From a girl with an eye for beauty in La Panse to a woman navigating life’s challenges with grace, Cathy Daniel-Sammy has always stayed true to herself. Her journey led her to the Philippines as Miss Earth Saint Lucia in 2007, through earning a master’s degree while raising a newborn – a delicate dance between self-sacrifice and a driven career. She has channelled that energy into creating her first cosmetic product, one that addresses her own child’s needs while offering something thoughtful to the world. St Lucia Times’ Keryn Nelson sat down with Cathy Daniel-Sammy following her latest project’s debut to unpack the journey behind it all.
“I was toughened up early”
I went to the Methodist Primary School. It was good, really toughened me up as a young girl. I was the eldest of two and had to walk my sister home after school. We lived in La Panse, then I moved to Bexon when I started at Leon Hess, the best school on the island. Still is. All of those things shaped me. Later, I went to Monroe College to study. At the time, I was into hotel management, travel and tourism. I went back to school after I had my son; he was six months old when I decided to do my master’s. My husband was like, “Really? Breastfeeding and studying?” And I was like, “Yeah, I’ll figure it out!”
“Pageantry just sort of found me”
I think I always wanted to be on stage as a child. I wanted to be an actress. So pageantry just kind of fell into my lap. One day someone said, “You should do this pageant, you’re so tall.” The first one I entered was Miss Saint Lucia Earth. It actually helped a lot [with] public speaking, confidence, grooming, social skills. Pageants really prepare you.
“It became a love-hate thing”
In the beginning, I enjoyed pageantry. I was looking at it through naïve eyes. But later, I was like, “This is really difficult.” There’s the drama, all the behind-the-scenes stuff.
It became a love-hate relationship. But it taught me a lot. It definitely made me who I am today.
“First and foremost, I’m a mother”
Now, I would lead with that – being a mother. It’s my biggest job and responsibility right now. I have two kids: my son is seven, my daughter is twelve, and it’s 24/7. There’s no real break from it unless I’m asleep, and even then, my son might wake me in the middle of the night. It’s constant. But I’m also a wife, a philanthropist, an entrepreneur, a businesswoman – in that order. That’s who I am. I juggle all of it, every single day.
“I had a name before I had his”
Before I met my husband, I was doing pageantry and modelling, so a lot of people knew me as Cathy Daniel. I had my own identity. I’d already made a mark in the world. And I think that’s incredibly important, especially when you’re entering a relationship with someone who becomes notable. When I met him, he wasn’t Daren Sammy, as in the Daren Sammy; he was a guy who played cricket for Saint Lucia. Transitioning into “his wife” was a deliberate decision. I gave myself that role of being the supportive partner. And in the end, that was the best decision I could have made for my family. Now I feel like I’m in a place to step into new things.
New Business, Melavive Skin
“It started with my daughter’s skin.”
I started developing the idea for Melavive Skin about four years ago, and it grew into this body care line. The focus is on people with melanated skin – darker skin tones – because it started with my daughter. She’s darker than I am, and she had really dry skin. I could never find anything that truly worked for her. And she’s a child, so I’m constantly checking labels, reading ingredients. I needed something that was gentle enough for her, but also deeply moisturising. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to make it myself. What began as something just for her turned into so much more. Now, other people dealing with the same issues finally have an option that works.
“I knew I wanted to build this from the ground up”
There are challenges every single day, and I’ve been working on this for four years. But I always find a way. Everything from finding a manufacturer to locating a lab that’s clean, cruelty-free, and vegan; it’s a process. And it was important to me that the lab actually uses the ingredients I wanted. I needed every component to serve a purpose, especially when it came to moisture. That’s why the base of everything I make is seamoss. I know what’s in it, and I know it works.
More social media and marketing should be rolling out soon. Everybody asks when it will be available locally. I’m working on that. Right now it’s available online and ships to US addresses, so it will ship to your Shop Box or your West Tech account. The business logistics part is difficult but I remain positive that it will happen
“If you really want it, it can happen”
I try to stay positive, even though I’m a realist and a bit of a perfectionist. My husband is the total opposite. He’s that person who’s always affirming things, constantly saying, “You can do this.”
I try to channel that. I remind myself that whatever you set your mind to, if you really want it, and you stay positive. It can happen. But you still have to do the work. I believe in the power of hard work. My husband believes it all starts in the mind – if you believe it, it will happen. I believe that too, but I’m more like: if you work [hard], things will get better.
Very impressive; combination of intelligence, drive, good fortune and good looks!