A Day In The Life : Mikena VanLiere

Personally, some of my favorite content on Instagram and TikTok is seeing influencers I follow, showing what a typical day looks like for them. I’m kicking off our own spin on A Day in the Life blog series, by showing our followers what it’s like to be an Account Executive with The Sampson House. If you prefer to watch my IG series you can find the highlight on our Instagram profile here. 

To give a quick overview of myself, my name is Mikena VanLiere and I joined the TSH team just over 7 months ago after reconnecting with Val earlier in the summer. I am a Sioux Falls native, where I currently reside with my husband Cole, and our 3.5 year-old pup, Nash. 

Within my position as an AE, I oversee my own set of clients and handle any internal coordination and outgoing creative of the projects that I manage. I have always been drawn to the creativity that flows within an agency and uplifting the look and voice of a brand. I decided early on, that my people skills would mesh well on the client service side of an agency. Below is an overview of what a typical day can look like for me!

7:00-8:30 am - I wake up between 6:30a-7a and start the day by brewing some of my favorite Highlander Grogg black coffee before hopping in the shower and finishing with a cold plunge (turning the faucet to cold water for about a minute), getting Nash food and water and then I start getting ready for the day. While applying my skincare and makeup, I will sip on my coffee, finish a YETI full of water, and listen to an educational podcast from the likes of: The Ed Mylett Show, The Skinny Confidential, The Blonde Files, The Art of Being Well, and The Ultimate Health Podcast. Once I’m done, I get dressed, make my bed, pour a mug of coffee to go, and then spend time with Nash outside to burn energy before heading to work. Some of my favorite mornings, like the one I showed on my Instastories takeover, include heading to a YPN Morning Buzz ahead of the workday to network with others in the area.

9:00 am - Our workday at the office begins. On most mornings, I like the quiet of the office being the first or second person in, so I can get squared away for the day and attend to any tasks I have set as a priority to knock out first. Once I’m situated at my desk, I catch up on emails and my Asana inbox, gather client and team feedback on projects and approvals, and give needed direction to my team members so they have the latest update on project status when they get into work that day.

10:00-11:00 am - I prefer to time batch my day by a client or by approvals of the same type of projects, such as blogs, editorial calendars, etc. This helps me stay productive and in the zone of my client's brand voice, being thorough with the messaging, logos/sub-logos, website URLs, disclaimers and hashtags being implemented, that vary with each client.

11:00 am-1:00 pm - When possible, I prefer to schedule team meetings and regroups in the morning. I personally feel sharper in the morning and like to get through any meetings and updates prior to noon, so the team can jump into the next steps and ask any questions once they’re working on the project, following lunch.

1:00 pm - Lunchtime! Typically, I run home to make my go-to turkey wrap, run Nash around the backyard, and likely, set out whatever frozen protein for dinner I’m making later that night. On my way back to the office, I like to listen to a meditation podcast to get me refocused and energized for the rest of the day, to knock out the tasks I have yet to tackle. My favorite meditation podcast at the moment is, Meditation Minis with Chel Hamilton.

2:00 pm - On shoot days, such as today, I will coordinate team members to capture a couple of foodie films and giveaway shoots, to get ahead on client content for the month ahead.

2:30 pm - Client meetings and board meetings are a weekly occurrence for me and the best part of my job. I love taking the time to meet with my clients and the boards that I sit on in order to catch up on their lives, jobs, and current projects that we get to coordinate on.

3:30-4:00 pm - When I’m back at the office, I run through any tasks that have been sent over to me while I was out at meetings and answer any team questions or respond to my clients to keep projects moving.

4:00-5:00 pm - Happy hour! Whether we are heading as a team to our monthly Town Hall brainstorm, or I’m heading out to meet a client, gathering together over a drink is my favorite type of meeting. My go-to cocktail is always a Tom Collins. Simple and refreshing - the best!

After work, I head home, change into leggings, and take Nash for a walk. Post-walk, I make dinner for Cole and me, then we catch up on the latest tv series we’re engulfed in. Around 8:30 pm I’ll wash my face and get ready for bed. I always turn my phone on silent around 9 pm, so I can hop in bed and read my Bible chapters for the day (I’m trying to read it in one year). Then I switch to the book I’m reading at the moment, which is currently The Guest List. I turn the lights off around 9:30 pm and mentally run through my 3 daily gratitudes and things I accomplished in the day.