Today we’d like to introduce you to SARAH KAISER-CROSS.
Hi SARAH, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The zig-zag story of my life starts in and circles back to Florida, but it was a circuitous route to get back home! I spent about a decade working and living in the Middle East. During that time, I was lucky enough to travel widely and explore some of the world’s most beautiful wine regions (South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia) and simultaneously dive deeply into a variety of religious histories and practices. These passions – both for spiritual self-growth and development and learning about the world of wine developed naturally.
It wasn’t until Covid that I realized meditation was changing my life in a foundational way, and I wanted to immerse myself more deeply in it- to be able to share the peace it had given me with others. I also decided to formally start wine training with WSET, the Wine School and Education Trust, one of the major wine certification companies in the world. In 2023, I opened my company, Fill Your Cup LLC, a company dedicated to wine and wellness.
I built my company around the things that bring me joy. I love that in addition to my career- I have also built my company to be able to share the things I love most with others. Both wine tasting and meditation are truly full body, present moment experiences. They are about tuning into your senses and presence and community. I feel incredibly lucky that my company can be part of creating community, wellness, and also have some fun!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey is always full of potholes, but they do make for the best stories! The road to setting up my company wasn’t smooth – and is still in progress. I think it always will be a journey. For all the small business owners out there, I think entrepreneurship is 95% about the journey and only 5% about the destination.
I will never know everything about wine. Nor will I be the best sommelier in the world – but I will relentlessly, endlessly seek learning and growth. The beautiful and humbling thing about both wine and meditation is they are fields in which it is impossible to know everything. There is no math equation to solve or perfect answer. It is about curiosity, exploration, evolution and a deep love of your craft. The learning is the journey, and the road is rarely smooth, but it is fully of adventures!
We’ve been impressed with Fill Your Cup LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Every year I collaborate on a wine and wellness retreat in Europe, where for 5 days all the things we love most become front and center. Sammy Merkle, owner of Soulful Movement with Sammy is our movement, yoga and meditation teacher. I teach the wine and meditation as well! The last two years we have been in Spain, and this year we are traveling to the Italian Alps September 13-17 in the stunning tiny medieval town of Bard, near the foot of the Alps.
I also host local events in Miami, though specialize in small group events –wine tasting parties, corporate events, and personalized retreats. If people are interested in a bespoke wine and/or meditation event, I love to work with clients to create meaningful events that are specific to their tastes or special occasions. Events could be a corporate wine training, a bachelorette party, or a small dinner party where guests want to learn more about wine tastings or pairings.
I am also looking to expand to host more publicly available events.in Miami this year, with the next event being Wine and Horoscopes. Look out for some upcoming events in Miami this year!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
As a fun fact, I was in a documentary, called Most Likely to Succeed, where the director followed us for ten years and asked us that very question every year for ten years. So, that question has special meaning for me.
My definition of success has evolved so much over my lifetime, and I believe the definition is inherently personal. Where I am now, success is knowing and loving myself, being surrounded by beautiful people and community, and being lucky enough to be intellectually stimulated in my professional life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fillyourcup.carrd.co/
- Instagram: fillyourcupmiami
Image Credits
Vivian Vo Photography and Anni Zeiler of Teal and Tides.
