A Day In Her Life

Ellie Rineck

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. 1d ago

    Episode 176: A Day In Her Life with Elin Strong - Writer and Hybrid Mom of Two

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Elin Strong, a writer, former brand marketer and creative director, and self-described "hybrid mom" of two girls (one and three) in Southern California, about 10 minutes from Disneyland. Elin shares what it's like to start her day at 5am with her Moccamaster and a laptop, spend the day out of the house with her girls, and get everyone fed, bathed, and out on a family dog walk by 7pm. In this week's conversation, Elin opens up about going back to a startup after maternity leave, the months of conversations and budgeting that led her to step away, and the career pause she thought would last six months. We talk about starting her Substack, Bang Voyage, the same day she got a positive pregnancy test, the Thursday writing day her husband makes possible by fitting his teaching into four days, the afternoons her mom covers so she can build her portfolio, and why "my ambition did not go anywhere." What We Cover: Why she describes her days as colorful, chaotic, and evolving, and what being a "hybrid mom" looks like right now.A 5am start she never expected to have: 60 to 90 minutes of focused work on the green velvet couch in "the library," then Pilates or a Peloton ride, a dog walk, and a 9am handoff after her husband gets the kids' breakfast on the table.Her one rule for solo days with a one- and three-year-old: get out of the house (the formula is a coffee shop plus a playground, with zoo and aquarium memberships on rotation).The 5pm hour: chicken nuggets in the air fryer, a Trader Joe's frozen meal for her, and the night her daughter lit a tissue on fire at the dinner table. Then bath, matching pajamas, and a night walk with the dog.What they outsource on one income (grocery delivery and landscaping), what they've paused (a monthly cleaner and a summer babysitter), and the monthly facial membership they budgeted to keep.A solo night each every week, date nights with her mom babysitting, and their first night away since their second daughter was born.Creativity in getting dressed on a limited budget, a growing camera collection (including mini Kodak keychain cameras for her girls), and a monthly book club in an old warehouse with women from 28 to 72.References: Whistler by Ann Patchett — the novel she just finished and lovedLady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser — what she's reading right nowThe Second Mountain by David Brooks — her book club's current nonfiction pickWhat to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers — the cookbook behind any home-cooked dinner at her houseCatastrophe — the Sharon Horgan show she's rewatched and recommends starting withConnect with Elin: Substack: Bang VoyageInstagram: @elinmariestrongWebsite: elinstrong.comFor creative direction, brand marketing, or writing work: heyelinstrong@gmail.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 176: A Day In Her Life with Elin Strong - Writer and Hybrid Mom of Two

  2. Oct 27

    Episode 175: A Day in Her Life with Corre Larkin - Food Creator and Debut Cookbook Author

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Corre Larkin, the food creator behind Coco Larkin Cooks and author of the debut cookbook Season to Taste, out November 10. Corre lives in Newport Beach with her husband, Matt, and their two kids (10 and almost 13). She sold the company she ran for 13 years to private equity to go "all in on something I actually wanna do." Now she cooks with little more than salt and pepper and just great ingredients. In this week's conversation, Corre shares how a friend asking "Could you just find a place to put them?" turned years of recipes saved in her Instagram highlights into a full-time career, and why she runs her cookbook launch like a business ("There is no 'I'm a creative'"). We talk about the husband who handles pickups, drop-offs, breakfasts, and lunches, the laundry, cleaning, and grocery help she leans on, and the three-hour rule that got her through the hardest summer of her life. What We Cover: Why she describes her days as random ("no day is the same"), exciting, and exciting.Learning to cook in her mid-20s in London from Nigella Lawson, James Martin, and Jamie Oliver, and why her food is "simple ingredients cooked in season" with almost no complicated spices.The simple tomato pasta (with anchovy and chili) her kids would eat every day, and the DoorDash nights when they say "Absolutely not."The cookbook authors who share advice with "no competition," and the New York Times bestseller goal leading up to her cookbook release day.Lifting three days a week at 7am, the working out that’s become her therapy.Sweats and bling dinner parties with her girlfriends (phones down), after-dinner dog walks with her husband, and the Bravo she's let drop.Her 2027 goal of finding where AI can take things off her plate, and her favorite part of the day: 20 minutes in bed with her kids, catching up on the middle school "tea."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 175: A Day in Her Life with Corre Larkin - Food Creator and Debut Cookbook Author

  3. Oct 20

    Episode 174: A Day In Her Life with Samantha Carey Arak - Interior Designer, Yoga Teacher, and Competitive Runner

