From her serious passion for yoga, to her job as Director of Web Communications at WSU, Mollee Sheehan is an all around go-getter who radiates a passion for the visual arts everywhere she goes. I was thankful to interview Mollee in between her busy schedule to catch up with our very own Winona native and WSU Alumni for a chance to dive into her world of creating engaging content across many different mediums.
Tell me about yourself! Where are you from? Do you have children?
I’m a homegrown Winona girl and graduated from Winona State. I have two sons, Mason and Miles. Mason is 20, and a crazy-talented musician who is a sophomore Advertising Major here at WSU. Miles is 13, and my artistic fashionista son (When we drove past the Quality Inn that had been recently torn down, he said, “I hope they build a DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse).”
How did you find your home at Winona State University?
When I was an undergrad here at WSU, double-majoring in Journalism and Psychology, I worked in the University Communications office, writing press releases, as well as at the Winona Daily News as a reporter. My first full-time position at WSU was right after I graduated, serving as Interim Director of Public Information while my boss, Andrea, was on maternity leave with her first child. The consistent hard work I demonstrated as a student worker truly paid off. After that interim role at WSU, I worked as a digital communications and social media coordinator at Mayo Health System. I also continued to freelance for WSU, writing for Currents alumni magazine. When WSU created a new position for a Director of Web Communications in 2009, I’d gained more experience in web and social, and met the qualifications to apply. I was hired and became WSU’s first director of web communications.
What is a day in the life at work here at WSU?
I am ultimately responsible for Winona State’s website, blogs, and its seven social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Snapchat. My days are spent co-creating ideas, planning and editing content, and developing and refining web and social media strategies, policies, and processes for WSU and its departments. I do a small percentage of this work alone. Nearly all my responsibilities involve partnerships. I partner with departments to build their web and social strategies. I partner with my Marketing and Communications team to together tell Winona State’s story and to connect students and the public to information. And last but certainly not least, I partner with my student team to create relevant, quality, engaging content across web and social, and to build and support true community through all our university channels.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
Yoga is a serious passion. I teach yoga at Infinity Yoga Studio and Team Howell Crossfit. I practice yoga daily, for myself and in preparation for the classes I teach. I also love music, playing guitar and singing with my musician partner. I’m a total foodie and vegan, and love cooking fancy, tasty, healthy vegan cuisine for my family and friends. I also play on a co-ed softball league in the summer. I was sporty growing up and still love to play as an adult.
I live and work in Winona, and am raising my family here, so contributing to this community is important to me. I am currently involved in a project called Engage Winona, spending much of my free time listening to what Winonans – representing a variety of life experiences – want for Winona’s future. It’s rewarding to listen to people who have never felt heard, and to let them know their voices matter. It’s also rewarding to see how I can use my expertise to give back to the community. I built the website, manage the Facebook page, and am working as part of the Engage Winona communications team – a direct fit with the skill set I’ve built. I enjoy seeing how the work I do on a daily basis at WSU can be of value in the Winona community as well.
Tell me more about your yoga class!
I teach a restorative Yoga Reset class on Sundays at Team Howell Crossfit that’s focused on renewing mind and body before the madness of the week kicks in on Monday. The goal is to release tension from the body and relieve stress from the mind, so participants can begin their week feeling calm and centered.
At Infinity, I teach a Yoga Express class over the noon hour on Tuesdays. Because it’s smack in the middle of the day, the goal of this class is to create yoga sequences that invigorate both body and mind.
Both classes are open to anyone and everyone who wants to drop in and give it a try.
Who would you say is your role model and why?
It’s sappy but true that I am lucky enough to have a partner who is my role model. He is brilliant and compassionate and humble and fierce, in the best way possible. He’s a thinker, a feeler and a doer. He’s constantly reinventing himself. In the seven years we’ve been together, I think I’m dating Brian 9.0. Having a partner like him forces me to constantly reevaluate how I can improve myself and how I can become a better force for good in this world.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Kenya. For two reasons: My youngest son has been obsessed with Africa from a young age, and I would love to witness his reaction to seeing a lion in the wild. Also, I have a friend who runs a nonprofit that builds wells in areas in Kenya that are without clean water access. I haven’t experienced any cultures outside of European countries. I think it would be transformative to observe and participate in a culture so different from my own reality.
What is your favorite thing about Winona State University?
Best. Students. Ever. The students I work with have equal parts talent and heart. I learn so much from them daily and am a better person because I get the privilege of working closely with these amazing humans.
How does it feel to be selected as a Her Campus profile?
I’ve been impressed with the quality and creativity coming out of Her Campus. I know what it takes to create relevant content. What Her Campus is achieving is truly impressive. And it’s especially flattering to be considered a Campus Cutie at my age. Just kidding! In seriousness, it’s an honor for sure.