Meg Kwarcinski, Financial Services Associate (by day), Vineyard Volunteer and Winemaker (by night), New York City and Western Massachusetts (USA)

Years in the Industry:
Five years. I had just moved to New York City fresh out of college to start a career in the financial services industry, but found myself awestruck by the extensive wine menus I’d see at the restaurants and bars I was exploring. I picked up a copy of Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course to educate myself on the basics, and I dipped in my toes by taking a few industry exams, including the WSET Level 2.
Before I knew it, I was diving into the wine industry headfirst! I moved my life out of New York and boarded a plane with a one-way ticket to Adelaide, Australia, where I completed a Wine Business grad program at Uni Adelaide and secured a job at a local wine bar and bottle shop. These days, I’ve been volunteering at Black Birch vineyard in western Massachusetts, gaining hands-on viticultural understanding. I’ve successfully made my own (very small batch) wine at home, I bottled Cabernet Franc in May 2021, and have a batch of Pinot Noir in the making.

My Top Three Challenges to Wellness:

1. People pleasing. I like to think I can do it all and I hate the idea of letting others down, so I’ll regularly take on way more than I can realistically handle.

2. Finding comfort in the “now.” I tend to fixate on the future to a point where I’ll disassociate from the present, falling into a “never stopping to smell the flowers” sort of cycle.

3. Imposter syndrome. I often second guess my abilities and downplay my success, accrediting it more to “luck” or being in the right place at the right time.

How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:

1. Setting boundaries. I’ve made it a point to make plans on at least two weekday evenings – something I never used to do – to encourage myself to say ‘no’ to end of day work requests (ones that can truly wait another day) in order to step away from my desk at a reasonable time to see someone or do something that brings me joy.

2. Running. It’s been great for my headspace. It’s my opportunity to zone out and focus on my momentum and breathing – things I can control in that very moment in time. I almost always run outside so I can get some fresh air and admire my surroundings too. Even a quick run helps me reset and recenter myself.

3. Taking a compliment. When I’m praised on a work deliverable, personal achievement, etc. I try not to be so quick to brush it off or shift attention to someone else. Instead, I remind myself that taking credit for something I’ve worked hard for is not being conceited, and that it’s okay to celebrate myself every so often :-).

What Inspires Me:
I am most inspired by people who, as Brené Brown explains it, have the courage to show up and be deeply seen when we have no control over the outcome. I wrote an entire research paper on “vulnerability” back in college for a course called “Literature of Success,” where we studied how well-known figures in history – politicians, writers, artists, inventors, etc. – defined “success” for themselves, whether it was driven by money, fame, love, health, community, etc. Ultimately, I defined success as “the willingness to embrace vulnerability.”

A Quote I Love:
“A poet once said, ‘the whole universe is in a glass of wine.’ We will probably never know in what sense he meant it, for poets do not write to be understood. But it is true that if we look at a glass of wine closely enough, we see the entire universe…” – Richard Feynman

You can connect with Meg on Instagram.