Chantal Brine
Founder and CEO
Website / En Point / Instagram / LinkedIn
Chantal Brine is a builder of people and businesses. An interest in the psychology behind human interaction brought her to St. Mary’s University from Bermuda, where she focused on Psychology, Business, and Human Resources. Chantal is a believer in experiential learning, a proponent for mentorship, and an active advocate for women. As a TedX and sought-after speaker, she often talks about the importance of living an authentic life and the impact of mentorship in advancing one's career.
From the beginning of her career, Chantal was often taking on tasks that required leading groups of seasoned professionals through group facilitation exercises. She also received rapid promotions with additional responsibilities, necessitating that her leadership capacity grow quickly. As a natural connector, Chantal began building her capacity to help people develop their careers in private sector consulting with PONO Consultants. She then transitioned to Unique Solutions Design, a North American tech-company that would promote her to a senior director role in less than 2 years.
In 2015, Chantal took the leap from this secure senior management position to entrepreneurship. In 2018, she began building a business that is on a mission to support one million young adults in building careers where they connect their passion to a career. En Point has since employed 12 co-op students creating jobs in our region, and has helped over 5000 people along their career paths.
Chantal Chairs the Mentorship Committee for Women in Communications and Technology Nova Scotia, serves on the Halifax Chamber of Commerce WorkForce Taskforce, sits on the Program Advisory Council for Techsploration, and was the past Chair of the Atlantic Regional Advisory Board for the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
When I think of what I am most proud of professionally, it is that, every day, I get to do work that I am deeply connected to. I’m proud that my team and I are able to embody the values that we set as at En Point. because we are passionate in our belief that the right connections at the right stages can transform lives.
I’m proud of the team around me who is committed to En Point and its values. We have co-op students and interns, representing the young professionals so many of our clients aim to support in starting meaningful careers. Julia, our Client Success Manager, is my cousin by DNA and sister by heart. And our career strategists from across Atlantic Canada. All of whom are passionate and deeply connected with what we do and aligned in the belief that mentorship and the right connections at the right stages can change lives.
When I think about what has gotten me here, it truly has been with the help of others. I’m proud to be able to be able to carry that message forward, creating a ripple effect and practicing what we preach. As somebody who has seen the benefits of mentorship, I’m passing that on to others, who in turn, inspire others to carry forward the positive effects of mentorship to people in their own circles.
When a mentee reaches out to me (out of the blue) sharing how our work made a difference in their career— that is the fuel. I’m proud that we have a great team. I’m proud to have formed great relationships with clients and community partners that are impacting the lives, the communities, and the world that we find ourselves in each and every single day.
What’s your vision for Atlantic Canada in 10 years? What’s our biggest opportunity now?
When I think about a vision for Atlantic Canada, ten years seems too long to wait for the things I think our region needs. For me, that means more diversity and more equal representation of the beautiful people that come to study and build their lives in our province.
The individuals who bring their families here; who come from other parts of Canada or the world; and individuals from all of our diverse communities all have a role to play in building the future of our economy. It’s important for diverse groups of individuals to be represented in all facets of the region in our communities, and in our workforce.
An economy that plays to our strengths, embracing the things we do well in Atlantic Canada, is a result of how connected and collaborative we can be. By pooling our resources, we can have a greater collective impact as a region. There are opportunities for us to do that more, including ACOA funded projects and the Atlantic Canada Study and Stay program. We are stronger together in our economic impact and community, which creates a stronger story to tell about individuals finding the right place for them in our region.
Celebrating individuals making the right moves and creating space for them to stay within our region is one of our goals. The more that we can collaborate on initiatives that are cross-sector, within our government, our private sector, and our community groups, the better. That support can also be individuals being able to access resources that help more entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses- ones that are representative of their true passions and reflective of what our communities need. We may not be “big enough” to be considered to compete effectively everywhere, but if we pool all of our region’s resources, we are much stronger.
The other important thing is not losing our roots in the things that make us genuinely East Coast, and as a former international student, those words mean something to me. There is a uniqueness here in Atlantic Canada- a humanness and connectedness to almost every conversation that makes it a very accepting environment.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
My favorite podcasts right now: Brene Brown's Unlocking Us, Dan Martel's Escape Velocity, HBR Ideacast, and Beyond 8 Figures. Currently reading (albeit slowly): "That Will Never Work" about Netflix and excited for Bob Igor's book to arrive on my doorstep any day now!
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
As we stand here in September 2020, one of the biggest lessons learned from 2019 and the beginning of 2020 as the world was impacted by COVID-19, was the value of mentorship. We are focusing on our small businesses and communities that were impacted and at the same time, we celebrated our second year as En Point in June 2020. This fills me with a sense of pride and the fact that we have not only survived the pandemic, but have seen tremendous growth in the last two years. We have seen growth in the number of clients that we serve, as well as mentors and mentees including new immigrants, students and Atlantic Canadians in our mentorship program.
We have also seen growth from female entrepreneurs, those in technology and young professionals across Canada that we have been able to support because of business growth. We have done this by engaging in opportunities that came out of COVID and doubling down on the relationships that mattered. We found ways to create impact on our communities, such as the work we have done with Athlete and Olympian, Karen Furneaux in our resilience campaign and the resources and workshops we have created. We have also developed a new relationship with DeepSense where we are able to support internships and employers through a program at Dalhousie University. With this program, we are providing soft skill development and experiential learning opportunities.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
I have always been inspired by my mother and the strength and courage she has displayed throughout her life. She has a confidence that seems unshakeable, she does not hold back, and yet, she is passionate and gets shit done. That is something I think about quite often as a female entrepreneur. Speaking our mind as entrepreneurs is important, she has always been able to inspire me because of her ability to speak her mind. The balance comes from my father, who is an entrepreneur himself. He is an artistic carpenter, whether he is creating special pieces or carvings to purely functional ones, and has done it all on his own. That grit, hustle and compassion for people inspires me. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a team of professionals that have a passion for building a life through what they love. Through our internship and co-op students, to our full time staff and contractors that we hire, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by individuals that believe life is worth figuring out where to bring your passions and curiosity to the work you do. This fulfills me each and every day no matter what the world throws at us.
What would you have done differently?
I don’t think I would have done anything differently. As hard as the lessons that I have gone through, while so trite compared to others’ experiences, they have made me the person, the leader, the entrepreneur that I am now. They are the building blocks that have led to the structure that we at En Point have in place, and the stability I have in myself, in terms of understanding my core values and living to those everyday. I don’t think I would have gotten to a place of surety and self-confidence without those experiences that have led me here.
There were times in my career where I thought to myself that I wish I was more attuned to who I was and had the confidence to be myself earlier on. One of my most transformational mentors would chuckle and remind me that, “You didn’t know, Chantal. You weren’t ready yet.” I believe that wholeheartedly now. Every step of our journey, as hard as it may be, helps us become more of who we already are and are meant to be. Recently someone who is so brilliant introduced me to Mooji and one of my new favorite quotes “Step into the fire of self-discovery. This fire will not burn you, it will only burn what you are not.”
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Recovered perfectionist, family oriented, lover of sunshine, ocean and all things island, eternal optimist yet pragmatic at the same time, believer in the power of people, lover of helping people find their passion, Connector, Inspired sister, friend, mentor, mentee always wanting to learn