Public relations veteran Jackie Lapin went through a grueling stretch in 2006, working on intense publicity campaigns for clients including World Poker Tour, Mazda and Commerce Casino.
She took a break to go on what she called a spiritual journey, reading new age literature, though that’s a term she calls limiting, preferring “transformational.” She was particularly interested in concepts that would soon become popularized with books such as “The Secret,” which argues that positive thinking can produce life-changing results.
“I came off an intense period and needed to redevelop the other part of my life,” she said.
Lapin, 61, has since made major changes to her career. Her first book, “The Art of Conscious Creation,” was published in 2007. She spent much of last year going to trade shows and giving interviews to promote a second book, “Practical Conscious Creation,” published in 2011.
After decades of working with large companies like Toyota and Lifetime, she has only one mainstream client left – Inter/Media Advertising. She now mostly works with authors and businesses in the personal development industry, preferring a less adversarial role when engaging the media.
Lapin said she comes across criticism and backlash against her positive-thinking ideas, but takes it in stride.
“I offer what I know and if they don’t find it of value, then I certainly respect their choices,” she said.
Bottling Retirement
The end of the holiday season for JustFab’s Adam Goldenberg means the end of another family vacation spent at his vineyard in Paso Robles wine country.
The seed to own a winery was planted several years ago while the co-founder of the El Segundo e-commerce site went biking with his wife, Patricia, in the south of France.
He enjoyed the region’s tranquility and the wineries’ tradition of remaining family-owned businesses. So when the chance came four years ago to buy a central coast winery, he wasn’t about to put the deal on ice.
“I actually closed on the property at the hospital while my wife was giving birth to our son,” Goldenberg, 31, said. “But it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
The 10-acre winery in Templeton, named Venteux Vineyards, is run by a general manager along with a staff. But vacations can also mean pitching in, and the family helps harvest the grapes or oversee the bottling process.
Many of the wines cultivated at the vineyard are native to France’s Southern Rhone region, including blends with the Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes, as well as the central coast staple Pinot Noir.
The operation is decidedly small scale – about 2,500 cases a year. Goldenberg hopes it stays that way, both to preserve the model of French family-owned vineyards and to keep the sense that this is a getaway.
“The moment I get to wine country, my blood pressure drops 20 points,” he said. “My hope is when my wife and I retire, we can live there full time.”
Staff reporters Alfred Lee and Tom Dotan contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].
