Name: Michelle Scheumeister
Instagram: PhilanthroBeeSkincare
Website: www.philanthrobee.com
Age: 38
Title: CEO, Founder
Married/Single: I have this amazing partner who has been my rock and cheerleader for the past 14 years now. No titles needed with this amazing man.
Kids: Two amazing fur babies. A rescue pit bull named Honey (go figure right), and a boxer puppy named Stella – named after the fashion icon Stella McCartney, and not the beer or Marlon Brando’s line in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ – “Stell-ahhhhhhhhhh”. Although, it is comical to see people perk up and yell her Name like Marlon Brando.
City you live in: I live in this wonderful charming town called Willow Glen. It’s snuggled in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose.
A typical day in my life includes… Oh my gosh, you will NEVER see me without my morning cup of Joe. If you do, it’s probably a great idea to steer clear of me until I do. I literally don’t function without coffee. Sentences don’t form, I forget how to walk…. Just picture someone on roller skates for the first time.. going down a large hill… That is me – without my morning coffee!
After two sips, the clouds part, and I am on my way to my desk. I sit down at my computer and filter through emails, schedules, and prep myself for the day. Around 7am, I take the pups for a stroll around the neighborhood, shower, eat breakfast, and head back into the “Office” to start my work day.
I was born… to eat lasagna, make you laugh, and Love like there is NO tomorrow.
My favorite thing about Arizona… Arizona will always have a special place in my heart. I have these fond memories of the gorgeous sunsets, and the spa’s oh my! The spas are probably the most luxurious I have had the privilege to visit. Whenever I am in Arizona, it is guaranteed I will find a trendy spa to re-balance my thoughts and energy. Any suggestions? I am always up for recommendations and helping out a women owned bees-ness~!
I’m listening to… Faith by Galantis x Dolly Parton. Dolly meets Dance Music.. what’s better than that?!! I love music. I am perfectly content switching the station between EDM, Country, and pop 80’s. Music brings people together and makes people happy. I always try to bring a little music into my work day.
My family… Picture a large group of sciliancs gathered around the dining table, playing charades, drinking wine & craft cocktails, laughing boisterously, and .. well… loving like there is no tomorrow. My mom has taught me that there are no boundaries for love. For example, there is always room for one more at the table. When I was playing basketball in college, my teammates who couldn’t make it home for the holidays; they were seated at our dinner table, laughing, eating and drinking as if they had been there for years. Mom’s house was filled with basketball players throughout the year, holidays or not. She loved having all of us around. She loved cooking for the team. I’m pretty sure my mom’s cooking was why I had so many friends!!!
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Lori Grenier and or Sheryl Sandberg. Women who are bubbly but incredibly present and intelligent when it comes to business or talking about business. Getting to know them over dinner, their histories, and the boundaries they busted through to get where they are today is really amazing.
One thing I cannot live without… Coffee, and the Ocean. I grew up in Santa Cruz, California, this small surfer town in the bay area. The Ocean is a big part of my life. I will always find my way back to it. I will do my best to protect and respect it, and encourage others to do the same.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… A big animal Veterinarian. When I was in Jr. High, my family moved onto this property that had 10 acres. Naturally, when you have land, you fill it with Animals. I found myself caring for all types of animals at our “Funny-Farm”. From horses, to geese to pygmy goats, we just brought in animals that needed a home, and a new family. There, I learned how to care and respect these animals. It was also there that I learned about Bee propolis, and the healing powers of hive ingredients. Our neighbor introduced me to bee hives, and gave me some homemade salves, and propolis spray to aid with our animal’s ailments. If the chickens had mites, you would just spray the propolis on their legs, and a day later, no more mites. If our large animals had abscessed splinters, we would put the propolis balm on the infection site, and a week later it was gone. I have held onto those memories, and recipes, and brought them back to life through PhilanthroBee.
I’m inspired by… One of my long time personal friends, Leila. I had the privilege of knowing her before she climbed her way to the top, and I was fortunate enough to watch her as she broke through one glass ceiling at a time. She is absolutely brilliant, and she amazes me the way she navigates through business. Every time I talk with her, she has acquired a new business, or donated millions to something special. She and her husband hold the title, “Miami’s most philanthropic couple”. There is just something extraordinary and inspiring about someone who works to bring good to the world by breaking the cycle of poverty. She has always inspired me to do better, be better, and make it better (whatever I do).
