Vanessa Mathews’ Origin Story – Growing a Business Resilience Company, Emergency Management Programs, and More!

Business Resilience DECODED

May 18 2023 • 28 mins

Episode 149:  Vanessa Mathews’ Origin Story – Growing a Business Resilience Company, Emergency Management Programs, and More!

In this episode, we’re putting Vanessa in the hot seat! This week, her colleague Michelle Myrie from Asfalis Advisors interviews her on her education, building Asfalis Advisors, how the industry is shifting, and more. There are some incredible stories in this episode you don’t want to miss.

Some of the key takeaways include:

  • Business resilience is needed in every industry and every type of company. As a field of study, homeland security and emergency management has evolved so students are encouraged to explore both the public and private sectors.

  • There is a lot that goes into an “overnight success.” Asfalis Advisors will be 10 years old next year, and their recent explosive growth is a result of that decade of experience.

  • The energy you bring to the table matters. Nobody cares about emergency management until an emergency happens. By being engaging and exciting, you get buy-in early in the game.

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Vanessa Mathews, host

Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Jon Seals, producer


Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting.