Why I’d Bet on the Young Women of Our Industry
Earlier this week I was honored to attend the first Dream Big Darling retreat in Paso Robles, which aims to foster professional development for promising young women, with four to seven years experience in the wine and spirits industry. Dream Big Darling is the brainchild of Amanda Wittstrom Higgins, who many of you will recognize lassoing a wine glass on the cover of this year’s Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 issue.
It’s a cool shot, and it gives you a fairly good idea of Amanda’s personality. So when she invited me to participate in Dream Big Darling, I said Yes not only as a speaker but also as the early-morning teacher of yoga one morning, and walking meditation the next.
It was pretty wild. Here’s what happened.
Everyone showed up for yoga. Everyone, as in, we-ran-out-of-mats everyone. We had to use some blankets instead and we started early because everyone was already there and ready to go, and did I mention this was at 7:15 am? There were first-time yogis, certified yoga teachers, and everyone in between.
It was beautiful. It was outside, overlooking hilly vineyards. The sun was just coming up. We collected phones and set them aside. And we practiced. We stretched. We breathed. We laughed. We massaged our own muscles (hello, calf smash!) and we let the arrows fly toward the bullseye of our goals.
The second day, for the meditation walk, I was curious to see how many people would come. There was a tasting with winemakers, plus dinner and dancing the night before, after all. We had the same 7:15 am start time and, though yoga is a little more mainstream, walking meditation may have been a little far-out there for some.
I needn’t have worried. Everyone showed up, again. We collected phones and left them behind. We started with a short seated meditation using the hack I wrote about a few weeks ago. We agreed to be silent during the walk.
And then we set out around the vineyards, and across a field, and through the rows of vines. We paused a few times for a prompt about focus and gratitude.
That was it. And it was beautiful.
I didn’t talk with every single person afterward so I don’t know exactly how the exercise landed in every case, but here’s what I’ll remember from the experience:
I’d bet on these young women.
I’d bet on them to show up, and I’d bet on them to try. I don’t mean only in the sense of yoga or meditation, though cultivating their own wellness in this industry is a priority. Throughout the retreat I also watched them take a deep breath and ask for a favor. I watched what made them emotional. I watched them establish relationships, and a community with each other. I watched what turned them off. I watched what inspired them.
They inspired me – to keep writing and practicing and mentoring, and also building A Balanced Glass into a resource for their journey. We need them to help our industry in the years ahead. That won’t be easy but some fibers of resiliency were strengthened this week, and I’m encouraged by that.
What has inspired you this week? What, or who, in our industry are you willing to place a bet on? We’re curious to hear.
Namaste,
Cathy
What We're Reading:
There's no shortage of wine stories and media inundating our IN Boxes. Here's what has piqued our interest this week.
Podcast interview with Rebecca Hopkins – WomeninWinePodcast.com
Host Kela Driggs shares an hour with Beck to discuss a life working in wine, changing career lanes, living abroad, and the vision and mission behind A Balanced Glass.
6 Pieces of Unfiltered Work Advice Every Woman Needs To Hear – TheMDash.com
Ever wanted to ask the hard questions about your career? In this piece, writer Jennifer Braunschweiger shares some direct thoughts and ideas on how to navigate the complications of your career.
Meet the Community!
Our community is only as strong as the company we keep, and here we meet some of the folks who make our profession so dynamic.
Ron Rubin, Sonoma County Vintner at Ron Rubin Winery (Sebastopol, CA)
Years in Industry:
My journey began in 1971 studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis, California. For the next 22 years, I worked for my family-owned and operated Central Wholesale Liquor Co., in Mount Vernon, Illinois. (It was sold in 1994.) At that time, I defected to “Specialty TEA” with the purchase of The Republic of Tea, a Novato, California-based family business. In 2011, my dream that I held close to my heart for 40 years (from 1971 to 2011) came true with the purchase of River Road Vineyards and Winery located in Green Valley of Russian River Valley, where today’s journey is producing exceptional wines at a great value in Sonoma County, California.
My Biggest Challenge to Wellness:
SIMPLE. Trying to convince other California winery owners to invest in training of CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and First Aid. So far, 242 California wineries are now “Trained for Saving Lives” with over 1,300 newly trained staff members and owners ready to take action, if and when necessary. We still have 200 AED’s to give away to qualified California wineries, so contact me on 314.726.9630 or Ron@ronrubinwinery.com for more details.
How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
I have an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator placed in my chest to reduce the risk of dying if my heart goes into a dangerous rhythm. The ICD will deliver an electric shock to restore me to a normal heartbeat. (It worked! five times already.) I am blessed.
Let’s Meet Up!
As work life has it, we are traveling over the next few months and would love to see you.
Emcee at Australia Decanted in Lake Tahoe, October 6 to 9 (Cathy)
Attendee at ProWine China in Shanghai, November 12 to 14 (Cathy)
Presenter at the Vancouver International Wine Festival, February 25 to 29 (Cathy)
Presenter at the Future Wine Expo in Santa Rosa, May 12 and 13 (Cathy)
Drop a line to rebecca@abalancedglass.com or cathy@enolytics.com if you are interested in getting together for practice, a chat or a great glass together.
