How lucky I am to get to meet with a mix of beautiful women from all over the globe, all of whom allow me to share their journey and  everyday life with all of you.

Vanessa Ferlaino is on the blog today and I am so excited because her specialty is….meditation, mindfulness and how to apply unity consciousness to ones life.

Meet Vanessa Ferlaino – is the multi-award-winning author of “Human”, speaker, philanthropist, host/producer, and Certified 200-Hr Meditation Practitioner.

A little about Vanessa:

Vanessa Ferlaino is a spent 10 years in tech as an award-winning corporate innovator, founder, angel investor, and executive. She was the Chief Operations Officer of a gene therapy company at the age of 23, and by age 25 received an award for launching an enterprise-level investment platform that paved the way for start- up retail investment in a corporate setting, raising 800K in 36 hours. Her experience spans medtech, IoT, AgTech, Digital Health, immersive entertainment.

Vanessa has been featured in national and international news outlets. Her multi-award-winning book, “HUMAN”, was featured in Times Square Billboard in January 2023.

Aiming to create a cultural shift in tech, she is a certified 200-hr meditation practitioner from The Lab of Meditation, Canada’s first accredited meditation practitioner program by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. You can meditate with her on the Insight Timer app.

She is also the host of THE HUMAN CHALLENGE, live exclusively on The Fireside App or on-demand on your favorite podcast, and founded The Being Human Foundation dedicated to educating and advocating for a socially conscious world.

Vanessa lives in California with her Catahoula Leopard rescue dog, Ivy. She has an Honors Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience major, Cell and Molecular Biology major, and Immunology minor) from University of Toronto and a Masters of Business in Entrepreneurship and Technology from University of Waterloo. She also holds a leadership certificate from Roy Group.

Thank you so much Vanessa for sharing with my community, blog and various platforms.

Please help me welcome Vanessa🧘🏻‍♀️✍🏽🦋🤍 🧿

Vanessa Ferlaino

Multi-Award-Winning Author of “Human” + Speaker + Certified Meditation Practitioner on Inside Timer + Host/Producer of The Human Challenge + Founder Of The Being Human Foundation

Featured Entrepreneur: Vanessa Ferlaino – Multi-Award-Winning Author of “Human” + Speaker + Certified Meditation Practitioner on Inside Timer + Host/Producer of The Human Challenge + Founder Of The Being Human Foundation

Interviewed by: Anna Svetlík De La Rosa Episode: #112

Date: 06/08/2023

MY INTERVIEW WITH VANESSA FERLAINO

Q1.   What did you want to be growing up?

Hahaha oh my … well this takes me back …

As I reminisce on this question, I have memories of kindergarten finger paintings where I was asked to paint the answer to this question. I drew myself once as a ballerina, though I have never once taken any sort of dance class, nor do I have any memories of asking to participate in dance … perhaps this is what I thought I was supposed to want to be … poised, confident, radiant, and beautiful … I think dancers are quite beautiful, but at the time, my intention was on the outer perspective of beauty, not the inner. This is not a conversation of desire or its projections, but rather a discussion of the meaning of beauty. As I grew into adulthood, I realized the beauty I saw in dancers was the freedom of expression, the beauty of life, in every movement, limb, breath … As children, we are exposed to beauty tends to focus on the superficialities of beauty, the desire of beauty, as opposed to the feeling and “being” beautiful…

It took me well into my adult life to see and even own my own beauty in a way that empowered and inspired me authentically. Opposed to the projection of what I was told or shown, especially through media, what it meant to be “beautiful”. I now know what it means to feel beautiful, from the inside, and because of that, I know the beauty of our world that is around us.

I have another memory of another finger painting the following year where I wanted to be a dental hygienist, hahaha! I know for a fact it was because I liked my dental hygienist and it was most likely I had a dentist appointment that coincided with the day we were asked to indulge in this finger painting task. So in this case, this “wanting to be” was an expression of admiration… 

There were times when I can recall saying “I want to be like my mom or dad” or like some other person. That makes me miss my own youthfulness… how as children, we prioritize our futures on the basis of love and compassion, but as we grow, that intention seems to change … Instead we start answering the question “what do you want to do” not “who do you want to be”. We forget to listen to the heart, our gateway to the soul…

