Vanessa Elle Wilde

Founder, GirlSide Chats

In January 2017, I founded GirlSide Chats in response to the permissive abuse culture which disparages women on many levels.  I experienced the election as an assault on women’s rights, safety and future and wanted to do something about it.

Raised in a misogynist religious community, I became keenly aware of the ravages this kind of toxic culture had on the human spirit.  At age 11, I escaped becoming a child bride, unlike many of my friends who were force to marry men twice their age. These arrangements were made in an effort to control our feminine spirit, power and our voices.

This election triggered the feelings of oppression and with that reawakened my defiance. As a child, I stood up for myself and my friends and spoke out against injustice. I fought for my life once before and won.

I am here to do it again.

Vanessa

Our Awesome Team

Heather Conklin

Co-Host GirlSide Chat Podcast & Youth Leadership Consultant

www.spotstrategies.com

Dr. Mili Metz

Ask Mili Columnist

Mili was born in the mega-metropolis of Mumbai, India when it was still called Bombay. She moved to Summit, NJ, in middle school and went on to study Psychological & Brain Sciences and Public Health, Social Sciences at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Eager to return to a cosmopolitan life, she moved to NYC where she completed her M.A. at Teachers College, Columbia University. She did her doctoral training in Counseling Psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, before moving to Philadelphia for a clinical psychology internship.

Currently, she teaches psychology at a small liberal arts university in San Marcos, CA, sits on the non-profit board of The Swell Collective (www.swellcollective.org), and runs a consulting practice focused on millennial leadership development (www.oh-om.com). All because she followed her heart to SoCal in 2016 to join her husband, a former commercial model and current active duty United States Marine.

Mili has lived in a lot of places and had the privilege to meet people of all shades from all walks in various seasons of life. Many of whom she has had the pleasure of connecting with personally, others she has served professionally. Each and every connection along the way has contributed to her empathy, intuition, and thoughtfulness. She enjoys helping people figure out what makes them happy and seeks to inspire everyone to pursue their passions.

Don’t hesitate to ask her something about anything! She will give you her opinion as well as present research trends that reflect what we know on the topic to date. Just Ask Mili!

Katy Bray

Co-Founder Lead with the Lights On

bio hereKaty Bray is an intuitive, a budding herbalist, speaker and an Ayurvedic business consultant who specializes in leadership in all dimensions. She is the co-founder of Lead with the Lights On with her husband, mother of two 15 year old girls and 5 furry children....oh, a crazy hermit crab too!

Mya Johnson

Writer/Teen Activist

Mya Johnson is an aspiring journalist who spends her free time reading, writing, listening to music and hanging out with her friends. She loves to travel and immerse herself in new cultures. Mya is an activist at heart and actively marches in Downtown San Diego and takes action for human rights and sustainable living whenever she is has the chance.