A Day In Her Life

Ellie Rineck
  • 4.9 (134)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Are you interested in how other women get it all done? Do you like a "What's in her bag?" or a "What's on her nightstand?"  Are you overwhelmed by seeing highlight reels on Instagram and want to finally hear some authentic, real women talking about their real life?Same. Join Ellie as she sits down each week with women to discuss their daily lives - the struggles, the wins, their favorite parts. Let's normalize what our every day lives look like, and learn from each other's shared experience. Let's have some fun!

  1. 21h ago

    Episode 172: A Day In Her Life with Kate Fisher - Tutoring Company Founder and Mom of Two Under Four

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Kate Fisher, founder of Kate Fisher Tutoring and mom of two daughters on New York's Upper East Side. Kate shares what it's like to tutor back-to-back on Zoom from 4pm to 9pm with zero breaks (dinner included), cook the family's dinner at 11am so it's ready to reheat later, and pop out mid-session to say goodnight to her girls. In our conversation, Kate opens up about turning a $20-an-hour college job into an 18-year career and a company with 35 tutors, a rocky start to motherhood that collided with her mom's breast cancer diagnosis, and why 2026 feels like the year she finally came back to herself. We talk about the hourly AI-generated to-do list that scans her texts and emails, the husband who plays the Rocky theme when she finishes a long day, and why her time with her daughters is about quality over quantity (because "they deserve a happy mom"). What We Cover: Why she describes her days as variable, loud, and fulfilling, starting with a 7am wake-up call from her three-and-a-half-year-old (who needs an alarm?).How a Kaplan ad looking for theater kids with strong SAT scores became her life's work, and why she almost left it all for social work school.The learning management system she built with Claude over the summer and how AI lets a small company "punch above our weight."Her biggest PTO hack: solo trips tacked onto conferences, and why three months of maternity leave with her first nearly broke her while three weeks with her second felt just right.Unlearning the "every hour is more money" mindset so she can say yes to a Tuesday night concert, plus matinee-and-lunch dates instead of 8pm dinners.Her "friendship islands," coffee walks with her top competitor, and the weekly walk across Central Park to in-person therapy (and why Zoom therapy doesn't work when you work on Zoom all day).Working out five to seven times a week as a formerly unathletic kid, and why her younger self would be shocked she's a mom (and that she loves it).References: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe — what Kate is reading now, as the nonfiction pick for a self-described literary fiction girlMoccamaster — the coffee maker that replaced their Keurig and "forever changed" their morningsMargaux sample sale — where she scored three pairs with a friend she met through workConnect with Kate: Instagram: @katefishertutoringWebsite: katefishertutoring.comInstagram (personal): @katefishernycTikTok: @katefishertutoringListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 172: A Day In Her Life with Kate Fisher - Tutoring Company Founder and Mom of Two Under Four

  2. Sep 29

    Episode 171: A Day In Her Life with Elizabeth Wellington Rollins - Author and Mom in Vermont

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Elizabeth Wellington Rollins, a former award-winning tech copywriter turned full-time novelist whose debut, "The Three Graces of Pearl Street," just landed on the USA Today bestseller list. Liz shares what it's like to launch a book she's been working toward for 20 years, working "investment banking hours" on a solo book tour across six states, all from a small town in Vermont where she loses cell service five feet from her front door. In this deeply week’s conversation, Liz opens up about spending five years on a first manuscript that never sold, writing her debut in a single year while losing her dad to ALS, and caring for her newborn daughter in a medical bubble for ten months. We talk about the $25 vacuum cleaning article that launched her writing career, weekly pots of sauce from her family's Italian-American recipes, and why surrendering to "the hurricane" produced the best work of her life. What We Cover: Why she describes launch season as very full, tired, and so grateful (and why it feels a lot like postpartum).How she protects her mornings for writing, then uses a dog walk as her transition to shift from Liz the writer to Liz the operator.The path from a college bookstore job to a $25 article on vacuum cleaning methods to messaging strategy for tech unicorns, and why she was set on scaling the complexity of her writing instead of building an agency.The five-year manuscript that got four offers of representation but no book deal, and the month she "left the planet for a fairy prince" before getting back to work.How Caro Chambers' monthly meal plans made dinner "frictionless" for her marriage while she finished the book.The bedtime nightlight trick that lets her four-year-old read as long as she wants (and cut down on nighttime check-ins).Why a walking pad in her favorite window became a necessity for her mental health during launch.Letting go of a "facade of perfection," flubbing the first line of her prologue in front of 200 readers, and learning to feel the bestseller moment instead of just thinking about foreign rights.References: The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins — Liz's debut novelUnder Story by Chloe Benjamin — what she's reading now, a fellow WME author with the same release dateFriday Night Lights — her comfort rewatch while packing for tour and doing adminCaro Chambers' What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking and Substack — the monthly meal plans and grocery lists that carried her household through busy seasons, plus her new cookbookInstant Pot — for turning leftover roast chicken into bone brothSarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass series — what she read to lick her wounds after her first manuscript didn't sellJane Austen and Little Women audiobooks — her go-to soundtrack while cooking dinnerCostco Parmigiano-Reggiano — her tip for the best Parm on this side of the AtlanticConnect with Liz: Instagram: @elizabethwellingtonrollinsSubstack: Spaghetti at the WallWebsite: elizabethwellingtonrollins.comListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 171: A Day In Her Life with Elizabeth Wellington Rollins - Author and Mom in Vermont

