Championing Health Advocacy: Vanessa LaTanya Hill’s Lessons from Project Nana
Vanessa LaTanya Hill is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Nana, a nonprofit focused on the engagement, training, advocacy, and empowerment of seasoned women's health. An author, health advocacy consultant, and Holistic Coach, she's previously served in academia, media, and as a creative services director and producer. She is the daughter of Reverend Dr. Gayle Lynetta Henderson, the granddaughter of Merle Savant McIntosh Henderson, the great granddaughter of Beatrice Roll McIntosh, and the great-great-granddaughter of Melvina Sweeting Roll. She knows her roots, and she walks in humility as the potent promise of her powerful ancestors.
Listen to the episode HERE.
LINKS
ON THIS EPISODE
[00:01:56] Vanessa Hill on what she’s most passionate about
[00:03:17] Vanessa Hill on her ancestors and her legacy
[00:04:47] Vanessa Hill on when she first discovered her passion for living on purpose
[00:07:11] Vanessa Hill on being of service
[00:08:47] Vanessa Hill on her education
[00:13:27] Vanessa Hill on how attending an HBCU impacted her
[00:16:58] Vanessa Hill on Her work in the media
[00:22:05] Vanessa Hill on Project Nana
[00:27:37] Vanessa Hill on why women and doctors aren't asking the right questions
[00:32:28] Vanessa Hill on Seasoned Women's Health Summit
[00:37:38] Vanessa Hill on how we can better health advocates for ourselves and others
[00:40:08] Vanessa Hill on who should attend the summit
[00:41:30] Vanessa Hill on Project Nana success stories
[00:44:27] Vanessa Hill on Conversations from the Porch.
[00:46:23] Vanessa Hill on who she is
[00:47:54] Vanessa Hill on what we’re not asking about Seasoned Women's Health
[00:51:25] Vanessa Hill on working for the Barack Obama campaign in 2012
[00:54:07] Vanessa Hill on the most important lesson her Nana taught her
[00:56:00] Vanessa Hill on her dream for herself and her dream for women
TRANSCRIPT
Hi, we're sisters, Amy and Nancy Harrington, the founders of The Passionistas Project. We've created an inclusive sisterhood where passion driven women come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to change their lives and change the world. On every episode, we discuss the unique ways in which each woman is following her passions, talk about how she defines success, and explore her path to breaking down the barriers that women too often face.
Today, we're talking with Vanessa LaTanya Hill, the Founder and Executive Director of Project Nana, a nonprofit focused on the engagement, training, advocacy, and empowerment of seasoned women's health. An author, health advocacy consultant, and Holistic Coach, she's previously served in academia, media, and as a creative services director and producer.
She is the daughter of Reverend Dr. Gayle Lynetta Henderson, the granddaughter of Merle Savant McIntosh Henderson, the great granddaughter of Beatrice Roll McIntosh, and the great great granddaughter of Melvina Sweeting Roll. She knows her roots, and she walks in humility as the potent promise of her powerful ancestors.
So please welcome Vanessa LaTanya Hill. I have chills from head to toe from that intro. I don't know about anybody else. Totally. Beautiful.
Vanessa: I mean, it centers me that way, because I recognize that this is, This walk and this journey in this lifetime is not about me at all. And so all I'm doing is, um, I've been poured into by my ancestors to carry on.
So that's what I'm doing each day, just carrying on. Thank you for that. I needed that.
Passionistas: It's beautiful. It's beautiful. So what are you most passionate about?
Vanessa: I think, um, living on purpose. And that's like a kind of like a double entendre, right? It's like living on purpose and then living on purpose. You know, um, I, I think that, um, to be any other way, at least in my experience and through everything I've been through, um, just seems like, uh, Just so like, we're just taking life and just being very cavalier about it.
Um, there are so many different things that we're supposed to do. And I think that you're supposed to walk each day out of the mission that you've been given. Um, and so living on purpose, um, is it for me that, that encompasses all of that. And then also making sure that I'm being intentional, you know, in each day to live on purpose and to enjoy each day and be, um, fully engaged and present each day.
So that's important. And I'm, and I'm trying to get there. I'm trying to perfect that each day. I'm not there yet, but you know, that, that is my goal.
Passionistas: So you mentioned your ancestors in your bio and you talked a little bit about them, but what what does that legacy mean to you and what do you think they would think about what you're doing today?
Vanessa: Oh my, um, I know I come from immigrants. You know, we're Caribbean, we're Bahamian. And, um, just to think that I come from a long line of women that are, that are powerful, that, that had firsts, you know, that were, um, spiritualists, that were preachers, that were businesswomen, um, that went to college, um, that, that, Wanted to be missionaries.
They always saw themselves more than what anybody else saw them. There wasn't a ceiling, um, and there wasn't any kind of cap over what they can do. Um, and so to me, um, to know that that is in my blood, um, to know that, um, they had deferred dreams and to know that I have, um, Potential power, um, to be able to live some of their dreams out, um, I think is super important.
