Style Profile A day in the life
Jamie Coelho
Senior editor at Rhode Island Monthly magazine By Desi Baker Jamie Coelho is a senior editor at Rhode Island Monthly magazine, where she writes about food and drink, art, fashion, business, and other lifestyle topics in the Ocean State. She has also been published in the Boston Globe Magazine and Yankee magazine and appeared on “The Rhode Show,” Rhode Island PBS, and “Weekends with Yankee.” Jamie Coelho is mom of two young kids and a cheerleader for local small businesses in Rhode Island. She makes it her mission to promote shops, restaurants, people, and events on her social media channels. Read about a day in the life of an editor who is one of the biggest movers and shakers in Rhode Island.
5:45 a.m. My alarm goes off. I set three alarms every five minutes in case I sleep through the first. I eventually get out of bed at 6 a.m.
6 a.m. I prepare for my day and head into the office. I brew coffee, put the final touches on my kids’ lunches for school and camp, then head out the door. My kids are still sleeping when I leave the house and my husband gets them ready for the day. 7 a.m. I drive to the Rhode Island Monthly offices in Pawtucket and start my day as one of the first staff members in the office. I work earlier hours so I can get my son off the bus or pick him up from camp, and pick my daughter up from pre-school in the afternoon. 7:30 a.m. I usually start my day eating breakfast at work, while reading other news outlets and perusing social media so I can stay up to date on restaurant and business happenings in the Ocean State. 8 a.m. I kick my morning off by posting any blogs that need to go up for the day, compiling an email newsletter, or transcribing notes from previous interviews for stories in the magazine. 9 a.m. Our interns usually arrive around this time so I will check in with them for the day, assign stories, and go over any edits on previous work.
10 a.m. I usually schedule my own phone interviews or in-person visits with profile and story subjects after 10 a.m., since that is the “sweet spot” when people usually have had their coffee and are more alert to respond to my questions.
11 a.m.-1 p.m. I spend the majority of my day writing articles for the magazine and daily blog.
1 p.m. I’ll break for lunch, often bringing my own home-cooked meal or I’ll order takeout through a food truck or restaurant for pickup. Our building, located in the Lorraine Mills, has several options including Ja Patty Jamaican cuisine and the Miss Lorraine Diner. Sometimes I will take a walk to grab coffee to get up from my desk.
1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. I spend the rest of the day writing features, assigning stories to freelance writers, and brainstorming restaurant package ideas. 3:30 p.m. Fly home to get my son off the bus and pick up my daughter from school. 34 Shop In RI
Myke Yeager Photography 4 p.m. We’re back home for a hot second, when I try to squeeze in a quick home workout on the Peloton app, or take my son out on his electric scooter and push my running stroller with my daughter placed in it to get in some exercise. Sometimes we just play in the yard.
5 p.m. I pull something easy together for dinner for the family, such as a rotisserie chicken with rice or pasta and veggies, and I try really hard to make my kids eat whatever I make. Oftentimes, I cook big meals in advance like chili, stuffed peppers, or chicken chow mein so we have something to eat for several nights. My husband doesn’t get home from work until later in the evening so I’ll leave food for him in the fridge.
5:30-7 p.m. My son is on a local Little League team so I take him to play ball with his team, three days a week. If it’s not baseball, then it’s a Cub Scouts meeting, or a dance class for my daughter. I’m running around with the kids almost every evening!
7:30 p.m. The game or kids’ activity is over and I return home and get ready quickly to head out to a local restaurant, hot new bar, or event. I try to go out only on nights when the kids don’t have activities, but sometimes I do both. I will hire a babysitter to put the kids to bed or stay with them until my husband gets home. I go out on the town and I will meet up with a friend to check out a new spot, but on Fridays or Saturdays, my husband and I will sometimes have a date night and check out more spots that I will write about.
10:30 p.m. Now that I’m home, I have to prepare for the next day, which involves making weekday lunches again for my kids. I often find myself doing this (and washing dishes!) at 10:30 or 11 at night.
11 p.m. I shower and try to unwind with a book, magazine, or Netflix show (or let’s be honest, fold laundry) so I can have some quiet time before bed.
11:30 p.m. Lights out and do it all over again the next day. Always with a smile! Find out more about Jamie Coelho at Instagram.com/jamiecoelho.
