Hidden Gems: Meet Anne Watson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Watson.

Hi Anne, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have a long & winding road that has led me to where I am today, and I certainly feel I’m still in the midst of a journey that continues to unfold. It’s been an amazing path thus far, though, and I’m extremely grateful for the twists and turns that have nudged me toward my current role as Owner of Anne Watson, Inc.

I began as an entrepreneurial food photographer over a decade ago with my previous business, Anne Watson Photography, focusing my work on restaurants and bars in Orange County. I pounded the pavement for several years in the beginning with the goal of establishing my name as the go-to editorial photographer for chefs, bartenders, local publications, publicists, and restaurant owners in OC. Slowly my business grew and over the span of ten years, I watched as my hard work began to pay off with the beautiful relationships I was lucky enough to cultivate. I was able to see my photography appear on covers of magazines, in the pages of publications, on restaurant & bar websites, and throughout cookbooks. I loved my work as a restaurant photographer as it married my passions of food & cooking with my love for photography. But, as the years went on, I was starting to feel the strain of my work – The hours were long, the distance I was having to travel from home was far, and I’d become a mother during these years too – and being away from our young son was proving difficult both emotionally & mentally.

Then, in the Summer of 2019 everything was turned on its head for my family when my beloved husband, Tim, was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. The universe had handed me a situation that made my decision for me. It was time to move away from restaurant work so I could be home and hold my husband’s hand as he went through treatment and be there for our son as we watched his dad slowly transition from this life into the next. Then, to further confirm this decision, in Spring of 2020 the pandemic hit, and our cocoon became even tighter as we huddled down as a small family and saw Tim through his last months. In February of 2021, Tim passed away. And I found myself in an entirely new role as not only a newly-widowed single mother but also as the new Manager & Head Winegrower for our family’s vineyard, Watson Ranch Vineyards, LLC, which had been Tim’s role up until his passing. I now oversee all of the vines’ maintenance from bud break-to-harvest, and I also manage all of our wine sales which are now available both retail & wholesale.

During the pandemic, I shifted my food photography business from working out on-site at restaurants to work that I was able to conduct from home. Combining my experience as a chef along with my skills as a professional food stylist & photographer, I was able to start offering clients a unique combination of services for content creation & recipe development for food brands, as well as more cookbook work. Out of that, my new business, Anne Watson Content Development, LLC was born. And over the last year, I invested in transforming my home office & kitchen into a fully built-out home studio that is designed to work as a professional food styling prop closet and photography studio. It’s been an amazing transformation that now allows me to fully work from home. I’m able to take projects and run with them for clients, and/or clients are invited out to The Watson Ranch where we can collaborate together on recipe shoots, product shots, cookbook work and more.

Furthermore, during Tim’s cancer journey, I found myself tapping into a deeper spiritual aspect of my being that allowed me to assist him during treatment and through his time in hospice. I uncovered my passion for yoga & meditation, and my capacity for healing, and began the journey towards becoming a trained Reiki Master Practitioner specializing in physical, mental, emotional & spiritual energy healing, as well as becoming a Certified Meditation Instructor. From that, my third business was born, Watson Wellness, LLC. Tim gifted me with a beautiful Reiki Studio here on our property before he transitioned out of his body as a way for me to share this healing energy with others, and it’s something I’m particularly passionate about.

So here I am today – with an umbrella corporation of Anne Watson, Inc., under which my three companies sit: Anne Watson Content Development, LLC; Watson Ranch Vineyards, LLC; and Watson Wellness, LCC. Each of these businesses encompass an aspect of myself that I’m passionate about and that allows me to serve life as it continues to unfold. I’m extremely grateful for each day – for every opportunity and every challenge – as it’s all a gift.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many struggles along the way. But, I am of the belief that our biggest challenges are also our biggest gifts. For example, my experiences that were as life-altering and devastating as my husband’s cancer journey & physical death also opened my heart in ways that never would have been possible otherwise. I can see now that these experiences – as hard as they were – were also gifts that now allow me to help others and approach my life, and my work, in deeper and more meaningful ways. There is a passage in the Bhagavad Gita that I find sums this up perfectly, 18.37 “That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. It is generated by the pure intellect that is situated in self-knowledge.” Sometimes things come our way in life that we resist at first because they seem like they will be “the worst possible thing,” like a poison. But, when we welcome those challenges with open arms and a loving heart, they can transform us on the deepest level and end up being the nectar that feeds our true self and our work.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Anne Watson, Inc. is the corporation under which my three businesses sit, all three of which I’m deeply passionate about.

Anne Watson Content Development, LLC is the company where I use my gifts as a chef, food stylist & food photographer to assist clients with projects such as social media content creation, recipe development & testing, website photography, and cookbooks. What sets me apart from others with this business is that I have a unique skillset – I’m not just the cook, and I’m not just the stylist, and I’m not just the photographer – I’m able to offer all of these, under one roof, where I now have a fully built-out prop closet & professional kitchen studio and be a one-stop-shop for brands and chefs who are looking for a streamlined approach to their food photography. You can see my portfolio and learn more about my content development services at annewatson.com.

Watson Ranch Vineyards, LLC is my family’s vineyard where I’m honored to carry on my husband Tim’s legacy as Vineyard Manager & Head Winegrower here on The Watson Ranch in Fallbrook, CA. I have a deep connection to Mother Earth and absolutely love working amongst the vines, getting my hands in the soil, moving with the seasons and cultivating our grapes. I work closely with local winemaker Euan Parker of Fallbrook Winery, who oversees the winemaking process, and then I manage our wine sales for both retail and wholesale. Our wines are available for purchase to the public and can be bought by visiting annewatson.com/wine.

Watson Wellness, LLC, is my third business where I offer energetic healing for clients as a certified Reiki Master Practitioner & Meditation Instructor. Services range from individual Reiki treatments and guided meditation sessions to ongoing meditation coaching and group classes & healing events here at The Watson Ranch. My goal with Watson Wellness, LLC is to offer a space of peace & energetic nourishment so those who are seeking it are able to achieve healing on a physical, mental, emotional & spiritual level. Those who wish to book a session are invited to contact me directly via email at [email protected] or through Instagram @theannewatson.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
Of course, my biggest supporter & amazing teacher will forever be my late husband, Tim Watson. I am eternally grateful for his love and all he did while he was here with us physically, and all he continues to do spiritually to assist me along my journey. I’m also so thankful to my family – particularly my parents, John & Linda, who have always been a steady source of support and love in my life. I’m deeply grateful for my Reiki Master Teacher, Lori Torok of Eloia Healing Arts in Temecula, who has been and continues to be a source of light & guidance along my path. And perhaps most of all, I am grateful to my son Russell – although he is my child in this lifetime, he is my greatest teacher – my guru – my love. Everything I do, I do because he’s taught me that I’m stronger than I think I am and that I am connected more deeply to this beautiful universe than I can fathom.

Contact Info:

• Website: annewatson.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theannewatson/
• Other: brixandbarrel.com

Image Credits
Hugo Landa Garcia, Kate Noelle, and Brandy Young