And I think it's not only important for me, but for those who come after me and my cousins and my family members, um, to see that legacy, um, is truly, uh, where, where we're, we're supposed to think and how we're supposed to live. Um, and for me, it just gives, again, a sense of purpose. Um, didn't know I was going to keep saying purpose, but yeah, sense of purpose.
Passionistas: Yeah, it's a, it's a theme with Passionistas, for sure. Um, when, when did you first discover your passion for living with purpose, living on purpose?
Vanessa: I think when I almost died, I mean, you know, that is just truly the understanding of, of the Phoenix, you know, rising from ashes and, and I've been burned down.
All so much for joining us today, and I know I've said this several times, but I think that, um, my purpose kind of came into view, um, even though there was layered, um, you know, burnings or trauma, let's just call it what it is, that even though it was layered, I think the last one kind of, um, just took my breath, took my, took my breath away.
Took everything away from me, my foundation, and that was when, um, my Nana passed, um, in 2010, and then my granddaddy passed 13 days later. Um, I think, um, not getting there in time. I think of all of the opportunity costs, what were the decisions that I made, um, to put me in that space. And then the why was the only reason, um, that I got up.
It was the only thing that I could chase. And really the only thing that kind of kept me alive. And so it was in the grieving, again, in the, um, chaos and creation look exactly the same, right? So in what I perceived as chaos at that time and ending, um, where I was reborn, rebuilt, and probably just remembered so much for being with us today.
I think the mission that I would, that I would say, um, God whispered to me when I was formed, because I believe we were all sent here, um, with a particular mission, but it, living in this world will make you forget, you know, um, and so to have, um, you know, a motivating event, um, to remind you, um, is really super important.
So I think, um, All of that, the collective of all of that is how I understood what my mission was and kind of looked back and said, Oh, that's why that decision went that way. That's why, you know, I'm a creative. That's why, you know, I, you know, I, I was teaching. That's why. And, um, it just, it just kind of all made sense.
Passionistas: Was this concept of kind of being of service to other people something that you were taught when you were growing up?
Vanessa: Yeah. Um, I think, um, um, in the culture that we were raised, it was all about family and the collective. Um, I don't think it was really, uh, about, The Singular Individual. So you celebrate when other people, you know, had celebrations, um, and, you know, how could you, um, even find yourself being quote unquote successful if you couldn't share that with, with anyone?
So, um, I also grew up in a family that was very creative. So we were the family, like the Partridge family, like we, um, we came together and we and our grandparents. It created space for us to explore all of our talents. So if you were one to be able to write poetry or to be able to sing or to be able to make a joke, we had regular family gatherings where that happened.
Everyone had to do something. And so I think, um, that sense of collective, um, voice. of acknowledging each other's gifts and talents that you bring. I just think that it was not something that was intellectualized, so much as demonstrated. And so that's just, I couldn't tell you where it started or, you know, where And it hasn't stopped.
Passionistas: Yeah, that's amazing. So let's talk a little bit about your education. Tell us where you went to college and what you studied and then your education path from there.
Vanessa: Okay. Um, I initially, uh, went to a Virginia Commonwealth University, uh, which all of this is going to be funny, um, because I originally wanted to go to Howard.
Howard University, HBU. Um, and my mom went to Spelman. So she said, you're not going to go to HBCU unless it's Spelman. I was like, no. Um, and Spelman is fantastic. It's just wasn't where I was at the time. Um, you know, and I was just like, no. Um, so I ended up going to VCU. Um, and, um, it really was a coincidence that, um, throughout I think going there and then maybe four years, three or four years later, having the opportunity, um, to do a gig.
Um, for Howard actually got me a job and a career at Howard and then I was able to do my graduate degree at Howard. And so that was an MFA in film. Um, and I learned there, um, about. my interests, cultural curiosity, and about being, um, understanding the skin that I'm in and understanding, um, being humble and having humility for other people's stories.
Um, from there, uh, I really I went to Costa Rica. There was a learning curve for me, although it wasn't traditional learning. Um, I decided to sell my, my house and the entire contents in it and move there sight unseen. And so I think it was more of, um, an experiential learning that I had there. Um, but going back once Nana, um, passed, um, I want the why.
Got me to George Washington University, and I thought initially it was going to be med school. But recognizing all of the things that, experiences that I had, particularly as a filmmaker, and particularly when I'm looking at folks my Nana's age and trying to understand their stories and why there's, you know, disparities, I needed to be able to humanize And I was not able to access their existence, humanize data.
So instead I got my master's of public health from George Washington University and decided to defer my education, to defer my graduation because I said I didn't come here to write a thesis. I came here to actually transform and to do research and again, I needed to answer my why. Um, so I became a researcher, um, with, um, Uh, GW, which I still am right now.
Um, and so that just kind of continues. And what is really funny is that in my role now, I, um, was able to connect back with VCU, Massey as a partner. So I might've thought I've gone through these educational doors, um, but they've always attached to me and have become a part of who I am. So. Yeah, just really excited about that.
Passionistas: What do you think draws you back to them? What do you think that connection is?
Vanessa: Um,, I think that, um, in a, in a weird sort of way, there was things left undone. I didn't demonstrate more of my aptitude while I was there and it was more attitude while I was there. So I don't think I lived up to my purpose.