  3. Sep 22

    Episode 170: A Day in Her Life with Carly Martin - Illustrator and Author-Illustrator

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Carly Martin, an illustrator and mom of two boys in Denver who spent over a decade building a custom wedding stationery business before pivoting to align with her passion. Carly shares what it's like to wake up at 5am for a workout before her early-rising kids are up, and why she's now pouring her energy into writing and illustrating her own picture books. In this week’s conversation, Carly opens up about growing resentful of the always-on Instagram hustle after her first son was born, walking away from a decade of wedding invitations to chase a long-forgotten dream of picture books, and the calmer way she approached work after her second son arrived. What We Cover: Why she describes her days as structured, fragmented, and colorful, and the 5am Sculpt Society workouts she credits with making her less reactive to her kids all day.The path from studying painting in college to a curatorial job in New York to teaching herself watercolor in a tiny Union Square apartment, and how a friend's save-the-date request accidentally launched her stationery business, Clementine Studio, in 2014.Why she walked away from a decade of word-of-mouth wedding stationery work after becoming a mom.How she approached becoming a mom the second time completely different than her first, from the postpartum anxiety to the business pressure.The realities of being an author-illustrator right now: building a full "dummy book" just to query agents, and learning new skills as an experienced illustrator.Her tightly looped weekday food routine and why removing decisions there frees up brainpower for the rest of a fragmented day.Running a household where both parents work from home: a shared Google Calendar, tag-teaming pickups, and letting date nights stay mostly aspirational for now.Why in-person friendships were the first thing deprioritized this year, and how she's kept them alive through constant texting and quick, no-pressure hangouts nearby.The five-minute sketchbook rule that keeps her creatively playful, and why overthinking a project is the fastest way to kill it.References: The Parisian Heist by Joe Piazza — the book Carly just finished and lovedThese Summer Storms — the book she's currently reading, optioned for a TV/film adaptationTed Lasso and Crew Girl — what she's currently watchingSculpt Society — her go-to at-home workout app, with class lengths from 5 to 45 minutesSociety of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) — the organization she joined for critique groups and conferences as she pivots into picture booksCaro Chambers' cookbook (Make it Fast) and Substack — her go-to when she needs a new way to make chickenUrsa Major skincare — her go-to clean skincare brand, especially the Alpine Cream and Mountain Glow SerumConnect with Carly: Substack: Carly Martin StudioInstagram: @carlymartin.studioWebsite: carlymartin.studioListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 170: A Day in Her Life with Carly Martin - Illustrator and Author-Illustrator

  4. Sep 15

    Episode 169: A Day In Her Life with Elizabeth Fitzsimmons - Retired U.S. Ambassador Turned Personal Stylist and Memoirist

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we’re sitting down with Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, a retired U.S. ambassador who spent thirty years in the Foreign Service before reinventing herself as a personal stylist, memoirist, and small-town finance committee volunteer. Elizabeth shares what it’s like to trade fifteen-minute State Department increments for mornings with no alarm clock and to “walk the estate” with a protein shake in a cut-glass mug. In our conversation, Elizabeth opens up about her career in foreign service and moving her blended family of 5 all around the world, how fashion played a part in her career, and how she gets confidence. We talk about not really retiring but “putting on new tires”, getting a “Forever is composed of nows” tattoo at 53, and why she’s decided not to postpone joy for a single day longer. What We Cover: Why “Downton Abbey inspired” is the phrase she uses to describe her days, and how living seasonally for the first time in her adult life reshaped her evenings.The rhythm of days with no alarm clock (except a 6:30am Monday shift at the thrift store), a Peloton split with Rebecca Kennedy, and “walking the estate” with a protein shake in a cut-glass mug.How taking the Foreign Service exam almost by accident in Tokyo in 1993 led to becoming U.S. Ambassador to Togo, including the phone call where she told an appointee “I think you have the wrong person.”Being on a GLP-1 for two years, why strength training three to four times a week is non-negotiable, and her go-to protein-forward “fake sushi” lunch bowl.Losing her mom suddenly to pancreatic cancer last summer, just six weeks into retirement, and grieving what’s gone while starting a completely new chapter.Joining her new town’s finance committee (overseeing a $65 million budget) and meeting one of her closest friends by loudly complimenting a stranger’s closet on a house tour.Building Diplomatic Dressing after a stylist she hired told her “I don’t think you need me — want a side hustle?”, and her specialty: women stepping into the spotlight for the first time.Getting a tattoo at 53 that says “Forever is composed of nows,” breaking up with her Oura Ring’s grip on her mood, and eating off her grandmother’s china every day instead of saving it.Connect with Elizabeth: Instagram: @diplomaticdressingWebsite: diplomaticdressing.comSubstack: Well Connected: The Diplomatic EditToday's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 169: A Day In Her Life with Elizabeth Fitzsimmons - Retired U.S. Ambassador Turned Personal Stylist and Memoirist

