Woman of the Week – Robin Hepler

Each week, we feature a fantastic new woman we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Robin Hepler

My Current Job/Company: Director of Marketing and Communications, Columbus College of Art & Design

My Birthday: March 12, 1959

My Work: Our team creates the outreach plans and communications tools to attract the best-fit students to CCAD and to cultivate alumni, donor and community support. The college is embarking on a major transformation – growing from a regional campus to a national college offering a master’s degree and a focus on the entrepreneurship and creative problem solving of artists and designers to be leaders in the creative economy.

My Passion: My kids, though they wish I could find something else to occupy my time.

My Family: Lauren, 22, soon-to-be graduate of George Washington University; Collin, 20, anthropology and political science major at Salve Regina University; Loki, 9 mos., our rescue dog with the most appropriate mythological name.

My Heroes: My mom and dad — two depression-era folks who carved out a family-focused life and careers serving others. My mom has passed her 30-year anniversary volunteering weekly at the Holy Family Soup kitchen, and just started a new monthly volunteer gig in the nursery of the church near her house. My dad spent 33 years in the fire service.

My Escape: A nice glass of wine, a week of DVR programs so I can skip the commercials.

My Pet Peeves: Whiners without solutions to suggest; don’t just bring me your problems, let’s work together on solutions.

My Indulgence: Travel – splurging on a graduation celebration trip next month to Rome and Brussels.

My Roots: I treasure them. Grew up on a mini-farm near Darby Metro Park. I showed horses, my dad raised beagles, and my mom operated the best-run, exceptionally fun home where we always had a cousin or a friend staying over. I moved back to central Ohio after being gone for seven years, and haven’t looked back.

My Future: Exciting! Far different than anything I could have imagined even a year ago. New house, new career, and only one tuition bill to manage now. I’m very lucky.

My Loves: Family, and quality time with them.

My Movie: I’m a theatre buff who reads non-fiction, so I’m not a prime target for movie marketers. “The Kings Speech” and “Iron Lady” are two of my recent favorites – otherwise, I’m watching Netflix documentaries on my Kindle.

My Quote on Life: From a Mark Pi fortune cookie: “The best times of your life have yet to be lived.” Gives me something to look forward to each day.

My Accessory: Regrettably, my phone with three email accounts.

How I Balance it All: I don’t. Drove myself crazy trying to do so. Finally realized it’s about constantly resetting the day’s priorities, knowing what you can control and knowing what you’re willing to go to the mat to defend each day. Or, as my mom would say during the daily disruptions of life, such as when guests showed up at the door as we were planning to leave: “I think we’re on plan F for today.”

My Advice to Young Women: You can have it all, but you don’t have to try to do it all at one time. You will have plenty of opportunities if you build a solid network of women with similar goals – so take chances, take a break if you want to, try on new careers. And volunteer – it will be the best management training you ever get, and the personal satisfaction is immeasurable.