VP of People at Gorilla | In the pursuit of employee significance | Leadership & Career Coach | Illustrator | Corporate Hippy - views expressed here are my own

I’m a tech executive who believes the future belongs to companies that combine AI capability with human intelligence.

Not AI as a silver bullet.
Not people strategy as soft culture work.
Not simplistic “do more, faster” productivity narratives.
But practical systems that help organisations make better decisions as they scale.

I’ve spent my career building and operating those systems across people, performance, operating models, and now AI. 

The work only matters if it shows up in reality; how leaders lead, how teams decide, and how companies change without losing trust.

Most recently, I led the global People function at a Series B energy tech company and co-led our early AI rollout across governance, ethics, enablement, tooling, and experimentation. 

Alongside this, I work with founders, executives, and investors as a fractional leader and advisor. I help organisations roll out AI responsibly, navigate change, and build people systems that compound growth rather than create drag.

If you’re a founder, COO, CPO or leader trying to:
- adopt AI without breaking trust or momentum
- lead change without drowning managers in process
- scale people and operating systems that actually work in the real world.

I write and speak for you.

Things I write about:

- Practical AI adoption without hype or harm
- Where human judgment still matters in everyday AI decisions
- Leading change that creates clarity and engagement, not chaos
- People systems that support growth instead of getting in the way
- Why culture breaks during scale-ups, and how to fix it

Vanessa Monsequeira

May this be your 2026 reminder for everytime you get feedback. 

That a Frankenstein pizza is what happens when you try to implement ALL the feedback.

8 years ago, I got a performance review back.

It was good.

But different leaders wanted different things from my 360 and some of those things contradicted each other.

I was ready to become that Frankenstein pizza.

Then I talked to my mentor, a senior badass leader at the firm.

She said something that changed how I operate:

"Ness, you don't have to take all the feedback just because it's given to you."

It seems obvious now.

But back then, as a middle manager finding my footing, in a system that rewarded listening and implementation ....

Those words felt foreign ....but liberating.

Because trying to create a pizza with ALL the toppings is exhausting.

And it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and often for others too. 

The hard part was figuring  which feedback to listen to.

Here's what I started asking myself:

→ Was this given with good intention?
→ Deep down, is this what's actually holding me back?
→ Do I have capacity to implement this right now?
→ How will I close the comms loop on the feedback I don't take on now / ever?

It's taken me years of practice. I don't always get it right. 

But when I do, the outcomes are:

— Better use of my time.
— Better discernment of who I trust.
— Not running around like a headless self improvement chicken
— And growth in the direction that actually serves my goals as a leader.

So here's your 2026 reminder:
Not all feedback counts equally.
Not all feedback deserves action.

Choose your toppings wisely.

Vanessa Monsequeira - चित्रलेखा

VP of People at Gorilla | Building Employee Experience as a Product | In pursuit of making work suck less | Leadership & Career Coach | Corporate Hippy - views expressed here are my own

Meme showing a pizza topped with an entire roasted chicken, pepperoni slices, chocolate sprinkles, and colorful candy pieces. Caption reads: 'When you incorporate all the feedback from every critique.

Name the person who helped you step into your light and your power as a leader.

For me that person over the last two years has been Ruth Penfold

As a female leader in tech, the waters we swim in are different.

Through working with Ruth I:
🌱 Grew taller in moments where I felt like shrinking
🌱 Had mirror moments where I had to look at the person staring back at me and make decisions in line with my courage and integrity
🌱 Connected mind back to body - essential for every leader who wants to lead a team and workforce with engagement and integrity
🌱 Learned how to balance strength and softness as a woman of color in leadership
🌱 Navigated tough decisions and self-doubt with someone who's been there - Ruth is a former VP and CPO in tech

Importantly, growing happens together and I was part of one of the first the Women Who Lead cohort.

💜 Women Who Lead is a 12-week, high-touch leadership accelerator for women who are done playing small at work and ready to feel like themselves again - grounded, confident, powerful, whole. 

Superb for moments of transition and reinvention. It blends somatic work, identity work, and real leadership strategy so change actually sticks - in the body, not just the head.

The in-person and online catch-ups helped me breathe and realize phew it's not just me.

There were moments of shared joy, laughter, commiserations, consoling.
Women help other women rise.

And I can wholeheartedly recommend working with Ruth and the program. 

She has an incredible way of combining rational, emotional, and somatic practices in an integrated way.

🗓 If this is speaking to you run don't walk to the next cohort.
FREE taster workshop next week - Jan 12-22
https://lnkd.in/ecY4Ew62

And if you already know in your mind and your body this is for you - check out more info in the comments.