  5. Sep 8 ·  Bonus

    A Day In Her Life Coffee Chat - Lessons Learned from 168 Episodes (and counting)

    Tell us what you think!!! Welcome to this week's episode - a quick coffee chat of sorts - about the lessons I've learned from guests over the past 3.5 years. I went through every episode - honest - it took way longer than I thought it would, and distilled down the biggest lessons I've learned so far.  There's no right or wrong way to do something. Just what's working for each person in this season, and seasons change. Time is abundant, and how you choose to use it is up to you. You can make time for what works for you. Talking about outsourcing is important, but outsourcing isn't for everyone.Managing your time and family is sometimes like a business, and proper weekly and quarterly reviews are important to keep things running on trackYou can be many things - and that's both exciting and scarySo many guests have solved a need for something they wanted to see in the worldWhat's something that's stuck with you? Whats an episode that lives rent free in your brain? Looking for a past episode? Check out the Episode Index here Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

  6. Sep 1

    Episode 168: A Day In Her Life with Kate Zeitler - Founder of Zeitler Design and Mom of Three

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're chatting with Kate Zeitler, founder of Zeitler Design — the creative agency behind A Day in Her Life's own rebrand — who runs her studio on an "intensive model," taking on just one client at a time. Kate shares what it's like to build an entire brand and website in a single week, raise three kids in Natick, Massachusetts, and still make it to oil painting class twice a week. In this week’s conversation, Kate opens up about leaving a stalled retail career for night classes in design, growing Zeitler Design one referral at a time since 2014, and the framework behind building an entire brand and website in a single intensive week. We talk about the chore system that finally stuck after many failed attempts, using Claude and Figma to build award-winning-caliber websites in days instead of months, and why she'd rather have a blocked-off week than the extra income. What We Cover: Why she describes her days as intentional, creative, and connected — and how those words really do play out in her daysFrom seven years in retail merchandising to night classes at MassArt to freelance schedule cards for a yoga studio in 2014, and how referrals alone grew Zeitler Design into a studio with hundreds of past clients.The Skylight chore system that finally stuck after six failed attempts, with star rewards the family cashes in together (150 stars: a trip to see Toy Story 5).Her morning rhythm: Orange Theory or deep creative work before 6:30am, a dog walk with a cappuccino and a podcast, and not sitting down at her desk until 9:00.Why she is intentional about scaling Zeitler Design, how it’s happened naturally as she’s had more capacity, and why she blocks her weeks when she know’s she’ll need it.The twice-weekly oil painting classes she's kept on her calendar since 2020, and what she's learned painting alongside women decades older and younger than her.What surprised her most about being a working mom, and the newest hobby she's taken up: rebinding her husband's paperback library into gold-debossed hardcovers.Connect with Kate: Instagram: @zeitlerdesignWebsite: zeitlerdesign.comReferences: Be Present — the app she uses to shut down Instagram after 10 minutes and cut off email and social entirely by 9pm each nightSkylight — the family calendar-and-chores console that finally made a star-reward system stick after six failed attemptsTuesday Nights (Milk Street) — the Boston chef's cookbook she turns to for fast, kid-approved dinnersOne and Done — her go-to sheet-pan cookbook for one-dish family mealsJura — the cappuccino maker she uses every morning as part of her walk-the-dog ritualListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 168: A Day In Her Life with Kate Zeitler - Founder of Zeitler Design and Mom of Three

  7. Aug 25

    Episode 167: A Day In Her Life with Alexa Archibald - Jewelry Brand Founder and Content Creator