And so in some way it might be just that I'm serving and just going back and having some sense of, um, Let me, let me give back and serve where I should have done that in the first place. But of course, um, you know, I'm also going to have grace with myself, um, and say, um, what was supposed to be happened.
And it just so happens that being able to have those connections So, um, I think that just being able to do this makes it very possible for the journey that I'm on now, um, and at least opens the door to being able to figure out how we can work together. So, um, I think that we may come through doors thinking that that's the only time, but maybe that's just the introduction for something that we'll need later.
So. You know, it just worked out that way.
Passionistas: And so talk a little bit more about attending an HBCU and what impact that had on your career and in your life in general.
Vanessa: Oh, wow. Um, I think like coming from, I grew up in Key West and our family is from a really small island called Green Turtle Key, Abaco, Bahamas.
So like 500 people small. And then of course you have Key West, which is also very small. Um, but I had a huge family. And so I thought, you know, and that I could interact with people who look like me and that they were my family. That was kind of, I did, I really couldn't have friends who weren't my family when I grew up.
Um, that's just the way it was. Um, and so when I got to Howard, I Got a chance to see that it was not a monolithic group, that there were so many stories, there were so many different experiences, and that all the shades of brown that I was able to witness, experience, and engage with, uh, were different. And so different wasn't, Better, different, wasn't, you know, bad, it was just different and it was almost like a garden and being able to smell all these different types of flowers.
Um, what Howard allowed me to do, because that's just the physical, the physicality of seeing it, right? Um, but again, I, I think I talked about the cultural curiosity component, um, and being able to have all these people from around the world to come to Howard. Um, I learned to hear, listen their to their stories.
Um, I. I learned the beauty of competition, not in a bad way, but just trying to make each other better. I learned the sense of responsibility, particularly as a filmmaker on, uh, with images and how we have to have a wide dearth of images that are brown skin, um, so that we are not either, you know, just the.
The super criminal or the super, you know, uh, we're not superheroes, but that we're really authentic human folk and we have all sorts of experiences. Um, it taught me to be excellent. It also taught me not to apologize for who I am. That was a reinforcement because like I said, I grew up with that. Um, and so I, I think, um, I, I was, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet some very brilliant people.
Um, you know, at the time, did I appreciate all of them the way that I do now? I don't think so. Um, but I know that, um, each person I engaged with imprinted me. And so there's a sense of responsibility that I think I still have now. So, um, Howard is the, um, Pride. Um, you know, I was a legacy, so I wasn't the person in my family to go there.
Um, I had one of my grandfather's brothers was a professor there. Um, so, um, it, it, it gives you the sense of pride, um, being able to go into a room, uh, fully dressed in yourself again without apology. Um, not arrogant, just knowing who you are and knowing that you belong.
That's beautiful.
Passionistas: And then when, so you got your MFA, your Master's of Fine Arts in filmmaking. So talk about your work in the media and, and what types of projects you're always drawn to.
Vanessa: What was really funny is that, um, the only reason why I really started that, um, is because when I got to Howard, I worked for the Dean, um, of the Divinity School.
And I was just trying to think of a way to promote all of the things we did within, um, And I wanted to talk about the actual building and really what it meant to be out in the community. So I created this thing called Pillars of Faith, and I would take a lesson from within the Hebrew Sacred Text Bible.
I also went to the Divinity School. Um, and I would look and see what pillar or what lay person in the community really exemplified what that lesson was. And so I would write a loose script, um, and I was working with the local PBS channel there, so WHUT. Um, and recognizing, wait a minute, You know, I can look and have an idea and then from a macro level, be able to say what I want it to look like, you know, um, what I, how I want it to present, um, the characters, and this is documentary, so the characters, and it was, um, my mentor, Martel Perry, who said, little girl, you know, um, you should really think about going to film school.
Um, because, you know, not only are you able to, you know, capture, um, you know, the essence of all of these folks and their stories, um, but the skillset you'll learn from being a producer means you may never run out of money because you'll always try to figure out a That was really, and, and so, um, I started off at American University and then switched over to Howard.
Um, from there, um, my thought was I wanted to be the best production manager. So I started off that way. Um, very precise. Um, And I did it for all of these students, all the student films. Um, then we did it for independent films, you know, from people coming in from other universities or just within the community, did a couple of music videos.
Um, I was able to work, uh, with Nat Geo, um, and, um, the mysteries of space as an associate producer, um, and then just really decided to take what it is that I learned. Understanding how a family always was very entrepreneurial. Um, and start my own production company where I, I worked with organizations, small businesses and how to really promote their, their company.
Um, before I was in film, I was in radio, um, and then, you know, did a, a, of a very small stint in the music industry. Um, and so I just brought all that together and would create commercials. So whether or not that was on radio or whether or not it was on television, just really, um, being that creative services producer, right?
Um, and, um, when I went to Costa Rica, I actually, um, was able to spend some time in an animation studio there. Um, Which was really fun, because I recognized that what Martel actually said was true. All of the skills you would learn, you know, in film, uh, in film school translates across, you know, all of these different genres.