It’s interesting to observe how over adolescence and into my teens and early 20s that intention changed within me… suddenly I found myself pursing careers for the sake of riches and financial abundance … at first I wanted to get into medicine, neurosurgeon and oncology interested me, so I pursued a bachelor of science with a neuroscience major, cell and molecular biology, and immunology minor. I suppose I could consider that these are professions that are care-based, so not necessarily purely financially driven because there is a large investment, but I can admit at the time it was more because these professions are “impressive” or considered the “pinnacle”, and I think it’s a trap that many of us fall into, especially when we are so young and asked to decide our future. I also think I began making decisions for financial reasons because I was responsible for personally paying for my education. I worked 2-3 jobs simultaneously since I was 16 to pay for my education (I did manage to graduate loan-free and debt-free), and I was afraid of having to spend my life like that. So now, the intention became financial abundance out of fear, and that is never a good mix. I enjoyed the subject matter in science, it fascinated me, but it didn’t call me. Because tech was something I was exposed to, especially biotech, I pursued a masters of business. I spent a decade in tech and I am honored to have accolades, including tenure as an executive at a gene therapy company and an award-winning corporate innovator for democratizing startup investment in corporate, but deep down, it never really called to me, nor did it call me back when I left. It was exhausting … for a while, I believed it was the exhaustion of tech culture, but I realized it was the exhaustion of not pursuing matters of the soul. 

To pursue the matters of the soul is to remain in that youthful mindset, the one where we can see beauty in all and to be mostly unshed of the conditioning. 

Perhaps this reflection is beyond the scope of this question, but I approach everything in life with curiosity and intention to rise mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, so I’m often naturally inclined to observe my thoughts and the observation of my observed thoughts simultaneously. This is the gift of humanity we all have within us, if we decide we want to access it for the greater good. 

Q2. Tell us all about your Book “Human”?

“Human” is the journey of developing this gift, this ability to observe and to then observe the observed 😉 

It is the true journey of shedding each of these layers of who we are, who we are told to be, who we are conditioned to believe we are, to realign with the essence of who we are — the soul mission. 

Of course, at the time I wrote it, I did not know this. I was not so far ahead in my journey, I was still shedding and sifting through many emotions and coming to terms with who I am. But at that point of writing, at that point of shedding, I was realizing that the human experience for all of us is the same; pain is pain, loss is loss, joy is joy, etc. We all feel and experience the same things, just in a different context. And so “Human” is really that journey — that journey of being human to myself, and then to each other, and the world. 

This is, after all, what makes us human… the ability to accept and to feel every inch of who we are and what makes us us, and then to witness how it is exactly what we all feel and this is in fact what connects us to each other. We are tethered together in such a way that this same tether is what connects us to the world. 

This phenomenon is termed as “Unity consciousness” … this embodiment of “oneness”. Conceptually, “oneness” is easy to grasp, but embodying it means we go through this intentional process of shedding, as described, to be able to experience “oneness” right down to the metaphysical level, where you can literally feel that tether and be pulled by it. 

Q3. Meditation and Mindfulness has changed my life, can you tell us how it has changed yours?

Meditation and mindfulness has not just changed my life — it has become my life. It is a state of being for me.

Of course, I’m human and live on this physical world where I am surrounded by desire, tension and suffering all around me (including my own), so staying grounded in that can sometimes require more energy than other times…

If I can move slowly with intention, and connect with the breath to stay in touch with the body, I can remain in an enlightened state. In my current journey, I’m mastering the true integration of enlightenment into my everyday life; this means I fluctuate between my states of being.

When I first began this journey, my fluctuations were very intense, very abrupt, and tended to last days, if not weeks. I’ve noticed that they’re a little less intense now.

Lately, I have discovered that these fluctuations can be as short as a few minutes sometimes and as long as a few hours, because I am better at being a witness to what I am feeling and simply honoring what is present. As such, I am very conscious of my interactions; I believe that the integration of my enlightened state into my past, present, and future selves, and into this state of eternal, timeless, infinite self, is necessary to be fully embedded in my past, present, and future selves. (I’d like to say)

It is an infinite Self full of wonder and magic, seeing beauty in all of us once more, embodying oneness. It’s important because it’s the true intention of mindfulness and meditation, and it’s the unity of consciousness and the social good that we can co-create for ourselves, for each other, and for the planet. Especially in these modern times, we’re so determined to be “stress-free” and “happy”, we’re so focused on the search itself, we have forgotten how to see what’s in front of us and the answers and journey that are all within us. 

