More than a decade after winning Miss South Africa, Cindy Nell-Roberts has made a name for herself as a successful businesswoman and TV personality. Not only does she manage five brands but she also has to look beautiful and run after an active toddler and nurture a baby. The 31-year-old is mom to Ethan (who turns two on Friday) and one month old Aenea. How does she do it all? Cindy says it can get hectic juggling her career and family life but she's learned that it's all a balancing act.
"It’s all about time management. I've learnt to be more effective and dynamic without compromising on quality of life and special times with family. I don’t watch TV. It’s a waste of time. Instead of slumping in front of the telly I wait for the children to go to sleep, have a nice meal with hubby, a nice long bath, check my emails and have a nice cup of tea and go to bed. I don’t sleep too much, it’s unnecessary.
“We tend to stereotype certain things with certain times of the day or week; think out the box. Why can you not garden at night? Why do you need to go shopping for groceries on Sunday when we have online shopping at our fingertips and it works just as well at 10pm," she advises,” she says.
Raising two young children is a demanding job. However, Cindy says that being a mom is the best job in the world. She says she makes sure her children get the quality time they need despite her busy schedule.
"I use to artificially force quality time, but have found if I follow my son's lead its simple things like, when he wakes up he wants to read books and play with me in his room, so I leave the nappy change and the breakfast and the dressing for half an hour so he can show me what he wants to do. My daughter unfortunately wants her quality time between 12am and 2am at the moment," she laughs.
Cindy has been married to businessman Clive Roberts for four years. She says making time for each other is important.
"We cook together, we make sure to go on two holidays a year alone and it’s the small things; a cup of tea or a phone call," she says.
The leggy brunette is more than just a pretty face. When she's not being Supermom or making sure her house is in order, she is hard at work taking care of her business. Cindy has five brands that she's currently managing including Caribbean Tan and Cosmetix, which imports and exports various cosmetic products.
"I love what I do, I get on with it and I work hard because I have a passion for my business. The irony of my business, being the beauty business, with all our make-up ranges and skin care is not lost on me. It suits me well that I have a beauty queen history, its brings credibility to my products if nothing else,” she says
Ella Green