We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vanessa F. Garcia. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vanessa F. below.

Vanessa F., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Ever since I was little, I have always felt the need to prove myself as being “normal” amongst my peers, not knowing that being “different” was actually my hidden super power.

Growing up as a first-generation college student and coming from a low-income minority household, I always felt like the misunderstood/mischaracterized outcast by my peers. Some of my friends accepted me at face value, while others bullied or even pushed me around for being different. I honestly think it was because I was always naturally curious about the world around me and would always analyze everything in-depth. I never liked to rule out an idea or an experience. I figured that life was my oyster; I wanted to learn more about myself on a deeper level.

I later realized that not too many people wanted to get to know themselves on a deeper, more authentic level/manner. It scared most to actually accept and come to terms with their true authentic selves (strengths and weaknesses alike). My true “eureka” moment came during the COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine when I was forced to look within myself and accept all of my strengths/weaknesses and improve on myself. Isolation can be both scary yet liberating, especially when one was not forced or obligated into social settings as a result of the lockdown. It was at this moment in time that I sought therapy to re-discover the parts of myself that were dormant and just not ready to be expressed in public. Those parts of myself included acting, more specifically, voice acting.

Although the pandemic did stifle some of my initial plans, I did come to the realization that I wanted to train and take voice over acting more seriously; voice acting was my “purpose.” As a result of this realization, I took as many online voice over classes, coaching sessions, and webinars as I could find and even converted my walk-in closet into my own sound-treated voice over booth. I also started posting more of my voice over content online through Instagram and Tik Tok. It was then that I realized that there was a whole community of other voice over artists that I networked and, eventually, became close friends with.

I have social media to thank for encouraging me to pursue my voice over acting career and, thus, allowing me to discover my “purpose” and accept the fact that I will probably always be misunderstood or mischaracterized. Listening to other voice actors share their stories and resonating with their journeys has allowed me to “keep pushing on” with my own calling of pursuing voice over. This unique artform has shown people that it is okay to be an adult and play. That was something that I had to essentially re-learn for myself as well. Being in law for so long had suppressed my inner child so much to the point where it was just bursting to play again. Voice over had essentially been my therapy and my sanctuary from “adulting.” I love being in my own element and creating a character that people would love and resonate with.

One piece of advice I would offer about accepting one’s own self as being misunderstood is to always follow that inner Jumanji drum beat inside of you! You know which one I’m talking about… That inner drum beat that grows louder and louder once you find that purpose or calling and start pursuing it! Follow that inner primal instinct…

Respectfully, “F” the haters as well. There will always be those who inspire and lift you up while others are just jealous about your inner bright light that they will try everything and anything to dim your light. Don’t allow anyone to dim your own light and, as a matter of fact, shine even brighter just to spite them! Kill people with kindness and let your accolades and accomplishments speak for themselves! :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Los Angeles-based professional voice actor, actor, social media content creator, and creative consultant. Being born and raised in Los Angeles, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, and a woman of color, has allowed me to have an unique perspective on life that adds depth and richness to my storytelling. My journey from these humble beginnings to becoming a recognized talent in the entertainment industry is a testament to my hard work, dedication, and passion for the arts.
And when it comes to versatility, I’m like a chameleon, effortlessly adapting my voice to suit any project, from commercials to English Live-Action dubbing to video games to animation.
But perhaps my greatest strength lies in my ability to uplift and inspire. I feel like my voice has the power to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression. Throughout my journey, I have shown that stories can shape perspectives, inspire change, and connect us all on a deeper level. As the saying goes, “Every voice has a story, and every story deserves to be heard.” The journey hasn’t been easy, but I believe that vocalizing my passion has inspired and motivated many to pursue their own endeavors as well. I believe that my story is one of resilience and ambition, and as I continue to grow as an person and an artist, I serve as an inspiration to aspiring artists as well.
I was featured in the September 2024 edition of Bold Journey Magazine and the August 2022 edition of the Reel Social Magazine, a United Kingdom entertainment magazine. In 2023 and 2024, I became a Top 40 Finalist for the CBS News Promo Audition Spotlight at That’s Voiceover! Conference hosted by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) for two consecutive years in a row.
My voice over work was also featured in the English live-action dub of the Netflix documentary “The Lost Children” in 2024, which was rated Top 2 on “Netflix’s Top 10 Movies in the U.S. Today,” during its first week of airing. My work was also featured in another English live-action dub of the Netflix true crime original series “900 Days Without Anabel,” which was rated Top 4 on “Netflix’s Top 10 T.V. Shows in the U.S. Today,” during its first week of airing.
As far as future projects are concerned, I am practicing and perfecting my craft and networking with other voice actors. I recently completed Improv 101 with Upright Citizens Brigade and cannot wait to take more classes with the infamous improv group. I have also started a new business venture as a voice over editor for the entertainment magazine Fusion, which enabled me to be a part of the entertainment media world. I have also been a guest on several podcasts such as “The VO Life” and “Rekindle Your Light” which discussed topics ranging from voice acting to my personal spiritual awakening journey. I am also the proud brand ambassador for SuperX, a superhero-based work out apparel company geared to creating truly unique one-of-a kind training apparel. Our brand has officially partnered with such brands as Marvel Comics The Avengers and Venom, Deadpool & Wolverine, Power Rangers, Assassin’s Creed, GI Joe, and Transformers. I cannot wait to pursue bigger projects in the future. I am taking my journey one step and one day at a time and enjoying every minute of it.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I don’t think there was a particular story that illustrated my resilience. However, I do believe that many instances have led me to become more fearless, confident, and grateful.

Contrary to popular belief, these qualities were not developed over night. It took many years of therapy, soul searching, and admitting my strengths and weaknesses to myself before I was able to authentically live up to my full potential. I also had to accept all of myself in order to become confident in my auditions and in life in general. It took a lot of guts and bravery to fully show the world my true authentic self and that journey started by accepting my sexuality and everything about what made my tick as a human being.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a recovering worry-wart and anxious perfectionist, I tend to worry about anything and everything. I think that has to do a lot about being nit picky on the details, which is another reason why I was interested in pursuing law.

Two valuable pieces of advise I’ve learned was to 1) take each step of your growth process in manageable, bit-size pieces at a time and 2) be gentle on yourself and in the process. My therapist taught me the importance of resting and listening to my own body whenever it needed something from me in order to avoid feeling burned out or overwhelmed.

Since I used to say “yes” to a lot of things, people, and situations in my life, I learned to only do the things that were manageable for me at that present time and to say “no” to the rest. I was able to regain my sense of sanity and ground myself more on managing my mental health in the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vanessa-garcia.net/#
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessagarcia.vo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessagarciavo/
• Twitter: https://bsky.app/profile/vanessagarciavo.bsky.social
• Other: https://linktr.ee/vanessagarciavo

Image Credits

Jerry Coria