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're chatting with Alexa Archibald, who spent nine years at Meta — including a stretch on the AI and machine learning team — before walking away to run her jewelry brand, Charm Lane Collection, and her content business (@CharmLane) full-time. Alexa shares what it's like to pack every order herself out of her home studio and parent two wild little boys, ages three and five, mostly solo in the mornings. In this week’s conversation, Alexa opens up about the postpartum depression and anxiety after her second son, the "math equation" that finally convinced her to leave Meta for good, and the exact way she uses Claude as a five-person "board of directors" for her businesses. What We Cover: Leaving nine years at Meta for a "math equation" that finally made sense: trading 2am side-hustle hours for daytime hours building Charm Lane Collection and her content business full-time.Her charge-the-iPhone nighttime routine: a vibration plate, a red light mask, needlepoint, and a $35 TikTok Shop foot massager she's worn out a charger on.Running two businesses on a fixed weekly schedule — Monday is her "CEO day," Tuesday is content day — while still packing and shipping every jewelry order herself.How she uses Claude as a five-person "board of directors," channeling people she admires — like Shopify president Harley Finkelstein — for real business decisions, plus how Claude Cowork now fills her Whole Foods cart each week.Her husband's new NYC ferry commute (he's out by 7:00am) and how mornings became a solo act with her, her two boys, and their 70-pound sheepdog, Phyllis — who loves to forage for food.The "standing plans" that keep her friendships intact — weekly mahjong with a rotating group of ten and a set weekly meal with her best friend.The "ball" she's intentionally letting drop: the big, shiny mom-friend-group scene, in favor of a smaller circle she can go deep with.Connect with Alexa: Instagram: @charmlaneWebsite: charmlane.comJewelry Brand (Instagram): @charmlanecollectionJewelry Brand (Website): charmlanecollection.comReferences: Be Ready When the Luck Happens (Ina Garten)Activations appClickUpTikTok Shop foot massagerLoop & DashListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 167: A Day In Her Life with Alexa Archibald - Jewelry Brand Founder and Content Creator

  8. Aug 18

    Episode 166: A Day In Her Life with Emma Shulman - Recovering Executive Turned Debut Novelist and Mom of Two

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Emma Shulman, a self-described "recovering executive" who left a 15-year tech career to chase her lifelong dream of writing a novel. Emma shares what it's like to be out the door by 4:45am three to four mornings a week to write at her regular Starbucks — where she knows every barista by name — before her kids can "smell her" and end the flow. In this week’s conversation, Emma opens up about querying literary agents for her debut dystopian novel, the writing group note that sent her back for a full rewrite, a solo writing residency on Nantucket that cracked open how much of her mental space usually belongs to everyone else's needs, and what it's really like to run two kids' entirely separate school schedules with zero outside childcare. What We Cover: The 4:45am Starbucks ritual that buys Emma two hours of writing time before her kids can pull her back into mom mode (she knows every barista by name).Why she calls herself a "recovering executive" — leaving a 15-year tech career, including an acquisition that closed the day her second child was born, to write full-time.The writing group note that sent her back for a full rewrite of her debut novel.What a solo writing residency on Nantucket taught her about how much headspace she normally spends on everyone else's needs.The "should, should, should" loop she quiets with a literal 10-minute kitchen timer — and why leaving corporate life means building her own boundaries from scratch.Running two kids through entirely separate school schedules with zero outside childcare, plus the "boomerang tasks" her part-time house manager takes off her plate.The preschool expert's rule for deciding if a five-year-old is actually ready for an extracurricular.Why she deletes Instagram every Friday, saves TikTok for her 10-minute red light mask, and finally let herself get her nails done again without the guilt.The exposure therapy of being a "recovering type A" who's finally comfortable trying things she's bad at, from wedding calligraphy to a new needlepoint kit.Connect with Emma: Instagram: @writewithemmaSubstack: Write With EmmaReferences: "Alan Ops Out".EuphoriaOura RingB ToneCaro Chambers' "What to Cook" IndexLouise Carmen Journal/PlannerSkylightListen and Review Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube More A Day In Her Life @adayinherlifepod adayinherlife.com adayinherlife.substack.com Today's episode is brought to you by Sage Haus, the only nationwide service matching vetted house managers with busy families across the US and Canada.  Book a free call using www.sagehaus.com/ellie and use code ELLIE for $200 off hiring services. Episode Music - For Days - Tom Deis via Shutterstock

    Episode 166: A Day In Her Life with Emma Shulman - Recovering Executive Turned Debut Novelist and Mom of Two
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4.9
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About

Are you interested in how other women get it all done? Do you like a "What's in her bag?" or a "What's on her nightstand?"  Are you overwhelmed by seeing highlight reels on Instagram and want to finally hear some authentic, real women talking about their real life?Same. Join Ellie as she sits down each week with women to discuss their daily lives - the struggles, the wins, their favorite parts. Let's normalize what our every day lives look like, and learn from each other's shared experience. Let's have some fun!

Information

  • Creator
    Ellie Rineck
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    179
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Day In Her Life
  • Show Website
    A Day In Her Life

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