It's just that people, you know, don't really understand. They, they think entertainment is just, But they have no really understanding for the business of it and, um, the way that we really kind of craft images, craft, um, caricatures, craft, um, you know, all of these different archetypes, um, and what you see, uh, on media, what you see, um, or what you believe, um, different characters are.
It was originated in someone's mind, um, to kind of create that. So that is just, you know, how my stint in it, and I'm still doing it in, in, in different ways. So I've never stopped. Um, I tell stories in different ways now, um, whether or not that is so that I can, um, you know, So I'm really excited to be able to advocate for healthcare, whether I can just hold space for women whose voices are dismissed or often muted, and then creating a space for them to be able to tell their own stories and craft it in a way that we're able to provide, um, just the support to get, um, their stories out and to let them know that they matter, because it isn't really what it is you, um, everyone thinks, oh, it's so big, you know, to have someone to talk to.
Put a camera in your face. Um, what it does is also kind of reinforce your own worth and value. Um, so to say that anybody can do it and anybody in all, everyone's story is valuable and valued, um, is so very important.
Passionistas: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's what we believe here at The Passionistas Project too. Um, so let's talk a little bit about Project Nana. Tell us a little bit more about your Nana and about founding the organization.
Vanessa: Okay. So, um, September is a real rough month for me. Um, uh, It was right after Labor Day and this is exactly how it happened. My grandfather had a stroke, came down and visited him and Nana said, Jimmy, I didn't bring you up here because we were in Virginia with my mom to leave me.
I left, went back down to Miami and found out that they took her to the emergency room. And, uh, that she, was not able to vacate, wasn't able to go to the restroom. And it was at that time that they found a tumor and it was stage four uterine cancer. Um, she, she was a breast cancer survivor. And I guess that, um, with all of the issues that happened with my grandfather, it just kind of, it felt like it just hit a turn on switch and she just kind of gave into it.
She decided not to take any morphine because she wanted to be present for all of the family who came. She told me to finish my work. I was about to receive a new Student, new students in orientation at the university I was working for down in Miami. And I was so, I was so proud that I had always shared with them all of the work that I did.
And so I said, oh, I'm gonna come as soon as I found out about her diagnosis. And she said, don't you have, um, orientation to do? And I was like, yeah. She said, well, we finished our work. Um, I said, okay, so I'll be right there right after the orientation. And I missed it by a day. And that led me to say, how could I do that?
How could it happen? You know, it was all these mixed emotions. And then my granddaddy ended up dying 13 days later. So, that was the shift for me. That was my, um, burndown. And then, not really understanding or wanting to have this kind of Phoenix like moment. I really didn't want to. I just wanted to kind of disappear and dissipate, um, um, and wanting to be with them.
But, no. That wasn't where it was going to, I was going to end. That was not my story. I didn't realize that wasn't my ending. It was my beginning. And my beginning, my new beginning, was just this unrelenting why. Um, whether or not that was out of guilt, whether or not it was out of anger, anger still exists.
And I think that was definitely was my fuel. But it was the why this could happen. And in my Google research, initially I recognized that endometrial cancer, there was no screening apparatus for it. There still isn't. And that it was about signs and symptoms. So my thought was, okay, my grandmother was a breast cancer survivor.
She's going to the doctor more than most. How come they didn't mention it to her? And since she had this endometrial cancer, one thing is for sure, there is a definite symptom, and that is postmenopausal bleeding. So she had to be bleeding, but nobody asked. And then of course, if she was, she kept it to herself, and she probably wouldn't even reveal any of that, even to my mother.
Um, and so, um, what it led me to do is, uh, want to understand just that whole entire journey. Why would a woman not ask? Um, why would a doctor not bring it up? Um, what were the access issues? Um, and so I had a template. A Project Nana that I believe Nana gave to me, um, because I heard it and just dictated it.
Um, and, um, I did not know what to do with it. Um, so when I moved back to Virginia, I fell apart. And then somehow someone got me, into this campaign where I learned to be an organizer and I learned to ask the right questions with the right people. Um, and so again, that led me into, um, just making conversations with people however I could, whether it was in their, you know, House, the living rooms on the street are probably a cost to more people than it should have.
I'm trying to tell you. Um, but, um, it led, that led me to my research and to my thesis project, which ended up, um, I am a researcher. I studied the attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs. Um, and then from that research and kind of awakening, um, the questioning spirit, the oh, you see me, um, from the women, um, from there, we actually built a whole nonprofit around them to really engage them, um, with, uh, learning how to be advocates, learning how to present themselves, um, and ideas.
Um, and so we have been going strong now for, um, 12 years and, um, the engagement in the community. This is year seven. So this is a very powerful year.
Passionistas: So, what are the answers that you have since discovered in terms of why women aren't asking the questions and why doctors aren't asking the questions?
Vanessa: It is just this age old thing, um, it's about value.
What is valued and thus valuable? And it is the reason why, you know, there's so many arguments going on today about women's health. But when we say women's health, we tend to default to, um, the season in which folks have, is the reproductive season. And, um, that's where all of our attention is. It needs to be.
