Alessandro Boga, Wilson Daniels

Title:             Director of Italian Portfolio, Wilson Daniels
Location:      Miami, Florida (USA)

Years in the Industry:
12 years, of which five years were at Colangelo & Partners in marketing and communications, and the remainder at Wilson Daniels. I switched three positions in seven years. For two years, I worked for the wholesaler as a sales rep in New York focused mainly on Italian focused accounts, then I moved onto the importing side to become the Italian Wine Specialist nationally. When the pandemic started, I moved onto a brand manager that became a Director position of the Italian portfolio. Now I manage programs, budgets and relationships, and I still travel about one-third of the time rather than full time.
 
My Top 3 Challenges to Wellness:

1. The inconsistency of travel, and the lack of sleep. Changing time zones and late dinners affect me and my sleep patterns, which affects my physical wellness. I’m seeing that I’m affected by irregular sleep patterns more and more.

2. Limiting my intake while “wining and dining.” Obviously, we do a lot of social encounters in this business, and it’s a challenge to make sure you don’t cross the line. Your body as it grows older is going to be more and more sensitive to the intake. Also, I’ve been raised to not waste food. Whatever’s on my plate, I’m supposed to eat it. So it’s hard for me when I go out and a lot of food is put in front of me!

3. Keeping up with deadlines. The pace of work, and the velocity of work, is a big stress factor.

How I Keep it Together To Stay Well:
I really focus on two big groups, physical wellness and mental wellness.

In terms of physical wellness, I’m very committed on physical activity at least five times a week. Even during travel I focus on working out 30 to 40 minutes a day. It’s a must. I wake up and go to work out. I also do the gym, and yoga (though not as often as I used to!).

Mental wellness is, for me, mindful meditation. Meditation is a daily practice, always in the morning. I remember when it started, in late 2016, when I was training to qualify for the New York Marathon. The day of the marathon, I saw an ad about the Headspace app. I was curious and started using it, and eventually I changed to Calm and then Insight Timer. Lately I’m starting to do more by myself. I’ve also joined some events at the Insight Meditation Center in New York and I did a few retreats, the longest one was three days and nights with both yoga and meditation at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts.

What Inspires Me:
Challenges and changes. I think the biggest treat for growth is when someone gets too comfortable in where they are in career and personal life. A sense of purpose is key to our own development. On my part, I try to surround myself with people that inspire me to learn and grow and, at the same time, enjoy the ride.
 
A Quote I Love:
“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind—you are the one who hears it.” – The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer
 
You can connect with Alessandro on LinkedIn and Instagram.