The journey of self-realization is one that is always riddled with uncertainty. However, beyond the uncertainty there lies a path of empowerment and growth. For Vanessa Luu, a simple question by her mentor challenged everything she knew of believed in. This question made her curious about her own truth and enabled her to find her path forward. With Gen Core Leadership, Vanessa has created a platform that is not only curiosity-inducing but also empowering. In an Exclusive Interview with Exeleon Magazine, Vanessa Luu shares her journey.
What according to you makes one a transformational leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
A transformational leader is someone who has the courage to go inwards, own their truth, challenge their conditioning, and lead by example of their own personal transformation.
I don’t just integrate this as a thought into my leadership, I live by it. For me, personal transformation is only made possible through the courage to go inwards, leading with my truth, challenging my own beliefs, and taking action by choosing to change. Healing through transformational work is a lifelong journey, there is no final destination which means there is always room for more growth and change. I can only teach what I have lived, and I have so much living to do.
Talk to us about your growing up years and what led you into becoming an entrepreneur.
I had a lot of shame throughout my life and especially after high school, I was at the end of an abusive relationship, and I found myself in a lot of emotional pain not fully understanding why. Everywhere I ran to whether it be a new job or a new country, the pain followed me, so at 22, I made it my mission to understand my pain.
This mission created alignment in my life because I began a job at Genesa CPA, which is where I met my now mentor. He gifted me a question that allowed me to change my life, he asked me “why do you do what you do?” It seems like a simple question but it challenged everything I thought I knew and believed in. I knew I had a lot to face within so that question got me to the source of my pain. I became curious about my own truth which led me to want to create space that is a catalyst for others to see their truth.
I was the Marketing & Events Director at Genesa CPA and because they service entrepreneurs, based on where I was with myself, it was natural for my marketing efforts to focus on getting to know the humans behind the business. A couple years after creating events, conferences, and executing various marketing plans, I developed a mentorship program committed to personal transformation through inner work. The launch of this program opened up an opportunity to branch off and start a company with my mentor focused solely on personal transformation.
What prompted the inception of Gen Core Leadership? What was the idea behind the name of the firm?
We are actually in the middle of a rebrand right now, however Gen Core was a play on the name Genesa CPA Corp., which was where this business started. Genesa CPA is an accounting firm founded by Azucar Lary, and I was the Marketing & Events Director there. Over the years, I naturally found myself on a journey of transformation under the Mentorship of Azucar who had been on his own journey of personal transformation for 20 years. When him and I branched off to start Gen Core at the end of 2019, I wanted to honor Genesa CPA and the business we started is about getting to understand ourselves at the core of our being, so Gen Core was a great fit.
What is the mission of the firm and how is it helping leaders achieve personal development?
Our mission is to change the world through providing mentorship to visionary leaders who want to embrace the curiosity of examining their experiences and emotions.
We provide a catalyst for leaders to evolve into a deeper understanding of self and emerge into the limitless potential by owning the fierceness of their inner selves.
Being the Co-founder, what role do you play in the day-to-day proceedings of the firm?
As the Co-Founder, my role is diverse, and I certainly don’t run out of things to do. While my title is Mentor and Facilitator, that is only a fraction of what I do while the business is expanding. My business partner, Azucar, along with being my mentor, he is also the Lead Mentor and Facilitator in our mentorship programs. Day to day, I manage various parts of the business including client relationships, program development, corporate vision, and expansion.
What is the process followed by the firm in order to ensure optimal client satisfaction?
The mentor/mentee relationship is a special one. Each mentee that seeks our services has unique challenges, unique past wounds and unique gifts. We want to make sure they are always seen and heard, as well as held to their highest potential even when they don’t quite see it yet. It’s important to understand that mentorship is about the mentee and not the mentor, context is everything in mentorship and mentees can only see what they’re ready to see on their time.
Explain the company ideology of Examine. Evolve. Emerge and what it stands for.
Examine, Evolve, Emerge – is a depiction of the journey of personal transformation.
“Examine” is about embracing the curiosity to dive within and examine the depths of your life.
“Evolve” is about evolving into a deeper understanding of self through discovering your unique truths and letting of limiting beliefs.
“Emerge” is about the limitless potential you experience as you embody an empowered version of yourself by turning self-awareness into action.
What has the journey been like for Vanessa Luu over the years?
My childhood was chaotic and up until 23 years old, I lived in black and white. The shade of black was about shameful secrets from my childhood and the shade of white was about needing to compromise myself for validation. In my teenage years, I normalized the shame in my own life and acted out the shame in my own relationship. I suffered deeply in this relationship for years through abuse of affairs and addictions, until I woke up to the fact that I was choosing to give myself away thinking it would gain me love.
The academics, ambition, partying, having lots of friends, romantic relationships – at the end of the day, none of this could take away the pain I wasn’t allowing myself to face. Everything I’ve been through is a gift, and the greater pain I allowed myself to face, the greater joy I was able to feel.
Looking back, what would you have done different when starting out?
I’d like to say nothing because in my experience, lessons show up when we’re ready to learn them, but I would learn how to let go of control sooner. I’ve had so much synchronicity in all areas of my life come from letting go of control, and I continue to learn how to let go at greater depths.
What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning?
I’m a young woman of color, and from my first breath, society has told me I am not equal. Uncovering my personal freedom allows me to carve my own path regardless of society but I must still face society and its conditioning.
Conditioning has been my greatest roadblock, it took me away from what’s genuine, from my natural intelligence, from trusting myself. I’ve had and had a long journey of unlearning my conditioning, but I first had to acknowledge my beliefs and the behaviors that supported those beliefs. When I first started this journey of personal transformation, I wasn’t even aware of how deep and subtle conditioning showed up for me. Conditioning impacted how I saw myself and who I felt I needed to be in order to survive.
Moving forward, what does the future look like for Gen Core Leadership and you?
In 2022, we will be launching our new brand, that’s one thing I really look forward to. As we are still in the first two years of business, we have lots of room for growth and excitement especially since we launched this company right before the pandemic hit. The pandemic allowed me to focus on building a strong foundation and cultivate a global client base which I am deeply grateful for. With the launch of our brand post-pandemic (hopefully), we will finally have the ability to facilitate in-person which will allow us to host public speaking development programs, personal development workshops, and collaborative events.
