Michelle Turner, co-founder and now sole owner of Corpulence Consulting Firm, has spent years navigating the nonprofit and business worlds. Her journey into community engagement and consulting wasn’t linear, but it was always fueled by a deep commitment to supporting innovators, Black entrepreneurs, and fostering collaboration.
Growing up in Orange County, California, Michelle witnessed a thriving Black community. Though her professional path started in education — majoring in English with the intention of teaching — she soon realized that the classroom wasn’t her calling.
In 2012, she transitioned into the nonprofit sector with Global G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World), a program that expanded under her leadership into Compton Unified School District. This role introduced her to grassroots community engagement, sparking a realization: “I really had a specialty in community engagement,” Michelle said.
With this newfound passion, Michelle and her business partners, Jason Moore and Charisma Justis, ideated and founded Corpulence Consulting Firm in 2020. Jason, a visionary entrepreneur, military veteran, and lyricist, was the “lifeblood” of the company.
“We would always get together and [said], we have so many ideas and we bring so much to the table when it comes to business,” Michelle recalled. Jason came up with the name ‘Corpulence’ — a term meaning abundance — symbolizing their mission to help businesses grow their financial success.
However, the promising trajectory of Corpulence took an unexpected turn when Jason’s health declined, leading to his passing in 2021 at just 43 years old.
“When you lose a pillar, it’s like, what am I gonna do without you? I don’t know how to do things the way you did, the way you played with words and sounded so majestic,” Michelle shared.
With Jason gone and Charisma later stepping away, Corpulence was shelved, and Michelle pursued other ventures.
Then, in 2024, she felt a resurgence of purpose. “The spark reignited in me,” she said. With renewed determination, she rebranded Corpulence as a solo venture, quickly securing her first new clients. One of them was Cool Ass Black Woman, a brand founded by Ashley Glaspie. Another was a woman building a resort in Ghana, eager to work with Michelle to establish connections abroad. She also partnered with Solomon Brown’s Black-owned 4PL logistics company, showcasing her commitment to strengthening Black businesses across industries.
Michelle’s work with Corpulence focuses on helping small businesses scale, secure partnerships, and maintain strong customer engagement. Her strategy is clear: “My objective, if I do nothing else with Corpulence, is to show the world this: that we [Black people] can work together.
“With the times that we’re in right now, our community is realizing we don’t have to outsource. We can, of course, but we can also lay the foundation with each other.”
Looking ahead, Michelle is setting her sights on collaborations with brands that align with her mission. She has been actively reaching out to children’s brands, beauty brands, and other entrepreneurs looking for strategic growth.
She also emphasizes the importance of marketing, urging business owners to be their own biggest advocates: “You have to be your biggest fan, your biggest supporter. As an entrepreneur, you’re gonna run into people who say your idea isn’t good enough, but you have to be tunnel-focused on your objective,” she insisted.
For Michelle, Corpulence is more than a business — it’s a movement. Through her work, she continues to honor Jason’s legacy while proving that Black entrepreneurs and all innovators can thrive through collaboration and shared success.
