Wine Director Tonya Pitts of San Francisco's One Market Restaurant has advocated for women and diversity in the industry throughout her 20-year career in wine, which has included stints at top S.F. eateries such as Stars, Bizou and Zuni Cafe. She advises young women and Black people who have their eyes set on the industry to ask questions and seek out mentorship, and to remember that "...if you're in the room you deserve to be there. Period." she said, recollecting her first wine tasting and prejudices she experienced.

A survey from Tone Networks found 68% of millennial women want access to coaching and leadership development tools such as mentors and role models. These supports may boost confidence and reduce perceived stress by as much as 25% as well as combat impostor syndrome.

Becoming an industry leader is about more than money and starts with embracing change, says Shelley Armato, CEO of a construction technology company. "Problem-solving must become a way of life, not just something you do when times are tough," Armato says.

Restaurants face challenges as they reopen their dining rooms with new safety practices in place to reassure customers and new rules on wearing masks and social distancing that can be difficult to force diners to follow. "I think the challenge they have now is ... getting the public to think the same way, to get comfortable with keeping six feet apar t... and to wear the face coverings," said Larry Lynch, The National Restaurant Association's senior vice president of certification and operations.

Workplace gender diversity starts with hiring the same number of women as men, writes Charlotte Osborne, a senior recruitment consultant at Preacta. "Having quotas doesn't mean hiring men or women without merit, it means that hiring managers, HR, and recruiters just need to look harder to find them," Osborne writes.

Some Oregon vintners are calling for more diversity in the state's wine industry, which is largely populated by white men, Ryan Clarke writes. The diversity of the industry's consumers should be reflected in its workforce, marketing and supply chain choices, advises Jessica Mozeico, Et Fille Wines winemaker and Willamette Valley Wineries Association's diversity task force chairwoman, noting that the organization is creating a diversity pledge for members and an "equity toolkit" to bring more underrepresented groups into the industry.

Leaders should tell the workforce why they're launching anti-bias initiatives and seek advice from people of color, writes Ruchika Tulshyan, author of "The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality In The Workplace." "Leaders must do the tough work of identifying where bias shows up in their organizations right now -- hiring, retention, or advancement of employees of color -- and fix those issues before moving to grand gestures that could be misinterpreted as PR stunts," Tulshyan writes.

Women hold 20.4% of the corporate board seats in American companies, according to the 2019 Gender Diversity Index, reflecting a growing number of female leaders now in C-suites and boardrooms around the country. The consumer goods industry is helping to pave the way toward more corporate gender diversity, with the Board Monitor US 2019 report showing women held 63% of the 183 director positions in the industry in 2018.

Women sake brewers are making their mark in Japan, with an estimated 20 female toji -- sake-makers -- now working in an industry historically dominated almost exclusively by men, said Shuso Imada, general manager for Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association's JSS Information Center. The experimental mindset embraced by Imada Shuzo Honten sake brewmaster Miho Imada has garnered international accolades at events such as France's 2017 Kura Master, the UK's 2017 International Wine Challenge and Japan's 2016 Annual Sake Awards.

Kansas-based Morning Light Kombucha is the only Native American-owned kombucha brand and relies heavily on ingredients sourced from near the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation, said founder Melinda Williamson, a member of the tribe. A portion of the brand's proceeds is donated to support Native American communities, she added.

With communities and businesses seesawing between re-opening and tightening restrictions around COVID-19, feelings of isolation, frustration and confusion are growing. We remain physically more distant from one another, interact with faces covered and sometimes even interpret the presence of others as a potential health threat. But increasing your emotional availability and upping compassion for yourself and others can generate more positive feelings and enable the team to better weather the storm together. Read more.