Allison Langhoff, West Coast Director, Wine Enthusiast Media (USA)

Years in the Industry:
Growing up with an Italian grandfather who was a pattern maker for the first Abercrombie & Fitch in existence, my career path was solid. Or so I thought. Years into fashion and big store retail management lead to burn out and a big life changing decision – pivot my career! I put my Marketing degree to good use and got into broadcast media. I never thought that creating an on-air radio program about wine would have led to me the 20-year career I’ve had at Wine Enthusiast Companies running West Coast Media, but I couldn’t be more thrilled. There are no better people to work alongside of than the people in wine.

My Biggest Challenge to Wellness:
Like a lot of us in the industry, we run lean and high energy at the companies that employ us which means we are doing multiple projects sometimes simultaneously, cue the crazy monkeys in our brains! I work out of a home office but travel domestically and internationally about 50% of the time which means my schedule always must be tightly managed so work doesn’t bleed into personal which can easily happen if I let it.

Compartmentalizing what I do each day is very important. I live by my calendar and make it a priority to put not only professional obligations on there but all of my personal including workouts, errands and other to do’s. This method helps me focus on what I’m accomplishing each day and week without the noise of having to manage logistics on the fly. For those wanting to clean up their calendar act: color code your obligations so you can tell easily what is personal vs professional!

How I Keep It Together To Stay Well:
Yoga and outdoor exercise take a front and center approach to health both mentally and physically. There is nothing more grounding than taking your shoes off at the beach or going for a long hike and feeling the bigger powers at play. Mother Nature always leads the way if you let her. I’ve also been practicing Iyengar Yoga for over 20 years. It all started at the Iyengar Institute here in San Francisco with a British love interest that lead me there. What I thought was going to be short lived – for both the man and the yoga – proved to stand the test of time. Although we don’t go to yoga together as often now, our 13-year-old daughter provides as an excellent stand in and I couldn’t be more thrilled that she is incorporating it into her life at an early age.

I could go on and on about food choices here, but Ill spare you and just say I try to take a sensible balanced approach to everything that I put in my mouth. I naturally intermittently fast – before it was an actual “thing” - which keeps me feeling energized and light. I switched to green tea in the 90’s. And yes, I do always keep pints of ice cream in my freezer.
I live by certain mindful codes that are easy to follow. Learn to say no especially when you are feeling overwhelmed. Try to laugh out loud each day about something and do it with someone you really like. And try each day to be the best version of yourself whatever that may look like.

You can connect with Allison on Instagram at @allison_langhoff