We were lucky to catch up with Ute Mitchell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ute, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I don’t know if you ever really overcome imposter syndrome. I went to school to get my wine certification. I studied for months on end. And I still asked myself what I possibly had to offer to the world that they would want. So, for a long time, I just worked in tasting rooms, which, let’s be honest is not a “just tasting room job”. It is work, and you have to know what you’re talking about for anyone to take you seriously. When it came to my wine podcast, I was so scared to even get started. But, then I attended a Women in Wine conference, and one of the speakers handed out these little cards. Mine said, “Choose to thrive”. She asked us to write a commitment on the back of that card and share it with our neighbor. I wrote “I will publish my podcast even it is not perfect.” We call this the power of YES. At the same time I was reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Somewhere in the book she talks about fear being allowed in the car as a passenger. It is not allowed to take the steering wheel though. So, fear is invited and welcome, but it cannot control the situation. This, to me, was such an eye-opener. It was not about not allowing fear. It was about not allowing fear to take control. So I started the podcast, and apparently, people love it. And now, I am starting a new venture where I offer private guided wine tastings at people’s homes or offices. I am working on an online Wine 101 course, and I will be teaching wine intro classes to groups of people. Imposter syndrome is still a thing. But, I will no longer let fear of failure run the show. After all, what is the worst thing that can happen? They don’t buy it. Then I will come up with a new idea.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am located just outside of Portland, Oregon. This is where I raised my family. My children are all out of the house now, so it’s just my husband and I now. I feel like I am too young to be an empty-nester, but here it is. I homeschooled my children, so career was always kind of an afterthought if you will. I started dabbling into different industries. I studied nutrition, I taught kickboxing, I worked as a freelance writer, and eventually, I practically fell into the wine industry. I was casually browsing part-time jobs and came across a tasting room associate position at a local winery. I thought to myself, “I like wine. Maybe I can sell it, too!” So, I applied, interviewed, and was hired. I worked in tasting rooms for years as a server, as a tasting room manager, and I even worked for wine.com for a year. I loved working in wine so much, I decided to get certified through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, an internationally recognized program for wine professionals who want to take their skills to the next level.
Eventually, I started my podcast, Thru the Grapewine. It was supposed to be an educational wine podcast initially. Incredibly, people actually started listening to it, and over time, the podcast evolved. I still talk about wine. But a big focus is on women who work in the wine industry. I’ve interviewed many women from tasting room associates to some very well known and respected women making waves in this industry. It is a blast! Plus, I am so inspired by these women and everything they do. They are such powerhouses and some of them juggle three jobs’ worth of work. It’s incredible.
So, I decided to jump all in! I am now offering private guided wine tastings in-home or at offices. This can be for girls nights, birthday parties, or corporate team building events. The host chooses three wines based on their budget, and I will guide the party through how to taste them, what to look for, and how to pair them with food.
I am also selling hand-stamped jewelry that party guests can order with their parties, and I have a brand-new Etsy store called The GenX Lady where I sell items as well. I hand-stamp each of the bracelets individually so they are fully customizable.
I am also working on a series of tasting classes to larger groups of people. Each week, the plan is to taste through a series of wines. Week 1: whites, week 2: rose, week 3: reds, week 4: sparkling wine.
And finally, I am currently planning a wine and music event for summer of 2024. But the details for this are still being worked out as I am making connections with vendors and musicians. Lots going on, and I am excited for what the future holds.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Even though my imposter syndrome reared its ugly head at every corner of this journey, I am proud to say that I am not one to let fear take the wheel. There are two questions I’ve learned to ask myself. 1. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen? The answer of course is I don’t succeed. I have not succeeded many times in my life. It’s okay not to succeed. How many times did Thomas Edison fail before he invented the light bulb? 2774 times, according to his own records. So, what’s my excuse?
2. Look into the future five years. Where are you if you do not go for it now? And how will you feel about not going for it? In my case this would probably mean, I would still work in the tasting room. While I absolutely love serving wine in a tasting room, I am kind of hoping not to do it for another five years! I would feel regret not making use of that time.
I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Always have been. But it also means that I function really well under pressure and with a looming deadline. So, rather than to look at my procrastination as a fault, I credit myself for turning into a total powerhouse when I get pressed for time. Anyone can focus on the negative. What does it do for you though? You sit and give yourself a hard time about it. That leads to more negative thoughts and ultimately you get nothing done.
Finally, I am always willing to learn. I will take the class, I will listen to the webinar, I will do the LinkedIn course. I will do whatever it takes to get the work done, to learn the skill, to move forward. When finances are a consideration and you can’t just hire someone to handle your social media or edit your podcast or create the website and so on, you have to be willing to put in the time to learn those skills yourself.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking to be a guest on other podcasts. Wine podcasts are great, but I can also speak on entrepreneurship as a woman and anything related to midlife challenges. I am also looking for wineries who would like to collaborate with me either by sponsoring an episode or by donating a few bottles of wine that I can use to do guided tastings with groups and educate guests on the winery.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thruthegrapewine.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thru_thegrapewine
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thruthegrapewine
