Vision Pros Live Podcast
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What is your vision? Featuring Michelle Charpentier. Podcast Session 1.
3,630 words · 3 speakers
Michelle Sharpentay, welcome to the show.
Thank you for having me.
Yeah, we're glad you're here. Tell me about your vision.
Yeah, I mean, honestly, my vision is really rooted in community. I think, I mean, speaking from experience as a founder, when I launched my business, and I think when any of us start any new endeavor, whether it's a business, or a new project, or whatever it is, you lean into your community. You tell people about it. So the first thing I did when I started my business was I let my college, no, friends know, I let my college professors know, I let people I used to do internships with know, and I just really leaned into community because you need to build your foundation. You just start from somewhere.
And as my business continued to grow, I never forgot where I started or where I came from. And so a huge part of my everyday and a huge part of my vision is to always give back to my community that shaped me so much. So I serve as a board member for my college, doing mentorship for young college, almost graduates and young professionals, because that was a community that shaped me so much professionally and personally.
I give back to other associations through mentorship that are also associations that are doing really good work for our community. Community goes beyond just like where you live, but it's your values and where you show up for people and how you empower them and inspire them. So I, I mean, I would even argue that this is a community, sharing insights and knowledge for people who want to learn and want to grow. So that my vision is really, like I said, it's really rooted in community and like reciprocating and building and strengthening relationships with one another.
What would you say, Michelle, that
Giving back to the community has given you in sense of uh
maybe you you you you feel more accomplished or you like
what it gives the other people and the value they get out of it?
Yeah.
And how long have you been doing that?
I think, um, I mean, I shouldn't say I think, I know, it gives me such a genuine sense of pride. And like if I'm working, not even like a client, I mean, like if I'm working with someone in a mentorship or a volunteer capacity, just like even giving back in that way. Um, it's incredibly rewarding to help someone through something that they're struggling with and you can share your insight in all the years and experience that you've worked on. Honing in on your craft and building your skill set and so many mistakes that you've learned along the way that you can provide insight and help other people navigate through those same challenges that you once worked through and you somehow overcame them.
Um, and so it's really honestly very inspirational too to see the impact that your consulting work or mentorship work or whatever kind of work you're doing and no matter the capacity, the impact that's le- leaving for someone else. Um, and how you're paving the way for someone who you're guiding them towards realizing their dreams to seeing that it's possible. Um, yeah, so I'd say it's incredibly rewarding, it's very inspirational, it's very motivating. Um, and also like I even learned so much about myself in the process, you know, because um, sometimes a question that might come up in a conversation is a question that I
never crossed my mind. Sometimes I take for granted something that I know about. And I'm like, wow, um, I didn't realize that that was a challenge that someone's going through. Maybe I need to talk about that more. Maybe I need to share about that a little bit more. Um, so yeah, just so many feelings, but all great feelings, like just so much goodness comes out of giving back in that way.
That's awesome. Thank you for sharing that with us.
What would you say, Michelle, that,
how did you get started on that path? Like, where did this vision of giving back to the community come from? Like, where was it rooted in? Like, what age? Maybe something changed? Or something was different, something you learned from someone else? That like, oh, my gosh, I think I need to be doing that. And you, you're on a, you know, entrepreneurial path of empowering women right now. How did that come about as well?
God. Um, you know, I don't think it was something that was necessarily directly taught to me. I think a lot of it was modeled by, like, my upbringing. Uh, my dad's a school teacher. And so I think there are certain values that he instilled in us growing up that it's like, simple, like the goal, well, I should say, it should be simple. It's like, you know, treat others with respect, treat other people's how you'd like to be treated. Um, you know, just doing for others, loving your neighbor, like, just doing, you know, serving your community, serving others, helping other people. And those were kind of like the principles that I grew up on. And so, growing up in that way,
when I, um, entered, uh, the workforce and I was navigating my way through my professional career and working through corporate, I applied those same principles subconsciously because that's just like what I always known. That's just like how I knew to be. And so, um, you know, whether it was having a conversation with someone in an executive level or having a conversation with someone who was, you know, taking out my trash in my office. Um, I built a rapport with them and I genuinely wanted to know how they were doing. I would ask them about their kids. Like, I would build a relationship with them and I wasn't doing it like because I had a motive. I genuinely wanted to build a relationship with someone.
And, um, that's what led to a lot of my success working cross-functionally when I worked on large teams. Um, I had that connection with someone and so I knew how I could support them when they needed support and how you know, kind of play together, like playing the sandbox together, you know? Um. And so I guess, you know, when I started my own business, it was really just wanting to be genuinely interested in others and how I can serve them and help them. And, you know, being an entrepreneur and a solopreneur in the beginning,
I felt like I really missed being part of a team because working with others and collaborating with others. I mean, of course, collaborating with clients is one thing and working with other people is another thing. But really having like a team, like a team that reported to me or like a greater cross-functional team, I missed that. And that is actually what inspired me to start mentoring. And so I actually am part of four different associations now where I give back through professional leadership and mentorship, just because I just, I value it so much. It's so important. And I've been there before. I've been, you know, I think all of us at one point or another, whether it's we're graduating from college and we're entering workforce and we're like, what is going on?
