This episode features a live audience conversation and bottleshare with Ikimi Woodson, the CEO of The Roots Fund, recorded in Smyrna, GA at The Oenophile Institute. The Roots Fund is a non-profit that empowers underrepresented communities within the wine and spirits industry to build successful careers through financial support, education, mentorship, and career development, and because the value of community lies at the core of all their work, we invited a few friends and fellow wine professionals from the Atlanta wine community to join for this recording session. We asked everyone to share a little bit about why they chose the wine to open, so you’ll hear why we opened the special wines in the room. Ikimi grew up in Brooklyn and attended Johnson & Wales University, but after graduation she utilized her time traveling the world studying culture through food. Upon her return to the states, she was the youngest & first woman to complete the Marriott & Ritz Carlton management training program. Her career led her to lead culinary and management teams at sports organizations, restaurant groups, and prestigious educational institutions. In August 2017, in conjunction with Lifeworks Restaurant Group, she designed and opened LEO MKT, a food hall in Washington, DC, focusing on cuisines around the world. Ikimi is known for her ability to create managers, lead large teams, encourage the growth of women and minorities in the business, and her insight throughout - and especially at the end of this episode - is important for everyone interreacting with the wine space to hear right now. You can visit www.therootsfund.org to learn more and get involved in their work, and you can follow @rootsfund on Instagram.

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This live audience episode was sponsored by Tower Beer Wine and Spirits, a family-owned business for 76 years, who continue to elevate the Atlanta wine scene creating access to craft beverages (@toweratl)

www.towerwinespirits.com/buckhead

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Recorded August 11, 2025 with a LIVE audience at The Oenophile Institute in Atlanta, GA.

You can follow @oenophileinstitute and visit www.oenophileinstitute.com for more info on their certification programs and educational events.-------------

Featuring appearances by Jade Palmer, Aaron Cooper, Jordan Traylor, Dannielle Thomas, Amanda Kimbrough, and Chelsea Young.