Nancy Belmont

Nancy Belmont is the CEO of Vessence Corporation (formerly Belmont, Inc.) and leader of the #WeLiveBig community. Nancy focuses her work on promoting human flourishing, continually inspiring authenticity and increasing individual and collective consciousness for a more unified, vibrant world.

Vessence works with individuals, teams and organizations to find their essence and give it voice through words, images and actions. Nancy believes that once people and teams identify their unique selves, and live into that more fully, they can have more impact and feel more fulfilled. Nancy works with individuals who want to flourish as leaders, teams who want to build community and organizations who want to grow authentic brands.

In 2015, Nancy launched the "Courage Wall," a community project that catapulted to the national and international stage. The Courage Wall, a larger-than-life community chalkboard that reads, “I wish I had the courage to...” was covered by the TODAY Show, Al Jazeera, ABC, Forbes, The Washington Post and the Washington Business Journal, sparking the conversation on courage and fear around the globe.

Based on the success of the Courage Wall, Nancy created a special program of Vessence, #WeLiveBig, that serves as a creative incubator for community-building initiatives. This community-focused program is committed to promoting human flourishing through interactive public art, community conversations and tools for empowerment. Nancy believes that by building community in neighborhoods and among all of humanity, she can become a better advisor on how to build community within and around organizations.

Nancy’s project, “UNITY,” is in response to the divisiveness in the national conversation. UNITY is a larger-than-life structure that helps us celebrate our uniqueness and shows that even though we are different, we are not separate. The project consists of 32 posts, each with identifiers such as, “I’m a parent; I speak English as a second language; I identify as LGBTQ,” etc.  Participants wrap colorful yarn around posts that reflect their identities. Their yarn intertwines with others’ to create a web of interconnectedness. The project has gone global, with over 800 people downloading the how-to manual to bring UNITY to their communities.

In December, Nancy launched "Be the Light," a three dimensional expression of individuals casting light into the darkness. When each light shines, we can illuminate an entire community. The experience reminds us that we all have special and unique qualities to offer the world. At a time when so many feel isolated, rejected and confused, we hope that honoring the light within ourselves and sharing it with others will open us up and connect us as a community. 

Her most recent project, "Soar," encourages people to identify and let go of their unseen burdens so they can become more free. People write a burden they're ready to release on a rock, let it go, then hang a bird to symbolize their lightness and freedom. Thousands have participated in just a few weeks. The project hit the national stage after the shooting at a congressional baseball practice in her neighborhood of Del Ray, Alexandria, VA.

Over the years, Nancy has worked with United Way Worldwide, the Global Fund to End Slavery, the Architect of the Capitol, The U.S. Army, The British Embassy’s British Council and ExxonMobil, to name a few.