Born and raised in Lima, Peru as a child Silvia Vasquez-Lavado endured a period of sexual violence that would haunt her for much of her adult life. Nearly 30 years later, while attending a meditation retreat in Peru, she had a vision of reconnecting to her inner child and the two of them walking in a valley surrounded by mountains. This propelled her to journey through the Himalayas and reach the base of Mount Everest. It was a revelation –“The shadow of the mountain was the only thing big enough to swallow my shadow.” Silvia developed a sense of resilience, strength, compassion – and finally rediscovered her courage.
“She began to feel healed. And she kept climbing.”
Another epiphany came in 2013, when, after losing her mother to cancer and undergoing a divorce, she summited Aconcagua and realized that she had to help others. “I had this voice again that said, ‘You have to continue.”
So Silvia Vasquez-Lavado founded Courageous Girls, a non-profit group dedicated to helping victims of sexual violence find their own sense of peace and closure through trekking. She decided to turn survivors into empowered people by helping them find that inner strength within themselves, knowing from her own experience how difficult that can be when wrestling with shame.
In 2016, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado climbed Everest, and two years later completed all the Seven Summits, becoming the first openly gay woman to do so. Being sandwiched between the Himalayas on either side felt like being held by the mountains. Nothing ever made her feel so safe and so terrified at the same time. The experience was one of sublime vulnerability and mutual compassion between her and the mountains.
Now, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a humanitarian and compassionate social entrepreneur driven to rouse vulnerable populations by providing alternative solutions & methods for empowerment, education and advancement.
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado book, In The Shadow of the Mountain, is her remarkable story of heroism and community, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, gratitude for the strong women in our lives, and faith in our own resilience.
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JP Pawliw-Fry is an internationally renowned speaker, thought leader, and co-author of the global bestseller Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most. With a career dedicated to enhancing leadership performance, emotional intelligence, and resilience, JP has captivated audiences around the world, delivering actionable insights that empower individuals and organizations […]
Robyn O Brien stands as a beacon of transformation in the corporate landscape, leveraging her expertise to guide businesses of all sizes through the evolving demands of 21st-century consumers. With a profound understanding of the intersection between food, health, and business, Robyn has become a renowned figure globally, reshaping corporate strategies and advocating for a […]
David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE, is an internationally recognized authority on trust, CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, and national bestselling author of The Trust Edge. He is the inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™ and serves as the director of one of the nation’s foremost trust studies: The Trust Outlook™. Horsager has dedicated his […]
Michael Voltaggio is an American chef from Pasadena, California who is most well known for being the winner of the sixth season of Top Chef, a cooking competition reality show on the Bravo network. He competed against his brother Bryan in the show. They both ended in the finale alongside Kevin Gillespie. Judge of Top […]
Yossi Ghinsberg is a world-renowned adventurer, author, and keynote speaker whose incredible survival story in the Amazon jungle has captivated audiences worldwide. In 1981, Yossi embarked on a harrowing journey into the uncharted depths of the Bolivian Amazon, only to become separated from his companions and left alone to survive for three weeks against the […]
Mary Kelly is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and spent over 20 years on active duty in intelligence and logistics. She retired from the Navy as a commander. She has master’s degrees in history and economics, and a PhD in economics. Mary Kelly has EXPERIENCE, and it’s this experience that helps your […]
Chef Sean Sherman has dedicated his career to supporting and promoting Indigenous food systems and Native food sovereignty. Sean’s cooking style is based on pre-colonial Indigenous food systems, using only ingredients that are native to North America. His menus are inspired by the seasons and the land, featuring traditional ingredients like bison, hand-harvested wild rice, […]
Lori Harder is a leading expert in the field of fitness, transformational work, mindfulness, and self-love. She has grown two multi-million dollar businesses as a successful entrepreneur and network marketing professional. She is also an author, cover model, and three-time fitness world champion, who offers a carefully curated set of practical tools to promote sustainable […]
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