About Vilas

"My deepest belief is that no matter what happens to you, healing is possible — and through that healing, we can help others by offering compassion, connection, and love."

Vilas was born on June 19, 1969, in Culver City, California, into ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) also known as the Hare Krishnas, an Eastern philosophy cult her young hippie parents had joined. Vilas's childhood stretched across the globe, but her most formative and haunting years were spent in the Dallas Gurukula and India. Life there was a mix of wonder and trauma, much of it in boarding schools that felt more like orphanages.

At thirteen, after enduring sexual violence, her parents forced her into marriage. When that marriage ended, she wandered India until returning to the United States at sixteen. By eighteen Vilas was a young mother, determined to create stability for her daughter. Over the years, she sought family and refuge in marriage, only to face heartbreak, abuse, and disappointment.

In her thirties, Vilas found the courage to walk away from another dangerous marriage. She continued to search for love, often getting it wrong, while raising her children and building a career in real estate.

It was in her early forties that Vilas finally stepped into her own power. She rebuilt her life, discovered her potential, and embraced love that was true, safe, and supportive. Today, she shares her life with her best friend, confidant, and partner in both love and business.

Her deepest belief is that no matter what happens to you, healing is possible, and through that healing, we can help others by offering compassion, connection, and love.

That belief has fueled her advocacy, which started in 2001, when she was interviewed for Glamour Magazine, as part of the groundbreaking lawsuit filed by the children of the Hare Krishna cult (ISKCON), seeking justice for survivors of abuse. In 2023, she joined the National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the United States as a survivor advocate working alongside allies, survivors, and organizations including Unchained at Last, Equality Now, and the Tahirih Justice Center. In October, 2024, the AHA Foundation published an account of her story to raise awareness about the urgent need to end child marriage. Just ten days later, Vilas testified before the D.C. Council in support of legislation to ban child marriage, which the Council passed unanimously, transforming years of pain, resilience, and advocacy into lasting change.

Vilas's journey has been one of survival, rebuilding, and using her voice to protect others from the harms she endured. She is living proof that no matter how deep the wound, healing is possible and that healing can spark change far beyond yourself.