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Samantha Arak, interior designer, hot power vinyasa teacher at Down Under Yoga, competitive runner for Whirlaway, and mom of two boys in West Medford. Samantha shares how she wakes between 5 and 6am without an alarm, runs the Boston Marathon course before teaching a 9:30 class in a 100-degree studio, and is tucked into bed with a book by 8:30. In this week's conversation, Samantha opens up about a PR job in New York where her paycheck was less than her rent, and the high five on a track that led to a new best friend and a spot on a racing team. We talk about the weekly "CEO meeting" she and her husband built from Fair Play, the friend date she holds on the seventh of every month, and why she believes "the greatest luxury that we will have in our lifetime is privacy and connection." What We Cover: Why she describes her days as creative, intentional, and spacious (the last one is "aspirational, but I'm living into it"), and the quiet early morning she uses to set an intention.A kitchen island of decanted cereal ("Help yourself, gentlemen"), a husband who owns the bus stop because he works late, and her rule to always move her body before she teaches.Pulling her son from travel soccer after he told her, "I just want a free day."Dinner with help from Family Dinner deliveries, Thrive Market, and the Instant Pot she calls her "second wife," plus the difference between "casual dinner" and "family dinner."Going from PR in New York to babysitting during the recession to the first employee at a brand-new interior design firm (and a fixer-upper where the rain buckets watered the plants).How five marathons in five years led to burnout, and how a high five on the Winchester track brought the fun back.The weekly CEO meeting that started when 85% of the Fair Play cards were on her plate, Wednesday date nights with a sitter, and their longtime babysitter and friend, who handles a standing list of errands.Goals written in 10-year increments (the next set gets written in Maine next month), a basket at her desk labeled "purpose and vision," and a year planned by season: "Fall is a season for grounding. Winter is a season for reflection."A friend date on the seventh of every month, "different friendships for different seasons," a monthly massage, and the 10-year goals she keeps in a basket labeled "purpose and vision."References: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson — what's on her nightstand right nowFair Play by Eve Rodsky — the book behind their weekly CEO meetingFamily Dinner — the weekly local produce, meat, eggs, and milk delivery that keeps her fridge stockedThrive Market — how she keeps the pantry stocked with grains and legumesConnect with Samantha: Instagram: @samanthacareyinteriorshttps://www.samanthacareyinteriors.com/Yoga: **Down Under Yoga, Wellesley** (Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30am)Listen 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 174: A Day In Her Life with Samantha Carey Arak - Interior Designer, Yoga Teacher, and Competitive Runner

  4. Oct 13

    Episode 173: A Day in Her Life with Erin Roberts - Third-Generation Coca-Cola Bottler and Mom of Three in Rural Missouri

    Tell us what you think!!! This week, we're sitting down with Erin Roberts, vice president of her family's third-generation Coca-Cola bottling company, writer of the Substack What Erin Cooks, and mom of three in rural Missouri. Erin shares what it's like to wake at 5:10am for a basement workout, have groceries delivered to her office (stores won't deliver out to her house), and plan dinner from two deep freezers. In this week’s conversation, Erin opens up about growing up in a Coke family (she's never tried a competitor's product), talking her parents into hiring her at 22, and why her family's directness makes working together work. We talk about kids who pack their own lunches, the old-school "try bite" that ended a picky-eating standoff, nightly sauna time with her husband, the cookbook she's writing, and why dinner with her family is the best part of her day. What We Cover: Why she describes her days as joyful, educational, and focused, and the 5:10am alarm that gets her into the basement gym before anyone needs her.The family lore behind a third-generation bottler: a grandpa who bought the plant in 1978, a five-and-dime store Sam Walton once came in to measure, and a dad who tried to talk her out of a business major.What it means to "run the place" at a small bottler (payroll, purchase orders, and every national account call bigger bottlers split across a team), and how the Enneagram helps her work with her parents (she's a one, her dad's an eight, her mom's a nine).Life in a rural county and living on "dinner revisited" from a big Sunday cook.Kids ages 8.5, 7, and 2.5 who pack their own lunches, clear the table, weed eat, and babysit their little brother, plus the "try bite" that turned her pickiest eater into the kid asking "Where's the broccoli?"Nightly sauna sessions with her husband, a cookbook club inspired by this very podcast, and the college friends who come every July.The cookbook proposal with 60 recipes in progress and her dad's mantra: "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing."Eating dessert every day without the guilt, chasing 30 plants a week, and why her younger self (who scored the lowest possible on openness to new experiences) would barely recognize her.References: Listen for the Lie — the fiction she's reading before bedHow to Read the Room by Pamela Meyer — the nonfiction she's listening to on the treadmill and her commuteYou Can Just Do Things by Cate Hall — a recent finish she lovedLive, Laugh, Love by Kristin Kobes Du Mez — next up in her lineupNori — the AI calendar app she's test-driving, now home to the Kansas City Chiefs schedule (and where to watch it)Morpheus — the heart rate strap she uses for a quick morning HRV and resting heart rate testWHOOP — what she wore for a year before getting tired of tracking herself all dayBarefaced — her skincare line for a nightly routine she's "serious about"Connect with Erin: Substack: What Erin CooksInstagram: @what.erincooksListen 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 173: A Day in Her Life with Erin Roberts - Third-Generation Coca-Cola Bottler and Mom of Three in Rural Missouri

  5. Oct 6

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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
    183
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Day In Her Life
  • Show Website
    A Day In Her Life

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