Octavien Courdent – To See With Fresh Eyes

Claudia Henock 0:03
Hi, everyone. Welcome to Your Most Precious Thing, the show that talks about the stories about items we hold near and dear to our hearts. I’m your host, Claudia Henock, and let’s meet our guest for this week.

Claudia Henock 0:14
In the eyes of some, Octavien Courdent is seen as a traveler that is passionate about helping the world around him. Born in France, he spent his childhood in English-speaking countries and a year in a British boarding school in Nigeria, where he has gained a very good command of multiple launguages. He is also involved in civic life, being part of two Nigerian associations, “Life” and “Khan Foundation,” which help with the education of children in difficulty (by building schools or investing in school materials). Passionate about human exchange, he joined the CA’store association at Kedge and was promoted to the manager of the “web department.” This position made him independent and allowed him to acquire skills in web development. Since February 2022, he has joined Kozminski University in Warsaw, Poland on a university exchange while continuing his course in International Business. In addition to his University work, he has also interned with brands such as Garnier-Thiebaut USA and Viral Luxe.

Claudia Henock 1:10
Hey Octavien! Welcome to the podcast, how are you doing today?

Octavien Courdent 1:15
Hello, I’m great. Thank you for having me, Claudia! It’s an honor to be here and talking with you for your podcast.

Claudia Henock 1:22
I’m really happy that you’re here too, and I’m really happy that you’re on the show. So to the start, what would you say is your most precious thing?

Octavien Courdent 1:28
So I think I must say that my most precious thing in my position is something seemingly simple for people. But for me, it’s very valuable. It’s my pair of glasses. My glasses are not just a tool for better vision. But I think they’re a symbol of empowerment, and to give me better vision. So I think they’re very necessary on my life. They give me the power of clarity. And they have been my constant companion throughout life’s up and downs, guiding me for both ordinary challenges and moments. So yeah.

Claudia Henock 2:08
Do you remember the first time you started wearing glasses, probably when you were younger?

Octavien Courdent 2:13
So yes, I started to wear glasses when I was about 10 years old. And I remember this moment very particularly because first time I wear my first pair of glasses, I started to see clearly the world. And I started to saw details that are never, that I never saw before. And the world starting, started become increasingly better. And with the time my view, started to get a little bit down, and I needed to change glasses every year. So every year, it’s kind of a renewal, I see the world even better than the previous year.

Claudia Henock 2:50
So how would you say your vision was like before you start wearing your glasses when you’re a kid?

Octavien Courdent 2:57
So I’m not a scientist, but I think that when I was young, I saw completely well. And I took my vision for granted. So I think people should consider their vision, and be very happy to be able to see without any glasses. But I remember that I didn’t need sunglasses, until my eight or nine years old. And at 10, my parents decided to give me some glasses, because I had a lot of difficulties in school. I couldn’t read very well. And I always needed to be in front row in the, in my classes. So it was kind of a challenge, I think. And I discovered glasses, I could see the world clearly without any assistance. And that kind of saved my life. I think, I think it’s very important and people that doesn’t have glasses underrate the power of the vision. And I think it’s kind of a simple object that people don’t really think a lot about it. But for me, they’re kind of my best friends. They know all my secrets, and I wear them 24 hours, no, when I sleep, I take it, I take them off. But, I have a very, very bad vision. So sometimes even under the shower, I leave it. So yeah, they’re kind of very helpful for me. And even for my work. As you know, I work a lot behind the computers. So it’s very helpful to also have glasses and to be able to know what you’re doing.

Claudia Henock 4:22
Do you have any like special type of glasses that you typically use for work or just for fun? Or is it just you have one basic pair of glasses that you tend to work with?

Octavien Courdent 4:31
So I have my personal, only one pair of glasses. What is kind of dangerous because I’m a student right now and I study in France, but I’m doing my internship in the US. And if I break my glasses, I cannot do anything anymore.

Claudia Henock 4:49
Oh God!

