Ep 2405 Felicia Livengood of Gallo | Voices with Cynthia Chaplin

Getting to a point where it's controversial to love everyone, and that is completely wild to me. So just be vocal with what you feel is right. And if you see someone within your circle that you can be a safe space for allow them to be authentic. I think that is beyond helpful. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Cynthia Chaplin, and this is voices. Every Wednesday, I will be sharing conversations with international wine industry professionals discussing issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion through their personal experiences, working in the field of wine. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate our show wherever you get your pods. Hello, and welcome to voices. Today, I am so excited to have Felicia Living Good as a guest on voices. Felisha's been working in the wine sector in the USA since she graduated from university nine years ago. First, at breakthrough beverage and then Johnson Brothers and finally at Ian Jay Gallup. So she's currently based in Tampa, Florida, where she is the director of grantees and the future leaders program at the very zone project. So we've been trying to get this interview together for a couple weeks, and I'm so happy you're here. Thanks for your time today, Felicia. Thanks so much for having me. I'm very, very excited to be here. And thank you for calling up that I graduated nine years ago. Geez. Don't start with me. Don't start with me. You're a baby. Okay. Well, let's let's talk first about what got you into wine. You know, we we all hear this whole gloom and doom story, you know, no young people are drinking wine. So let's hear about your path and line and what lured you into the marvelous sector that we share? So I fell into this industry by complete accident. I have no business here, but now that I'm here, the sector can't get rid of me. I I graduated from the University of Florida, my husband was my now husband, then boyfriend was deployed. I was sad. I didn't wanna do anything, and my girlfriend's like, let's go to a career fair. It's gonna be fine. Let's do it. So I show up to the career fair, and there is a math massive banner with a bottle of wine on it. I'm like, perfect. I found my calling. Let's do it. And at this point, I am a strictly loyal barefoot pink muscato one point five drinker. I mean, I've had my standards were very, very high. And just so happens that I ran into the Gallow booth there, and fell in love with the people, their leadership development program, and really, really stumbled into it by accident, but had been grateful every single day since that one. I I hope that best friend is still the best friend because she she she is. She did you right for sure. She absolutely is. Yes. I hope she's benefiting from your wine knowledge too. So every once in a while, she'll get a couple bottles here and there. But yes. Yes. Absolutely. Well, it's it's so interesting because, you know, you you started off at a job fair and then you went to work for a couple of the really big players in the States, you know, first at Johnson Brothers and then at Gallo afterwards. So you kind of came full circle there. What perspectives did you gain from, you know, these positions with large powerful companies in the US? Because we we know there's a lot of different ways to go into wine and you went in like you know, set the bar high and go in at the at the top end of a big company. It was it's definitely humbling being, you know, fresh out of college, not really having an idea of, I mean, my, again, my top of the line, wine was barefoot pink muscato. So I wasn't looking for a sales job per se. I thought that that meant cold calling and didn't realize truly the development that was going through when I'm starting from the ground up. It was a sales representative, calling on retail chains. And I was in the back room of the retailer's slang cases getting yelled at for moving too slowly. So, starting from the bottom up in a larger company really gave me a lot of humility and understanding kind of the foundation of this industry and gave me a lot of confidence moving forward. Because I always say like you can't I would ask anyone that works for me to do something that I wouldn't do. So being able to have that opportunity to start from the ground up and kind of see and build in between has been has been great. It's made me very, very adaptable. And I really learned that it's in a larger company. It's not up to anyone else. To amplify my success. That's up to me, and it's not necessarily bragging. It's finding that space, say, hey, I started here. This is where I am. This is what I've learned. I'm ready for the next challenge. And also, so I started my career in Jacksonville, Florida. And, again, back to that husband of mine in the military, I thought marrying into the navy, I would end up always near the water. That man took me to South Bend Indiana. And Columbia, South Carolina. I I don't know what I did wrong. I love him to death, but that's not what I signed up for. I signed up for coastal towns. So I actually got to experience a lot of different regions. So working in South Indiana was definitely different from Jacksonville, Florida. I can imagine. I can imagine. Did you know there are different laws in different states? Because this Florida born and raised girl did not know that. I tried to buy alcohol on a Sunday, and they told me I couldn't. And I'm like, This is my money and this is my ID. I'm an adult. I so that was just a very big eye opener learning all the different regions. The glory of, the the diversity between the fifty states. Oh my goodness. It's It's very jarring. We've since come through. I'm back in Florida where I know all the laws and