Steven Champagne shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Steven, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
My family. Not just in the biological sense, but the bond, the trust, the daily showing up. It’s easy to highlight business wins or brand milestones, but what I’m really proud of is the quiet work—the kind that doesn’t go on social media. The way we’ve built something stable in a world that constantly pulls people apart. A home with laughter, hard conversations, faith at the center, and a deep commitment to keep choosing each other. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest. And that honesty is what carries over into how I lead, how I work, and how I serve my clients. What I build in business comes from the same place—clarity, presence, and care.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Steven Champagne—entrepreneur, photographer, storyteller, and founder of Champagne Ventures. Over the past 20+ years, I’ve built creative, strategy-driven businesses rooted in one goal: helping people see clearly—whether that’s their brand, their story, or their next step.
Champagne Ventures is the home for all of it. From brand consulting and cinematic content to travel design and experiential storytelling, everything we do is built to move people. I work with entrepreneurs, creatives, and companies who are ready to lead with clarity, stand out with intention, and build something that actually lasts.
I also work as an independent travel advisor—curating meaningful, customized experiences around the world. Travel is where I draw inspiration and perspective, and it’s one of the most powerful ways to reconnect people to their purpose. Whether it’s a brand strategy or a journey through Iceland, it’s all about designing experiences that shift something inside.
Right now, I’m focused on helping others bring their vision to life—through smarter strategy, sharper storytelling, and moments that matter. At the core of it all is this belief: clarity creates momentum. And I’m here to help people find both.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Distance isn’t what breaks the bond. Silence is.
What fractures relationships—whether personal, professional, or creative—is usually a lack of honesty. When we stop saying the hard things, when we let assumptions or pride take the place of conversation, that’s when the disconnect begins. Over time, silence becomes a wall.
What restores it? Truth. But not just blunt truth—truth with care. Truth with presence.
When people feel seen, when they know you’re still in it with them—even when it’s messy—that’s when bonds are rebuilt. It takes humility, consistency, and the willingness to show up even when it would be easier to walk away.
For me, the strongest connections I have—family, team, clients—they’re not perfect. They’ve been tested. But they’ve been held together by the decision to keep coming back to the table.
That’s what builds trust. And that’s what keeps it alive.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Many times.
There’ve been moments where the pressure, the setbacks, and the silence got heavy enough to make me question everything. It wasn’t always dramatic—it was subtle. A slow wear on my energy, my focus, my sense of direction. But every single time, I’ve come back to two things that restore me: faith and movement.
Travel gets me out of my head and back into the world. Nature resets my rhythm. It reminds me that things take time to grow—and that just because something feels still doesn’t mean it’s over. And faith gives me the deeper foundation. I believe there’s always a way. Even when I can’t see it, I trust that it exists.
Positivity isn’t just a mindset—it’s a discipline. And over the years, I’ve learned that choosing to believe, choosing to stay open, and choosing to take one more step… that’s how you build a life you’re proud of.
So yes, I’ve almost given up. But I didn’t. And I won’t.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Not always. For a long time, I didn’t have the platform—or the freedom—to express who I really was. There’s a version of me that the public saw, shaped by headlines and assumptions. That version was incomplete. It didn’t reflect the whole story, the context, or the person I was becoming.
I’ve lived through things that most people don’t talk about. And I don’t always talk about them either—not out of shame, but because I’d rather show who I am than try to convince anyone. My work, my relationships, the way I serve others—that’s the real version of me. It always has been.
Now, I’m writing a new book that will open up more of that story. Not to clear anything up for the past, but to offer clarity for the future. Because I’ve learned that authenticity isn’t about explaining yourself—it’s about living with alignment, consistently, every day.
So yes, the public version of me is real—but it’s only a fraction of who I am. The rest, you’ll see in the work.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
A world worth living forever in.
I’d build a civilization where character holds more value than currency, and integrity isn’t sacrificed for influence. Where health is protected over profits, and food can’t be tampered with—because we finally remembered that nature feeds us, not the other way around.
I’d build systems that respect the earth first. Where progress doesn’t come at the expense of the planet. Where we restore what we’ve taken and plant for generations we’ll never meet.
I’d build a culture where we no longer divide ourselves by race, religion, or ideology—but where we honor culture, elevate art, and protect every individual’s right to self-expression. A world where creativity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Because art is what reminds us we’re alive.
And with time on my side, I’d help move humanity outward—into the stars—not to escape, but to expand. To explore without destroying. To evolve with wisdom, not just technology.
That’s the world I would build.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://champagneventures.media/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestevenchampagne/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestevenchampagne/
- Twitter: https://x.com/TheSChampagne
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.champagne.633964/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thestevenchampagne
