We recently connected with Vanessa Ferlaino and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Vanessa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Setting up an independent practice is a daunting endeavor. Can you talk to us about what it was like for you – what were some of the main steps, challenges, etc.

When the time came for me to establish my own membership community “Practice Space”, it was very organic for me… I intuitively knew that all other doors were closing for me, and this was the path to be on. Of course, even with this intuition, I still felt nervous. I’ve accepted doubt is a normal part of being human. I nurture it with love and compassion, I am aware when it arises, and aware when it falls. It is allowed to be here but not allowed to stop me.
There was a sense of urgency given all of the global tensions and suffering that seem to be boiling over. I’ve been practicing Buddhism for almost seven years and its connection to social justice was something I had the opportunity to learn and witness, and something that needs more attention, especially in the Western hemisphere. This is the aim of the Practice Space, to invite us to deepen any sort of mindfulness practice for collective gain. With the escalations of global violence, it became more apparent that this was an offering that could support all of us in mindfully navigating these tense environments, while inviting us to simultaneously contribute to the transformation of this global suffering.
The “Practice Space for Collective Transformation From Within” is an online community hub offering tools, On-Demand courses, and a community to invite us to transform individual and collective suffering. Much of the course content and material were easy to develop and were the very first things I created. After that, I designed and coded the entire membership space on my website, including video hosting/embeds, custom navigation menus, and general website design and animations. I enjoy website design, because it is highly creative. Finally, I had to establish the operations components, such as enrolment, community-building, and communications. For me, this was probably the most effort; it was really quite daunting, and I wasn’t too sure where to start. I grounded myself by considering the member journey, which kept me from overcomplicating things. Lastly, I had to make some financial investments into marketing/advertisements and publicity. This was when the self-doubt would ROAR within me the loudest. I had to move slowly throughout this journey, so as not to overwhelm myself or put too much pressure on myself. Self-doubt likes to play tricks on us and tell us things about our self-worth that are not true. I invite anyone looking to launch their own venture to consider finding a balance between moving forward and moving diligently. Can we move at a comfortable pace that allows us to advance forward, so we can nurture self-doubt without putting pressure, stress, or expectations onto ourselves?

Vanessa , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a two-time award-winning author, host/producer of “The Human Challenge”, named an Amazon Music and ACAST Indie Podcast Amplifier, and President of The Being Human Foundation. I also hold a 200hr Certified Mindfulness Teacher — Professional Level (CMT-P) certification from The Lab of Meditation, recognized by The International Mindfulness Teacher’s Association. My training specializes in Social Justice and Trauma-Informed offerings and I offer free mindfulness practices on the Insight Timer app. I’m humbled to have been featured in national and international news outlets, including CTV, CityNews, BoldJourney, Canvas Rebel, and many more. All of my “works” are extensions of who I am, what I believe, and my humanity.
My background is quite diverse, and I was led here by navigating many different spheres. Professionally, I have over ten years of experience as an award-winning corporate innovator, venture-builder, and investor. I’ve launched investment platforms, raised over 2 million capital using various securities exemptions, including raising a record-breaking 775K in 36 hours. I also earned my Honours Bachelor of Science from The University of Toronto, specializing in Neuroscience, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Immunology; and my Masters of Business, Education, and Technology from The University of Waterloo. However, these definitions of success are things I had been taught and were not who I am; I felt largely disconnected from these things and the accolades. I felt like I was trapped in a world that didn’t align with me, that wanted me to put profits first and be a version of myself that everyone else needed me to be, which often came at my own expense. What supported me was my connection to myself. Throughout these experiences, I was deeply in touch with my own humanity. This is the part of me that creates – my podcast, my books, my non-profit, my meditations and practice space. The more time I’ve spent with this part of me, the more of this part of me I embody. Throughout these experiences, I was always creating, and finally, as I became more embodied, I trusted this version of me. In that trust, I found a deeper calling to invite all of us to reconnect with our own humanity, beyond the constructs of society that we live in.
Now, I choose how I use these experiences for the greater good… I offer free business support and mentorship for returning citizens following their incarceration. I continue to hold numerous board and advisory positions for social ventures and community organizations and also lecture at Algoma University. Much of my professional experience is the reason I can be successful in my own endeavours because I have gone through these exercises in these contexts. Through all of my offerings and associations, I am committed to connecting our inner and outer humanity. There are a lot of people sharing mindfulness, and even more people sharing self-help, but one thing we need to do more of is invite ourselves to harness these tools to contribute to creating a different world around us. There is extensive global suffering that needs transformation, and because our inner and outer humanity are inextricably connected, the transformation must begin within us. This is in my invitation to you, through my books, podcast, non-profit, and membership community.

My truthfulness. It is very hard in an individualistic society to be ourselves, but I am very proud that I have been able to embody this, without compromising my grace, compassion, or humility. Some people label this as “stubbornness”, “not what the market wants”, or “wrong”. I’m sorry it is seen this way. I really am. I hear people say this, and I think, “how unfortunate”, because what we see in others is a direct reflection of what we see of ourselves. So, it’s not just about the things we see, but the fact that it is because we see these things, we’re limiting ourselves from being who we really are. It means we’re holding ourselves back. Of course, how people choose to live is not up to me. We’re all on our own journeys. I can only extend invitations and hope they will be accepted.
It’s a commitment to embody our truthful nature, something we choose each time we come back home to ourselves, every time we choose to love ourselves. I will be sharing some of this journey in my next book, dropping later this year. Subscribe to my newsletter at vanessaferlaino.com/subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

The gift of deep listening and being free of our own narratives. Deep listening invites us to witness our humanity; when I can listen to others, I can see that people are suffering, just like me. I can also see how suffering is connected, meaning that the components of transformation, including love and humanity, are also connected. When we can embody this, it is the only way we can offer our real gifts to the world for transformation. Many of my favourite artists are free in this way, and their creations are gifts for this reason.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

What a question!!! The workings of the world, in general, are things I’ve had to unlearn. Society has taught me many things about how to value myself, what I was worth, who I was allowed to be… but as you can see, I have diverse experiences and a vast array of skillsets, and I could never be defined by just one thing. So, when I shed these stories of the workings of the world, many of the versions of me that were attached to them also shed. Transcending these labels, these notions, these stories, invites us to live in a reality born from our infinite potential.

Contact Info:

• Website: www..vanessaferlaino.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessaferlaino/#
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/authwall?trk=gf&trkInfo=AQGNGnRFVy13UAAAAZfBRqFo7Nu1ZGtQCuo4x5mVKjvnRHeH7v3TQaxZVzTZMLd2MZJlb7Nf-mzA4Hxel15cAZYNf5rlk8Btzs5EYOwtq7QOsBi_jrP2mvEF5ZVGDFIscrw6OMQ=&original_referer=https://vanessaferlaino.com/&sessionRedirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fvanessaferlaino
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino

Image Credits

Sam Dechamplain Photography