Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Ferlaino
Hi Vanessa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The impacts of the structure of society really weighed me down a lot, directly and indirectly. As a child to immigrant parents, I witnessed how they valued themselves based on what society told them they were worth. It impacted how they viewed themselves, and by association, the way they viewed me. As a result, I felt like I was a part of many projected realities that sometimes hurt me or told me who I was supposed to be. This became more prominent in the tech/investing space where I worked for over 10 years as a venture executive, venture scout, impact investor, and in corporate innovation where I engaged with ventures to explore new technologies and business opportunities. I am humbled by the awards I have received for my work in corporate innovation, but the misalignment between intention and actions in the tech space were challenging for me. From the normalization of the exploitation of child labour and labour malpractice by many tech companies to the corporate greenwashing of sustainability and climate change, I knew that I was not in the right spaces. After my father’s passing from stage 5 brain cancer and an experience of sexual trauma, I withdrew from the world to take care of me.
I wrote my first book, “human”, during this time, as I learned how to be more human to myself, to others, and then to the world. I am grateful for the awards “human” has won, and hope it inspires people to adopt this collective perspective of their own humanity. My podcast, “The Human Challenge”, with over 17K+ views on Youtube and recognized as an AmazonMusic x ACAST “Indie Podcast Amplifier” was born out of this concept as well and invites us to challenge ourselves to be more human for the greater good. I’ve had the opportunity to interview olympians, astronauts, GRAMMY and JUNO nominees, CEOS, journalists, activists, and authors. I have learned a lot about topics like immigration, refugees, sustainability, human rights, etc. This eventually led to the creation of my foundation, The Being Human Foundation, putting the “be human to the world” part in practice by combining mindfulness and community engagement for the sake of re-worlding. In other words, how can we come together to create a new structure of society?
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, me.
I was the struggle along the way.
Again, if we consider the limitations of the structure of society, there were many narratives I was told I was allowed to be within this system as a Mexican-Italian, as a child of immigrant parents, as a diverse woman in business/tech. These narratives were imposed onto me, but were never actually “mine”. Through meditation and Buddhism, I learned to hold space with myself. In honouring my space and journey, I saw these narratives existed for valid reasons (ex. trauma), but I also saw how they held me back. These were defence mechanisms, coping behaviours, or things that other people told me about me based on their own projected realities. When I separated what was “mine” from what was “not mine” and held space with myself, the parts of me, and all of the narratives, I could see that really, the only thing actually holding me back was me. And so, with awareness, I forged ahead, really tuning into me, what came up for me, holding space with all of the parts of me, and prioritizing how to make sure what I was doing was really truthful to me. At a certain point, much of where I am today and will continue to go, has really unfolded. And this was because of my commitment to the journey, not the destination.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
“The Art of Holding Space” is something I have cultivated deeply and wish to share with others. It is the basis of our mindfulness offerings at The Being Human Foundation, and really woven between all of my work as a creative, author, producer/host, and certified mindfulness meditation teacher on Insight Timer. I believe when we hold space with ourselves, we are holding space with others. We are honouring our lived experiences, and in holding space, we learn to nurture these experiences that limit or hold us back. When we do this, we actually create space to not only embody our truth, but also we create space to hold with ourselves and with everyone. It is the journey of being human to ourselves, each other, and the world. It is the act of re-worlding internally to re-world around us.
I will be releasing some new mindfulness courses on the Insight Timer app around “The Art of Holding Space”, so please be welcome to follow me there at insighttimer.com/vanessaferlaino. Actually, I have just released “The Art of Non-Attachment”, an art that will benefit everyone in all aspects of life, from personal to professional, as we learn to trust ourselves in a world that is always changing. I am also working on a second book around this topic, so follow me on Instagram @vanessaferlaino so you don’t miss the release next year!
The Human Challenge is also launching some new segments that focus on stories of formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs, refugees, and accessibility themes. I recently interviewed Jason Wang, CEO/Founder of FreeWorld, who after his own history of incarceration did extensive prison reform work and now helps formerly incarcerated individuals get into the trucking industrty. Be welcome to watch our episodes on Youtube at www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino or your favourite podcast platform. The Being Human Foundation is quite active with our new mindfulness offerings, “A Space to Breathe”, focused on themes of sustainability and colonial violence. We are also active in communities, participating in various community and beach clean-ups. Be welcome to view our volunteer opportunities in Canada or California at vanessaferlaino.com/thebeinghumanfoundation/volunteer.
Ultimately, everything I do is as much about everyone, as it is about my journey. This is what I believe sets me apart; I actively tie in my stories to the stories of others and causes that impact all of us in society. I feel this is especially true in writing; we all love to share our stories, but often, we forget that these stories are parts of other people’s stories too. How can we make the world a better place if we can acknowledge this?
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Mm, I loved my swingset in the first home I grew up in… just remembering it brings me much joy. It was a place where I could be anyone and anything. Sometimes it was a ship, sometimes it was a rocket… sometimes it was a portal into a new world. I have memories of the trampoline as well, the gateway to my superhero alter ego, Super Vanessa; with just a somersault and three flips, I could morph into a tiger or a bear. The commonality is imagination, something I really try to intentionally keep close to me, one of the reasons I am creative. Imagination is a space to remind me the world is always more than it seems, always more than these systems. It reminds me that imagination is an intention and really does connect all of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vanessaferlaino.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vanessaferlaino
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/
- Other: insighttimer.com/vanessaferlaino; https://vanessaferlaino.com/the-being-human-foundation
Image Credits
- Vanessa in chair holding “human”: Khrystyna Photography
- Vanessa headshot during an unreleased live taping of The Human Challenge in Halifax: Captured by Shumba
- Vanessa yoga: Khrystyna Photography
- Vanessa with microphone: Cooke D. Photography
- Vanessa shot in The Human Challenge: Khrystyna Photography
