end up snacking on something at around 3 p.m. – especially since most of my calls are in the middle of the day and I have a pretty filling breakfast. I am, however, addicted to La Croix, so at “lunch time” I usually open my first one of the day. When I do get hungry and have a late lunch/snack, I usually do some kind of a mixed plate that includes something with some fruit (apples are usually always included), hummus and pita chips or Quinn pretzels (if you haven’t had them yet, you need to!), veggies or some version of avocado toast. When I find something that I like I usually have it until I have absolutely overdone it, so that is my current mid-day meal. On the days that I am craving a real lunch, my go-to is always a salad from Sweet Green (I make my own) and they just opened one across from my apartment in Wicker Park, so it is becoming a dangerous habit. My team and I also always have at least one day a week that we would go to Beatrix right near our office and make our own salads from the amazing salad bar or go to lunch at the restaurant. It’s another little part of the week that definitely has changed since we started working from home.
L: You’re hitting your mid-afternoon slump. How do you re-energize your afternoon?
MB: It was definitely easier to find a way to not hit an afternoon slump while I was working in the office. I would get up from my desk, force Roxy, Christina and Sophie on my team to go walk around the office with me and look at what snack we should eat next, or have our barista, Marco, make us an afternoon matcha or surprise wellness shot. It was also nice to go on the roof when it was warm out as a break to be outside and reenergize or walk around the West Loop. When I work from home, I usually try and get up from my desk a few times a day and take a little walk outside or do something around the house like laundry, so a lot less exciting and fun than what I would do in the office, haha. My roommate also works from home so we will usually go on a walk together if we have breaks at the same time to regroup. I have also gone home to Connecticut for several months at a time and when I am home, I love taking a break to walk my golden retriever, Maya (who I am obsessed with), with my mom for some fresh air and to reset.
L: How have you been practicing #wellnessfromhome these days?
MB: I have been trying to practice #wellnessfromhome by sticking to my “normal” routine. Even though working out inside can get quite monotonous I have made sure to make that a part of my day that I do as frequently as I did before COVID because it helps energize me not just physically but also mentally. I also always try to go for a walk, no matter how short or long it is. It always helps to take a mental break and get out of my apartment at some point throughout the day. I also try to tune out of my email and Slack when I am done with my work for the day. At the beginning, I felt like I was always working and constantly answering work questions as they came through on my phone and it became exhausting, so I have turned off my email notifications on my phone and limit my Slack messages at night. I love cooking, so something else I have focused on to practice #wellnessfromhome and stay sane at home is cooking dinner each night, making dinner for my roommate or small group of friends on the weekends. The Barefoot Contessa and The Defined Dish are my favorites! Lastly, a trip to Trader Joe’s on Sundays always does wonders.
Rapid-Fire Questions
Favorite Podcast? Girls Gotta Eat! Their episodes drop every Monday and always make my day.
Favorite Workout? CorePower yoga sculpt class and studio Lagree Pilates.
Favorite Binge-Worthy Show? YELLOWSTONE! I am crying that I already finished all three seasons.
Favorite Vital Proteins product? Ah, there are so many that I use every day! The Original Collagen Peptides, I always include either in my morning smoothie or coffee with cinnamon and steamed almond milk. I also love adding Morning Get Up & Glow™ to my daily smoothie, which usually includes frozen raspberries, mango, bananas and almond milk – nothing crazy but I love how it gives it a tropical spin.
