In this week’s installment of #IAmaBoss, we’re heading to New York City to meet some talented ladies working in media. From wine and religion to breaking news, these witty women are keeping readers informed and entertained. We’re chatting with them about their morning routines, fave apps and more. Scroll on to read their words of wisdom.
Christina Pellegrini: Christina is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to penning food, drink, travel and lifestyle stories for Wine Enthusiast magazine, she is a contributing beauty and tech writer for Cambio, a millennial lifestyle site under the AOL umbrella. Her work has appeared in publications including Hamptons, Gotham, Philadelphia Style, Racked, the Philadelphia Inquirer and Bicycling.
Ahiza Garcia: Ahiza Garcia is a breaking news reporter for CNNMoney in New York City. Before joining CNNMoney, she was a news writer for Talking Points Memo and interned and freelanced for Nightline, Fox Sports and ESPN the Magazine. She holds a BA in psychology from Columbia University and an MS in digital journalism from Syracuse University.
Miriam Krule: Miriam Krule is an assistant editor at Slate, where she writes about religion and culture and edits the photography blog, Behold. She lives in Brooklyn, where she likes baking vegan desserts and biking everywhere. She’s such a cliché. She’s also a member of the Park Slope Food Co-op.
What is your morning routine?
Christina
Oh goodness. Morning is not when I shine. If I manage to get myself out of bed to work out, here’s what my schedule looks like:
5:45am: I roll out of bed and — some days — make it to a spin or HIIT class before work.
7:15am: Pop in the shower. Currently I’m working on lightening my locks with John Frieda’s Go Blonder line. I think it’s working.
7:30 am: I’m a makeup minimalist most days. I apply a layer of Benefit Total Moisture Face Cream underneath Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream. Then I swipe on Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara.
7:45am: Get dressed. I’m currently wearing Need Supply’s Outsider pants like, twice a week.
7:45am: Out the door! I’ll have a bowl of Kashi cereal with banana or berries when I get to my desk.
Ahiza
6:00am: Alarm goes off.
6:00-6:15am: Get out of bed, brush my teeth and drink a glass of water.
6:15am: Get dressed, do my makeup and hair.
6:30-6:45am: Head downstairs for another glass of water. Spend some time on my phone getting ready for the day and catching up on overnight/over-weekend news. Check Seeking Alpha for market news.
6:55am: Pack my bag and grab breakfast and lunch from the fridge. Make sure I have workout gear for the day. Head out the door.
7:10am: Get on the subway and read my Nook.
7:50-7:55am: Get to work.
Miriam: I usually aim to wake up between 7:30am and 8am. (I often set my alarm for 7:30am and snooze while listening to Morning Edition.) I’m not a big runner, but I’ve started doing sprint triathlons, so if I’m feeling energetic, I’ll quickly brush my teeth and run two or three miles in Prospect Park. Otherwise I’ll pretend to do some yoga-like stretching to wake up. I’m usually in the shower by 8:45am. I have really long, curly hair and alternate between using Devachan One Conditioner and whatever Dove conditioner I can find at the drug store. I usually use Biolage extra firm gel to help it keep its shape.
Out of the shower and dressed by 9:10am. I’ll usually pack a lunch the night before. Then I hop on my bike and head to my office in the West Village — if I haven’t packed a lunch, I’ll stop at the Park Slope Food Co-op and pick something up. It usually takes about 45 minutes to get to work depending on what bridge I take. If I’m in a rush I’ll take the Manhattan Bridge, but I prefer the Brooklyn Bridge. Even though it’s more crowded and not as bike friendly, it’s glorious to bike over first thing in the morning. At my desk by 10am (ideally)!
Tell us your favorite weekday breakfast.
Christina: My fave breakfast hack is cooking up a big batch of Bob’s Red Mill steel-cut oats on Sunday night, and portioning it out during the week. I love to top it with almond milk, blackberries or raspberries and a drizzle of honey.
Ahiza: Organic granny smith apples + plain Greek yogurt + hemp granola OR whole-wheat burrito wrap with soy sausage + avocado + potatoes + cheese + homemade salsa.
Miriam: I used to love eating yogurt for breakfast, but when I became a vegan five years ago I gave that up. (It’s one of the only things I miss.) For a while I ate a lot of oatmeal, but lately I’ve been making a cashew milk chia seed parfait. Just combine 1/2 cup of cashew milk with a little bit of maple syrup and a tablespoon of chia seeds and refrigerate overnight. Throw some fruit on top and it’s the perfect breakfast.
What is the last app you downloaded and what did you do with it?
Christina: It’s not the last app I downloaded, but I just wrote about celebs to follow on Snapchat. I love catching glimpses into their daily lives (that aren’t overly edited, as they are in Instagram).
Ahiza: I just downloaded Flavour and used it to find a restaurant for dinner tonight with my sister.
Miriam: Punkpost! It’s this great new app that lets you send hand written cards instead of texts. The first one is free, and I haven’t used it yet, but I already know who I’m going to send it to!
What is one life hack you keep in your “tool kit?”
Christina: Since I’m working around the clock, I always need a quick meal option. I keep Aloha protein shakes on hand for that reason.
Ahiza: I installed a small extension rod in my shower window where I can hang washcloths without them touching the shower walls so they dry faster. Also, shelf liner is awesome! I recently used it to cover all the wood shelves in my closet wardrobe — it made the process so much easier because I didn’t have to wait for paint to dry, and it’s a smoother, cleaner surface so my clothes are protected.
Miriam: My life hacks are usually food related. The best way to clean a blender is to just fill it with a tiny bit of water and soap and let it go. Once I learned that I started using my food processor every day.
Tell us about one maker you admire
Christina: Karen Russell. I love the supernatural, otherworldly fantasies that she weaves in her stories; they’re hauntingly beautiful.
Ahiza: Cameron Russell — she’s a Columbia University alumna and a powerful voice within the fashion industry as an advocate for women. She’s also the managing editor of Interrupt Magazine, which is an awesome publication that gives a voice to underrepresented individuals.
Miriam: Gonna have to go with my mom (I dressed up as her for four years straight for Purim, so this is long-standing). She started her own market research company and travels all over the world for her work. Yet she’s also an awesome mom and one of the smartest people I know. Definitely the fastest reader.
I wish someone had told me _______ when I graduated from college.
Christina: That I had inherited a vast fortune and a penthouse in NYC from a kind, yet eccentric uncle.
Ahiza: There’s no rush to have it all figured out. People actually did tell me this, but I wish I’d taken it to heart. I’d always very carefully curated my life and when I graduated from college, I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure my next job/step was perfect and, when it wasn’t, I was stressed. Now a few years out, I’ve realized that that time right out of college was invaluable, even if it didn’t help me advance my career. There were lots of important lessons and enriching experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily have had if I’d immediately found my way and started my career. Also, I’d add this to the aforementioned advice: There’s something to be learned from every job you have and, more importantly, it’s okay to change your mind until you find the right fit.
Miriam: Make my home my home. My first year out of college I moved around a lot and felt like a nomad. Just because you’re on your own and not living with family or in college doesn’t mean your home isn’t its own kind of permanent. Settle down, relax. Buy some nice things.
Does their advice resonate with you? Know a #girlboss we should interview? Send an email to editorial@brit.co and she could appear in the next column!
(Photo via Jemal Countess/Getty)