How do I have these conversations with my boss? Or how do we prepare for this interview? Or how do I leave my job for another job? Like, there's just so many different milestones that we go through. And I, I've been fortunate to have some other people in my life that I could bounce those ideas off of. But that's why I feel like it's, it's so important to be able to give back and, and, you know, pay it forward. And I, I feel like if they have that opportunity to learn and have that insight from someone that genuinely cares about them, I believe that they pay it forward too, when they're able to.
A lot of the initiatives that I put into place in my business are inspired by my community, by, I'm, I'm a mom, so by other moms in my community, my children's friends, parents.
So just some feedback and really being on the pulse of what's happening in society and our communities. And that inspires new thought and new ability to collaborate with people that are doing good for their.
Communities and leaving a positive impact and a positive legacy. So I think, yeah, just like listening and being really in tune with like what's happening. And instead of harping on negative things that might be happening. Finding ways where we can find positive solutions to work together and collaborate. And just bring more positivity and more energy towards like what we're doing to. To focus on the good and the positive things that can transform. Just life in general, business, personal life, whatever, like in general for everyone. So. Yeah, learned experiences, being curious. It's all part of it and it's ever evolving, like you need to be able to evolve and adapt and.
Take some risks and speak up sometimes when things are uncomfortable. But when you know that it's good, like your will tell you, and I think that's the driving force to kind of like move you forward. And make decisions.
Yep. Thank you for sharing that. Um, I, there's so many times in my life where. I've been blessed with, with people who have come in and helped me, guide me, even right now, I'm being guided by so many people around me. And. And being able to fade forward is, I think it's a huge quality that most people undervalue. And they don't realize that how important it is to, to. Um, do it for others, but someone else did for you. Um, it has nothing to do with money. It has nothing to do with time. I think it has to do with. Giving back and.
The happiness you receive from it. I, I think I've been most happy in my life when I'm helping people. Um, even if my, it takes quite a bit of chunk out of my day.
Yesterday is, is something you mentioned, there's, I think. Yesterday I was, I launched this program, it's called Opportunities for Indians. And the goal of that is to, um, be their mentor, um, give them opportunity where they didn't have the skills. Or the guidance to, to grow and provide for their families. And yesterday was the first person to. Um, go through part of that program to meet with me on a one-on-one level. And. Uh, I met with twenty minutes. And he asked me this, this question. He said. Um, what do you get out of this? Like, how do you make your money if you're giving everything away for free? I'm like, I'm like someone to help me, so I'm helping you. I'm helping you so I can.
Um, and that's how simple it was.
It was very fulfilling in that, in that, in that moment. So, thank you for sharing that. Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah, and, and just to add to that too, I mean, I feel like, um, like defining success, defining your mission, defining like what is important to you, those should always be the motivating factors because if you're only driven by money, like money's gonna come and go, um, things are gonna happen. Like, look at COVID. So many of us got laid off, right? So, um, you need to be able to have, um, certain values that are always driving you forward. The money will come, like the money will come. Um, but you, I, I don't think that you should only make a decision about something based on money alone.
Um, cause if you're always chasing the money, you're always, you're always only doing something in exchange for money. Um, I don't know.
Yeah, it's.
Agree with it.
There is, there's no end to that. Like, if you're doing it for money, um, in the end, you're always chasing the high of money. Um, and it comes to a point where then, then you get to a, a place where like, okay, I have everything in the world. Like, let's say you become Jeff Bezos of the world, where you can buy any yacht, any mansion. Or let's take it even higher level. You'll become one of the sheiks, you become a trillionaire, um, where you can buy, own anything and everything you ever would ever want in your life. Now what?
Uh, is that you're gonna spend the rest of your life, I guess, now spending that money? I mean, I guess someone could do that, but I, I don't, I don't feel, I don't see that way.
Yeah, I mean, I, I agree. I feel like that's such a tremendous opportunity to be able to invest and give back in a greater way. Like, no one should be hungry. No one should be homeless. People should have access to, you know, mental health, um, resources and, and healthcare, you know, um, what a perfect world that sounds like, you know, because the biggest stresses in our lives are. Not having money to pay for healthcare, to pay for food, to pay for shelter, to pay for clean water. Right? So if we eliminate all those stressors and all those concerns and fears, then think about how much more productive we can be with our time, our thoughts, and what else we could build upon.
I mean, that's a place I would want to live, you know, you ask me, yeah. The playing field would be equal. And then if it is just, I mean, the sky is truly the limit then, right? I mean.