statutes. I feel a little bit safer and more comfortable. One of my favorite moments in the US because I've lived in Europe for a long time was being in Texas for a work thing and my colleague said, oh, we'll just go to the drive through wine shop. I was like, the drive through wine shop. This is amazing. Like, hang on. Hang on. I I need a picture of the drive through wine shop to She said, can you stop? You look like you just got out of prison. Don't take a picture of the drive through Wancha. This feels counterintuitive. I'm gonna look like a like a prison escapee if I want to. This is fantastic. Exactly. Exactly. Being able to kind of experience different things gave me a lot of perspective on why diversity in employees is so important, and not just you know, the de and I diversity just having people whose brains work differently is so important to toot my own horn. I'm like, I'm great at my job. I can do all this. But the minute you introduce someone who has different experiences, different backgrounds, all of the stuff suddenly, new ideas are being populated. A lot of new perspectives are being considered. So that's something that I really appreciated in being able to bounce around different regions and with different companies. I think that's so interesting. It's it's great. You know, we that we have these opportunities in a bigger company. And as you said, I think it's a fair point. You have to seize hold of them yourself. Nobody's gonna hand it to you and and run with it in the way that's best for you. So you know, taking a moment to really value other people's perspectives and the opportunity to talk to lots of other people, you know, plus move around for better or for worse. It's it's great what you got out of those. So Now I wanna talk to you about the Verison project because I am very interested in this. First of all, I I love the name Verison because that's the key moment when the grapes begin to ripen and and become the color that they're gonna do and and go through a transition. So It's a great way to focus on your company's mission, you know, stealing from the website, the the very zone project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to paving the way for grantees to follow their dreams within the beverage industry. This is super important these days, as we all know. Trying to break into wine can be expensive, classes are expensive, all of these things. So, having a grantee project is really interesting, and I wanna talk about that. The the varies on project itself is described as a collective of professionals united by a shared vision of creating an industry that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. So this is, like, right at my street. Super happy. So how did you get involved with with Verizone to start with. You know, having having been with these other big companies, what took you to Verizone? So, again, completely fell of this by accident. The the cosmos and the universe have been looking out for me to put me in the right places because I am so, so grateful. I work with one of the, the founders, April Mackenzie, and in passing, he was like, hey, you really need to look look into applying for this. We're going out to, Sonoma, for a couple of days, just kind of immerse a group of people who look like each other in, like, the groundwork of it. I'd never really been to a vineyard. I've never been sat I've never sat in on classes. Regarding wine. So it was exciting to be able to apply and go into that. We were actually the first cohort. And it was then called the grantee program. It's since rebranded in the future leaders program. That sounds a lot more elegant, I have to say. Kind of the the the vision a little bit changed. So we were the grantee program, and April and I sat down and we were like, listen. Like, what what is our actual goal? And this man love him to death, loves to push me all the way out of my comfort zone, which usually I hate, but in this instant, it really helped develop the program. He's like, what do we wanna do? What do we wanna be in the next five to ten years. What do you wanna look back at and be like, wow. That was kind of impressive. It's gonna feel like a small decision now. But it it's going to pay back in dividends. What do you want? And I'm like, I just I think that we really just need to target people who just need that extra. Just we're not just getting people group of people who look look alike to go somewhere. I really want people who feel like, okay, I'm kind of new in the industry. I wanna take that next step, but I'm not really sure what my resources are. I don't know kind of what I need to do to take that next step. We wanna be that that stepping board to just kinda spring them in to the next portion of their career, that next advancement. So again, completely by accident. Really excited to be a part of that first cohort, and we spent that those couple of days in Sonoma and truly just It's a group of people who are used to being the only in a room and sitting in a room with a bunch of only. It's just like, oh, oh, this this could be cool. Like, this is kind of kind of neat. And then the following year we went to Virginia. And let me back up. So before that, as soon as that first, immersion trip ended, I looked around and I was like, so I don't wanna go. Home. I just kind of want to be a part of this forever. How do I sign up? Give me more responsibility. Let me hang out with you forever and ever. Nothing big. Nothing big then. Just Nothing big. No. No big request. Just be my friend forever and ever. Let me hang out. So I applied to be part of the leadership board and, I am a camp counselor at heart that is, like, nurturing and planning and loving is just what I do for funsies. So they, offered me the, at that