Vanessa Teed: Built for Impact, A Nurse Who Became the Product

There is a certain kind of person who, when faced with a complex, tangled system, doesn’t just learn to navigate it, but feels an innate pull to understand its very architecture, to trace its wiring back to the source, and then, gently but firmly, suggest a better design. Vanessa Teed is one of those people.

Based in Los Angeles, Vanessa is the founder of VanTeed, LLC Nurse Consulting. A nurse by training, a humanitarian nurse educator by passion, and a Certified Global Nurse Consultant by experience, she brings her lived journey to the center of her professional mission. Her doctoral work focuses on global nursing education and supporting country-level efforts to train and retain nurses in regions impacted by migration. A free agent, she moves between private consulting and education-focused initiatives.

Rather than being a detached strategist, Vanessa approaches her work as a change agent shaped by her own life experiences. She has worked in emergency nursing and navigated the labyrinth of U.S. education, nursing boards, visas, and permanent residency. In 2022, a healthcare startup looked at her résumé for a nurse educator position and saw something else entirely—they told her she was the product.

This pivot from clinician to academic educator to product manager shaped her unique path. Today, she runs her own consulting practice, collaborating with international recruitment firms and businesses within the international nursing industry while independently addressing the impact of migration on education through her academic work.

An Unexpected Blueprint

Vanessa’s 17-year career began on the front lines of nursing. She worked in diverse clinical roles, from staff nurse to travel nurse, all while earning an MSN in 2020 in nursing education and gaining experience in academia. But her path took a decisive turn in 2022. While applying for a nurse educator role, she was offered a position as a product manager at a healthcare startup focused on the international nurse industry. Despite having no formal background in product development, she received on-the-job training and mentorship while collaborating with a talented team of entrepreneurs and software engineers, even completing Columbia Business School’s Executive Education course on Product Management. She quickly adapted to her new role and thrived.

The reason for the unconventional offer was simple and profound: Vanessa’s life was the blueprint. As a Canadian who moved to California for university—and stayed—she gained firsthand experience with U.S. systems and processes. While she did not practice nursing in Canada, she understands the complexities nurses face when migrating and brings a nuanced perspective informed by two distinct healthcare systems. In her product role, she helped build efficient pathways to guide internationally educated nurses through a complex journey—including NCLEX® prep, language requirements, licensure, and relocation—gaining deeper insight into the obstacles, and the financial, emotional, and cultural realities nurses and companies face during the nurse migration journey.

This experience was invaluable, but it also sparked a realization. While Vanessa loved the company and the team that had invested in her, she felt a pull toward a different kind of impact. “I realized I didn’t want to stay in international nurse recruitment,” she says. “I wanted to be on a different side of the industry—one where I could support nurses more directly and on my own terms.”

Finding a Professional Home

Leaving a role Vanessa genuinely enjoyed was difficult, but it ultimately opened a new professional path. Reflecting on her own credentialing journey, she discovered the Certified Global Nurse Consultant (CGNC) certification, developed by CGFNS International (now TruMerit™) in partnership with the prestigious International Council of Nurses (ICN).

“The application was extensive,” she recalls. “Once I joined the network, I knew I had found my space. It wasn’t what I originally pictured—but it fit. I didn’t belong in just one space—I belonged globally.” That moment led to the founding of VanTeed, LLC in 2023—not from a formal business plan, but as the natural evolution of work she was already doing.

VanTeed’s mission is to support businesses within the international nursing space while addressing the broader impact of nurse migration on educators, institutions, and source countries. Vanessa’s consulting focuses on ethical workforce advising and market insights, drawing from her own experiences to help organizations identify gaps, streamline processes, and scale product effectively.

VanTeed blends business strategy with field-informed insight, helping clients navigate the intersection of global health, education, and nurse migration. While she prefers to keep client relationships private, she values partnerships within the international nursing space, where she can advise or inspire product or market presence.

In parallel, her PhD research focuses on sustainable global nursing education from the host country’s perspective. This means tailoring the education of nurses worldwide to meet specific needs in each country. “If we can support educators, we can help them train their nurses, which, in turn, benefits their communities,” she explains, highlighting the importance of global partnerships. This belief forms the core of her academic career aspirations: that by educating local leaders and providing them with the necessary tools, we can positively influence the future of nursing on a global scale.

Potentially, creating a strategy for countries most impacted by exit migration! Vanessa states, “But I am getting ahead of myself.” Her own current strategy is networking, collaborating, and spending time with other likeminded professionals. Sometimes our conversations alone spark impact.

She collaborates with nonprofits to increase access to education and advocates for the ethical use of open-access resources. “Underutilization of existing nursing education materials frustrates me,” she says. “Why keep recreating the same content? We should credit the original creators, get permissions, and share it with the world.” This ethos drives her ongoing work with organizations such as Nurses International, which aims to fill gaps in nursing education and eliminate barriers by supporting local educators in developing countries with high-quality, open-access curriculum materials.

