Dream Big Darling Launches Inaugural Leadership Retreat
Three-day forum sets its sights on training the next generation of wine industry leaders
To Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins, joy comes from helping others find their light. A caring and compassionate woman, she finds true enjoyment in guiding others in their pursuit of passion, talent and growth. It’s a sentiment echoed by the family winery, Ancient Peaks Winery in Paso Robles, Calif., and it led to the creation of a new non-profit: Dream Big Darling.
Launched last year, Dream Big Darling’s goal is to help young women in the wine industry learn more about business, wine and balance. Mentorship, crucial to a developing a career, is a key tenet of the organization and Wittstrom-Higgins wants to create a space in which those just getting their starts can come to ask for help: how it works, how to ask for it and, perhaps most importantly, how to nurture it.
“It’s a dream of mine to help people and teach them more about business—the things they should know and introduce them to things they never thought of,” she said. “The hope is to create a network of top performers that they can lean on throughout their careers.
This September, Dream Big Darling is hosting its first-ever Leadership Retreat, a summit for those top performers looking for guidance, insight and mentorship.
Dream Big Darling is offering 30 to 40 scholarships to deserving young women to attend its inaugural event. Held September 15-17, 2019 at Santa Margarita Ranch in California’s Central Coast, the event is bringing together those high-performers for workshops, networking, adventure and professional development.
Full or partial scholarships are available to women devoted to advancing their careers, expanding their business and leadership knowledge, and meeting other industry leaders and key performers. Workshops include:
Find Your Path: Learn from key leaders about their path to success and how they juggle competing demands, confidently motivate their teams to achieve optimum results, effectively navigate across the organization, and never lose their composure.
Executing the Bigger Vision: Great teams are energizing and productive, delivering breakthrough results. But high-performing teams only happen as a result of intentional, strategic work on your part, the team leader. Learn how to continually energize teams through change, innovation and adversity.
Understanding Business: Accounting, finance and HR play an essential role in any business. Whether you’re pitching a new idea, persuading others to take action, building a strategy, or making a decision, information is key. Understanding these elements will enable you can make better decisions, avoid risk and focus on opportunity and growth.
Meet the Maker: Learn from accomplished winemakers and personalities on their journey to success. An array of producers, big and small, will share insights and perspective on what has helped them achieve success with their brand and some lessons they've learned along the way.
Included in the two-and-a-half day retreat are lodging, activities including yoga, horseback riding and kayaking, food, drinks and workshops.
Though this is the inaugural event, Wittstrom-Higgins has received a lot of support from friends and women within the wine and spirits industry, many serving on its board of directors, as advisory members, speakers and volunteers.
“It’s about creating a culture of giving back. This pie is big enough for everyone, this world is big enough for everyone. We’ll only succeed when everyone does their best work,” Wittstrom-Higgins said.
Included in that support are the founders and family members of Ancient Peaks Winery. “I’m so blessed that the company I work for and our families have said ‘this is something we want you to invest in.’ They know it’s important and it’s their way of passing it on to the next generation,” she said.
Applications for those interested in a full or partial scholarship are due by August 5. Visit dreambigdarling.org for more information, and click here to apply.
This article was originally published on winebusiness.com on July 31, 2019.