point, director of grantees. And we took everyone to Virginia for the second round of our grantee program, which gave me, I mean, immense respect. Virginia wine is Let me not lie. I went into this emergent thinking like, oh, Virginia Wine. That's kind of cool. I walked out and I was like, why is this not the most booming region of wine in the entire world? It is so inspiring to hear everyone's stories. It was a fantastic trip. And then in addition to the immersion trips we offer, the yearlong mentorship, with some of our mentorship partners offers for certifications, We have monthly webinars to go through, you know, just educational opportunities, check ins, and then we've recently introduced annual projects. So we're very excited to have them working together throughout the year. And then in the sense of pushing me out of my boundaries after Virginia, April came back to me. He's like, okay. What makes you a little bit worried? Like, what is, like, your dream in five to ten years? I was like, I'd love to go abroad. He's like, cool. Let's do it next year. I'm like, okay. Fine. He's obviously your kind of person. No. Like, no. Let's not start in small steps. Let's just dive in there. Yeah. Very much so. And, you know, believes in me more than I believe in myself most of those days, but knows Everybody needs that person. Yes. It's honestly a a blessing. So we ended up going to France that year. However, I was pregnant with my first daughter. So I got to plan the whole trip and then send them off and enjoy via FaceTime. No wine for me, unfortunately. But this year, I will be very excited to partake in Italian wine. Great. This is this is exciting. I'm getting to that part because this is how this is how we met. So, yeah, I'm excited about this coming to Italy, but It's the whole future leaders program is really amazing. I'm first of all, I'm really glad you changed the name. That's grantees. Okay. Future leaders is something I wanna do. Grand Tea, I'm not so sure about that. But, you know, you really are giving your participants really unparalleled access, you know, and not just through your mentorship and your projects and your trips and things, but, you know, to to some really experienced people from the wine sector, a lot of immersive learning experiences, some really top education certifications that wouldn't otherwise be available. So how does this work who can apply? How do they get involved? Where do they go? How do you select them? How does it all work? Yeah. So, applications open every January. We open applications for about a month. It's probably I'd say to complete the application probably thirty, forty five minutes, the amount of time and effort that I put into the application of the thoughts beforehand, a little bit longer, but actually getting it all down, shouldn't take too too long. Applications are open for about a month. We ask for a letter of recommendation. And a video response. All of this is available at the verizon project dot com. We'll put that in the show notes. Don't worry. In big in big letters, I want people to apply. And we're looking for honestly anyone identifies as BIPOC in the industry who is looking for those extra resources. Like you said, the access is it's hard to get and not to say one individual within the leadership team has that access, but everyone has someone that they know. And if we stand together, that availability is unparalleled for our future lead each year. It just it blows my mind how much it grows and will be on meetings. And it's like does anyone know anyone here for this person. It's like, oh, I've got I got three contacts. Let's do it. So all of us together are making such an impact. And it's Well, it's fantastic. You're building a network, you know, as well as, you know, supporting the people who come in your cohorts. So how many cohorts have there been now since you were the first one? So we have had this is the fourth cohort that we've had. It was, yeah, Sonoma, Virginia, France, Italy. And we have had ten future leaders in each, cohort. This year, I smuggled in twelve. Very excited about that. Excellent. Excellent. I like you. Like, you're my kind of person. Like, let's just push the limits as far as we can. That that's fantastic. Well, it it's it's so obvious to me, you know, you're completely all about connecting people, you know, across the industry and building this community and this network. You know, and supporting and encouraging people. And I love what you were saying about, you know, bringing together a lot of people who have felt like the only. And all of a sudden, they can all put their ownliness down because now they have they've got their they've got their people with them. This is this is super important. So you've you've started all these trips. We would call them Majita Scomastica, an an academic trip. So let's talk about this Italian trip. You're gonna have to start calling it a g to scholastica. Scholastica. Did I get it? Bravi Seema. I do a lingo is paying off. Thank you. Hey, exactly. And I know you're coming, you know, towards me, which is exciting. So, hoping to meet up with you while you're here. So tell us what the plan is with your with your trips, you know, to France. You didn't get to go, which is kind of a shame, but your Italy trip, you're the mastermind behind this. You know, what have you got planned and, you know, full disclosure. I've seen this itinerary, and I hope these people are in training. But let's talk about what you're planning because it's so ambitious. And, you know, really if somebody's going to do a trip you know, under these conditions, being mentored, you know, being sort of encouraged to feel like a future leader. Tell me about how you plan this itinerary. Where are you going? What are you doing with