Long read, but such powerful writing from my client. I got this from him a couple of months ago and can barely deal with the gravity of it. I continue to work with this client and he is MAKING MOVES in the face of a very difficult circumstance....
"Vanessa was referred to me at what was quite possibly my lowest, amidst growing tensions within the family business, I begrudgingly accepted as my career path.
Vanessa approached each member of our family with compassion, empathy for every one of our qualms, respect for our boundaries and diverse personalities, with a clear intention to repair the breakdowns in our communications and remind us of the overwhelming love we share for each other.
She moved quickly, gathering our perspectives with grace and an unbiased ear. As someone who maybe half of the time struggles to be an extrovert, I had little to no issues sharing my whole world with Vanessa, and she listened with an abundance of care and intent.
She let me stop to collect my thoughts and reflect when I needed it, she had no trouble slowing down or reiterating thoughts if I didn’t catch them initially, she never invalidated my experience and at no point told me I was in the wrong for any of my thoughts or emotions.
My phone calls with her were always an angelic presence within my often soul-crushing work weeks.
Her mediation opened the door to conversations with my Dad that I thought were next to impossible. Though we may have felt tension in the moment, Vanessa gently guided us through a joint session, reinforcing and reminding us each step of the way of the intense love and respect we feel for our immediate family members.
She helped shine a new light on my experience of my relationship with my Dad with such brilliance that we both couldn’t help but cry. Her voice allowed my own to transcend the paradigm of father/son psychology that so often left me voiceless, under the gun, paranoid, anxious, and depressed when my inner child couldn’t understand why his Daddy is being so mean to him.
Since working with Vanessa and having the opportunity to transparently reflect on my true aspirations and feelings with my Dad, I feel like I’ve course-corrected for the stars.
I don’t force myself to hold a neutral facial expression from nine to five anymore, I have an end date on my job and I wasn’t shamed for needing to go in a different direction, I’m reigniting old passions I left aside to make room for business knowledge I never wanted to begin with, I can carve my own path knowing that my Dad loves me for who I am.
I owe you immensely, V.
If you feel voiceless, powerless to someone else determining your future for you, restrained by a loved one’s refusal to just give an inch, misunderstood or hurt by those you hold closest, disregarded, hopeless, there isn’t a single resource I’d recommend above Vanessa Hancock. Your voice and feelings matter, and she’ll amplify them for all to hear when others drown you out."