On Michelle’s 8th birthday, when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said “she wanted to change the world and do something positive”. Naturally, she was given three options “a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant”.

After trying everything, Michelle spent her teenage years pursuing being a doctor. In high school, Michelle would spend her summer at research labs which led her to pursue a pre-med degree at Western University.

Going to university across the country have Michelle a chance to have her “first sense of real freedom and exploration”. This led her to explore her other passions as a digital marketer, content creator, and other business projects and opportunities. She continued saying “YES” to every opportunity in university which led her to work with major brands like Headspace, Bumble, Disney, Nike, Raptors, and more.

After receiving a message from her brother and receiving an acceptance email from NEXT 36, Michelle decided to switch paths. She switched her degree, graduated early, and moved to Toronto for this accelerator program. This is where she met her roommate Ravina (who eventually became her co-founder) and started FLIK -  a platform to connect female founders with female students looking for work experience.

Fast forward 2 years after, FLIK has gone on to help over 15,000 people in over 70 countries around the world. Given the demand for the platform (especially during COVID), FLIK eventually got acquired by Rumor Avenue. For her work, Michelle has won numerous awards including BC Business 30 Under 30, YWCA Women of Distinction and Conversationa - LIST GenZ Honoree.

Michelle is currently building a new start-up Bonfire a space to share meaningful moments globally every day.

0:00 - Intro

1:20 - growing up and being pushed at a young age

3:00 - what do you want to be when older?

7:00 - exploring entrepreneurship

9:05 - path to present Michelle

11:45 - relationship with parents

15:05 - all-girls high school and her experience

18:15 - exploring other interests

25:40 - switching away from medicine

32:00 - reflecting on her decision

34:00 - Next36 experience + FLIK

38:40 - Starting FLIK

43:00 - relationship with co-founder

45:30 - impact on people

48:00 - advice to young women

49:30 - men’s role

52:00 - FLIK business model

53:15 - FLIK exit

57:45 - post-FLIK

1:02:00 - new venture

1:05:00 - advice to young people

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Michelle:

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebkwok/

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