Momentum, stamina, endurance, energy… what comes to mind when thinking about the 2023 theme, Lead With Speed? This year is off to a speedy start with the goal of driving innovation and growth for the agency and our clients. Not only are our employees striving for quick turnarounds on requests, but some are focused on maintaining speed in their personal lives.
Whether they are racing to finish a task, get to the grocery store, pick up the kids, or make a doctor’s appointment, many of our employees are always on the run. We even have those who run for fun.
Tiffany Millan grew up as an athlete and began running as part of her conditioning for tennis and volleyball. Although she did not play sports in college, running became a hobby for her as it was one of the only free ways to stay active. Over the years, she has incorporated running into her fitness routine. She runs outside a few days during the week and takes fitness classes at Orangetheory, as well as barre classes at a local studio. When she’s training for a race, she attempts longer-mile runs on the weekends.
Tiffany, along with fellow SAM runner Katie Reeves, participated in the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend on February 11 and 12. Tiffany ran in the Superhero 5K while Katie ran the Half Marathon. Both Tiffany and Katie run because it’s enjoyable for them, and it also enhances their mood.
“When you work out, you are doing it for your health and to feel better about yourself,” Tiffany said. “When you work, if you love your job, you want to feel energized. Your physical health has so much to do with your mental health, and your mental health affects you and your workload.” She says a good balance of working out and maintaining her physical health creates a more positive attitude and motivates her to tackle any challenges she may face in the workplace.
Katie was also involved in sports as a child. She played soccer competitively her entire life and incorporated running into her college routine as a way to stay active. Running with her college roommate quickly transformed into a hobby. Eventually, her competitive spirit led her to participate in two half marathons per year from 2009 until 2016.
Katie says when training for a race, it’s important for her to find ways to become motivated. Signing up and paying for the race is the first step. Then, she plans over the next few weeks the exact day, time, and distance she will run in order to build up endurance. “I always tell a few friends and family as a way to hold myself accountable,” Katie said. “So if I end up not doing the race, I’ll be properly humbled.”
Having a balance of mental toughness while also knowing her own limits keeps Katie on track, both on the running trails and at work. “When you get to a point where you know you need to rest, you have to stop and take a breather – whether it’s on the side of the running trail, or taking a literal lap around the circle and getting something from the Bevi machine,” she said. Katie says that being consistent with what she does every day, at work and with her running routine, is what leads to long-time results and success.
Tiffany says maintaining speed is crucial in order to achieve her running goals, and by staying consistent, she can feel satisfied with her performance. However, she says pacing herself is important for preventing burnout, which goes hand in hand with maintaining her task list at work. She is constantly staying on top of her job tracker, checking her budgets, and monitoring Podio throughout the day. “You don’t want to do too much or feel overwhelmed and not be able to give 100% to yourself, to your team, or to the client. We owe it to the client to be quick. Thankfully, we have a really great team and are able to make sure everything gets done across the board.”
stories in areas all across the country. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bobby spent a year in New York writing feature stories about people trying to reclaim their lives. He spent the next 2 years in Wyoming managing a local newspaper, “which was the longest decade of my life,” he said. After six years in Georgia as the managing editor of various newspapers, Bobby returned to Alabama, following the tornado on March 1, 2007 that hit