Publicist Jenny Shin usually wakes around three o’clock in the morning, although she’ll try meditation or reading to help her fall back asleep.Jennifer Roberts
In November, 2021, Jenny Shin’s life changed forever when she had a stroke, fell out of a car and broke her neck.
Over three years later, Shin is still living with the after-effects of this health crisis, like the chronic pain that means her days usually start at three o’clock in the morning.
“It’s hard for me to stay asleep because it becomes uncomfortable if I’m in the same position,” says Shin, who is chief executive officer of Milestone Public Relations, a Toronto-based PR and talent management agency. “I’ll try to listen to some YouTube meditation videos or different sound therapy things or I’ll read or scroll on my phone.”
Sometimes she falls back asleep and sometimes she doesn’t. Regardless of how much sleep she gets, her actual day typically begins around six.
“A really important part of my routine is to make my bed,” says Shin. “Like first thing, as soon as I leave my bed, I have to make it and I make it so precisely so that I will not be tempted to crawl back into it in the middle of the day.”
After that, Shin starts her day with the usual suspects – vitamins, supplements, black coffee – but she generally doesn’t eat at all.
That’s because Shin’s clients are mostly in the fine-dining and hospitality space (her roster includes Toronto gems like Miku, Taline and Aburi Hana) and she’s usually eating at a restaurant each night.
“It’s kind of a double-edged sword to have to eat all the beautiful, rich foods like foie gras, Wagyu and caviar,” she shares. “Poor me, I know. Realistically though, most people don’t eat like this on a daily basis. So, I’ll day fast and then I’ll break my fast for dinnertime.”
Shin is a firm believer in the power of making your bed every morning.Jennifer Roberts
What she gets up to after her morning coffee really depends on the day. Often, she works out.
“I try to work out a minimum of three times a week and have a personal trainer once a week,” she says. While she’s exercising, she’ll watch news recap videos on YouTube from the night before.
Then, even though she mostly works from home, she still prepares for the day as if she were going to an office: hair, makeup and an outfit to match.
“It takes me an hour to get ready,” Shin says. “If I don’t have makeup on, I feel sluggish and I’m not as productive.”
After her health crisis, Shin felt compelled to make some changes in her life.
“I think the reason I wasn’t so excited to get out of bed before was because I wasn’t thoroughly enjoying what I was doing,” she says. “And a lot of it had to do with the people. So now that I’ve surrounded myself with people who I really enjoy working with, it’s a game changer.”
It may sound surprising, but Shin is thankful for the events of November, 2021.
“It was actually the best experience of my life,” Shin says. “I wake up every morning excited and enthused about what the day will bring.”
