Marissa Kraxberger is head of creative services for fashion house Oscar de la Renta. She lives in Brooklyn with her photographer husband, Nathan, and their kids, Alexa, 3, and Hayden, 2.

Describe your job and a typical day for you.

As head of creative services, I oversee the creative art direction of all print and digital advertising and marketing for the brand—ready-to-wear, accessories, home, fragrance and children's wear. I also launched the Oscar de la Renta children's wear blog, george & ruby, in the summer of 2012.

My days are pretty crazy. I wake up at 5:45 a.m. and hit the gym for a three-mile run. I'm training for the NYC Marathon! I'm back by 6:30 a.m. I shower, get dressed and make the kids' breakfast. They love homemade waffles, so we make those a lot! Their nanny arrives at 8:30 a.m. I give the kids a squeeze, run out the door and take the subway to work. I always stop for a coffee on the way in.

I'm at work by 9:15 a.m., when I'll catch up with my team and then head into a full day of meetings about ready-to-wear campaigns, e-commerce initiatives, children's wear photo shoots. I usually head back home at 6:45 p.m. When I get home I play with the kids, heat up warm milk and cuddle in bed with them. We always read books together before they go to sleep. Around 9 p.m. I finally get to pour a glass of red wine and have dinner with my husband and, ahem, we catch up on the latest episode of Game of Thrones!

How do you handle child care?

We have a wonderful nanny that has been with us since our son, Hayden, was born. She makes it possible for my husband and me to have our careers and feel at peace that our children are in great hands.

What was your first real job?

Well, that depends on what you mean by real. When I was 15 I made smoothies at Smoothie King. My first job out of college was as a teacher. I taught art and Spanish at a private elementary school.

What is your working mom mantra?

I have a couple that I live by and that my friends have shared with me. The days are long and the years are short and there is no balance. There is only life and it is up to me to live it to the fullest.

What is your favorite thing that your husband does to help lighten your load?

He keeps life very simple. I am the only one that adds to our schedule and I'm thankful for that. If both of us were like me—an overachiever and over planner—we would never see each other or our family.

How do you fit marriage into the balance?

You must date and travel together. We made a pact before the kids were born that we would continue to do both afterward and not feel guilty about it. For our family to be strong and happy we need to be. When the kids see us hug, kiss and spend time together it makes them happy too. We are really lucky. Nathan is absolutely my best friend, partner in crime, biggest supporter (and critic!) and the love of my life.

When have you been most daring in your personal and work life?

In my personal life I think I have been the most daring in having two children back to back. They are only 15 months apart and people think we are crazy, but we love it.

In my work life, I am always daring. I am very ambitious and have a lot of dreams for who I might be and what I might do.

Could you share a work mom meltdown and how you coped?

I haven't had any major meltdowns, mostly because I try not to be hard on myself. I like being a working mom. I really enjoy both parts of my life. But I do have one pretty upsetting memory.

I was six months pregnant and in Shanghai, China, shooting an ad campaign. I had never left Alexa (she was 11 months) for more than three days, and I was going to be gone for 10 and on the other side of the world. As soon as I got to Shanghai, I called my husband and we set ourselves up to Skype. I had planned to chat with them and see my daughter everyday. The moment I saw her face I felt full of joy and she was giggling, but all of a sudden, she realized I was just on the screen and she couldn't grab me and she completely lost it. We had to shut down the computer because she got so upset and I sat in my hotel room sobbing—pregnant, sleep deprived and missing my baby.

If you could describe your life in one word, what would it be?

Blessed.

If you'd like to see more pictures of Marissa in action at work and with her family, click here for an extended photo gallery.