From Theory to Fieldwork

One of the most common misconceptions about global nursing consulting, Vanessa notes, is that anyone can step into it. The reality, she argues, is far different. “The work, especially at the policy, country, or systems level, requires time, certifications, lived experience, fieldwork, and advanced degrees,” she says. A mentor once told her, “If you want to work at the level of the World Health Organization, obtain a doctorate and get field experience.” She is now in her second year of doing both, and the blend of academic rigor and on-the-ground work forms the foundation of her practice.

Vanessa prioritizes partnerships that keep her connected to local, grassroots needs. She volunteers with Learn with Nurses (LWN), Nurses International, Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), the Ghanaian Diaspora Nurses Association (GDNA), and the American Red Cross. These experiences directly inform the practicality, operational, and population-centered nature of her consulting.

Her most formative experience came last year, when she traveled alone to her first humanitarian teaching assignment. Matched by Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) to projects in Northern Vietnam, she recalls, “It was the most difficult and most rewarding experience of my career.” The beauty of the culture and the warmth of the people left a lasting impression.

Working solo in a non-English-speaking environment challenged her resilience and adaptability, and she discovered a surprising asset: her ability to stay calm and engaged in non-English-speaking environments, observing and connecting even without a translator.

The experience was so impactful that she is returning this year—not only to continue her work but also as a project director in nursing education at a new site. She comes equipped with greater perspective, confidence, and the ability to make a bigger impact.

The Change Agent’s Path

Vanessa’s journey has not been without its challenges. The biggest, she admits, was figuring out where she belonged professionally. After attending a national leadership event in 2023, she thought she had found her tribe, but it wasn’t the right fit. It was only when she let go of the need to belong to a predefined group and focused on her unique strengths in nurse migration and education that she found her true professional home at an ICN Congress. “That event changed everything,” she says.

As an ICN-Certified Global Nurse Consultant, she is part of a recognized network of nurses honored for their contributions to practice, leadership, and global health. This credential validates her work and positions her as a trusted advisor to NGOs, governments, and global institutions. While she consults independently, her practice remains aligned with the ICN’s global mission.

Looking ahead, Vanessa’s goals are a natural extension of her mission. This fall, she will continue volunteering in Asia and gaining field experience. She will also speak at an international conference on global nursing mentorship, presenting her talk, “Bridging Borders: Leveraging Digital Platforms for Equitable Access to Global Nursing Mentorship & Nursing Education Resources.” In addition, she is publishing her first book chapter in a forthcoming Springer Publishing title on the international nursing industry and nurse migration, offering a U.S. perspective. All projects are threads in the same tapestry: elevating nursing through collaboration, accessible education, and culturally responsive solutions.

A Life in Motion

When asked about work-life balance, Vanessa is pragmatic. “There’s no such thing as perfect balance,” she says, but working for herself has granted her the flexibility to orchestrate her own time across her many commitments: consulting, teaching, volunteering, and her PhD studies. She manages it all through meticulous time-blocking and transparent communication.

Her downtime is a study in intentional simplicity. She enjoys audiobooks, puzzles, and walks with her tiny chihuahua. She seeks out gluten-free treats by the beach with her husband. And then there is swimming. “I’ve fallen in love with lap pools,” she says, “and now make it a habit to visit Olympic pools and local swim clubs around the world.” It is both her fitness regimen and her source of calm, a moving meditation that travels with her.

Vanessa doesn’t see herself as a traditional leader, but rather as a “change agent.” Her work is not compartmentalized; it is both academic and practical, with a shared, unified effort toward a single purpose: the future of nursing globally.

Even in appearance, Vanessa leads with intention. She loves tattoos but chooses to cover her own when working—whether in the U.S. or abroad—even in 90°F heat. “It’s rare for anyone, anywhere in the world, to see me working without longer sleeves.”

One example of Vanessa’s favorite kind of collaboration is with small businesses—like Armor of Love, founded by a fellow nurse educator and entrepreneur. For her upcoming volunteer assignments in hot climates, Vanessa had a vision, and Armor of Love brought it to life: custom long-sleeved “humanitarian scrubs” that blend professionalism, cultural respect, and practical design for healthcare professionals who choose to cover their arms in the field.

It’s an original product created for what Vanessa hopes will become a growing space: humanitarian nursing. In a changing global landscape, she believes even small collaborations can have meaningful impact.

Vanessa’s final piece of advice is a call to action that encapsulates her entire career. “Network, then network your networks,” she urges. “Make friends, mentor, collaborate, and connect. We can do so much more when we work together.”