Brianne Cohen turned her passion for wine into a career, bringing her fun, straight-talking approach to a male-dominated industry.
A quick note: this episode of The Reinventors was recorded before the global uprisings sparked by the killing of George Floyd and the swell of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. I want to take this moment to acknowledge my own unknowing complicity in systemic racism, and recognize that I need to do much more to use my privilege to amplify and support Black voices - now and in the long-term.
This episode I’m speaking to events producer Brianne Cohen. Brianne creates spectacular parties, weddings and galas — often in the LGBTQ space. (The weirdest request she ever had was someone asking for an ELEPHANT for a benefit she was planning.)
But after a while, Brianne needed more of a challenge, so she decided to pursue one of her all-time passions: wine. She retrained as a sommelier, and if you’ve seen that movie Somm, you’ll know how insanely difficult that is. We chatted about the terrifying blind tastings and all the exams she had to do. In the world of wine, which can still be pretty elitist and dominated by older white guys, Brianne has made a name for herself with her fun, accessible approach to wine.
Brianne also told me about how she balances the two roles of her career: she has some really great productivity and organizational tips. If you’re looking to become a "multi-hyphenate" or add another string to your professional bow, you’ll get some great ideas from this episode.