Judy Kingston has had several careers. She studied math and computer science in university; later, she became a lawyer specializing in technology issues.
But a car accident a decade ago led her not just to a new job, but to a completely different lifestyle.
“I had hit my head and I couldn’t walk and talk for a long period; I had lost my memory,” she said. “When I recovered, I realized that I didn’t want to go back to law. … So much is based on your memory of cases that go back forever.”
While on vacation in British Columbia’s Okanagan region, she bought an orchard on the spur of the moment and decided to move from Ontario to B.C.
“I had to reinvent myself and I didn’t know what to do. My passion was law and my other passion was cooking, but I’ve got a metal knee now so I couldn’t stand still for long periods of time.”
After verifying that her land would be good for growing grapes, Kingston pulled out the fruit trees and established Serendipity Winery. The transformation from lawyer to winery owner didn’t happen overnight. Kingston took a winemaking course, got experience making wine in New Zealand and hired an experienced vintner to help her.
“I just sort of put both feet into it and went ahead, and I think that if I had just stopped to analyze it more I probably would not have done it,” Kingston said.
“But I think when you’re recreating yourself, you have to believe you can do it – and you just do it.”
Kingston’s 26-year-old daughter, Katie O’Kell, moved to B.C. three years ago to work at the winery and is studying to become a professional winemaker.
“We’re both very passionate about it,” Kingston said. “I think any farming environment has to be a passion, it is so much work … but if you have the passion you see it differently.”
On long-term business planning | “I think it’s really important that you understand your business plan. People can come into this and have a more idealized idea about how the business is going to be, but in actual fact it takes many years before you actually start bringing money back in. You really need to have good practical knowledge.”
Has a work or life challenge taught you a key career lesson? Contact Jen St. Denis at [email protected].
