I build worlds where women succeed without breaking themselves apart.

About Vanessa

Vanessa spent twenty years building companies that made other people wealthy. She was great at it — scaling platforms to 120+ countries at Gilt.com, winning a CES Innovation Award at Mastercard, co-leading a digital platform that reached 12 million students across Latin America. As CEO of #WeAllGrow Latina, she co-scaled the company to multi-millions in revenue, and helped inject $20M+ back into the Latina economy.

Corporate wanted her in lanes. She doesn't do lanes. At WAG, she poured everything in — co-scaling, building, leading — but as women of color often do, she sacrificed well beyond her means. So after seeing the acquisition through in 2025, she chose to exit. Gave herself space to recover. Got real with herself. Free of identities. Free of expectations.

What emerged was Build The Dream Holdings — a media and lifestyle company for women who are done breaking themselves apart to succeed. A newsletter reaching 10K+ subscribers. A podcast. A growing community. An advisory practice for founders who want strategy without the burnout. And a product line on the way. (Want in? Join the list.)

Vanessa is a Forbes Most Powerful Women of Latin America honoree, a Kennedy Center inaugural entrepreneur award recipient, and an investor in brands like Bloomi, Nopalera, Lil' Libros, and Earth Rides — backing diverse founders and women building what they didn't see growing up.

Every room she's been in, every company she's built, every lesson she's learned — it all led here. She's proof that you don't have to fit in a lane to build something extraordinary.

Washington Heights. The Bronx. Daughter of immigrants. A first-generation Latina founder who didn't inherit a path — she built one. In an industry where every major voice is white, she's creating at a level most people only talk about.

Wealthy. Whole. And just getting started.

Build The Dream. Honor The Human.™

Vanessa Santos, Latina CEO and founder, in a power suit. Business architect, strategic advisor to women of color, Latina investor, and keynote speaker. New York native building for powerful women and queer founders.

If This Sounds Familiar…


You've built something real. Led teams. Hit the numbers. Earned the title.

And somewhere along the way, you started mistaking sacrifice for loyalty. Pouring beyond your means because that's what women like us were taught to do. Shrinking into lanes that were never built for you because staying visible felt safer than standing out.

I know because I did it too. For twenty years.

Here's what I've learned: that version of success has an expiration date. You can only abandon yourself in small ways for so long before you realize you've built something beautiful for everyone but yourself.

So the question becomes: what do you actually want? Not what makes sense. Not what keeps everyone comfortable. What do YOU want?

That's the work I do now. With women who are done fitting into lanes. Who are ready to build their next chapter — with strategy, with honesty, and without repeating the patterns that cost them the first time.

Build The Dream. Honor The Human.

Build The Dream. Honor The Human. ✳

Vanessa Santos, founder and media entrepreneur, in an emerald green suit in a modern lounge setting

WORK WITH ME

  • For the woman who's been circling the same decision for months. You know something needs to change — you just can't see it clearly because you're inside it.

    In this session, I help you see what's actually in your way, get clear on what you want, and map your next move. You leave with a decision made and a plan to act on it.

    One woman told me afterwards: "This session changed the trajectory of my life."

    $1,497BOOK HERE.

  • For the woman ready to stop building from obligation and start building from desire.

    Maybe it's a role you've outgrown. A business model that's bleeding you dry. A version of success that looks right on paper but feels hollow underneath. You don't need another strategy session. You need to rebuild the foundation.

    Over six weeks, we move through the four phases of The Self-Reclamation Method™. You come out the other side clear on who you are, what you want, and how to build it without abandoning yourself to do it.

    This is inner and external architecture.

    $3,500BOOK HERE.

  • Monthly strategic partnership for founders and executives navigating growth, expansion, or major transitions. You get me in your corner, someone who's scaled companies, exited, and rebuilt.

    This is for the woman who doesn't need a framework. She needs a thought partner who's been in the room and will tell her the truth.

    Direct access. I'm with you until it's built.

    Starting at $7,500/monthWork with me

THE HUMAN

Writer: Letters From The In-Between — 10K+ subscribers

Founder, Glow Up Hour community — 140+ members

Taurus 🌞, Cancer 🌙, Capricorn 🌕

First-Gen Dominicana & Ecuatoriana, NYC born & raised

Reflector in Human Design — my sensitivity is my superpower

Two fur babies: Elvis & Teddy 🐾

Creative peak: in nature — mountains or by the water and slow mornings

I light up when I speak—but I'm selective with my energy

When I win, I share the notes.

Queer. Multifaceted. Uncategorizable.

I'm not one thing, and that's my power.

THE RECEIPTS

Former CEO & Partner of #WeAllGrow Latina (acquired 2025)

Co-led transformation contributing to $20M+ economic impact, co-created 30,000+ professional pathways

CES Innovation Award winner for an IoT shopping app (Mastercard)

Co-Developed a digital API platform serving 12M students in 6 Latin American markets (Mastercard)

Inked first and largest multi-million dollar brand partnership (Gilt.com)

Co-Led global expansion to 120+ countries (Gilt.com)

Inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year, Kennedy Center (Nationwide x Hispanic Heritage Foundation)

Keynote: Forbes Most Powerful Women of Latin America

Board Member: Wellness For The People Foundation

Investor: Bloomi, Nopalera, Lil' Libros, Earth Rides

  • Creating spaces where women build without self-erasure

    WHAT DRIVES ME

  • Researching connection, women's circles, and collective power

    WHAT DRIVES ME

  • Fierce advocacy for queer rights, women's rights, economic empowerment

    WHAT DRIVES ME

  • Teaching women that wanting wealth isn't toxic—but building it by erasing yourself is

    WHAT DRIVES ME

You don't have to choose between building your business and becoming yourself.

You don't have to break apart to prove you're worthy.

You don't have to be loyal to who you were when you can choose who you're becoming.

I'm building it. In real time.

With 20+ years of proof that I know how to build…

and the audacity to do it without self-erasure.

Come with me.