About this conversation
What does it take to start over at 42? Caroline Bergeron, the painter known as ARO, ran her family's restaurant business in Quebec for 15 years until one creative workshop in 2017 changed everything. She sold it all to paint. Within six weeks of her first exhibition, her work traveled from Quebec to New York to the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, and by 2019 she had created a painting for Michelle Obama. But the real story is what came after: losing the restaurant sale in the pandemic, hitting the wall, and rebuilding her life around creativity, courage, and connection. A raw and joyful conversation about second chances and the small steps that make them possible.
In this conversation
- 00:00Introduction to Caroline Bergeron and her background
- 01:57Campbell Soup and 15 years in the family restaurant business
- 04:38The 2017 creative workshop that changed everything
- 11:56The Oprah story and her mother's final hours
- 17:18Creating a painting for Michelle Obama
- 20:47Hitting the wall and rebuilding her life
- 26:26Six weeks from Quebec to New York to the Carrousel du Louvre
- 28:08Be the artist of your life
- 29:19Creative team building and art in organizations
- 33:44Creative Day and reconnecting with your inner child
- 37:53The Sum of My Encounters
- 39:42It's Never Too Late: 100 stories to live without regret
- 47:14Receiving the Women of Inspiration Award
- 51:15Small steps: advice for anyone who thinks it's too late
