Meet Lori Varsames MA, CPCC, PCC
You got into this industry because you love it — the perfectly poured glass, a dining room humming at full tilt, the look on a guest's face when everything goes exactly right. But somewhere between staffing crises, thinning margins, and an industry that never stops shifting, you lost your mojo.
I'm Lori Varsames, PCC, a certified coach, former wine, food, and travel industry insider, and someone who has sat exactly where you're sitting. I work with winery and restaurant leaders ready to move from surviving to thriving, while bringing their leadership to the next level and inspiring their teams to greatness. Because our industry needs you at your best.
My Background
It started innocently enough: bussing tables, bartending, and guiding bike tours through French vineyards. Soon I was distributing fine wine across Washington, D.C., Santa Fe, and the East Coast—building a career alongside some of the best in the business, including Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Robert Kacher Selections, and Vintage '59 Imports.
But long nights, relentless travel, perfectionism, and toxic cultures eventually caught up with me. Two autoimmune diagnoses later, I finally got real: I couldn't keep pouring from an empty bottle.
That reckoning became my purpose. I became a certified leadership coach because I'd lived the burnout, found the way back, and knew others were still stuck in it.
And they are. A 2024 systematic review in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine—spanning twenty-six studies and more than fifteen thousand workers—found that emotional job demands, low autonomy, and hostile workplace dynamics consistently drive depression, anxiety, and burnout in hospitality. This industry doesn't just wear people down. It does so quietly, and without anyone naming it.
That's where I come in. I work with winery leaders, restaurant owners, and hospitality executives to move from depletion to clarity, intention, and momentum. When a leader does the work, teams shift, cultures improve, and guests feel the difference.
That's the ripple effect of one person deciding they're worth it. Let's not just help you find your way back; let's make you, your team, and your business better than ever.
Why Work With Me?
Expertise You Can Trust
I am an ICF-certified Professional Coach (PCC) with specialized training in trauma-informed coaching, group coaching, and organizational mindfulness. Named "Best Career & Life Coach of Sonoma County" two consecutive years by the North Bay Bohemian.
Your Industry Insider
With decades immersed in the wine world, I speak your language. My WSET Advanced Certificate (with distinction) and pioneering advocacy for organic and biodynamic wines reflect a deep commitment to the craft—and firsthand experience with wineries and hospitality businesses across the globe.
Results-Driven Sales & Marketing Insight
I've sold wine to the most discerning sommeliers, retailers, and distributors in some of the country's most competitive markets. With 15 years crafting brand narratives and content strategies across hospitality, wellness, and tourism, I understand exactly what drives success in your market.
Coaching that Goes Deeper
Drawing from a trauma-informed coaching approach, I dismantle limiting beliefs and mindsets to build sustainable success—empowering leaders to show up with authenticity, elevate their teams, improve business profitability, and deliver an exceptional guest experience.
Bold Coaching for Uncertain Times
With three recessions, a pandemic, and seismic shifts in consumer behavior over the course of my career, I don't buy into the myth that tough times are the end of times. Past clients have called my coaching style bold, honest, and deeply caring—equipping you with the clarity, confidence, and tools to transform your leadership, your team, and your business, no matter what the market brings.
Clients Love Working With Lori
Lori is a fantastic human to work with! She is enthusiastic and crazy supportive. And I mean, she will be your number one cheerleader!! But not in a blow smoke up yer a** kinda way. She'll still call ya out and put the hard questions/challenges in front of you, but at a pace she knows you can handle.
I got the chance to work with Lori when I was feeling very ungrounded and facing some pretty huge life and business choices. She dug right in in helping me get back to myself, which then made it so that I could approach my upcoming decision with a clearer view and better feel for what I needed/wanted. I look forward to working with Lori again when I take the next big step in my life.
Lori Varsames is truly exceptional. She joined us at a pivotal time when company morale was in flux, and communication challenges were beginning to surface. In what could have been a period of disarray, Lori provided us with clear, effective strategies to navigate complex situations with confidence. Thanks to her guidance, conversations that were once difficult and avoided became constructive and approachable, ensuring that relationships were respected and productivity was maintained. Her contributions have been instrumental in fostering a healthier workplace environment and driving the growth of our business.
