Alisha Sommer, Director of Marketing and Ecommerce, Trois Noix (California, USA)

Years in Industry:

While I am relatively new to the wine industry in this capacity, my journey in wine began ten years ago when my husband took a position as a food and beverage director for a country club in Kansas City, Missouri. It was there that I experienced my very first wine dinner and started to appreciate fine wine. As my husband moved into distributor and supplier roles, my exposure and access to wine and the wine industry grew. While I was a stay-at-home mom to my three children, I started a freelance marketing company for entrepreneurs in the food, wine, and wellness spaces.

My husband and I made a five-year plan to relocate our family from the Chicago suburbs to Saint Helena, California. In 2018, I decided to transfer those freelance marketing skills and experiences to a more traditional marketing role within the wine industry. So, in 2018, I started in the tasting room at Wente Vineyards, under some great leadership, and then quickly moved to a role under the marketing department before becoming the Director of Marketing for Ruby Hill and Rubino Estates in Livermore. Now, we're in year five of the five-year plan, and I've landed in a great marketing role for Trois Noix.

My Top Three Challenges to Wellness

Since I've started working full-time, prioritizing wellness has been a struggle. For that reason, I'm really grateful for the ability to work from home. The time that was once used for commuting, I can now use it in different ways. However, that doesn't mean that I'm knocking it out of the park every week. In this season of life, my top three challenges are: 

1. Children. Though I always make sure to give myself enough time to enjoy one cup of coffee and a journaling session before the kids wake up, once they're up, it's time for me to make sure everyone gets out of the house on time. Now that baseball and softball season is in full swing, the afternoons are spent chauffering them to and from the baseball fields for practices and games..

2. Overworking. Though I have a full-time job, I also tend to overextend myself for outside projects that feed my interests and passions. Sometimes that means taking on additional marketing clients, portrait sessions and other photography projects, and writing assignments for various publications.

3. Managing schedules. (See numbers 1 and 2). The fullness of my schedule means that I oftentimes neglect to keep up with the habits that I know will support me throughout the week. Whether that's meal planning and grocery shopping, blocking out a few hours around lunchtime to decompress, eat a full meal away from my desk, or not take calls, I sometimes struggle with keeping those boundaries around my time.

How I Keep It Together to Stay Well

I have a few non-negotiable practices that sustain me. The first is that I journal every day. It helps me sort out my thoughts and organize the day ahead. I also decided to invest in private yoga instruction at my home. During the closures, I was fortunate to find a woman who comes to my home for one hour every Friday. It is the best hour of my week; that time set aside to ground myself and clear my mind helps me go into the weekend feeling more rested and rooted. 

What Inspires Me

I'm most inspired by the natural environment around me. I am also inspired by my children. They help me to see where I still need to grow. 

A Quote I Love

"A woman must be careful to not allow over-responsibility (or over-respectabilty) to steal her necessary creative rests, riffs, and raptures. She simply must put her foot down and say no to half of what she believes she "should" be doing. Art is not meant to be created in stolen moments only.” - Women Who Run With the Wolves

You can connect with Alisha on Instagram @alisha_sommer  Facebook and online at www.sommersalt.com