Thank you Ruth Penfold 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾

Two women taking a selfie on a city street, both smiling warmly at the camera. The woman on the left has long gray-blonde hair and wears gold hoop earrings with a beige top and crossbody bag. The woman on the right has dark curly hair and wears a black jacket. Behind them is a European-style street with outdoor café seating and storefronts. The photo captures a moment of genuine connection and joy between the two friends.

I have high idea productivity. But not all of my ideas are good.

And it’s probably driven my teams, friends, and family a little crazy over the years.

Yesterday, I shared that 2026 is my Year of Creating Space.

That’s hard to do when ideas fire at 100mph
 …and my personality says: yes, chase it, build it, implement it. NOW!!!!

My ideas don’t wait for quiet moments. They show up in meetings on walks, mid-conversations, reading, listening to podcasts, and during dinner.

If I don’t capture them, my brain keeps holding onto them loudly.

I’ve learned this from from teams I’ve led (and gentle nudges from my husband): 

👉🏾 Not every idea deserves action.
👉🏾 But most ideas do deserve to be captured.

I borrowed the Ideas Bin concept from listening to Nathan Barry, founder of Kit.

He often talks about how his “high idea productivity” can drive his team a little crazy.

Every time I hear it, I smile and think: "yep, that’s me".

So this year, I’m implementing it too.

Here’s how I’m using an Ideas Bin:
→ Capture ideas the moment they appear
→ Plan a date to revisit them
→ Then step away

Come back with fresh eyes and decide:
 → Keep in bin
 → Move to discovery
 → Time for action

The goal isn’t speed.
It’s creating space for better thinking.

If you’re smiling because you do this also generate ideas at the speed of light…
....you’re my people.

📌 I created a Notion Ideas Bin template. Feel free to use and make it your own!

Thanks again to Nathan Barry for the inspiration.

A screenshot of a Notion page titled “Ideas Bin.” At the top is a green call-out box with a lightbulb icon titled “Use this as a mental parking lot.” The text explains that people with high idea productivity should capture ideas without acting on them immediately, revisit them later, and decide whether to keep, explore, or act. Below the call-out is a table-style database listing ideas with columns for idea name, category (people, process, technology), date ideated, date to revisit, and status such as “Keep in bin,” “Move to discovery,” or “Time for action.”

I pre-order books the same way some folks invest in startups.

Because early support compounds.

Pre-orders help publishers gauge demand, secure better distribution, and give authors the momentum they need in those critical first weeks.

Since 2023, I've actively sought out and championed business books by women authors. I noticed that prior to this, women authors barely featured in my top 5 reads for the year.

So I started examining the supply and visibility of business books by women authors, the shelf space in bookshops, the top 10 lists recommended by apps, and thought leaders. 

The pattern was clear; women authors were barely featured.

Some of the sharpest thinking in leadership and organizational design is coming from women who deserve a bigger platform.

I've just pre-ordered three books I'm genuinely excited about:

📘 Purpose and Work by Jessica Zwaan - Jessica's framework around organizational archetypes of purpose (which I first saw at PX Immersive last year) is refreshingly non-performative. It's reframed how I think about purpose at work in a way that feels both fresh and obvious once you hear it.

📙 Exceptionals by Ingrid Tappin 🏳️‍🌈 -  I saw Ingrid present at the Valencia Digital Summit and again in a recent webinar. She's created an entirely new category of thinking about leadership and inclusion, one that's actually pragmatic rather than theoretical. Exceptional work in every sense.

📗 The Manager Method by Ashley Herd - Ashley's bite-sized videos and manager posts are gold. Having led people teams across several organizations, I've seen firsthand how little we talk about the day-to-day, practical side of management. Ashley fills that gap beautifully.

I track all the business books by women authors I'm reading in a Notion database. 

If you're building your 2025 reading list, these three deserve a spot.

And if you can, pre-order. It makes a real difference.


#womenauthors #leadership #culture

Three business book covers with arrows pointing to circular headshots of their authors: Purpose and Work by Jessica Zwaan, Exceptionals by Ingrid Tappin, and The Manager Method by Ashley Herd

One of the best career tools I’ve learned is choosing a “Year Of.”

This practice has guided my decisions for 7 years.

A single macro theme that acts a a north star for decisions, systems, and energy.

Looking back, it’s shaped a lot for me:

2019: The Year of Stabilization
2020: The Year of New Beginnings
2021: The Year of Growth & Learning
2022: The Year of Experimentation
2023: The Year of Deep Work
2024: The Year of Big Leaps
2025: The Year of Slow Productivity

🥁 For 2026, I’m choosing:
The Year of Creating Space.

