Becca Millstein is the co-founder and chief executive of Fishwife, a tinned seafood firm based in Los Angeles. Since launching the company, her daily rhythm remains largely unchanged, though the team has grown considerably. Millstein thrives on hands‑on leadership, constantly balancing delegation with the tasks that bring her joy as the organization expands. She trusts a system where letting go of certain duties allows more critical priorities to fill the void.
A typical day begins at 6:30 am. After waking up, she heads straight to her office to check Slack, answer emails, and triage messages. With calls usually starting at 9 am, she has a two‑hour window to clear the first batch of correspondence. Being on the West Coast gives her the advantage of extra morning time for deep, focused work before colleagues in the East and central time zones become active.
Meetings run for many hours, and she typically wraps up around 3 p m. Millstein runs Fishwife using what she calls “monkey bar” meetings—short, intense sessions that keep momentum high, eliminate wasted time, and push the team toward immediate action. This approach allows the company to move quickly. Documentation is rigorous; every meeting has a linked agenda, and AI note‑takers ensure action items are tracked, saving her roughly five to eight hours each week.
Between meetings she often orders lunch and pushes through until 5 p m, though she acknowledges that taking breaks would be healthier. After leaving the office at around 5 pm or 6 pm, she heads out for an eight‑mile run on the Arroyo Seco path, which runs alongside the Los Angeles River and through scenic woods. The run is essential for mental processing; she reflects on the day, tackles workplace challenges like hiring, and even conducts calls while on the move. It’s also her time to listen to podcasts—business and news shows such as Acquired, How I Built This, Masters of Scale, Diary of a CEO, Ezra Klein’s newsletter, The Daily, and Pivot.
In the evening she works through emails or deeper projects while her husband, musician and comedian Pete Martin (who performs as Petey USA), cooks dinner. This quiet period is her most productive for focused tasks. She then unwinds with short walks around their neighborhood and relaxes on the couch, often discussing the day’s events. Their entertainment leans toward horror‑comedy and new‑wave horror series—recently Widow’s Bay, Severance, and Something Very Bad is Going to Happen.
Millstein has removed social media from her life, deleting Instagram and never using TikTok. While she still monitors platforms for work, not having them on her phone feels liberating. She adheres to a strict 11:30 p m bedtime to secure seven hours of sleep, believing that adequate rest is crucial for sound decision‑making. Consistency in sleep, work, and routine helps her navigate the unpredictable nature of running a growing business.