June Rodil didn't get soft on her way to the top. One of only 29 female Master Sommeliers in the Americas, the Partner/CEO of Goodnight Hospitality and 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service learned early that grit and joy can coexist—a lesson handed down from her immigrant mother, who moved to the U.S., lost her husband, and stayed anyway to secure a green card and a future for her daughter.
"She worked her ass off," Rodil says. "I was a latchkey kid, and one of my friends in middle school told me, 'Oh… I didn't even realize you had a mom.' It gutted her. We still laugh about it now, because that's how we survive." Her mother recently had brain surgery for a tumor, worked through it, then retired with a new mandate: visit a new country every year. Rodil's adopted the same restless curiosity, and she's hoping they'll take one of those trips together soon.
That resilience shaped how Rodil navigated an industry where female Master Sommeliers remain rare. Studying was isolating—flashcards, blind tastings, self-doubt—but connecting with other women became essential. "Community cuts through ego," she says. "You learn faster, stay humble, and remember you're human. No one is an island, even when the path makes you feel like you should be."
Her advice for women in wine: find your voice, and make sure it's yours. "When you're one of a few in the room, it's easy to shrink yourself into a whisper to avoid judgment, or swing the other way and go extra loud because you're used to being ignored. But the goal isn't volume. It's authenticity." Authority, she says, lands differently when it's rooted in truth instead of performance.
Rodil's tired of two misconceptions in particular. First, the "women are too emotional" trope. "Emotions aren't the problem. Reactivity is. Great hospitality requires empathy, intuition, and reading a room. Those are strengths." Second, the assumption that marriage or kids mean downshifting. "Ambition doesn't evaporate because you have a family. Also, wanting it all doesn't mean wanting it all at once. Women are allowed seasons."
Rodil's All Day Wine Club launched to deliver monthly bottles with a story—rare finds and seasonal picks she and her team select personally. The annual sign-up window closes March 8, International Women's Day. For an industry still learning what women can do, Rodil's already moved on to what they will.
