Meet Chantelle Heroux | Philanthropist & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chantelle Heroux and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chantelle, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I’m an impulsive person. If I have an idea, I buy the domain within the hour. I’ll have a DBA by the end of the evening. Risks are part of my daily life. And yes, they’ve caused me to stumble and fall. But, regardless of the outcome, if you take a risk, you’ll always gain knowledge, experience and new perspectives. If I constantly examined my resume- I probably wouldn’t ever bet on myself. I don’t ever want to be a person that focuses on my experience and not my capabilities. All my greatest accomplishments are a testament to the power of taking a risk, trusting myself and holding on tight for the ride of a lifetime.

Please tell us more about your career. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
There’s been so many times that I’ve been flattened and terrorized by the challenges I’m forced to face daily. When I first began Bridge To Skate and grew so close with the children we work with, I was ignorant to believe they’d all make it through childhood unscathed. It’s been my greatest hurdle to continue to do the work with the knowledge that some of these kids won’t survive the environments they’re forced to grow up in.

But, there are wins. So many wins. And, it’s so important to remember that. One of the best parts of skateboarding is that anybody can do it. In a team sport, you have to be at a certain level by a certain age (and often there’s gender restrictions) otherwise you won’t be able to participate. With our programs, we have youth of so many different shapes and sizes that are learning to skateboard at their own pace in a safe and supportive environment. It’s giving kids that aren’t part of anything the opportunity to be included- to have a ‘home’.

The success of our programs depend on flexibility, adaptation and maintaining an enthusiasm for learning. Having a positive attitude and a background of being a self-proclaimed ‘everything-girl’ has helped us navigate the world through bureaucracy and ever-changing environments. Our collaborative attitude has proven that we are all truly better together. I attribute my personal success primarily to my unwavering passion towards my projects. I actively push myself beyond my comfort zone and am regularly refining my knowledge on nearly every topic.

What excites me most about the work I’m doing is seeing the small successes along the way. The school we built in the mountains of Honduras is not only teaching the youth, but also teaching the adults in the community how to read and write for the first time. Our Colombian program just kicked off a new initiative called, ‘Patacón’ (named after the flat Colombian banana that is a phrase used for a skateboard with no nose or tail) and we just recently had our first skate contest where over 200 youth participated. Our South LA summer programs have over 100 new participants and we are giving out new skateboards next week to all of them. This little movement is changing the world in small ways and I’m constantly brought to joyful tears watching it unfold.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s always fashion/ art events happening weekly in LA, so I definitely would construct a schedule around those. But my must-do’s while having visitors in town would be:

Watts Towers- Understated, but a gorgeous must-see in LA (and near my programs, so we’d stop by those as well!).
LACMA- my favorite museum in LA and they often have live music/ events.
Grand Central Market- Large variation of food, and GCM is always a central point for museums/ events.
Hollywood Bowl or FORD theatre- I love the outdoor seating and ambiance of both of these locations.
Malibu- The best beaches in LA in my opinion. Ideally, I’d also bring surfboards. But, there’s great hikes as well.
Duffy Boat ride in Newport- It’s always fun to pack a bottle of wine and cruise through the bay on a duffy for sunset.
Comedy Club- I almost always take my guests to a comedy club- Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, Improv are my go-to’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
One of the youth from our LA program once shared that when he saw a skateboarder, he knew they’d be his friend. But, when he saw somebody from Bridge To Skate, he knew that was his family. In a world where people are less connected than ever before, we have built family. Shout out to them- my Bridge To Skate Family, I’m so grateful to have you all in my life.

Website: https://www.bridgetoskate.org

Instagram: @bridgetoskate @blondecrisis911

Image Credits
Francisco Chávez (photo with pink camo pants)