If you’ve ever been to a digital or IRL event, it was probably conceived of, organized, and executed by Nikki Millman. As HATCH’s very own VP of community, she lives and breathes the very core elements that make HATCH, HATCH. Here, she shares a day in her life as she navigates work mid-pandemic with her one-year-old, Ryder.
6:15 am: I have a bad habit of waking up and immediately grabbing my phone and I am consciously trying to make a switch. Ideally, I would love to get up and exercise (like my husband does) but I don’t have that motivation right now! I do get up to wash my face (love all the Indie Lee products) and brush my teeth.
7:00 am: Get Ryder (aka Pikachu) from his crib. We don’t go in earlier than 7 am to get Ryder but sometimes he will sleep past 7 am (which is fine by me). If he is awake prior to 7 am he really just chills in bed. Wondering how long that will last. I give Ryder his bottle while Evan gets us our morning ritual – green tea. We hang in Ryder’s room while he crawls around playing with all the toys I swore I would never have.
8:00 am: Our nanny comes and immediately jumps in to prepare Ryder’s breakfast. I sometimes hang out to spend some extra time with him but I have been really trying to get in a morning exercise/stretch. Today it is an 18-minute pilates and 12-minute arm series on melissawoodhealth.com. It makes a world of a difference (both physically and mentally) even if for 30 minutes.
8:47 am: After a quick shower, I do my quick morning skincare routine. I still use HATCH Belly Oil every day. The product is incredible – not greasy and helps to moisturize – and the bottle just looks beautiful in my bathroom.
After making breakfast, I settle in at my desk – which is in the corner of my bedroom. It is really hard to work, sleep, and exercise in the same place but a big win is that I can pop in to see Ryder for a minute during the day. I try to clear out my inbox before the start of meetings for the day.
9:30 am: Log-on to our HATCH team Zoom meeting to connect on all things for the week ahead. It is such a nice way to see everyone’s faces. I really miss office life – I am a people connector – but Zoom has obviously been a new amazing way to keep the connection alive.
10:24 am: I sometimes need something more than just fruit in the morning (especially if I get in a workout).
Having Territory Foods in the kitchen makes it so easy. I grab one (and a half) of their Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins from Chef Rachelle Slotnick – they are SO good. I heat them up with a little ghee and it does the trick. Ryder wakes up from his nap and screams for a bite. The ingredients are quality and real (which is super important for me) and I love that he is open to trying almost anything.
11:48 am: I pop into our HATCH Upper East Side location (which is conveniently on my block) to coordinate a few gifting pieces for upcoming launches. I love an excuse to get out of the house and the store is breathtaking. All the HATCH stores have different vibes to fit the area and I personally think this one is my favorite.
12:44 pm: I know I have meetings for the rest of the afternoon so I prepare my lunch. I grab whatever is in the refrigerator – today it is avocado toast plus a side salad of arugula and cucumbers.
2:54 pm: Meeting ended early so snuck in a quick hug from Ryder post his afternoon nap. Ugh, he is the best medicine!
4:08 pm: Get back to my inbox in hopes of getting it down to 30 before the end of the day. I block off an hour a couple of days a week so that I have some time to do work. I am an inbox zero person!
5:32 pm: I try to log off the computer so I can have some QT with Ryder. He just came out of the bath and smells SO good. I just started using a new brand EllaOla and I’m obsessed! I love testing new, clean products for Ryder and there are so many that are coming to market now with incredible ingredients.
5:48 pm: Dance party in Ryder’s room. We all love music and watching Ryder move his body is one of my favorite things. Third to thumb sucking and crossing his feet.
6:11 pm: It is like clockwork with him – around 6:05 pm he starts getting fussy and putting his thumb in his mouth because he is ready for his bottle. This kid loves to eat and sleep and I cannot complain. My husband does the nighttime bottle and sometimes I’ll grab a book to read to him before bed. He doesn’t quite have the patience yet for books.
6:28 pm: Put Ryder in his sleep sack (he gets SO excited and smiley), sound machine on, lights off, and bed.
6:42 pm: My husband heads to the kitchen to prep our green veggie for the night – tonight it is asparagus. We typically have different main dishes. Tonight I’m exhausted so I am beyond excited to have Territory Foods Rice Noodle Pad Thai bowl inspired by Butcher’s Daughter (one of my favorite downtown restaurants). I put it in a skillet on medium-high heat and in 8 minutes it is done! So easy!
7:15 pm: Log-on to our pre-event Zoom to connect with panelists before the event. Since Covid, we launched our digital events platform and host 2-3 events per week. The technical aspect used to be nerve-racking but we have this down to a science now. It is amazing how we can really support all parents during this journey digitally. I can’t wait to get back to in-person events though, I have missed them!
8:23 pm: Since pregnancy, baths are my me time. I run a bath (which looks a bit different now with all Ryder’s toys but I can’t complain). I use HATCH Mama Calm – I’m obsessed with the coconut smell. I go through them weekly.
Post bath skin routine is similar to the morning routine minus the moisturizer. I love doing face masks but I always forget to put them on before I get in the bath so I skip it tonight.
9:13 pm: Get in bed. I am in bed between 9 pm – 9:30 pm most nights with a cup of camomile or peppermint tea (and maybe a piece of Hu Kitchen chocolate). I love to read unless I have something I specifically want to watch on TV (I am not into scrolling mindlessly on the TV anymore). I just binged watched Season 2 of Love Life.
My husband usually finds me asleep with my glasses on before 10 pm. And then wake up and repeat!
This article was written in partnership with Territory Foods.