Octavien Courdent 4:51
So I really need to be careful. They’re part of my life. They’re really part of my life. And that’s kind of crazy because I’m really dependent on them. If I break them, if I have a problem with them, I, my life stops, and I can’t do anything. And actually, I have a small anecdote to say, when I was in university three years ago, my university is close to the beach in France. And we used to go every weekend with my friends to the ocean, to just swim and enjoy the sun. And I don’t know why I went to the ocean with my glasses on, and my glasses fell down on the bottom of the ocean. So I went out, I was crying. I was saying to my friends, I lost my glasses in the water, I couldn’t see anything. And the problem is that I was the one who had the car. So it was…

Claudia Henock 5:46
Oh no!

Octavien Courdent 5:48
So, but the good thing is that in my car, I had some pair of sunglasses, that was my view, and my sights. So I drove with sunglasses in the night, and the next week, all the week, I was in university with my sunglasses on. So everybody was joking with me around it, yeah.

Claudia Henock 6:08
Looking like the wannabe cool guy, just like chilling in the back of the class feeling.

Octavien Courdent 6:12
Exactly.

Claudia Henock 6:12
This is the only way I can actually see right now, but just don’t mind me.

Claudia Henock 6:16
Exactly yeah.

Claudia Henock 6:17
But going back to your point of how essentially, that’s actually kind of terrifying. Like, if you break your glasses here in the states, you can’t get an equivalent prescription here, because they’re from France?

Octavien Courdent 6:28
Like, of course I can, if I break them, I will buy some new ones here. But I mean, it costs a lot of money to buy a pair of glasses, to also have a prescription. So I cross my fingers. And I hope everyday that nothing will happen to my little babies.

Claudia Henock 6:48
So in speaking of vision, ever since you gotten your glasses, what would you say has been the coolest thing you have ever seen with them? It could be anything.

Octavien Courdent 6:58
So I think the coolest thing I saw is landscapes. I love landscapes. And my favorite one is one in Switzerland. We used to go to Switzerland with my family when when I was smaller every summer. And there was this view from our house with a beautiful mountain in front of our balcony. And I just remember this moment very well. I know that my sister also loved this view. She even tattooed the mountains on her. So I think it’s very important for me, for my family this place. So yeah, I think it’s the most beautiful things that my glasses saw and that I saw.

Claudia Henock 7:41
That actually sounds really cool too, like when you were talking about the view from Switzerland, I just imagined essentially like a storybook come to life, which I think was probably similar to what you saw when you were younger.

Octavien Courdent 7:52
Exactly, yes. Yes. It’s like a book, you open the book and things are popping out. And here it was the mountain and it was, it was very impressive.

Claudia Henock 8:01
So my other question is I do, I do understand that you primarily have one pair of glasses to work with for right now. Would you ever consider essentially getting a collection of glasses to fit like different outfits, maybe?

Octavien Courdent 8:16
I would love to, but I really think that my glasses make my personality. Without my glasses, people do not recognize me. And they are very not used to my face without glasses. So, I really like my type of glasses. It’s like kind of a signature. And if you see these glasses somewhere, you’re going to you’re going to be like oh, these ones are the glasses of Octavien. And actually, a funny story is that when the Netflix show, Jeffrey Dahmer went out on Netflix, instead of adorable. I have a very similar pair of glasses of Jeffrey Dahmer’s. So a lot of people were starting to say “Oh, you have the same glasses as him.” so I considered to change them, but I’m still not sure, so I’m still gonna stay with these ones for a long time, and maybe one day change.

Claudia Henock 9:07
Well, if the glasses make you happy, they make you happy. Hopefully people didn’t give you like a lot of crap for comparing glasses with Jeffrey Dahmer’s though.

Octavien Courdent 9:15
Of course not, of course not, it was, it was, it was for joking. I hope so.

Claudia Henock 9:19
I guess language and jokes are just kind of weird, but I’m really happy that you found a style of glasses that you really like, and to give context where people were listening, Octavien and I currently work together at our company. And so I see him every day with these glasses on, and sometimes when it comes to style, whether it’s something we need for like medical reasons, or aesthetic reasons, it just, I guess, becomes a part of us.

