Emily Yocom is Rumpus’s administrative assistant extraordinaire, tackling many behind-the-scenes tasks to ensure everything runs smoothly. Since Emily says she is “definitely not a writer—Sarah got the writing talent in the family,” I (virtually) sat down with her for a quick Q&A session so you can get to know this rockstar member of our team.

Angela Beal: You seem to do a little bit of everything for Rumpus—describe your position.

Emily Yocom: I’m on the administrative side of things. Along with Kate, I post blogs for many of our clients. I keep the team informed about birthdays, workiversaries, and other important team-related things. I also help Sarah, who is my sister, with Rumpus taxes and I run errands for her when needed.

AB: How long have you worked in the veterinary field?

EY: I’ve been in the veterinary space for 12 years. I started as a veterinary receptionist at a VCA hospital here in Denver, and over many years and several other jobs, I worked my way up to hospital manager. I then took a position with a small startup company that developed cloud-based veterinary practice management software. They were recently purchased by Chewy, so I now work full-time for Chewy, in addition to working part-time for Rumpus. 

AB: How did you come to work for Rumpus?

EY: About four years ago, I was talking to Sarah about getting a second job. I jokingly asked if she could give me a job, and she said, “Well, maybe I can.” That’s when she passed blog publishing over to me, and it’s gone from there.

AB: What is it like to work with your sister?

EY: It’s great that Sarah and I have the veterinary background that we do. We’ve always had a love for animals and we went vegetarian at the same time. Since we are so close, I got to see Rumpus’s “birth,” and watch it grow into what it is today. It was awesome to see Sarah, who had just been laid off and was going through a difficult time in life, start her own business, and now she’s killing it. It’s been very inspirational. I don’t actually work directly with Sarah a lot any more, which is probably better for our relationship!

AB: Tell us about your pets!

Molly & Lulu

EY: Right now, I only have Lulu, AKA “Loco Lu” or “Big Lu.” She is an 8-year-old shih tzu who was a puppy mill rescue. I adopted her right after she turned 5. She had been in the puppy mill her entire life, and the people who rescued her think she had eight litters. I lost my other shih tzu, Molly, last year. I would love to get another shih tzu in the next year. I’m totally hooked on the breed. I never thought I would be a small dog person, but they have such fun personalities. They’re spunky and just a lot of fun. 

AB: How long have you been vegetarian?

EY: Sarah and I went “cold turkey” 13 years ago. Sarah called me and said, “You have to watch this video I just watched.” The video is called If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls, Everybody Would Be Vegetarian and it is narrated by Paul McCartney. I was like, “I really don’t want to watch this video.” I watched it, and I cried my eyes out. I called Sarah back and she said, “I can’t eat meat any more. Let’s stop.” So, we stopped eating meat that day.  In 2017, I went vegan for two years. I still eat a lot of vegan foods, because I like them, but I eat a lot of cheese, too!

AB: What do you like to do in your spare time?

The blanket that Emily crocheted for Sarah!

EY: I love to travel, when I can afford it. I live two blocks from a really cool park, so Lulu and I hang out there a lot. I love to go to concerts and sporting events, mainly football and baseball. I  also visit my favorite local restaurant for tacos and tequila quite often!

AB: Do you have any special talents or hobbies?

EY: I like to crochet. I have made eight blankets. I made Sarah a blanket as a housewarming gift, and that was the best one I’ve ever made.  (Writer’s note: I’ve seen the blanket, and I have serious blanket envy!). I’m a really good dog mom. I also love photography—I mainly take pictures of landscapes or my dog.

Bringing content to life, from writing, to editing, to publishing, is a team effort. Emily is a vital part of our team, and we could not produce amazing veterinary content without her! If your team is too busy to map out a content strategy, much less write blogs and social media content, contact the Rumpus team for help.