Because my brain runs at 100 miles an hour, and space is the key to becoming more intentional.

When I don’t create space, I:
↳ do 100 things at once (and say yes too quickly)
↳ work right up to the next meeting… then rush
↳ don’t slow down enough to hear myself
↳ scroll instead of letting myself be bored
↳ overthink
↳ half-listen

How I do create space:
↳ a real morning routine (meditation + journaling)
↳ exercise with no distractions
↳ breathwork

How I’m creating space this year:
↳ speaking more slowly
↳ an “ideas bin” to park thoughts
↳ writing more for clearer thinking

Every time I name a year, the theme becomes a powerful driver of focus, reflection, and alignment.

What could your “Year Of” be in 2026

A vertical timeline graphic titled “The Year Of…?” on a black background. The timeline lists yearly themes from 2019 to 2026.
2019 is labeled “Stabilization.”
2020 is “New Beginnings.”
2021 is “Growth and Learning.”
2022 is “Experimentation.”
2023 is “Deep Work.”
2024 is “Big Leaps.”
2025 is “Slow Productivity.”
2026 appears at the bottom with question marks, indicating an open or upcoming theme.

When was the last time you trusted a leader or colleague who wasn't truthful with you?

I'm guessing never.

Every time I've seen trust erode, it's due to the usual suspects:

→ Someone held back feedback but told someone else behind the person's back. 
→ Or shared a half-truth because they didn't have the courage for a crunchy conversation. 
→ Or outright lied.

Cowardice - it's an ugly word we don't talk about enough at work and in leadership.

I don't say this to throw shade. 
We all have moments where we shy away from courage.

But as a leader? It's costing you the most valuable thing you have =  Trust.

What actually happens when trust breaks down:
→ Your team members stop trusting feedback that is useful.
→ Innovation dies because people play it safe or quite frankly because they can't be bothered.
→ Your engagement scores tank.
→ People show up but check out.
→ And eventually they leave.

Not because the work is hard.
But because they don't trust you.

There's a simple model that explains this: The Truth-Trust Cycle.

When you give a bit of truth → it creates trust
That trust makes you ready to give more truth → which creates more trust
And the cycle continues

The opposite is also true.
The moment trust is breached, people recoil and stop having real conversations.
And everyone's just performing their job, not actually doing it.

So here's your January challenge:
→ Have ONE hard conversation on a topic you've been avoiding.
→ Don't soften it.
→ Don't delay or delegate it.
→ Have it.

Because without the courage to tell the truth, you'll never build the trust your team actually needs.

And these are the actions that make work suck less.

#leadership #crunchyconversations

The Truth-Trust Cycle diagram showing a purple spiral on a light purple background. The spiral moves clockwise from the center outward, labeled: truth → trust → more truth → even more trust → even more truth → more trust, illustrating how truth and trust build upon each other in an expanding cycle. By Vanessa Monsequeira, Leadership that makes work suck less

There is a man riding a horse. 

The horse is galloping quickly, and it appears that the man on the horse is going somewhere important.

Another man, standing alongside the road, shouts, "Where are you going?" and the first man replies, "I don't know! Ask the horse!"

The late Thích Nhất Hạnh used to teach this zen story and says:

"This is also our story. We are riding a horse, we don't know where we are going, and we can't stop. The horse is our habit energy pulling us along, and we are powerless. We are always running, and it has become a habit."

--

Three weeks into January, I vowed to create space and to actually ride the horse instead of being dragged.

In past years, I've noticed a pattern:
→ The top 3 priorities become 5. Then 7.
→ "Heartbeat work" is often underestimated i.e. the essential keeping-the-lights-on stuff
→ Add generative AI to the mix, and suddenly the expectation is "more, faster."

The horse starts sprinting in multiple directions at once, and my December-to-January fresh ideas glow fades fast.

--

I've found two things that actually help me hold the reins:

1. Bi-weekly reflection (15-30 minutes)
A pause where I ask myself: "Did I choose this direction, or did the horse?"
It's the only way I've found to go slow so I can go fast again—in a direction I actually choose.

2. A Top 5 Priorities doc
A simple Notion doc with:
• 1 table for the top 5 priorities (not 7, not 10)
• 1 table for all the heartbeat work
For each priority:
• Who's the primary/secondary driver
• What is initially in and out of scope
• What "good" looks like

Then I socialize it with leadership and key stakeholders outside my area, so there are no surprises and a better way to discuss scope creep and new "quick wins." 🤮

--

Yesterday, I spent half a day offline planning H1.

Within an hour, I caught myself in classic Ness mode; front-loading way too much. The horse was already starting to bolt.

