Hai Tran, Sommelier, Sommation Live, Philadelphia (USA)

Years in the Industry:
I've been in wine for 14 years, but with a background in science from Duke University, the wine industry was not an obvious career path for me. As a first-generation Vietnamese-American, wine had virtually no presence during my upbringing in Orlando, FL but a stint in the restaurant industry, while pursuing a career in biotechnology, proved transformative as my exposure to fine dining and the world of wine sparked a new calling. Looking for a way into the wine industry, I started on the distribution side before landing an opportunity in 2008 as Wine Director for one of the most unique fine dining experiences in North Carolina centered around Southeast Asian flavors at ă New World Cuisine.

This led to opportunities to oversee the programs of two luxury hotels, The Umstead Hotel and Spa (Cary, NC) and The Rittenhouse (Philadelphia, PA), and in 2016 I was named one of the “Top 40 under 40 Taste Makers” by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
In 2020 I was leading the wine program for Starr Restaurant Group’s luxury steakhouse, Barclay Prime before COVID-19 hit, so with the challenges that were brought on by the pandemic, I joined Sommation Live, a collective of nine sommeliers working to promote the beverage industry through the lens of the sommelier, while keeping the doors open for all, and promoting mental and physical wellness.

My Top Three Challenges to Wellness:
Whether it be physical or mental wellness, the top challenges to maintaining my goals are tied into two areas: time management and setting healthy boundaries.
With time management, whether it be a loaded work week, busy week at the restaurant, or the challenges of being a full-time dad, carving out and making time for workouts or time to decompress always seemed to be out of my grasp. When I saw my health decline and the weight start to come back to a state that made me uncomfortable, I realized I had to reset and make sure I MADE the time for this. Not only would it help my energy, make me feel better, and improve my overall health, but at the time of this realization, I had a son on the way and I had to do better I told myself. So my son has been a big factor in changing my mindset, while combating the challenges of making time happen when you feel you don't have enough hours in the day.
As for setting healthy boundaries, this is a new concept to me that I came to realize during my time being furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once removed from the everyday hustle of restaurant life, I realized I had set unreasonable and toxic expectations of what a work week should look like in addition to what was acceptable for an overextension of hours as well as responsibilities. This takes a toll on your mental and physical wellness without most of us knowing. Being able to set up healthy boundaries and working towards a more sustainable work-life balance has been crucial to my overall happiness and well-being.

How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:
I have always been a goal-oriented individual. If I am able to formulate a clear goal and figure out how to obtain that goal, I would find myself successful in whatever I pursue. The same practice I used for my studies, definitely applies to my well-being. It comes first with having an honest conversation with yourself and making a commitment to yourself for your overall wellness. Lay out what that looks like, how you will achieve it, and be honest with yourself in making tough, but attainable goals. At the end of the day, what do you hope to achieve? What does wellness look like to you? Why is it important? Reminding myself of the answers to these questions only strengthens my resolve.

What Inspires Me:
Being an underdog for most of my life (being AAPI, being first generation, coming from a smaller market, etc.), seeing the "underdog" succeed whether it be in sports, music, or life in general always inspires me. Seeing the work that is being done to amplify the voices that were once unheard has been truly inspiring these past few years and I hope to do whatever I can to continue that work and make sure that the momentum keeps on building.

A Quote I Love”
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez) in Coach Carter movie from Marianne Williamson poem.

You can connect with Hai on Instagram @sommsayhai