Intertwined Pinot Noir Parable Grief, Gratitude & Growing a Business

Simultaneously hilarious and heartrending. “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time, nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we’re only here for awhile, might as well show some style. It’s just a lovely ride,” - James Taylor. From the album I listened to on the turntable as I gazed out the window of our young vineyard. “Don’t die with your music in you,” - Dr. Wayne Dwyer. Many of us have taken a walk of some kind through the wilderness, not because we wanted to but because we had to, and emerged on the other side forever changed...This is a true story story, (one that she almost died for, but more on that later) about my epic entrepreneurial journey through the professional world of grape growing, writing and speaking - with a few near-death experiences thrown in for good measure. I grew up on one of the first commercial vineyards in the Pacific NW, so today I invite you to come feel the dirt under your feet and the sense of camaraderie in our hilltop neighborhood of grape-growing entrepreneurs, who were some of the best innovators, collaborators and all around remarkably resilient wine industry icons for which I will be forever grateful. And you will get to hear some funny stories too, on this walk through the wilderness parable, plus a few too many encounters with mortality - where I emerged determined to not only survive but thrive as an entrepreneur and stop being a self-saboteur. I dedicate this book to all of you who have had the courage to walk through the wilderness on your journey to being a successful entrepreneur. Just like the pioneers on the Oregon trail and the pioneers in the grape-growing industry, manifest destiny awaits! And please remember, be tough like a grapevine - bend but don’t break.“What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?”