The playing field equal, I don't know if it will ever be equal. But all I all I know that there's people who didn't have the resources and the guidance necessary. So if someone does that for them, if they had the the will capacity and want to do better, be better, and achieve something more than what people around them are doing, they would. Because if they didn't have that, now they do have certain guidance and direction.
From what I've found is, most people, they are lazy inherently, and they don't want to do most things in the world. Like, there's a reason that
in in the United States, at least, like,
like, four or five percent people are actually wealthy, and most of them are medium to low-income households. I I'm I was born and raised in India, and I came here when I was eighteen. And it's very similar in India, too, where
I think a lot of people get opportunities, but they miss it because they don't know more about it, and they don't know what they can do. But you can't teach someone how to be hardworking, you can't can't teach someone how to focus in the right right direction. You can mentor a lot of people. You can mentor, give them guidance that you didn't have, or they didn't, you didn't think they had. But you cannot force someone's hands to do the work that needs to be done to get somewhere they need to be.
Hmm. I do agree with you that we all have choices that we can make. In your example, you asked, like, if I had, like, a trillion dollars, like, what would I do with it? And so my answer is that. If we can eliminate people's stressors, the main stressors are having access to food, healthcare, water, shelter, education, right? All these things, then instead of our minds stressing on what we don't have and what we need to have and worry and struggle, then I do believe that it would be more equitable. And it does level the playing field in the respect that everyone would have access to the same opportunities, whether that be education, whether that be housing, whatever that is.
I do agree that, you know, people have choices that they can make. But I think that if we all have the same access to opportunities and education, you know, like what I was talking about before, like what impacted me so much in my life was how my father modeled a lot of those great behaviors for me and instilled a lot of those values. So had he not done that, would I still be the same person? I don't know. You know, if I saw him struggle and he was negative all the time and talked about, you know, life is hard, like would I just accept that?
Would I be different? I don't know, right? But I don't agree that the majority of people are lazy. I think that, you know, unfortunately, there are systems that are unfair and keep people at a disadvantage, is what I do think. But I think all of us want to have better for ourselves. I don't think a lot of people just choose to be lazy or like want to be lazy. So that's, yeah, I think people get painted the picture of being lazy because of circumstances in life. That's how I...
You see a lot of different in the way I see it. But yeah, and I agree that you share that with me, but let me share my perspective on that. So if I look at it as... The the society is unfair to me. Then I give away all my power of what I can do or could do on my part. To make things better for myself and people around me. Um. We have never lived in a time um where there has been more information necessary on our fingertips. That someone else did fifteen, twenty years ago. Give me, let me give you an example. Uh. If you go back fifteen, twenty, thirty years ago, if someone wanted to start a business, it cost them a lot of money to do that.
Now, all they need is an idea and a few hundred dollars to to go advertise on Facebook. If if it works, it doesn't work, it's a different case scenario. To to do that, to take my product to someone else who needs it, who might need it. Um. If I wanna learn how to do the Facebook ads, there's free YouTube channels everywhere that you do that. If you don't have access to internet, you can literally go to a McDonald's and sit there and do that. If you don't have a device, you can go to libraries and do that. There's a lot of access to people. There is a difference between people without homes, which is a very, very small population of people. And without food, which is also a very small population of people. Um. Jesus mentioned in in the Bible.
Um. You can, um, I can't remember the exact for with the exact phrase. Um. Was it Jesus? Um, I don't think it's Jesus.
But not even quoted, then, if we're not sure about the Bible.
Yeah, but but the it's quoted quite a bit, right? Yeah, you it the the quite you can, you can um. Give people fish or you can teach people how to fish, so you can, they can feel the whole, they can feed the whole village. Um. I I I take it that way, that instead of giving someone um. The food for the rest of their life. You teach them how to fish, so they can feed themselves and the people around them at the same time.
Hmm.
That's how my approach is, and that's how I take it.
Yeah, well, and that's, that's why I care so much about mentorship because, right, like there are, there are people who unfortunately don't have the same access to certain things that I've had the privilege of having opportunities for. So that's why I appreciate that I have that opportunity to serve others and serve as a mentor so that way I can inspire people and hopefully ignite that excitement and that hope to change and make an impact and serve our community, right, talking in our conversations about how to serve our community. So yeah, mentorship is, is a great way and, you know, fortunately, there are a lot of programs
out there where, you know, if people are in underserved community or they don't have the means to study or go through other programs, like there are a lot of associations who provide free mentorship programs. So if they have, if they want to make a choice and they have the willpower to want to change, there are resources available for them and I appreciate that we have those and I'm glad I can help do my very small part in, in supporting those organizations who do that, you know, that's really important.
Thank you for being here today. I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these episodes continue to move forth. It's going to get more and more fun and we'll have more and more engagement as well. We'll invite people to participate in the show and thank you for giving us your time and attention. Have an excellent time building out your vision and becoming a vision pro yourself.
Page updated November 13, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated
