We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sabine Charles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sabine below.
Alright, Sabine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The Journey to Building TAPA Institute: Turning Personal Struggles into a Mission
Fifteen years ago, I embarked on a journey that would ultimately shape my career and impact thousands of professionals. My business model has always been centered around three core objectives: strengthening internal audit departments, helping individuals become experts in their fields, and leveraging technology to identify and mitigate risks. But the heart of my business—helping people pass certification exams—was deeply rooted in my own personal struggles.
A Personal Struggle Sparks a Vision
When I first graduated from college, I had little understanding of what the CPA exam truly entailed. I attempted the regulation section, assuming that my college coursework and a few tax classes would be enough to pass. I was wrong. I received a devastating score of 27. At that moment, I decided that becoming a CPA wasn’t for me. I walked away, convinced that this path was beyond my reach.
Years later, my career led me into the internal audit profession, where I gained international experience and exposure. This journey opened new doors, but it also introduced new challenges—one of which was the necessity of professional certifications. Eventually, I landed a role as a Chief Audit Executive, a position that required me to pass the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam.
I thought it would be straightforward. It wasn’t. After multiple failed attempts, I faced the terrifying reality that I might lose my job. The stress and anxiety were overwhelming, leading me into a downward spiral of self-doubt. Desperate for a solution, I turned to various support systems—training programs, meditation, yoga, and even hypnosis. Through sheer persistence, I finally passed.
That moment changed everything. I knew firsthand what it felt like to struggle through the certification process, and I realized that many professionals were experiencing the same anxiety, frustration, and fear that I had faced. I saw an opportunity to help others overcome these challenges, and that’s how **TAPA Institute** was born.
Understanding Different Learners: A Game-Changing Approach
As I began tutoring professionals, I quickly realized that people absorb information in different ways. Traditional study methods didn’t work for everyone, and my goal was to create solutions tailored to diverse learning styles.
This led to one of my biggest innovations—a graphic textbook for the Audit section of the CPA exam. Research shows that visual learning enhances memory retention, so I combined core CPA audit concepts with engaging storylines to make the material more digestible. The process of bringing this vision to life wasn’t easy.
First, I dictated the storyline, brainstorming ideas to ensure that the material was both educational and compelling. Once the narrative was refined, I collaborated with editors to clean up the language. The most challenging part, however, was finding the right illustrator. I worked with five different artists before finally finding someone who understood my vision. After six months, the first graphic textbook was completed.
Innovating for a Changing World
The world has become increasingly visual and technologically focused, which inspired me to take my innovation even further. Now, we are transforming the graphic textbook into animated shorts—a combination of moving comic book images and live-action scenes. This multimedia approach helps bring complex accounting concepts to life, making them more engaging and easier to retain.
What started as a personal struggle evolved into a mission to help others overcome the same challenges. I’ve come to understand that passing a certification exam isn’t just about intelligence—it’s about persistence, mindset, and finding the right learning approach. My goal is to provide professionals with the tools they need to succeed, boost their confidence, and ultimately, enhance their financial freedom.
A Bigger Purpose: Helping People Find Their Voice
Fifteen years into this journey, I’ve come to a profound realization: we are all searching for a way to be heard. Whether it’s through passing a certification, strengthening internal audit departments, or refining leadership skills, the underlying desire is the same—we want to make an impact.
At TAPA Institute, we do more than help people pass exams. We help them find their voice, build their expertise, and step into their full potential. My personal journey has reinforced the belief that success isn’t just about external achievements—it’s about personal growth, self-mastery, and discovering our own inner power.
As I continue on this path, my commitment remains the same: to innovate, to educate, and to empower professionals to achieve their goals—because when we help others grow, we grow as well.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Dr. Sabine Charles is a seasoned expert in internal controls, risk management, and operational auditing with over 15 years of global experience. She is the CEO of Charles Financial Strategies LLC (www.charlesfs.com), providing internal audit consulting and corporate training, and the founder of TAPA Institute (www.tapainstitute.com), where she helps professionals pass certification exams like the CPA., CIA and other related business certifications.
Her approach is unique—integrating technical expertise with leadership development and emotional intelligence to equip professionals for long-term success. She developed the Leadership MEQ framework, which bridges the gap between technical skills and essential leadership abilities, helping professionals enhance decision-making, communication, and strategic thinking in high-stakes environments.
With a strong academic background, multiple certifications (CIA, CFE, CISA, etc.), and an innovative mindset, Dr. Charles has transformed traditional learning methods, including graphic textbooks and multimedia CPA training.
Her work empowers individuals and organizations to develop expertise, gain financial freedom, and become effective leaders. Learn more at drsabinecharles.com.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by my Haitian grandparents, and the essential life lessons embedded in me by my grandmother were determination and confidence. One time, during one of the summer days, I encountered a very amusing yet educational task. My grandmother and I had retreated to the courtyard because it was too hot outside, and that was when I decided to make friends with some girls who were drawing hopscotch on the ground. With excitement, I went to play with the girls who moments later took my jump rope. I went back to my grandmother crying.
My grandmother in Creole ordered me to go get my jump rope or I would find out what really crying is about. Filled with fear of both my grandmother and the girls, I demanded I feared my grandmother more, so I went to get my jump rope from the girls. I return to my grandmother with my rope in hand showing my grandma that I will not push around. She smiled.
This occurrence was a turning point in my life and was the basis for my leadership MEQ framework: Mindset, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Qualities. This alone showed me that leadership is not just about power but about presentence, focus and confidence.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
In my learning process, mentorship and learning from senior and professional people in organizations have had multicriteria in eradicating obstacles varied in organizations and beyond. This is where my first credit goes to Miss Diane Conner, a managing director at Citibank. She made sure that she introduced me to the idea of what it would be like to work in a large business organization by providing me with valuable tips concerning what to expect within a corporation to market oneself in this area. This way, I could maneuver through some of Citibank’s significant environments, particularly the initial phase of my experience as an international banker at the firm.
Selena Valentine was a primary actor when one was necessary in an emergency—when the whole world was against me, and something that could be performed was needed. Her active type and innovation were motivating; from pre-virus online conferences and meetings, I got easy-to-follow guidelines to adapt to a new normal and succeed.
Some aspects pointed out by Coach Wendy—a professional life coach—were relevant to personal development and emotional productivity. The recommendations were tailored to my individual goals and objectives, and they helped me revise my personal and professional goals and objectives while enhancing my inner power strengths and directing them to the right channel.
In the end, what additional input did Dr. Weitz, the executive, give an understanding of the new specific cultural changes and contributed a lot to the learning aspect of cultural improvement in a Jewish-inclined business organization? He was an invaluable asset in achieving a cross-cultural orientation that was incredibly useful in shaping my communication patterns and organizational effectiveness.
Every one of these mentors contributed something and shaped me in some way. I took away values rooted in the leadership vision and business ethos I have today. Apart from aiding me in tackling several issues particular to me, they have shifted how I view existence and persist in my occupation.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drsabinecharles.com/
- Instagram: The_cpa_doctor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557183977162
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-charles
- Youtube: @drsabinecharles
Image Credits
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