Charisma Carpenter was born in Las Vegas, Nevada to a Cherokee, Irish, Scottish, and Spanish mother and French and German father. Charisma Carpenter attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. When Charisma Carpenter was 15, her family moved to Rosarito city, Mexico and then to San Diego where she attended Bonita Vista High School and Chula Vista School of the Creative and Performing Arts. After graduation, Carpenter traveled throughout Europe. Once Charisma Carpenter returned to San Diego again, she worked as a video store clerk, an aerobics instructor, and in property management. In 1991, Charisma Carpenter was a San Diego Charger cheerleader, before beginning her Hollywood career. In 1992, Charisma Carpenter moved to Los Angeles. 