The one person who motivates me is… My other half. Because I trust him and I know he wants the best for me, he can straighten me out to help me fly right when I’m off course. He is engaged and will have a solution for something that doesn’t feel right in my life. When I am unbalanced, he helps me to re-adjust my view to feel on target and whole again. Everyone should find a life partner who balances you when you feel off and partners with to be the best YOU – inside and out.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…Pollution!! From the bees to the sealife, they are all screaming at us and showing us the signs that we are polluting their habitats and killing them off. We are now finding pieces of plastic in the bellies of sealife, and we are poisoning our pollinators with the pesticides we use on our crops. There is no easy solution, but at PhilanthroBee, we are doing our part to participate in clean formulas, and eco friendly combustible packaging, we hope other companies start doing the same thing.
The perfect day would be… Hanging out with my family & close friends. These relationships breathe life into me. There is never a dull moment when we are together. Before the pandemic we used to all get together for Sunday dinners at the in-laws.
My first job was… I bussed tables at this little restaurant in Santa Cruz called The Trout Farm. I worked there on the weekends and in the summers to try and earn money for a car.
My favorite escape…The Hawaiian islands. My aunt, uncle, and cousins used to live on the islands. So needless to say my brother and I would go visit them all over our winter breaks. I learned how to fish, and how to respect the ocean, and the sea life when I was there. Now, every year, I find myself back in the islands sipping coffee on the beach in the mornings, and getting tossed around by the waves in the afternoons.
My life… Is perfectly imperfect. I went through a lot of mistakes to get where I am today, and I am so proud of the mistakes I made along the way. Through mistakes, we evolve, and move forward. I think a lot of people get stuck, and regress when they hit a speed bump, but i just keep going forward. Buckle up, put your helmet on, and get ready for a bumpy ride – if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. I love saying this to young business women. It seriously makes me chuckle everytime.
I’m currently working on… This aged honey and propolis masque. I have been working on this formula for 3 years, and have been tweaking it’s potency since. I am hoping to get it
Always… Always have a clean pair of underwear on before you leave the house. My mom used to tell me and my brother this when we were younger. I think it was a tactic to get us to actually change out of our PJs when we were tots. She used to tell us that if we were hit by a car then you would want to make sure you had clean underwear on when the paramedics were cutting your clothes off.
Go figure, my brother got hit by a car when he was in grade school, and this somehow turned into a mandatory thing that I do. I make sure to have clean underwear on before I leave the house and carry an extra in a hidden pocket in my purse as a backup. PS, my brother was okay, just got a couple of broken bones.
Never… Leave your authentic self behind. Always bring her to the party, and leave little blessings behind wherever you go!.
Favorite Quotes…There so many amazing quotes that are applicable, but I wanted to share a couple of quotes that my core family would tell me, and these are the ones that really define me and represent the way I like to live my life:
- “Dance like no one’s watching, love like there is no tomorrow, and leave little blessings wherever you go”. ~ MamaLeone
- “We may not have a lot of money, but we are rich in relationships”, & “Never ever be too good to push a broom”. – PapaMargo. Basically, we had NO money growing up, but we had a lot of loving family members, and amazing family friends, so we were rich in relationships. The second part of that quote is my grandfather telling me, and constantly reminding me that we are never better than another human being. You never talk down or look down on another human being, and you better not be good enough to pick up a broom and push your weight. Contribute to society and contribute to help lift others up.
Biggest Dream… My biggest dream is to own a therapeutic horse & honey bee ranch. Growing up in an abusive home, and watching my father pulverize my mom was traumatic. Luckily for us, we had a strong family network that helped get us out. As I grew up, I found solace in volunteering at a working horse ranch. I mucked stalls, fed and watered the animals, and in exchange, I got to ride the horses. There is something therapeutic about working with those massive animals.
Recently, I found that same solace in working with the family honey bees. The big picture with PhilanthroBee is to create something that truly gives back to the most needy – families in abusive relationships, and who remain in those relationships because they have no way out. Thera-Bee Ranch will be a safe haven for those families who seek help, and need solace.
My Pet Peeve(s)… Hands down, people who don’t tip at restaurants! For pete’s sake, someone is waiting on you and 5 other tables, busting their hineys. They deliver an awesome meal and amazing service – that deserves a tip. They, your waiter, deserve a tip.