We have maternal mortality. We have a lot of maternal issues. Um, and there's a great deal of disparities. That is very important. But what happens is that we, once that age is up, once that ability, um, is over, we think that's the end of healthcare for women. And not recognizing that Menopause happens. And then, um, we, even if we do recognize that we think menopause, the sole objective of menopause is a hot flashes, but we don't recognize that, um, the mean age of gynecologic cancer is 62.
So when we think we might be finished, you know, with our organs, our organs are sitting there and there are a whole bunch of things that can happen. Um, the, you know, the, with diminished estrogen. So. A. Why aren't women talking about it? We call them private parts. And so if we have kind of normalized, you don't talk about it, you don't recognize it, um, it is something for someone else.
It is your body and your, your womanhood is only to procreate, or it's only for the pleasure of your partner, but you don't touch, you don't observe, you don't do anything. Then you kind of keep things quiet, right? Um, and so that, that's, that's one thing. Um, or you may normalize it with anecdotal stories. Oh, all of my family, you know, they've always, um, bled until in their sixties and you don't question it.
On the physician side, um, what we do know is this, um, when we're looking at OBGYNs, though they may want to do so much, Literally more of the money is in the OB, more so than the GYN first. And then when it comes to access, Medicare, the reimbursement rate is horrible and so to be able to have someone who's older, who you may not have these other OB experiences for, um, you, there are algorithms that are far beyond me, um, that make a decision on who can become part of the practice.
So that sets apart just the gynecologist who may have those questions. But women can't get into them and they don't think they need them because they are not procreating or not going to have a baby. So you're in the primary care. Well, the primary care these days, they may have like 15 minutes. And in that minute, and it was a short amount of time, they want to make sure your cardiovascular system is on point, that you don't have any issues with your insulin, or all those other things.
Very rarely are they talking about pelvic health issues, unless of course we're talking UTIs. However, um, it, the silence without the questions, without questioning, and you know, feeling that you don't have the right to give voice,
I will say out of control right now. Um, in March we were talking about, um, there was a projection that by 2040, uterine cancer would overtake colorectal cancer as the third leading cancer in women. I just did a presentation and I looked and the projection had been revised to 2025. And so you have these issues.
But yet we're still running our health systems like we've always run. We have no idea how many women have really died of these diseases because no one asked, they didn't tell. Um, and yet, um, we have this opportunity, um, to really make a difference and make a change. So that's why we're here, um, to educate and to really, um, transform.
Uh, how we look at, uh, women's health for the lifespan.
Passionistas: That's incredible. It's so important. Um, can you talk a little bit about your, um, your health summit, the Seasoned Women's Health Summit that you have every year?
Vanessa: Yes, um, what we learned is I can educate you as a woman and, you know, give you all this, all this information.
I can bring all of these wonderful speakers and you can engage with them. We can even go and train the physicians, the clinicians, about the importance. We can even, um, take care of access and, and pay for your co pay or pay, um, for that, um, for the exam. But why was it that we did not get as much of an uptake as we thought?
It is really hard, I like to say, for getting someone from a pew. To a stirrup. And imagine an 80 year old from a pew to a stirrup. And what we recognize is what we talked about earlier, that sense of self-worth, that sense of value. It internalizes, it becomes internalized because you've always been told, be quiet, be demure, you're older, be dismissed.
We call them older. First of all, words matter. Old, discardable, you know, no longer useful. Um, they've internalized that. And so the summit. All of this, um, enabled us to see that there needed to be community and that in that community, not only are we providing the education, but we're providing that, um, mental wellness, um, opportunity for people to just say what's on their mind in a safe space and to be around other women who can mourn with you, um, cheer for you, and kind of understand some of the things that you've gone through.
That can pour into you, especially women who've used to being poured into everyone else, it's an opportunity for them to pour in. So, we have it as a three day summit. The first day, it's really the education and breaking down any of those barriers, providing that, uh, that space, that safe space. The second day, um, is that we work with BC UMassie to train these women to be peer support advocates, um, to be cancer champions, if you will.
But it's a skill set that can translate into any advocacy that they really want to be able to do. Um, and then the third day. What we do is put all of those things into action. And we say it's a walk to end breast and gynecologic cancer. And the women march, whether or not they're marching with their rollators, with their canes or their wheelchairs, they march.
And what they recognize is their voice matters. Um, and so that is what we fundamentally have been doing. This year is It's really wonderful that we've been able to connect with this organization called Golfing for the Gals, from UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And so we're going to have our first golfing event.
And the, what the idea, the proceeds for that, we want to build a NANA golf club.
And then also at VCU so that when you're coming up as a caregiver or if you're coming up seeking treatment that there's some sort of accoutrements that you would get at your Nana's house. You know, that would make you feel good. So that's what we're trying to do there. We're also recognizing that there needs, people don't know why people pass, um, and particularly with endometrial cancer.
So this year we're, uh, we are celebrating and dedicating our first award um, to Gwen Ifill. So we're having a Season Women's, um, Champion Award Breakfast. And folks who don't know Gwen Ifill, she is a seasoned, a beautiful journalist, who did a lot of firsts. She had breast cancer and she successfully battled that, but she died of uterine cancer.