Octavien Courdent 9:43
Exactly, yeah, yeah. And I know that when I had my, when the first time I had my glasses, to really improved my vision, and I was able to pursue my passions. And I started to do also a lot of different things. I started to do sports, started to do bicycle in the club, I started to do tennis. And I know that this really helped me to create some new passions that I had. I also tried photography, a lot of different things, and I think they’re really lifesavers. And people without glasses, be happy to not be able to wear them.

Claudia Henock 10:17
I think with some things like that. Some people, I guess, just take things for granted. Like, I don’t wear glasses, so I do sometimes feel like I do take my, I guess my five senses for granted a little bit. So I do understand where you’re coming from with that, too.

Octavien Courdent 10:32
Yeah, exactly. A lot of people take the vision for granted. But it’s a real chance, and I was talking with my sister about this, and she had the operation for eyes. And I was wondering maybe if I should try, but I’m not ready, I think? I think my glasses make, make my personality. It’s kind of strange, but it’s like a clothing or that you really like, but you need to wear it every day, or I don’t know. It’s really part of me.

Claudia Henock 11:00
Or it’s just the signature part of yourself as well.

Octavien Courdent 11:03
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And it’s crazy, because it’s really helped me for everything.

Claudia Henock 11:08
So imagine you didn’t have your glasses with you? How different do you think your life would have been, if you didn’t have your classes?

Octavien Courdent 11:16
I think it would have be very different, actually. Because when I was smaller, I really wanted to be a plane pilot. And actually, a lot of people told me that with my sight, it was kind of difficult, which now I don’t even think it’s the case, I think you can be a pilot with and having some glasses. I’m not sure, and so maybe I don’t know, maybe if I didn’t have glasses, I would have been a plane pilot right now. And I wouldn’t be in the US working with you.

Claudia Henock 11:51
When it comes to, I guess the circumstances of life, and like what we’ve been given, it kind of does affect the path, like the opportunities that we have in the way we go in life. Because like you said before, earlier, you said that your glasses basically gave you a whole gateway to your career, to your interests, and your passions. And that’s always something to think about too.

Octavien Courdent 12:15
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I think it’s hold a very special place in my heart. And it’s very strange to say that’s because I heard your other podcast and I know that some people talk about something precious in a way that maybe it’s a souvenir, or it’s something very important for them. But that is not useful in an everyday basis. In my case, I wear, yeah, I wear them every day. So it’s my most precious thing for sure.

Claudia Henock 12:45
Well, if it actually makes you feel any better too, I’ve actually asked that question to like a few other people when I talked to them about the show. And some people do have some difficulty when it comes to like choosing something that’s precious to them, whether it’s through their experiences, or if it’s just something from day to day, your glasses are something that’s important to you.

Octavien Courdent 13:06
Yeah, I, when you talked to me about this project that you’re doing of podcasts, I already knew what was my most precious thing without any questions behind my head.

Claudia Henock 13:18
Well, Octavien, I want to say thank you so much for being on my show today. It was a pleasure having you on, and just hearing essentially the story behind your glasses, and basically how it led you to have more opportunities within your life. If people want to get to know more about you, where can they find you?

Octavien Courdent 13:37
They can find me, I mean, on social media, or yeah, I think on Instagram, maybe, or on LinkedIn?

Claudia Henock 13:47
Alright, Octavien, thank you again for being a guest on Your Most Precious Thing. I really loved having you here. You were a pleasure to talk to you, and I hope you have an awesome night. Have a good night!

Octavien Courdent 13:57
Thank you. Bye.

Claudia Henock 13:59
Bye.

Claudia Henock 14:03
Thank you for listening to this episode of Your Most Precious Thing. If you want to support the show, you can leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and share your favorite episode with a friend. You can also contact me @claudiahenock on Instagram and Twitter, and Claudia Henock on LinkedIn. In addition, you can also contact me at claudiahenock1@gmail.com. You can also follow Your Most Precious Thing through my official website, www.claudiahenock.com, and anywhere where you listen to your podcasts. Intro and Outro music is Synapse by Shane Ivers and you can also listen to his music on silvermansound.com.