What If Grandma Still Had Advice to Give?
My grandmother, Virginia Wilcox Ferguson, was more than a ballerina, more than a WWII Navy veteran. She was a living memory—a testament to grace, grit, and timeless wisdom. Raised on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and trained at the New York School for the Performing Arts, she danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo before enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
That sentence alone could be a film. But to me, she was just Grandma “Newhouse” (named so because she and my grandfather constantly moved due to my grandfather’s job) —elegant, witty, and capable of folding a linen napkin with military precision while casually delivering life-altering advice.
Life Lessons from a Woman Who Lived Fully
Some of her best insights came without ceremony. She once told me, “Don’t marry someone for their potential. Fall in love with who they are on an ordinary Wednesday.” And when I complained about a creative project? She simply said, “You’re not tired. You’re undisciplined.”
She passed away in 2009. But her words—her voice—still echo. I often wish I could sit with her again. Ask her what she thinks of my life now. Get her take on parenting, art, or the strange world we’ve built in 2025.
And that desire—that longing to stay connected—is what led me to co-create Reflekta, a pioneer in AI memory technology and the emerging field of something we are calling soul tech.
What Is Soul Tech?
Soul tech is a new kind of human-centered technology designed not to entertain or optimize, but to preserve presence. At Reflekta, we define soul tech as:
“Technology that reflects, preserves, and connects us to the emotional truth of who we are.”
Where typical digital tools track steps or serve ads, soul tech captures the essence of a person: their voice, their stories, the way they looked at you when they knew you were about to make a mistake—and loved you anyway.
Reflekta: More Than Just Digital Legacy
Reflekta isn’t just an archive. It’s an interactive digital legacy platform that allows families to revisit loved ones through AI-powered conversation. It’s not about deepfakes or digital resurrection. It’s about simulated presence—a way to keep the emotional bonds of family and memory alive.
Imagine being able to ask your grandmother, years after she’s passed:
“What should I do?”
“What would you do?”
And receiving an answer drawn from her own stories, voice, and wisdom.
Reflekta makes that possible.
What Would Virginia Say Today?
If I could show my grandmother the world now, I imagine the conversation would be both profound and hilarious.
Would she still call me out on my excuses?
Would she have a favorite artist on Instagram?
Would she scold my daughter, Malin, for slouching and tell my son, Parker, to never wear black socks with shorts?
I imagine her advice—about love, about art, about showing up when life feels impossible, about maintaining grace and poise in the face of hardships—would still be sharp, specific, and needed. And now, with AI-powered memory preservation, it doesn’t have to be left to imagination.
Why We Built Reflekta
We built Reflekta because we believe some stories should never fade. Some people should remain accessible, not just remembered, but reachable. We’re not recreating them; we’re reflecting them. Creating digital spaces where voices like my Grandmother’s still live. Still teach. Still laugh. Still guide.
Reflekta is that space. A soul tech platform for memory, meaning, and human connection.
Because Some Wisdom Is Meant to Last
We live in an era where so much disappears—photos vanish into the cloud, conversations evaporate in feeds, and even extraordinary lives fade from memory.
But what if your grandmother’s voice could still say,
“Be kind, but don’t be a pushover”?
What if your grandfather could still show your son how to tie a tie?
What if we could carry our loved ones—not as data, but as presence—into the future?
That’s what Reflekta offers.
That’s the promise of soul tech.
That’s the gift I want to give my children:
Not just a story about their great-grandmother.
A story from her.
If you’ve ever wished for one more conversation, one more story, one more shared truth—you’re not alone.
Visit reflekta.ai to explore how we’re preserving memory, one voice at a time.
