vanessaferlaino
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vanessaferlaino
by Vanessa Ferlaino
If you’re looking for deep and connected transformation, then you’re invited into a world of expansion! While most self-help books focus on our inner worlds, this book invites us to see where our inner and outer worlds come together, weaving our healing journeys into the larger thread of our humanity. “If you're reading this book,” writes Chip Skowron, former CEO of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, “you’re being invited into something sacred. Not a self- improvement project, but a reorientation of your being.”
In this Expansive Edition, Vanessa Ferlaino revisits core themes of her award-winning book, “human”. With ripened wisdom, she challenges her own intentions, shares new revelations, and dives deeper into the vague experiences touched on in her previous work – and why she was unable to speak about them before. This edition features opening words by acclaimed mindfulness teacher, Hiro Demichelis; a foreword by Chip Skowron; a new introduction; the full first edition; and a hearty, all-encompassing reflection by the author.
Vanessa Ferlaino is a two-time award-winning author, host/producer, activist, and philanthropist. As a Certified 200-hr Mindfulness Teacher (CMT-P), she specializes in trauma-informed offerings and social justice. Vanessa sits on numerous boards and offers free mentorship to returning citizens with a history of incarceration. She is humbled to be featured in national and international news outlets. Meditate with her at vanessaferlaino.com.
“You will find your heart softening, breaking, opening. You will find a version of yourself between these pages, tender, fierce, once-forgotten. You may even find yourself forgiving. Or forgiven. Vanessa has written something brave. Utterly human. May this book remind us that our stories are sacred. Yours, too, is sacred.”
Hiro Demichelis, RCC, Facilitator for United Nations Peace on Purpose Program, Founder of The Lab of Meditation
“This book invites us into a return to presence, a return to sacred ordinariness — stillness becoming a gift we treasure. In stillness is where human beings connect and can see one another. If you're reading this book, you’re being invited into something sacred. Not a self- improvement project, but a reorientation of your being. Let yourself be disrupted. Welcome to the journey.”
Chip Skowron, MD, PhD, Former CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program
“Beautifully written, deeply moving. An exploration of healing, truth, and empathy. It draws you into a space of personal reflection and quiet observation — a world where compassion rises above indifference. While the original version wrestled with the world’s darkness, this one accepts it — and chooses to move forward with intention.”
Leanna Carriere, Canadas First Female Decathlete, Co-founder of Seven Summit Snacks
“In these terrifying days when the world often feels split open by war, fear, and grief, ‘Human: Expansive Edition’ arrives like a gentle reminder of what still lives within us: empathy, presence, and the longing to be seen. She writes with the rare ability to see in between the lines and love what lives there.This isn’t just a book. It’s an act of resistance — tender, fierce, and human. This book doesn’t ask for perfection, it invites presence. And in that presence, I found hope.”
AŸA, award-winning musician and filmmaker
“Vanessa Ferlaino is a phenomenal, powerful, and evocative writer. Right from the first page to the very end, Ferlaino’s use of imagery will carry you into spaces you, perhaps, have never known before. Her insights will both thrill and chill you, sometimes simultaneously. She creates a sense of place, both literal and figurative, that puts you right there, where that place may be. Join her on her journey. It's life-changing. The journey belongs to all of us.”
Dr. Sharon Elefant, CEO of The Nonprofit Plug
“Through poetically understated storytelling and poignant reflections, Ferlaino shows us that even in the face of trauma, abandonment, and scarcity, it is possible to gift ourselves with grace, presence, and love. Ferlaino makes a compelling case that healing is an act of bravery—a letting go of the power others hold over us and a radical return to our own selves.”
Bayan Khatib, Co-founder of the Syrian Canadian Foundation, Author, Literary Translator
“A raw and brave introspection. A hand extended an invitation to climb from the depths of trauma and grief into intentional, loving, and compassionate living.”
Abigail Fogg, B.Sc., Professional Athlete & Former NCAA Basketball Player
“The mysterious process of healing finds Vanessa in her own personal labyrinth. In revisiting human five years on, Vanessa uncovers a dark period in her life that shines on her truth journey. In sharing, she compels the reader to ponder their own path, a very cool feat.”
Adrian Vilaca, Producer/Host of Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour and Founder of The Borderline Media
Award-Winning Artist
Vanessa Ferlaino is an award-winning artist with Hispanic and Italian-immigrant roots. Mostly known for her sentimental piano ballads, powerfully raw vocals, and intimate, soul-stirring performances, Vanessa's writing is a blend of self-help, memoir, and narrative non-fiction. She is also known for tremendous support for underrepresented communities; she recently headlined Transform The Night, raising $3,000 for Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario, actively features underrepresented stories in her award-winning podcast, The Human Challenge, and launched The Being Human Foundation to work towards accurate media representation. Before her big break, Vanessa worked with people with disabilities and taught in correctional facilities. Vanessa's work has been featured in national and international media outlets, including Rogers TV, Times Square New York Billboard, CTV, and more.
The Power of Healing to Shape Humanity
"Human is an invitation to transform our inner world, so we can transform our outer world. Through my own experiences, I explore the relationship between our inner and outer humanity, stepping beyond the self-limiting stories and narratives into a world of universal compassion and transformation. In witnessing my connection to others, I liberate myself and others, participating in both individual and collective transformation. I'm humbled by the awards and recognition by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards and The BookFest. To me, this is the hallmark of a timeless work that resonates with others, inviting us deeper into humanity each time we return to these pages." - Vanessa Ferlaino, 2X award-winning author