Blog
Welcome to Vikki Ventures
Friday, February 24, 2023 - Laurel House, Los Angeles, California, USA
Hi. I'm Vikki. This is new for me, this whole being out from behind the scenes. I am so ready for it though. I've spent my whole life supporting the visions of others, and it has been an amazing ride. However, the time has come to create what my vision of supporting others can look like. I have some ideas, some really exciting ideas and I can't wait to share them with you.
This year, in July, July 2nd to be exact, I turn 50 years old. I plan on that being the halfway mark of my life. I have spent the first half of my life learning from others, some of who have gone on to become titans of industry, rock stars in magazines, and globally recognized innovators.
Bernie. Marty. Kraig. Ari. Matt. I have worked for and learned from an array of men who were founders, owners, or both. I studied the decision-making of others over the years preparing for when it would be my time. That time is now. Thanks to a COVID epiphany, soul intervention, the world changing, or all of the above, it is finally time to venture out.
Things can be done differently. I'm sure of it. If we focus on giving rather than consuming if we do the work to figure out our happiness, our peace, our love, and our calling rather than pursue the expectations of others, and if we listen, amplify, and advocate for others, we can empower and put into power a whole new way of thought, a kinder, gentler, more compassionate, and more humane way of being.
Here is what I know with every essence of my being; we can connect people in ways that will result in some seeing the humanity of others for the very first time. If we focus on authentic connection rather than domination, if we highlight humanity over commodities, if we work to help others understand rather than add to a divide, and if we value experience over product, together can create a whole new world.
Let's have a go at it, together.
Venture: The Soundtrack
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on The Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, California, USA
Tropical Passion Tea Latte. Large. Hot. Please. Thank you.
That's my jam (do people still say that?). That's my fuel as I get Vikki Ventures up and running. Normally I'm a tea purist but I have my dear friend Jeremy Black to thank for getting me into the TPTL habit. He's moved on, I haven't.
Now on to other matters. I've set up a soundtrack to inspire YOU to venture. Yes, it has been my soundtrack for this chapter of life but now that I've set up the Vikki Ventures Spotify it seems like the perfect time to share that inspiration with YOU.
Here is the description, "Inspo to be bold and dream. Pursue those dreams and turn them into realities. Be you. Venture. It's worth it."
Never underestimate the power of a good soundtrack. Be the star of your own movie. Enjoy!
Nationwide Protest for Marriage Equality, Los Angeles City Hall, November, 15, 2008
The Importance of Volunteering
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 - Viv's School, Beverly Hills, California, USA
As a kid in 1980s New York, I learned that when people come together for a cause it can be an absolutely magical experience. My Labor Day Weekends were spent at activities raising money for Jerry’s Kids, I listened in awe to "Do They Know Its Christmas" (the Boy George, George Michael, Simon Le Bon, Sting into Bono with Phil Collins drums part still gets me!), I participated in Hands Across America at what was then called Battery Park, and, I was captivated in front of the TV for the Live Aid spectacular, these were all philanthropic causes that united us as a culture and as a people.
In law school my advocacy for marriage equality took hold and I attended my first march for marriage equality in November of 2008. Many events followed over the years including marching for racial equality in 2016, attending the Women's March in 2017, and March for Our Lives in 2018.
In 2021, after being diagnosed with PTSD, volunteering helped bring me back to me. Be it at my daughter's school or in the Girl Scouts community, helping a friend running for office, or serving on a Board volunteering enriches my life, immensely. As a volunteer, I feel connected, appreciated, and part of something bigger than myself.
Based on my own experience, it came as no surprise when the news broke that the US Surgeon General issued a loneliness advisory. The Advisory entitled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community recommended building more connected lives. The effects of loneliness "harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death."
Volunteering can help cure the epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Part of the goal of Vikki Ventures is to reimagine how and where we give, including volunteering. By evolving the way we think of volunteers we can open up and expand the nonprofit space in a whole new way. When speaking to friends their biggest obstacle to why they aren't volunteering is they don't know where to start or where to go. Vikki Ventures helps build communities by working with people to discover the causes and organizations that most speak to their soul. If you are looking for ways to be more connected and engaged, reach out, let's talk.