Vanessa Harlander

Multilingual Vanessa Harlander has a rich background in sports, tourism, and personal growth. Growing up in her parents’ hotel in a small Austrian ski village, Vanessa was exposed to many cultures and also discovered a passion for competitive ski racing at a young age. In 2014, she enrolled in specialized ski-racing schools, and in 2018, she entered a higher-level ski and tourism boarding school that allowed her to pursue racing while also acquiring professional training and qualifications in the hospitality industry as a waiter, chef, and hotel manager. There, she earned certifications as a Young Sommelier and Cheese Connoisseur and also became a certified ski instructor. She later qualified for Austria’s elite 66-day state instructor program. In 2020, after injuries and knee surgery, Vanessa ended her pursuit of a professional ski racing career. 

During the Covid lockdowns, Vanessa embraced the time to think and learn, diving into books on success and exploring the deeper changes she sensed in the world. In 2022, Vanessa met two long-term Solari subscribers in London who became her mentors. When she returned to Austria for her final year of school, she had a much broader perspective on the world. With an interest in local politics, Vanessa enrolled in political science at the University of Salzburg, but after four semesters infused with gender and climate propaganda, she decided to drop out.

Wanting an alternative educational path and having met Ricardo Oskam at a Solari Meet & Greet in Austria, Vanessa reached out to Ricardo to propose an education initiative for young people. Her proposal—for a course that would empower young people to navigate profound global changes with skill, curiosity, and courage—provided a catalyst to launch the Young Builders initiative. Today, Vanessa is helping develop the Young Builders course and is bringing fresh energy to other initiatives at Solari.