Ren Navarro admits she’s not very good at promoting herself. But the Canadian beer equity advocate, consultant, and educator is very, very good at what she does. Her diversity education and consultancy firm Beer.Diversity. provides accessible resources to beverage professionals in North America and beyond, including in-person and virtual trainings, podcasts and panel talks, and much more.
The pandemic severely hampered Navarro’s ability to connect with people IRL. But that didn’t stop her from continuing to advocate for a more equitable culture both in and out of beer: speaking firm truths that people aren’t always happy to hear, but who always need to. In early 2021, she officially launched her mentorship program, Do Better. Be Better. That follows her already impressive portfolio of initiatives, like her “Expanding Minds” book club, promotions of multiple Brave Noise collaborations and discussions, and speech at this year’s Crafted For Action Craft Beer Con.
Despite the heavy nature of her social justice work, Navarro remains one of those people who just seems … authentic. Life isn’t always nice, fair, or pretty. She accepts that, and focuses more on outlining actionable steps towards progress for people coming from every background imaginable. But through it all, she continues to be especially adept at channeling a lot of the bad into good and taking breaks when needed. And in the long-term world of social justice, where people can flame out quickly and sometimes in spectacular fashion, Navarro persists. She’s there, doing the work and making the change.
Words,Beth Demmon