these people? Yeah. So we are flying into Rome, and we actually have a classroom first day in Rome. So they'll have time to present on a portion of their projects, kind of get to meet each other and do a little bit of sightseeing. One of the biggest things that I wanted to offer is that I wanted to offer a trip that these future leaders wouldn't otherwise get. This is not something that you're gonna do on vacation. You may not have the opportunity, the PTO, all of that to go and experience these kinds of things. So I maybe aggressively wanted to get in as many wineries as possible. I wanted to get Yeah. I saw that. I know. I'm sorry. I know. It's a lot. It's a lot. I I just didn't wanna have us over there and miss out on any opportunities. I wanted to make sure that they see and do everything, whether that's vineyard tours, you know, mixology classes, educational opportunities, understanding how business is done differently in Italy versus in the USA. I just wanted to give them every single opportunity they could have. And I'm I may have a little ambitious. My ankles will tell you that probably on day four of the trip, whether or not I've done too much. But I I got excited. I got too excited. Wanted to give them everything that we possibly could, and that's the itinerary? Well, it's fantastic. It's fantastic what you've built because I'm sure, you know, everyone who who's been accepted for the trip is so excited about this. You'll be in Rome, then you're in Florence, then you're in Piamante, then you're in Veneto near me, hooray, then Venice. So, you know, all over the place, but you will get such a broad spectrum of, as you said, you know, giving them the most opportunity to see small producers, big producers, you know, one's further south, one's further north. So what's what's the goal? What's the takeaway for for the people who are coming on this trip with you? What do you want them to be thinking about on the plane home? Aside from the fact that they're exhausted. Mostly, I want them to take away. I know that for me coming back from my immersion and it was to Sonoma. Like, I have just immense gratitude for the opportunity. And the confidence to be able to speak to something like this, like being able to, in your friend group professionally in a job interview, speak to this marathon and sprint we're about to do in Italy, I think is gonna be a game changer. I want these speech leaders to go in excited about being abroad and come back. Like, oh, this here's I've done it. I'm ready. I'm ready to come back. I'm feeling a renewed sense. I wanna be able to give back I'm I'm all about the the soft measures, the touchy feels, the the happiness factor. I really just want them to feel empowered that they have access to something like this, and they deserve access to something like this. Yeah. Well, from from my point of view, I hope to get really excited about Italy and Italian wine too because, that's, you know, the US is one of the biggest markets for Italian wine in the world and Of course, we're all under threat from various, you know, the fear of of tariffs and all of these other things, but I'm I'm really hoping that your that you and your group get excited by Italian wines, you know, really different from from what they're exposed to probably on a normal basis. So I'm gonna I'm gonna ask you the tough question now. So you, you know, this is your fourth cohort. You know, let's talk about the data. You know, coming out of these cohorts, how are the statistics shaping up. You know, are you keeping track of what happens to people after they finish the program? How their career progresses? You know, do they stay in touch? Are they what are they doing? Are and how are you tracking, you know, pretty much the success of the program? Yeah. So I think that one of the major and again, I'm all about the soft data. We have offered, gosh, I wanna say twenty plus certifications over. I wanna say probably about if it's ten a year, probably over forty people, about half of them have got additional certifications, to put on their resume. But the true measure of success with us is the giveback. And so the Vorasion project has three different initiatives. The future leaders program, which I run the, bridge program, which offers financial assistance to those that are getting into the wine industry. So if, you know, you get a job in I don't wanna say New York because that's expensive. If you got a job in Florida and you live in Georgia and you need help moving to start this job, offering kind of some finances there. And then the last one is our apprenticeship program, which is a year long apprenticeship with some of our partner wineries out in California. And two of our initial apprentices are, Talia and Courtney. The way in which they have given back to the Verizon project is absolutely outrageous. So they started the cookout at the vineyard, which we actually had, gosh, was it two weeks ago? It started out as a fundraiser, trying to find, you know, who's at the cookout, build your own cookout, bring, you know, all of the onlys in a place where there aren't that many together in a safe place. So three years ago, I wanna say it was twenty to thirty people. For a dinner. Two weeks ago, we had a three day event with over two hundred and fifty people. And when I tell you, I stood in the corner and cried and cried and cried just because of we all started out just like, oh, this is a cool nonprofit. This would be something great that we could, you know, be a part of, get some exposure, get some contacts, and to be able to have myself included people come up through the program, and put on a fundraising event so impactful and so massive. I think that weekend, the last event was where it kind of hit me that were what April was