In this search for answers around us, we have commercialized mindfulness and thus sometimes forget to honor the cultural traditions, which really are so vast. Mindfulness and meditation are a part of many cultures in many different ways — Hinduism, Buddhism, even indigenous culture (I refer in this case to the indigenous communities across Canada because I’m most familiar with this. I’m no expert in this matter, but do my best to acknowledge this when and where I can). I enjoy exploring other cultures and traditions because it allows me to explore different parts of myself. As I go through different life experiences, I find that myself using what I have learned and apply it. I do this respectfully by honoring the teachings and the authenticity of these teachings, especially as a mindfulness instructor. 

I’m a certified mindfulness meditation practitioner on the free Insight Timer app, certified by The Lab of Meditation, which is accredited by the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. I’m quite mindful of cultural expropriation, so I often limit myself and my teachings to secular mindfulness practices because I do not want to misrepresent traditions, stories and storytelling. I will not teach what is beyond me unless it has been bestowed upon me through a formal tradition, but do weave in my experiences with certain traditions in a way that is truthful to me. Meditation and mindfulness is a deep personal experience for everyone, and should be respected in their own right.

My personal experience with meditation and mindfulness and how it has become a part of me is the reason I pursued my accreditation, to learn more about what I was experiencing. I’m a highly sensitive person with an empathic nature, so I sense, feel, and process energy, feelings, and experiences that aren’t always mine in the body as if they were mine. Growing up I didn’t understand this, and typically felt shamed and isolated for how I felt, but it did naturally force me to continuously be aware of “what was mine” and “what was not mine”. This discernment is really the same type of awareness and observation that we develop from mindfulness tools and meditation, so when I was pursuing my certification, I was able to put words to what I was experiencing. So really, our teachings are all we really need, and the ability to honestly observe them with respect and without judgement.

Q4. What is the 1st step to living life in our personal POWER?

Acceptance. Acceptance that we have that power. We’re told we don’t, but the more you shed, the more you realize you do. The more you believe and see magic. The more you experience miracles — and create them. Embody them. We ARE that power. 

And this all comes down to acceptance. Acceptance of who you are, who you have been, the things you’ve done and the acknowledgment that the things you’ve done don’t always equate to the person that you are…. 

Being able to accept every ounce of your humanness is an act of self-love. 

And this act of self-love is unconditional love which you share with others and the world. 

This is enlightenment, freedom, and the power of free will. To live your soul life the way you’re supposed to. 

My dear friend, Larissa Nicole at larissanicole.com, said to me once,

“Our power, our shadow and our light are mirrored through our connection with one another. We fear true connection with others because we fear connection with ourselves. Depending on where we are in our journey, the intensity of this experience will either inspire us to face and embrace ourselves or run like hell when ‘who we are’ is reflected back.” 

I’m honored to share these beautiful words because in order to embrace this power, we have to push past this fear. And we do that when we can accept what it is we see of ourselves in one another. This act of self-love, this act of forgiveness, this act of letting go, this act of unconditional love… this is the POWER. So accept it. Allow for it. Feel that fear and embrace it… because when it’s released, all that really matters, all that is really true, will be present and even stronger. 

Q5. What does success mean to you as an powerful / authentic woman?

I’m not seeking success, at least not in the way success is often portrayed. 

I’m seeking enlightenment and freedom. I just want “to be” … nothing in particular, I just want “to be” whoever I am, whatever I am, at any given moment. I want to be free “to be”. I want to be present. I want to experience the totality of every moment, the power of the infinite Self and its expansiveness.

To be that free, as I’m learning, is to find that place of acceptance, to stay in my true power of love and enlightenment and relinquish ego and fear, all of which just create my own suffering… 

I believe this is the state of unity consciousness, and this can be harnessed to make a difference. 

When we are in our power, we see how all of our own actions influence those around us — how words, a smile, a wave, can influence the actions, words, energies , vibrations of those around us. In our true power, we can SENSE that change, and that to me, is more than success — it is magic. 

To hold that power is magic, to share that power is magic. Mastering that is the art, the journey. And to create abundance around the ability to be that free Self… that wealth is simply incomparable. 

When we set ourselves free, we set each other free. 

Be human to yourself. Be human to each other. Be human to the world. 

Q6. How do you process work load stress or personal stress or just to much coming at you all at one time?

Hmmm … I would say I engage in a combination of these things quite regularly in an act of co-creation of my life and circumstances.  This empowers me to live with intention, as opposed to living my life on the basis of short-term goals, perspectives, and/or objectives. Instead, living with intention allows me to naturally embody a “flow state” where I can co-create my life. 

