Podcast Summary: Living Your Legacy

Episode: NVDC Beauty Founder: Empowering Authenticity While Being Kind to the Planet
Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Deepaneta Chatterjee
Date: October 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Living Your Legacy dives into the story of Deepaneta Chatterjee, founder of NVDC Beauty, NVDC Lifestyle, and Leaf and Brew. Deepaneta shares her journey of building award-winning, sustainable, and ethical brands that prioritize impact over profit. Through candid conversation, she discusses the values driving her businesses, her vision for legacy, and actionable insights for entrepreneurs balancing passion, personal commitments, and a purpose-driven mission.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Building a Mission-Driven Brand (02:37–05:28)

• Art and Advocacy as a Foundation:
  Deepaneta began as an artist, using her work to communicate messages about environmental and social issues. This inspired the idea of embedding those messages into products that are eco-friendly, sustainable, and impactful.

  "For me, building a message through my artwork was the prime focus. While I was building artwork, that is when a seed of, you know, idea came into my mind that why not put this artwork into some kind of products which can actually be eco-friendly, sustainable, but also conveying a message..." — Deepaneta (02:37)

• Why Not Cut Corners?
  Deepaneta is committed to maintaining the highest standards for NVDC products: vegan, organic, natural, and cruelty-free, even when it means sacrificing higher margins.

  "All businesses, I think, focus on earning profits. But for me, earning profit is a secondary option... It's the hard work, it's the message, what you're conveying to the community, and what impact you're making. That is what legacy is all about." — Deepaneta (04:37, echoed from 00:00)

Vision for the Future (05:28–06:58)

• Ambitious Expansion:
  Deepaneta envisions NVDC’s growth not only in beauty but across eco-friendly products for humans, pets, coffee, and daily life essentials. She aims to create an “NBDC Tower” housing all these brand experiences.

  "I have a vision of building an NBDC tower which will cater to all kind of eco-friendly products of different areas like human, pets, coffee, daily life and so forth." — Deepaneta (05:42)

• Bootstrapped Growth:
  All operations—branding, marketing, logistics—are managed solely by Deepaneta. She is focused on e-commerce to minimize upfront costs and maximize flexibility.

  "Everything I'm doing, I'm doing on my own... starting from website designing, logo designing, marketing, analyzing, creating all kind of things." — Deepaneta (06:20)

Signature Products & Differentiation (07:12–08:22)

• Top Sellers:

  • 100% organic, vegan, cruelty-free DIY eyelashes

  • Skin repair products: natural masks, serums, peptide balms, all chemical- and scent-free

  • Lifestyle products: sustainable clothing, shoes, pottery, and original artwork

    "I have quite a few top sellers... my eyelashes. Do it yourself. We end up spending a lot of money in, you know, expensive salons... so I have come up with a very unique thing." — Deepaneta (07:12)

• Sustainability at the Core:
  Focused on natural, raw materials, avoiding plastics and non-sustainable components.

Entrepreneurial Journey & Past Experience (08:22–10:53)

• Pivot from Sports Supplements to Sustainability:
  Her business journey began with her husband's brick-and-mortar supplement business, which shut down during COVID. E-commerce offered a new path, leveraging her MBA and background in marketing and customer service.

  "During COVID, the gyms were closed and it all started going haywire. We didn't want to keep going with the cost..." — Deepaneta (08:27)

• Starting from Scratch:
  No external funding; Deepaneta supports herself and her ventures with small investment and sheer determination.

Empowerment, Impact, & Legacy (10:53–13:48)

• Giving Back with Free Workshops:
  She offers mentorship and skill-building sessions free of charge, believing knowledge should be shared to help aspiring entrepreneurs.

  "I do a lot of workshops, free workshops. I don't charge because I feel that knowledge is something which you will take with yourself." — Deepaneta (10:53)

• Balancing Multiple Roles:
  Runs NVDC while holding a full-time job and raising two children. Late-night hours are dedicated to building her business.

  "When I come back home, I make sure that I'm taking care of my family... after nine, that's where I start my business work. So every night till 2 o'clock, I'm actually working." — Deepaneta (11:25)

Mindset, Resilience & Consistency (12:08–16:34)

• Transforming Habits:
  Advocates for turning passive habits (e.g., Netflix) into active learning.

