One day, I went to a seminar on how to make an elevator speech, which is a concise excerpt about yourself that you tell someone who does not know you in about a minute or two. In the context in which the seminar was set, it was what you would say to the CEO of a company you wanted to be hired into if you met on an elevator ride; in short, it was about how to sell yourself. The elevator speech is like an advertisement except you are not selling a car or shoes, you are selling yourself – the commodity – to someone, by telling them why you are worth their time or attention. It was one of the hardest things for me to do, as I did not know which part of my extensive resume to laud and I inherently resented the whole sell-yourself spin, something quintessentially American but not part of how I was brought up. I am American by birth but I grew up in cultures where modesty is celebrated and it is uncouth to toot one’s own horn, so I was being taught to do something uncharacteristic. But to thrive, we must all find ways to adapt to our environment without eschewing our core values. To that end, this “About Me” was not one I thought I would ever populate, but I have tackled (at last), only because I realized several of my readers did not just read my Posts but came here presumably curious about the writer. To assure my readers this site is not manned by a bot or some secret government agent, that I am just a regular Joe, here goes.
My name is Vanessa, that is not a lie nor will any lies be found on this site – I leave that unfortunate predilection to the US Court and other institutions that have made deception their life’s work. I prefer not to share my last name as an online search will easily unearth who I am and several of the players I write about but tend not to fully name (unless it serves the purpose of the exposé) as the goal of this site is to share learnings, insights and to equip others with knowledge often reaped from (painful) experiences to aid them sidestep the crap that may birth those challenges and painful experiences or to aid them figure a way out of one (if they have already stepped into it) or to abet self-empowerment as some puzzle pieces tend to be (sometimes purposefully) hidden from the public. Like a painting, the throughput on this site, not the writer, is to be the center of attention and to generate the reflections and conversations. I want the ideas here and the thoughts provoked to linger, without taint as to what I may look like or my affiliations; my only bias is for the truth. I am a citizen of the world; I have lived in various countries, speak various languages (some better than others) and I believe once you breathe the same air, eat the same food, sleep on the same land as its inhabitants, you carry part of them in your soul and it is important to honor them. I appreciate the necessity of citizenship and the politics it drives, but it does not dictate who I am or what I am beholden to as ideas do not have to be ascribed citizenship to any country to live, to be or to apply to anyone. My Posts have been warmly embraced by people in various countries; I am grateful.
On the personal side, I am a mother of two (handsome, super smart) boys, the loves of my life, and though one of my mentors (a deceased attorney) believed I was an attorney in a previous life and I missed my calling to be one in this life, I am not a trained attorney; I am a trained scientist so I am into what can be proven and I engage in research so what I present, legal or otherwise, is fact-based including excerpts from my life. Since I have an affinity for the law, I do not subscribe to mob justice but I do believe anyone (particularly government officials) who eschew justice, at will, will be apprehended by appropriate entities of men or by God Himself; there is no escape. And for those who have read any of my Posts, it is likely clear I am an unapologetic movie buff (thanks to my dad) as I believe art imitates life and can drive a point home better than mere words. So, I conclude this “About Me” with a quote from another movie favorite: “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Government should be afraid of their people.” (“V for Vendetta”). We, the people, have the power and it takes the will to wield it.
Thank you for visiting this site and I hope you return for even more servings of only the truth.
Behind the Scales of Justice 