And so, Because she's not here to tell her story, we can. And if we can look at someone as visible as her in her education and socioeconomic status, and she could pass from this disease that has signs and symptoms, Oh my goodness, you know, that gives us the opportunity to be able to educate even more people beyond an echo chamber, if you will, of healthcare folks and academicians.
And so, we're really proud to be able to present that award, to dedicate it, and to have our first recipient.
Passionistas: Fantastic. We won't ask you yet who your first recipient is, because we know that's in the works, but, um, it's very exciting that you've pulled this all together. And I think the educational component of it is, is obviously the most critical part.
So what can we do to be better advocates for ourselves as we become more seasoned, but also as the How can we be better advocates for the people in our lives that are more seasoned that might not be ready to seek help for themselves?
Vanessa: Um, you know, one of the things that we do, um, remember a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
Um, so we, we approach things in an irreverent manner and in humorous manner, but it makes a difference. I'll say this, we have to normalize and humanize the female. And the female anatomy so, um, so that it is not othered or it's not private or it's, it doesn't belong to them, you know, themselves. So the first thing is to be able to call a thing, a thing, um, Hey, do you have any issues going on with your vagina?
Do you have any issues going on with your vulva? Our, literally our, our icebreaker is. Hey, how many nicknames can you give me for a vagina? Um, and I think it was last year, uh, 84 year old woman won. Um, to normalize that conversation is the very first thing, because you're not going to tell me about anything coming out of it if you're not going to even talk about it.
Um, so we normalize that. So normalize those conversations and just ask any questions. Are you having any pain? Are you having any bleeding? To educate them about signs and symptoms and what natural aging. Is and isn't. Um, you, you're not supposed to be uncomfortable. Um, and so I think that's the very first thing to talk openly and make it intergenerational.
Um, you know, the first I like to tell people if, especially if you live in a multi generational households, um, your first teacher is going to be your grandmother. Cause your, your parents may be out at work. Your grandmother may be teaching you, but you're watching and you're seeing, uh, what they do. And you learn about your family.
They're the ones, if you teach a nana, you teach a family, you teach a community, and so educate them, um, and, uh, and then talk to your doctor, um, they are not willing to ask these questions. Ask why? Maybe. You know, they, they don't know that there is an issue. Um, and if they still won't engage, find another one.
Um, you're, you're not stuck with that doctor just cause they, they birthed a child or anybody else. Um, but it's really about giving voice and using voice and, um, and really enabling other people to understand that their voices are valuable. Um, so that's how story still comes back into this.
Passionistas: And what kind of women should be, um, attending your summit?
Vanessa: Um, we are looking at women who are 50 and over, um, the, uh, the average age of menopause is 52, um, but, and, or who are postmenopausal. There are some women, um, who are not. I think that typical age, but also have had hysterectomies, and they think that if you have a hysterectomy, you don't need to go to the doctor or see a gynecologist or have a pelvic exam annually.
That's simply not true. So because of that, and because we are all volunteer organization, and we've been very blessed to have graduate students, from GWVCU, um, to be able to help us over the years. We also have a very intergenerational, um, uh, community. Um, so, they're learning, uh, in order to be able to advocate and to talk to their, their parents and their aunts and their grandparents.
Um, but again, it's that cycle. You know, we have these women are our target, but the opportunity for, um, this awareness period, um, means that our table is open to everyone.
Passionistas: That is beautiful. Do you have one or two Project Nana success stories that you can share with us?
Vanessa: I can. Um, when we instituted the training with VCU Massey, um, it was, um, right after the pandemic and, um, we, uh, really aligned with, um, our different community partners.
So it was a, uh, Philippine Nurses Association. Um, and, uh, we had some of the retired nurses who were there. So I remember one nurse, um, was saying, My doctors never asked me about these things. And so she went to her doctor and in a wonderfully auntie way or grandma kind of way. And so, for her to give voice to others who weren't there, I can only imagine that made him think, and it was transformative, even if that seed didn't sprout that day.
So that's one thing. That's what we want. The second one is also very real. A woman went and said, Oh, well, maybe I will go to the gynecologist. She's in her sixties. She went to the gynecologist, everything checked out, but three weeks later she started bleeding and she remembered, wait a minute, I shouldn't be bleeding.
She ended up having stage one endometrial cancer. And that is our health goal. We may not be able to prevent. And so, um, we're trying to get early stage diagnosis, but if we can get early stage, um, diagnosis, then the ability for people to, um, still be successful in treating it is a very high. And so our, that's our goal.
Um, and then also just aligning ourselves with physicians who not have not only found gun cancer, um, and these are primary care physicians who've not only found gun cancer, but also found HIV. Um. When we're talking about women's health, we also have to remember that that assistant living or that senior housing is the new freshman dorm.
And so one out of six new cases of HIV is for people over 50. And there's also been this uptick in syphilis, particularly in the South. And the scary part about that is that an untreated syphilis can mimic dementia. And so, um, really That notion of making sure that people, um, are aware to call a thing a thing and to be open and honest and say, yeah, well, you know, we have sex, um, uh, enables us to save lives.
