As one of Australia’s best known and regarded beauty and health experts as well as the former Beauty and Health Director at Vogue Australia, Sigourney Cantelo has inspired many with her career journey. We sat down with her to learn more about her BOLD Beauty moves.
When I finished school I first thought I wanted to be an actress or TV presenter, following in my mum and dad’s footsteps. I started looking into advertising but it was a real boys club back then and wasn’t really for me. I found the sisterhood in magazines however, so I deferred my university studies and started out on reception at Our House magazine. After editing the health and beauty pages at a number of different titles, I ended up as Beauty Director for new magazine Glamour. The GFC hit and we never got to launch Glamour but I did transition to a new role at Vogue where I stayed until 2014.
Throughout that time magazines were starting to go through a real shift and I realised that I had to evolve or die. That was the beginning of Beauticate. In magazines I always loved connecting to readers through letters and events but always found there were more questions than answers. I wanted to create a safe space to educate women on what other women are using in their beauty routines. So Beauticate was born, a combination of showcasing beauty bags, bathrooms through the WHOS section and educating through HOW TOS.
I was so gung-ho at the start. Starting a new unknown website was a very different experience to the days when I had Vogue on my business card. But I found courage from the support I had from my friends and family. My husband is very entrepreneurial and helped with the backend. I never set out to be an entrepreneur - I was just passionate about answering a need in the market. I also had the support of friends in the beauty industry which gave me the courage.
Going out on your own, I have had to learn to know when to go slow and not be so manic. When I had my second child- Lulu and I came home, I had my office in my home. I had 6 staff in my home wanting answers from me. It was constant. I ended up so sick and wound up in hospital with meningitis. It felt like a holiday! I realised I couldn’t go back to living at that pace.
From that moment on, I knew that I need to create a balance which is when I found mindfulness and meditation.
- I do 20 minutes of meditation a day
- I try to make sure I get out into the sunshine when I can
- I’ve also started a gratitude journal each day where I list 3 things I’m grateful for and 3 things that will make the day amazing.
- Doing it daily becomes a ritual, reiterates values and sets your mindset.
Mindset is such an important part of shaping any day. It’s important to come from a place of positivity, kindness and courage that comes from your core. Brené Brown writes about vulnerability - having the strength and courage to live with your whole heart and that’s something I try to apply to everything I do. Being vulnerable is such a powerful emotion, especially in today’s world of social media where you only see the highlight reel.”