Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Vanessa has experienced the curtain, the shield, the three letter word and currently a blank slate to start all over again. She graduated with a BA in Theatre from Hunter and has performed multiple genres of theatre. In addition Vanessa has had the rare opportunity to work for one of the biggest brands on earth, The NFL., where she FoundHer passion for people through developing national training programs for youth, former players and women who wanted to get and stay connected to the game. Recently, Vanessa decided to get her MBA at Hult International Business School where she experienced 45 different nationalities, studied abroad in the Middle East and ultimately gained the courage to start her own business, BUPeriod, a lifestyle brand for women to be empowered through menstrual health. Vanessa was inspired to build a community and smart health products for women who have issues managing their periods after a 10-year bout with uterine fibroids; of which 22 were surgically removed April of 2015. This age old, politically charged and patriarchal industry, that Vanessa has decided to embark upon, is literally a bloody red ocean, no pun intended, of taboo, stigma and shame.  Vanessa's goal is to take her bag of creative skills, branding experience, and business education to a place where it will educate, engage and ultimately empower women, who may suffer in silence, shame and stigma, so they can take their lives back. Period.