  "If you're watching Netflix, you're watching, so might as well watch something which is useful for you... Turning that time into something productive is very important if you want to build something for yourself." — Deepaneta (12:46)

• Being the Push for Others:
  Recognizes the importance of motivation and encourages others not to give up prematurely.

  "Every individual might have a dream and they curb that dream...they need that one little bit of push. And I am that push." — Deepaneta (13:21)

• On Failing and Not Giving Up:
  Success comes from persistence, even through repeated failures.

  "If you keep failing, and that is when you're like, okay, this is not my cup of tea. Actually, you're failing yourself because you have put all those hard work and now the time might turn and you're giving up. So I think that's where you have to take that stand and say that hey, you know, I'm not giving up..." — Deepaneta (14:09)

• Self-Belief:
  Athletic experiences inform her approach to entrepreneurship: push through the finish line, even when your body (or mind) says quit.

  "Just little bit push, don't give up... that's the mentality we should have... Obstacles, lot of struggles, but you have to be focused." — Deepaneta (15:41)

  "Not giving up is the key to success and believing that you can do it. It's all in the mind, I feel..." — Deepaneta (15:41)

Defining and Building a Legacy (17:15–18:19)

• Purpose-Driven Vision:
  Legacy is about actionable vision, uplifting others, and practicing what you preach.

  "Plan your action, you know, create your vision. See where you want to go, whom you want to help, whom you want to take along in that journey... giving back to the society community is very important..." — Deepaneta (17:15)

• Walking the Talk:
  Authenticity in being truly eco-friendly and not just for marketing.

  "As an entrepreneur, it is our responsibility to actually build a better place by just not saying that, hey, I am an eco friendly brand... It's like, practice what you preach for me, highly." — Deepaneta (17:46)

Memorable Closing Advice & Inspiration (18:39–19:41)

• Consistency and Faith:
  Deepaneta attributes her journey to relentless consistency, faith in the process, and self-reliance.

  "I don't give up. That's the key focus of mine, the story of consistency. Yes, consistent. I am very, very powerful in my brain because even though I struggle a lot, I didn't have, you know, background... So everything I did was on my own." — Deepaneta (18:39)

  "Don't give up. That's the attitude you should have. Be positive and believe in the process. Trust in the Almighty because if it's happening, it's happening for a reason. And there absolutely has to be something positive outcome." — Deepaneta (19:15)

Notable Quotes

• "All businesses, I think, focus on earning profits. But for me, earning profit is a secondary option. Success will come. It's the hard work, it's the message, what you're conveying to the community, and what impact you're making. That is what legacy is all about."
  — Deepaneta (00:00; 04:37)

• "I am that push."
  — Deepaneta (13:21)

• "Just little bit push, don't give up... that's the mentality we should have."
  — Deepaneta (15:41)

• "It's like, practice what you preach for me, highly."
  — Deepaneta (17:46)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Deepaneta on prioritizing impact over profit
• 02:37 – Backstory: from art to eco-conscious business
• 04:37 – Why she refuses to cut corners on quality
• 05:42 – Long-term vision for the NVDC brand
• 07:12 – Discussion of signature products and innovations
• 08:27 – Entrepreneurial journey: from supplements to sustainability
• 10:53 – Giving back: free workshops and mentorship
• 11:25 – Balancing business, job, and family
• 12:46 – Turning passive habits into learning opportunities
• 13:21 – On being the motivator for others
• 14:09 – 15:41 – Conversation on failure, self-belief, and resilience
• 17:15 – How to start building your own legacy
• 18:39 – Theme of consistency, faith, and self-reliance in entrepreneurship
• 19:51 – Where to find and follow NVDC online

Where to Find NVDC & Deepaneta

• Website: nvdcbeauty.com / nvdc lifestyle.ca
• Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @NVDCBeauty / @NVDCLifestyle
• Personal: @Dipschat / Deepaneta Chatterjee

Conclusion

This episode with Deepaneta Chatterjee is a powerful exploration of building mission-driven brands, practical entrepreneurship, and resilient self-belief. Her story is an inspiration to anyone balancing dreams, responsibilities, and the desire to make a positive impact—embodying legacy in every sense.