I’ve been learning to access and stay in my “flow state” (ie integrating Unity consciousness/enlightenment into my everyday life), and a medley of these tools are what enable me to stay in my flow … 

These tools are very much a way of life … they are quite embedded within me … I wake up, engage in yoga, meditate … then I go for a nice long walk with my dog, Miss Ivy, a beautiful Catahoula Leopard Dog (well, one of us walks… the other throws a ball and engages in a healthy activity of “bench-hopping”) … along the bench-hopping I’ll journal or read a chapter of a book I’m reading (I’ve been re-reading Paulo Coelho’a books recently and even the story of “Siddhartha” is one I’ve been flipping back to in my attempt to soak in the journey of enlightenment and the role of inner teachings).

As I tend to journal quite regularly, even just spontaneously throughout the day, you’ll often catch me with my Moleskin journal and iPad in hand. Then, after our walk, there will be time for creativity, whether I’m channeling my creative energy into my own projects, like The Being Human Foundation, or it may be taking time to play piano and embody my artistic nature. I tend to meditate an additional 2 times throughout the day and a final yoga session before bed….

 These are intentional practices, rooted in spirituality, not just “things to do” or “tick off my list”…. I believe this intention makes a huge difference in the practice and more importantly, in our ability to co-create our realities. 

I’m of the belief that work load, stress, heartbreak, loss, are a part of our daily life, part of the human experience. These rituals and practices, which I continue to engrave within me, help me stay grounded and within my flow state, so when things happen, it is just a part of life. Ex. There was a period of my life where I had no job, no money, no home, and a very sick relative … but because I had built my practices and based on where I was in my enlightenment journey, I was able to acknowledge these as happenings and stayed grounded in my flow state. In this state, The Universe presented me with opportunities to support others and myself, while not succumbing to the fear of these happenings. 

When we are faced with stresses of any kind, it is often the fear of them or the fear of the outcomes that we tend to react to. These fears should not be discounted and the feelings associated are 100% valid, but if we can acknowledge these as simply fears, we would be able to stay grounded and find ways to honor these experiences with ourselves and one another to bring us closer together and to a higher state of Unity consciousness. 

Q7. How can we support The Being Human Foundation?

I’m honored to be asked this question, and grateful for anyone who wishes to support The Being Human Foundation.

The Being Human Foundation is going through a wondrous rebirth, to focus more on unity consciousness through meditation and mindfulness; arts and culture; and community engagement. This is very much in true alignment with my soul mission and I’m honored to be able to share it with everyone. Right now, you can donate to this cause HERE.  I’m grateful for your interest in being part of this co-creation. You’re also welcome to subscribe to the email list on the website if you’re interested in supporting later and simply want to keep in touch. 

I’m also excited to share other indirect ways to support The Foundation, if you are interested; you can purchase a copy of my book, “Human” on Amazon or select Chapters Indigo stores across Canada. 5% of book sales go to The Foundation. And as meditation is a part of the foundation, I do offer some free meditations on the Insight Timer app imsighttimer.com/vanessaferlaino. Any donations made to me through Insight Timer go directly to the foundation as well. 

Also, I’ve just launched my new show, The Human Challenge LIVE on the Fireside app (Fireside is co-founded by Mark Cuban and Falon Fatemi). The show explores the challenges of being human and navigating the human experience, so we can challenge what we know of the world and achieve that higher state of Unity consciousness, all of which are in alignment with The Being Human Foundation’s mission. I started the show to support the foundation… so far, I’ve been honored to feature guests such as hiro Demichelis, Founder of The Lab of Meditation and consultant to United Nations Peace on Purpose project; Priya Sam, former Canadian national newsanchor and board member of The Being Human Foundation; meditation guides Tom Evans and Saqib Rizvi; author and Stanford Professor of Economics Dr. Matthew O. Jackson; author and BAFTA-nominated broadcaster, Dr. James Fox; and renowned arts curator Devyani Saltzman.

 

Vanessa’s new show, “The Human Challenge” is LIVE on the Fireside app🔥 You can catch the show live on firesidechat.com/thehumanchallenge or on-demand on your favorite podcast platform. I announce guests on my Instagram @vanessaferlaino

If you are not familiar with Fireside, it is co-founded by Mark Cuban and Falon Fatemi, it’s the next evolution of entertainment, bringing you into the story through live, interactive, virtual shows.

Q8. Where can we find you?

Instagram: HERE

Facebook: HERE

LinkedIn: HERE 

Publicist: R.J. Garis
 Xo,