Meet our newest and youngest team member, Vanessa Harlander, a 21-year-old from the heart of the Austrian mountains, bringing fresh energy, ambition, and a rich background in sports, tourism, and personal growth.

Early Years in the Alps

Vanessa grew up in her parents’ hotel in a small ski village in Austria, where she discovered her passion for competitive ski racing at a young age. Skiing taught her discipline and resilience, and the hotel exposed her to many cultures and people. In 2014, she enrolled in specialized ski-racing schools, where winter days meant academic classes in the morning and ski training in the afternoon, and summers were dedicated to building strength and endurance for the next season.

“Discipline was key early on,” she recalls. “I played to win—being second was unacceptable, which was, let’s say, a bit dramatic for my parents.”

Balancing Skiing with Education

In 2018, Vanessa entered a higher-level ski and tourism boarding school, allowing her to pursue ski racing while gaining qualifications for a future in hospitality. There she received professional training as a waiter, chef, and hotel manager. She earned certifications as a Young Sommelier and Cheese Connoisseur, and also became a certified ski instructor. She qualified for Austria’s elite 66-day state instructor program after passing the demanding entrance exam in winter 2025.

Life at the boarding school was intense—arriving on Sunday evenings, attending classes through Saturday, spending one night at home, then repeating the cycle. “I really enjoyed learning practical skills like cooking,” she says. “Back then I didn’t realize how valuable they’d be for me today.”

End of Ski Racing Career

After two ACL tears and knee surgery, Vanessa decided to end her pursuit of a professional ski racing career in 2020. At the same time, the Covid pandemic arrived.

While lockdowns were challenging for many, Vanessa embraced the time to think and learn. Living in a renovated 500-year-old farmhouse surrounded by nature, she had space to reflect. She dove into books on success, exploring the deeper changes she sensed in the world.

With a Slovak mother, Vanessa grew up bilingual. In 2021 and 2022, she expanded her language skills, spending time at a French language school in Paris and perfecting her English in London.

The Turning Point: London, Mentors, and the Solari Connection

In 2022, Vanessa traveled to London for another language school and host family stay. By coincidence, she met two highly educated individuals who would become her mentors—and who, as long-term Solari subscribers, introduced her to the Solari Report. “At 18, I struggled to understand much of it,” she admits. “But I was fascinated.”

That summer, her mentors invited her back to London for a month-long immersion: museum visits, intensive English study, and her first stay in an EMF-free home, where she learned why that mattered. When she returned to Austria for her final year of school, she had a much broader perspective on the world—one she didn’t share with most friends, fearing they might think she was “going mad.” It became a kind of secret passion, and she continued educating herself in these areas whenever she could.

A Big Decision

After graduating, Vanessa faced the question: “What’s next?” All her friends were heading to university, but her intuition told her she simply wanted to understand how the world works. She searched all summer for an alternative educational path, without success. Frustrated, she enrolled in Political Science at the University of Salzburg one week before the semester was due to start.

Vanessa developed an interest in politics and joined a conservative political party. She became actively involved in the local government mayoral election, which her party won. Today, she remains engaged in hometown politics and regularly attends conferences each month.

Although she gained insight into Austrian politics through her coursework, Vanessa quickly became skeptical of the heavy focus on gender studies and climate politics. After four semesters, she dropped out—refusing to write a major paper in gender-neutral language was the last straw.

After attending an in-person Solari Meet & Greet in Bregenz, Vanessa got in touch with Ricardo, back then the youngest member of the Solari Team. She reached out to Ricardo and said: “We have to make a proper education initiative for young people like me. We’re going through a reset, and it’s urgent!”

After brainstorming the concept, they presented it to Catherine, who liked the idea. The Young Builders project was born.

Current Role and Future Goals

Today, Vanessa is helping develop Solari’s Young Builders Course, making sure that the materials are accessible and understandable from a young learner’s perspective. She is the first to admit that she is still deepening her knowledge, but her journey reflects the very purpose of the Young Builders initiative: to empower young people to navigate profound global changes with skill, curiosity, and courage. Vanessa states, “My goal is to build a community of like-minded young people, and I know we are many.”