So I paused. Used my own frameworks: the Priorities doc and the Ideas Bin (the one I shared last week).

I can't promise the horse won't gallop away at different times this year. But I know I have the tools to tame it.

🐴 What helps you tame your horse? I'd love to hear what's working for you.

Black-and-white cartoon of a man clinging to a galloping horse while shouting, ‘I don’t know! Ask the horse!’ as another man on the roadside asks, ‘Where are you going?’”

Change doesn't fail because people are tired.

It fails because leaders stop leading when it matters most.

I just wrapped a discussion with a CEO who told me their organisation was "suffering from change fatigue."

I asked them: "How many times have you explained why this change matters?"

Them: "Maybe twice in the all-hands?"

Me: "There's likely your problem."

__

Over the years, I've consulted with dozens of organizations. And "change fatigue" comes up constantly. 

It's become the convenient excuse for why transformations stall. John Kotter found: 70% of change initiatives fail.I'd bet that with the acceleration of AI, it's higher now.

Multiple changes have been constant for decades.
Freeze, Change, Unfreeze change model rarely exits anymore. 

So why are we still so terrible at it?

Because most leaders don't understand (or don't want to understand) the basic building blocks of leading change.

Here's where it actually falls apart:

→ Leaders mention it once or twice in all-hands meetings, then wonder why nothing sticks
→ Leaders get defensive when feedback surfaces instead of listening and adapting
→ There's no consistent communication—just sporadic updates that create more confusion
→ The "why" disappears after the initial announcement, leaving people to fill in the blanks
→ Middle managers aren't equipped or empowered to champion the change on the ground

Meanwhile, their teams are left confused, disengaged, and exhausted.
Not from the change itself, but from the chaos around it.

Not everyone needs to love the change. 
But everyone needs to understand it.

People can handle change. 
They can't handle uncertainty, mixed messages, and confused timelines.

The fix is simpler than you think:
→ Make the process crystal clear from day one
→ Repeat the mission until you're sick of hearing yourself say it (then repeat it 10 more times)
→ Create feedback loops and actually listen without defensiveness
→ Equip your middle managers—they're your change champions, not your messengers

The gap between wanting change and leading it is where most transformations die.

Don't be the leader who announces change and disappears.
Be the one who stays in the arena until it sticks.

What's one change initiative you've seen fail—and what could leadership have done differently?

#changeleadership #leadership

Diagram titled "The surface area of change" showing three nested rectangles representing decreasing willingness to engage with change: largest section "Who wants change", medium section "Who wants to change", smallest section "Who wants to lead the change"

If we want to succeed as leaders, we have to realise that effective communication feels like overkill.

How you navigate...

→ Sharing Q1 priorities and watching blank faces nod
→ Saying "like I mentioned last week" for the third time
→ Realizing your teams are working on the wrong thing
→ Biting your tongue because you feel like a broken record
→ Getting asked a question you know you already answered

...determines whether your team actually executes, or an idea just exists.

And nobody warns you that the part of leadership that feels the most annoying, is repeating yourself endlessly. 

Yet it is actually the part that matters most.

We act like clarity is a one-time event. 

Like if you said it well enough the first time, it should stick.

The message isn't the problem. The lack of repetition is.

Communication is something you do until you're sick of hearing yourself - because that's roughly when your team is starting to actually internalize it.

When you stop too early:
→ Your team drifts off priority
→ The organisation looks disengaged
→ Your engagement scores for 'meaningful work' drop off

Not because they don't care, but because you thought 3 times was enough.

It wasn't.

I'll say it again: if we want to succeed as leaders, we have to realise that effective communication feels like overkill.

You need to say something at least 7+ times, in 7+ different ways before it actually sticks.

Here's one method and free resource to help: https://lnkd.in/e2aVW69u

Keen to hear from other leaders: how do you make your comms repetitive enough to actually land?


#leadership  #development #communicationtraining

My team doesn't listen" contrasted with "Your comms: 404 Page Not Found" - highlighting communication gaps in leadership

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Creative marketing leader with over a decade of experience in digital marketing and design,  specializing in helping early-stage startups launch and scale their businesses. Skilled in project management, digital marketing, and communication, I develop and execute tailored GTM strategies that drive growth.

Driven by a passion for social impact, visual design and entrepreneurship, I collaborate with diverse teams of founders, developers, and designers to create and market products that address real-world challenges and deliver meaningful value to customers.  

I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and Media Studies from San Francisco State University, along with certifications in Product Management from Co.Lab and Digital Marketing & E-commerce from Google. 

Committed to making a positive impact, I leverage my skills and experience to help build innovative solutions for a better world.

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