In this letter, I trace the silence back to its origin, the childhood home where making myself invisible kept the peace. The things I survived and said nothing about, the little girl who wrote scripts and plays and performed with my siblings because make believe was the only place I got to be fully myself.

This is the first in a series of letters about letting yourself be seen. No more performing or waiting until you're ready or healed or polished enough. Seen, as you are, right now.

Because you don't keep art in a closet. And you are the work of art.

Reflection at the end: what you've been hiding is not your weakness. It's your prescription. And the world has been waiting for it.

​Glow Up Hour​ is my free monthly gathering. Founders, leaders, creators in the same room - building the dream while honoring the human.

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About Vanessa Santos: Vanessa is a strategic business architect who helps accomplished women build empires without self-erasure. After walking away from a business, life and an identity she once loved, she now writes, speaks, and builds alongside women navigating the space between who they were and who they're becoming. Her philosophy: Build The Dream. Honor The Human.™