Why Growing Up Weird Can Be Great For Your Career

The cofounder of Chatbooks grew up with 11 siblings on a petting zoo in Florida. It was great preparation for an entrepreneurial life.

To understand Vanessa Quigley (née Munns), the cofounder of Chatbooks, it helps to first know a bit about her father, Ranier Munns. She says he grew up in a "micromanaged, strict, and super-conservative" household. He went on to start a law practice with his brother. But he also married Quigley's mother, April, whom she characterizes as "a wild and crazy artist" who "helped him tap into his wild side." Quigley's parents bought a five-acre piece of property surrounded by orange groves outside Orlando, and decided to start having kids. Vanessa was the first; 11 more would follow. Once, at a family outing to a restaurant, someone asked Ranier what orphanage they represented.

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