Um, and so, um, those are the success stories and that the women keep coming back. No matter how many times I make them clutch their pearls, cause they're like, Oh, I can't believe you said that. They still come back. And, um, so we're really blessed with that.
Passionistas: Tell us about conversations from the porch.
Vanessa: Oh, so when I grew up in Key West, on Friday nights, when my family, they would go out, um, to the, um, the pier, and they, they're called the junk canoes, and they would play for these ships that come in.
I remember my, my grandmother and her sisters, we would all come, um, into town, and the most important conversations happened on that porch, and we weren't allowed to be on that porch, but if you were, you better be seen and not heard. And so. Every, all the politics about the community, everything happened on that porch.
And it was really informative and interesting how people would know the porch, porch action was going on and they would stop. Um, I wanted to be able to, um, give voice to, and value to women again and say, this goes, hearkens back to my Howard days. Your stories are valuable. Um, and, and just to ask them questions, who are they?
So much so, you know, we are stuck on what a person does, that we don't realize that the real essence of our humanity and living in, you know, is about who we are. So just being inquisitive and curious, um, about the women allows them to open up. Um, and so those conversations, we make sure that they're on a porch.
Um, we ask them to tell us their story and to give advice to other women. Um, that their age and, you know, what is something that they've learned. Um, so we've been building this collection of conversations, um, and curating them. And we are just waiting, uh, for the opportunity to pull it together into a documentary, um, about Project Nana and really about seasoned women and their health and how they mattermyou've told us that.
Passionistas: The question you always ask everybody is, who are you? Mm-Hmm. . Yeah. So who are you? Who are you?
Vanessa: See? And that's, it's a great thing that Phoenix experience, um, enabled me to be able to, um, to, to tell that and to, um, really hone that and find that out. I'm a creative and educator and advocate and a healer.
I each of those. Parts of me is like a, uh, a leg on a stool and together as a stool, um, I recognize that I'm a tool of the Most High. And in each space I'm in, I'm fully that stool that God sits on in that space. Um, and so, uh, that's how I say I live out in purpose. And that's how I say I live up from a mission, um, because all those experiences that I wasn't smart enough to kind of curate as I went along, I was able to take a look back and say, Oh my gosh, oh, I've done education.
You know, I've done the healing work, I've done the creative, I've done the advocacy. Why? And Project Nana brought it all together. And so that stool. It's like that storyteller stool, um, giving voice, um, to experiences and so that's who I am. Beautiful. That's why we love you. Um, yeah, thank you very much.
Passionistas: Um, so what are we not asking you about Seasoned Women's Health and Project Nana that we should be asking you?
Vanessa: I think what it is is, um, you know, what can we do in order to change the narrative of these women dying needlessly? What can we do about putting more resources into women's health for throughout the lifespan? And really what that is, is advocacy, advocacy, advocacy. You don't know what you don't know, and you, and whatever you don't see doesn't exist.
Um, and so, um, even though Medicare is our, you know, our North Star and what we need to change and transform, start off small. Um, start off with your, your, your faith community, um, and talk, discuss it. Um, and then, you know, What we're doing now is with health systems, looking at policies and, you know, when they're doing your blood pressure and, um, how they used to ask you, when was your last menstrual cycle?
Well, then why aren't they saying, um, have you not, have you had, has it been more than 12 months since you've had a consistent cycle? And if someone says, yes, that's an indicator that it is, um, menopause. Some people don't know what menopause is. Remember, you know, we use language, but there's all different types of cultures, so you have to use descriptive language.
And then if they say, yes, they're in there, Have you had any bleeding or any pelvic pain and pressure? So I think being able to give language to everyone in terms of what it is that they can do, you know, you can talk to your family, you can talk to your community, you can talk to your health systems and your doctor and just educate them because Um, Endometrial cancer, especially, um, for white women is growing 1 percent per year, um, but for women of color, it's 2 to 3 percent per year, which is the reason why, um, it is skyrocketing.
Um, and the way that it looks to me, because, you know, we're all visual people, we're all artists, um, is that people are lounging in the pool. I know, I heard the volcano erupting and I'm trying to tell people, um, lava is coming, lava is coming, but they're still in the pool. And so how can we all be lifeguards, jump in and get folks to come on out.
So I think that's really what it is. And then, um, join us. Um, Project Nana is, uh, nationwide. We're building Nana Chapters. And so if you just go on our website, um, and we would love to have you at our summit. We would love to have you at our monthly Nana Chats. Um, we would love to be able to see how we can build Nana Chapters where you are.
Um, so I think those are the questions, you know, that, you I wanted people to kind of come away with that this, um, isn't just for a specific person, that everyone can be involved. It, I mean, it literally is a community, um, project.
Passionistas: One thing we wanted to ask you about from your And the other career that we didn't get a chance to talk about yet is, and you had mentioned briefly that you were an organizer on a campaign and I'm not sure if this is the one you were referring to, but you were an organizer for the Barack Obama campaign in 2012, right? So what was that experience like and what did you take away from that?
Vanessa: Um, I'm going to say this and it's not hyperbole at all, um, but getting, um, not completing my application and not understanding how they still knew to contact me, um, was the part of my resuscitation back into life. Um, because when I said I didn't finish the application, what they said was, Oh, you don't think you can do it?