saying. What what is your legacy in five to ten years? Like, this is the moment. This is what we're building. We're making a difference. So No. For sure. For sure. So, you know, I you know how passionate I am about this. How what can people do? You know, what can wineries do? What can other people in the industry do to, you know, to be allies for what you're doing at Verizone. How can they support help get involved? What kind of allies are you looking for? Absolutely. So Allyship is a twenty four hour job. It shouldn't be, but it is. It yet here we are. So in in in your own circles, I would say if something seems off say it. If something doesn't sit right, say it. And voice your opinions. It's it's getting to a point where it's controversial to love everyone, and that is completely wild to me. So just be vocal with what you feel is right. And if you see someone within your circle that you can be a safe space for allow them to be authentic. I think that is beyond helpful in addition to, you know, like I was saying, the contacts, the opportunities. Our donor box is open. Financial support always helps especially considering I snuggled two extra future leaders on this trip. So Amazing. Amazing. Well, it is it's a tough it's, you know, it is a tough moment. You're in the States, you know, I I am American. I haven't lived there for a long time now, thirty five years, but, it's, it's a tough moment. And we, we all know it, and we need to face it. You know, we've got an situation that isn't, you know, particularly interested in any of this, and is sort of tearing some things down that it took a long time to build. So before I let you go, you know, I have to walk down this rocky road of DEA in the US and, you know, this sort of dismantling of all the work that's been done in this area across the country. So, you know, from your point of view in the wine industry, you know, what are you seeing in the US right now with this happening, you know, and how how is Verys on gonna address these sorts of threats to EEI? What can you what can the wine industry do to push back against this? What would you like to see happening, you know, in the next eighteen months? Yeah. It's a it's a tough place to be. It's a tough reality to face. I may not have the best approach, but my approach is the ostrich approach. I'm putting my head in the sand and I am fighting the good fight. I I will not change how I go about my day and how I try to impact the world around me because someone else doesn't agree with me. I'm gonna keep going. And if things come into place where I have to change my course and do different things, I will, but I will not do it quietly. Yeah. I think that's a legitimate response. You know, that's a a legitimate response is not, you know, not adapting yourself towards something that is, you know, inexcusable. So why would you, I think? I wouldn't call that the ostrich approach. I I like the fight the good fight approach better. Because clearly you're not bearing your head in the sand. You're, you know, you are so positive and, you know, smuggling extra people on a trip and, you know, doing these sorts of things is is just a way to just keep the message out there that you're not gonna stop what you're doing, you're not gonna change what you're doing, and people will get on board or they won't. And you'll keep doing what you're doing. So in in terms of the industry, what would you like to see them doing? Because we know, you know, a lot of big companies are taking away their DAI projects, things like that. I'm, you know, fill me in on the wine industry in the US what you are seeing and what you'd like to see change. So I can speak, from my perspective, from Gallo, we actually just left our, ERG Gallo African American Network summit. And we had senior leadership in the room assuring us that whatever else whatever other noise is happening outside, they are standing by their DNI values. And it it felt it felt very good to be seen and heard and for senior leaders to make it a priority to come and sit in front of us and say, hey, it's it's okay. I know there's a lot of noise And I think being vocal and open about that is what everyone should be doing. I don't think that the the the outside pressure should be influencing how we go to market. We run our day to day. We treat our work family. Yeah. I think that's, you know, what a great role model? I'm so glad to hear Gallos doing that. And I've worked on and off with with various people throughout the Gallo sort of, team globally. And, of course, we've got a lot of their Maisro portfolio wines here in Italy. So, I'm really happy to hear that about Gallo, and I hope that they, you know, can stand strong as a role model for other companies. In the industry. I have confidence that they will. Yeah. Well, like, I I don't wanna take up a ton of your time, and I'm I'm so glad that, you were able to come on today. It's it's made me really happy. You're such a positive person and, you know, Barazon project is shining a really bright light in the right direction, and I hope your numbers continue to grow. Keep smuggling people in there. And I'm looking forward to seeing you in August, in Venetto in Balpolicella, And I hope you have a great trip with your cohort this year. Keep up the good work. Thank you so much for your time. I can't wait. Thank you so so much for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you for listening. And remember to tune in next Wednesday when I'll be chatting with another fascinating guest. Italian wine podcast is among the leading wine podcast in the world and the only one with a daily show. Tune in every day and discover all our different shows. You find us at Italian wine podcast dot com, SoundCloud, Spotify, Himalaya, or wherever you get your pods.