Welcome to The Vital Life, where we spotlight Vital Proteins® employees. This week, Director of eCommerce, Jenn Plotkin, gives us a look inside her remote workday.
Lively: Thanks for sharing your day with us, Jenn! To kick things off, can you tell us about what you do at Vital Proteins and what you enjoy about your role?
Jenn Plotkin: I am the Director of eCommerce here at Vital Proteins. I oversee all things DTC and have the opportunity to partner and collaborate with so many teams here at the brand to bring our digital experience to life. For me, all things lead back to our digital experience. It’s where a customer comes to learn about our brand, what we stand for, what our incredible products can do to support them through each phase of their day and life! Obviously, my goal is to drive conversion on the site, but well before that, it all starts with the customer at the center, with the hope that we turn our fans into advocates of the brand and deliver an end-to-end superior experience. I truly believe in what we’re doing here at Vital and working alongside the talented individuals at the brand who support our mission to help people live a fuller, more vibrant life is my favorite thing about my days at Vital.
L: Walk us through your morning routine – how has it changed (or not) since staying home?
JP: I’ve worked remotely for Vital Proteins since joining a little over two years ago and feel blessed to do so. With that, my routine at home has basically stayed the same throughout the year. (I do miss my trips to the Chicago office though - nothing like face time with the team)! My husband always jokes when I go upstairs to my home office to watch out for that traffic. Inevitably, one or both of our dogs follows me up and keeps me company. They’re great WFH co-workers!
With that said, I’m a big routine person and I always start any workday by catching up on slack and checking our metrics...always with a cup of coffee + 2 scoops of our OG Collagen Peptides in hand. It’s pretty much the easiest way to get collagen every day.
L: Where have you been getting inspiration for projects or tasks you might be working on throughout the day?
JP: I read a lot! Plus, I love to scroll through IG / TikTok and Pinterest...sometimes, when I’m driving, or jogging with the music going I see something totally random and unrelated that happens to spark an idea that can be applied here with a Vital spin. All that said, I think the real magic is in having conversations with cross-functional teams and learning about their perspectives and goals. Sometimes connecting with others helps me put myself in their shoes and create programs with creative, out-of-the-box solutions.
L: Lunchtime! What’s your plan?
JP: It’s always tough to find time to eat when you work from home. When I first started my WFH life, I would realize it was 3 p.m. and I hadn’t eaten lunch! I knew that needed to change, so I make a point to prepare lunch the night before and have some easy grab-and-go snacks as if I was still going to an office outside of my house.
L: You’re hitting your mid-afternoon slump. How do you re-energize your afternoon?
JP: I live in sunny SoCal, so I try to move my work station outside when we’re having nice weather to enjoy some fresh air and let the dogs run around the backyard. I’ll usually grab one of our new Energy Collagen Shots™ or make a quick Iced Matcha Latte with oat milk for a little pick-me-up. That little change of scenery and seeing the dogs happy usually puts me in a great mood to power through the rest of the day.
How have you been practicing #wellnessfromhome these days?
JP: I’ve been really loving AloMoves virtual Yoga - Briohny Smyth is my absolute favorite teacher and her classes really make me feel as if I’m connected to the class IRL. Sleep is also super important for recovery and rejuvenation - with everything going on in the world, it’s been important to set a good bedtime routine. I’ll take an Epsom salt bath and usually throw in some necessaire eucalyptus body wash for some uplifting scent and bubbles. Then, I finish the day with my favorite Vital product - Blueberry Moon Milk Collagen Latte™ + a 3-minute meditation on my app “Aura.”
Rapid Fire Questions:
Favorite Podcast? I’m not a huge podcast person, but I’m excited to listen to the new Michelle Obama podcast that just came out.
Favorite Workout? I love yoga and quick 20- to 30-minute jogs to clear my head.
Binge-Worthy Show? I’ve recently rediscovered New Girl and just started playing it on the elliptical to help the workout move along quickly. I haven’t watched it in years and it’s still keeping me laughing out loud.
Favorite Vital Proteins Product? OG Collagen Peptides and Blueberry Moon Milk Collagen Latte™- hands down! Every, I night boil some water and pour 2 scoops of Blueberry Moon Milk Collagen Latte™ into my favorite mug. Froth it up with a little handheld frother and top it with some non-dairy creamer. Dee-lish!
Jenn's Collagen Picks
