Meet Zoe Vossen, Wit & Delight’s resident shop manager, member of our podcast team, writer of words, and oh so much more. Zoe joined our team during the wild rush that tends to encapsulate Shop Wit & Delight each holiday season, and she handled the experience with efficiency and grace. Since then she’s grown into the role even more fruitfully, and we’re so happy to have her on our team.

Zoe’s career trajectory is a very nonlinear one, and today we’re breaking down all of the details of how it came to be. Zoe is sharing how persistence landed her a job at W&D, what a day in her life looks like, and how she spends her free time.

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Name: Zoe Vossen
Title: Shop Wit & Delight Fulfillment Manager
Instagram: @zoe.vossen
Astrological Sign: Aries
Meyers Briggs + Enneagram: ENFP-T and a tie between Type 7 and Type 2

1. Tell us a bit about your background. What were you doing before you came to Wit & Delight?

I tried many things before joining Wit & Delight. I graduated from Winona State University in 2017 with a degree in mass communication and studio art. Since then, I’ve worked as a Project Manager for a local advertising agency, KNOCK, and at Studio/E as a Program Assistant. On the side, I’ve written for Henslin and Danish Teak Classics. This past summer, I was making coffee and slinging bagels at Rise Bagel Co. before starting interior design school at Century College. I can’t wait to someday take on design clients of my own!

Yeah, I’m all over the place.

2. How did you get started working for W&D?

I have been a follower for many years. In 2018, I interviewed to be a Project Manager while Bridgette would be out on maternity leave. I didn’t get the job. I was bummed at first but now know I certainly wasn’t ready for it. Fast forward two years and I reached back out to see if they needed any help. I started a week later.

3. You recently went back to school to study interior design. When did you first get interested in design?

I think to a certain degree I always knew I would make things; I just had a really hard time deciding what. I felt pressure to pursue graphic design because it would be the easiest transition from what I was currently doing. It never felt right. I finally threw caution to the wind and enrolled in school for my true passion, interior design.

4. You’re Shop Wit & Delight’s Fulfillment Manager. What does your role with Wit & Delight entail?

When you order something from Shop Wit & Delight, I’m the one who packages it all up nicely and ships it out! I handle customer relations as well. As of recent, I have been (willingly) pulled into working on the podcast, editorial, and a special project for the shop that I’m very excited about!

5. We talk a lot at W&D about improving our habits and prioritizing the goals that matter most to us. What is one of your tried and true methods for managing your time and getting sh*t done?

“I don’t need to write it down” is a lie. ALWAYS write it down. Time blocking and using a timer to keep myself accountable has been very helpful in both my professional and personal life. But at the end of the day, I think it’s important to listen to your brain and if it’s not feeling productive, give it a breather.

6. What does a typical workday look like for you (if typical even exists…)?

My workday usually starts with coffee and emails. From there, I spend the first half of the day fulfilling orders for the shop and the second half on any other projects I have on my plate. Every day for lunch I stop home and let my dog out. Needless to say, I have it pretty good.

7. Tell us about an article on W&D that’s resonated most with you.

There have been several posts recently that have resonated with me. For example, Kate’s tips on how to deal with SAD came at the perfect time for me. Oof, winter in Minneapolis, man. Kolina’s exploration with habit tracking was extremely beneficial as well!

8. What advice would you give someone looking to pursue a career in a creative field like yours?

Keep your eye on the prize and don’t limit the avenues to get there. No one’s career is the same and every step you take will benefit you later on. Be a sponge, push yourself creatively, and always stay true to yourself!

Keep your eye on the prize and don’t limit the avenues to get there. No one’s career is the same and every step you take will benefit you later on.

9. When you have free time on your hands, how do you spend it?

Free time is scarce nowadays. When I do carve out some time, you can usually find me and my boyfriend, Jordan, at a dive breakfast joint or posted up at a brewery playing cribbage with our rescue pup, Cooper. I have been trying to spend more time in the kitchen and work on my cooking skills. My friends must love me an awful lot because they’ve never declined a dinner invitation throughout this process.

10. Do you have a favorite self-care ritual you’d recommend?

SLEEP! I really believe that when you sleep, you’re being productive. Our poor brain is challenged day in and day out and it’s truly the source of our beings. Give it a break. Be gentle with it. Journaling before bed helps empty your tank at the end of the day so you can just focus on recharging.

11. What are a few of your favorite blogs, designers, or social media accounts to follow?

I am all over the place when it comes to my favorites. Some of my favorite blogs are Design*Sponge and House of Brinson. National Geographic is the reason I got Instagram, however, many years ago…still my favorite account to follow!

12. What is something you are looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to more coffee shop conversations, dog park trips, nights going to bed smelling like a bonfire, books read (besides textbooks), therapy sessions, belly laughs, jet-lagged hours, family cribbage tournaments, veggie picking, podcast binging, snow-exploring, breakfast dates, and growler refills. All the ordinary things.

I’m looking forward to more coffee shop conversations, dog park trips, nights going to bed smelling like a bonfire, books read (besides textbooks), therapy sessions, belly laughs, jet-lagged hours, family cribbage tournaments, veggie picking, podcast binging, snow-exploring, breakfast dates, and growler refills. All the ordinary things.

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Today’s post is part of an ongoing series where we’re introducing folks to the team behind Wit & Delight. Curious to learn about the career background and life of our Brand Director, Bridgette Dutkowski? We’ve got you covered here. Want to know about the winding career trajectory of our New Business Director, Erin Hamilton? Learn more here. Want to learn about our Editorial Director, Jackie Saffert? Read all about her story here.