Vanessa is a South African national who in pursuit of better opportunities migrated to different countries and eventually settled in North America. Now she is helping people in their immigration journeys.

Vanessa is an international immigrant, podcaster, and instructor of English as a second language. She has been teaching the English language online for the past two years. Recently she also started her podcast whereon she talks about immigration, working overseas and travelling. She has lived in more than six countries.

Success for Vanessa has always been about passion. Till the age of forty four, she lived a typical life as designed by society. She worked 9 to 5, rented a house etc. After working for a long time she retired when she had saved enough money.

Vanessa’s life mantra is, “rejection is merely a God’s redirection!” She has faced many rejections in her life with regard to getting certain jobs and being able to move to certain places.

Vanessa respects the fact that the younger generation is not really holding on to the traditional ways of doing things. She says that they are not concerned about going to college, getting a good job and having a settled life. They are just pursuing what they want to do, be it travelling around the world etc.

Vanessa’s piece of advice is, “Be who you are, chase what you want to chase, deep dive into your soul as it will guide you what you’re meant for!” Besides, she says that money is not everything, find your passion.

Vanessa says that on the professional front she has received support from her friends from Australia and the US. Though her parents find the idea of getting successful teaching online strange.

Vanessa shares that people, students and parents from different demographics who seek better opportunities reach out to her for immigration related information and queries. She says that life in developed countries is not as easy as people from developing nations may think. You always have to work for what you want to have.

Vanessa thinks that everyone makes mistakes in life. She too has made many mistakes in her life. But she says that nobody should die with regrets in life.

Vanessa says that during the pandemic people realised the importance of life. They started listening to others' points of view. People started listening to podcasts.

Vanessa shares that her journey as an immigrant has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. She faced many lows and some ups in her journey as an immigrant. She met many great people. Now she is making others’ immigration journey easier by sharing her experiences as an immigrant.

Vanessa says that being a podcaster is about connecting with people through their emotions. She never thought that she would ever be doing podcasts online. Besies, she says there are some challenges associated with being a podcaster too. She has to devote a certain number of hours to teaching online. Making money online is also a challenge.

Vanessa advises the aspiring podcasters that you should have a clear idea about what you want to share with people before starting a podcast. Just don’t do it because you want to do it.

Vanessa stresses the importance of education. She says that education is really important in life. She herself has two degrees in Psychology. She did not go to a university straight after her high School. She worked for many years and at the age of thirty six she started her college studies. Besides, she says that above any education or experience it is the inherent desire to do things that matters.