Tell me that. Of course I can do it. And you know, they said, well, why don't you just come on down and just see how you would like it? So I started off volunteering and again, I was, I was riding the wave of the why, um, and anger. Um, and so the first thing I became is an Obama fellow and they taught you how to organize.
They taught you how to build community, how to have those living room conversations. And so I think that I may have had an understanding or and I know how to communicate, but I think having that specific skill set that President Obama just unleashed with all of the fellows and the alumni, It was very vital in terms of me realizing the potential power that I had.
And I say potential power because it doesn't become potent until you activate it and you do something with it. And so, um, it, it taught me how to Uh, know my why. And because everyone always asks, why? What is your why? Why are you here? Um, and then it also, it gave me an opportunity to question when I, um, was on the campaign was when the Supreme Court, um, expanded birth control for women.
Um, and so that was a huge, you know, sharing opportunity. I'm sitting there. Well, what about the seasoned woman? You know, I'm like, it's not done. What are we going to do with it? So, it, um, organizing and then being able to be around people who cared about different issues and issues they may not have heard about, um, allowed me, um, the aid.
The ability to convey the message that I had, to refine it, and to know that I needed to really kind of create this community of a variety of different people, um, and constituents and partnerships in order to get things done. So without that as a foundation, as part of my foundation, I, we would not be, um, here. I, yes, I know that for a fact.
Passionistas: What's the most important lesson your Nana taught you?
Vanessa: Oh, gosh. Um, that, um, I think it's that opportunity of being free and that you don't have any limits and you can be all that you can be. Um, education is really important. It was always very important. Um, but that, um, you have value.
She loved it. Each and every one of us, and I think all of us would always say the most, um, but she had that unique gift of being able to see the best in us and making us believe it. Um, and so even in, uh, though I stumble all the time, Uh, knowing that, um, she would still be proud and knowing that, um, she would still say go forward, not a little bit, but just have faith and just go for it, um, I think is super important.
Um, another thing she gave me my mom, so my mom, uh, of course, that was the very first thing I said on the daughter. My Reverend Dr. Gail Henderson, for her to live, you know, um, and be around my nan and granddaddy and have the experiences opened up everything for me too. So, um, I'm very well aware. Again, we go back to my lineage and that's why I said it was really important for me to call out my ancestors and for my mom, um, because I am, I could not be fully.
Who I am without understanding that journey and without being freed, um, to be the me, um, that God created me to be.
Passionistas: So, so, one last two part question. No problem. Which is, what is your dream for yourself and what's your dream for women?
Vanessa: My dream for women. is to be able to own yourself. Um, and that means completely, um, the good, the bad, having grace with yourself, being able to own and make your decisions for yourself. Um, along with that, um, being able to be in community, uh, where people, um, are like you, and you have your peers, and you're able to convene and, um, without feeling unsafe, and that you're able to express yourself. Voice. Telling your story is super important and I want women to have a re-ignite, to re-ignite their own sense of agency in writing. For myself, um, It is to live free. Um, I, you know, want that family, um, that I saw, um, and that I witnessed and that I was a part of. Um, when Nana and them passed, it, it, to be really honest, we call ourselves the Passionistas.
And sometimes that passion, um, can be in every facet of your life. And so you don't, um, have the grace. in order to live in each day for yourself. Right? That's why I said I need to learn to be intentional about living on purpose. Um, and so for me, I want to experience all of those, you know, those small, those small things that we kind of take for granted, um, the family, um, and, um, and just to, um, not for what I do or, but just for who I am.
And so, you know, hopefully that show comes soon, um, but that's what I, I mean, I know you probably would never expect that, but I, I want that what my Nana and granddaddy to die 13 days apart and having been married almost 69 years. is um, an amazing love story. It's an amazing friendship. It's an amazing partnership.
And look at the legacy, you know, that they have, you know, um, really been able to cultivate. You know, cause that's all I am is their legacy. So I want that for me too.
Passionistas: I'm sure that that will be coming. No doubt. Well, thank you so much for being here today. This was fantastic. And we're so grateful to you for all the amazing work you're doing and just for the beautiful person that you are.
Vanessa: And we're so glad that we are, we are connected. Well, I thank you for the opportunity, and I meant, I hope we all listen to that. As Passionistas, we give and give and give. The most important thing I can say for all of us to remember is to pour from our saucers and not our cups. So, our cups should always remain full and we should give over the, you know, from the overflow and that is living on purpose and that is living in abundance and that is not apologizing for that, right, um, and just living in joy.
So I pray joy for you, um, I pray abundance for you in every step that you take. Um, I pray that. You recognize the seeds that you are really planting right now and may they harvest in ways beyond your, your wildest imagination.
Passionistas: Thanks for listening to The Passionistas Project. Be sure to visit ThePassionistasProject. com to sign up for your free membership to join our worldwide sisterhood where passion driven women come to get support, find their purpose, and feel empowered to transform their lives and change the world. We'll be back next week with another Passionista who's defining success on her own terms and breaking down the barriers for herself and women everywhere.
Until then, stay passionate.
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