Working with Lori over a six-month period genuinely transformed my life. She guided me through limiting beliefs, helped me navigate interpersonal conflict and communication challenges with my leadership team, and consistently pointed me in the right direction so that I came to my own conclusions and learned lessons that have actually stuck. That's the mark of a true leader and mentor—someone who knows that sustained progress comes from self-discovery, not being told what to do.
What sets Lori apart is her ability to balance humor with complete honesty...She has a rare understanding of leadership across different markets and truly gets the unique challenges of burnout, ambition, and the constant juggling act that working moms face. […]
If you're a leader feeling stretched thin, struggling with your team dynamics, or questioning whether you can have both success and sanity, Lori is who you need in your corner. I cannot recommend her enough!
Lori has a unique ability to listen deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and gently guide both group and individual sessions so they stay focused and productive. One of the most valuable things I learned from Lori was how to step back and gain a broader perspective on stressful situations, rather than getting caught up in the story surrounding them.
Her understanding of the wine industry made our conversations immediately relevant and practical. Lori also incorporates meditation into her coaching, creating a calm and reflective space that helped me gain clarity, confidence, and a more intentional approach to moving forward. I came away with practical tools to better cope with stressful situations and take a more objective, big-picture approach.
All of the coaching sessions with Lori are truly from a place of genuine interest and heart-felt intention to connect with clients. Her insights are spot on and always insightful, sparking a need for gentle, but needed change. Lots of 'aha' moments! Feeling immediately at ease, she made it seem like I was talking to my best friend with amazing insight vs. a coach with just some life skills to apply and a worksheet to fill out.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Lori over six months. I was looking for guidance with midlife career direction and confidence-building around this. It was so helpful brainstorming with Lori and being asked key questions to help me narrow my focus around the aspects of work that would bring me fulfillment and those that would not. I also appreciated Lori's fresh perspectives and book recommendations, which felt spot-on for my areas of challenge. I can see how I have changed since our first meetings, and I came away from them feeling overall more hopeful, and clear about where I'm at now and my future path. I always looked forward to seeing Lori, loving her friendly and honest approach to coaching.
My favorite thing about Lori was her innate ability to truly see me. She saw my strengths AND weaknesses while helping me to realize some hard truths in a professional and compassionate manner. She guided me in throwing away old behaviors that were hindrances while putting new thoughts and beliefs into place.
Since working with Lori, I have learned to like my day job again, and co-founded a nonprofit organization that aligns with my personal passions. Her process does take some time but if you put in the work, you could see some beautiful opportunities open up in your own life.
To be an incredible life coach, I believe you have to be an incredible human being...Lori's genuine care for helping others find their path forward is rare; working with her in any capacity is bound to reveal chapters in your life or explore new areas of yourself that you either didn't think were possible or you didn't know existed. She showed me how to put my voice out there and also when I was not doing that. For me, that changed everything.
Coaching Services with Lori Varsames
Lori works with clients individually, in groups, and in teams. Her work is grounded in trauma-informed coaching and organizational mindfulness, because the hard stuff in hospitality is rarely just operational.
Coaching Leaders at Top Wineries and Restaurants
Individual Coaching
Give yourself the space to cut through the noise. Individual coaching helps you break fixed mindsets, silence self-sabotage, and show up as the grounded, capable leader your business — and your team — deserves.
The Full Cup Collective Group Coaching
You give everything. Now it’s your turn to receive. Join a community of hospitality leaders ready to move through burnout and uncertainty to build lives of freedom, balance and choice.
Team & Partner Coaching
Great teams and partnerships don't happen by accident. Team and partner coaching builds the trust, communication, and emotional intelligence you need to tackle challenges together—and actually succeed.
Learn More About Coaching
Whether you're navigating a career shift, looking for more fulfillment, or simply curious about coaching, I'd love to hear from you. Fill out the form and I'll be in touch soon.
