WOMEN OF MARLOW | Sophia Mantell

Welcome to our sixth 'Women Of Marlow' blog - a series where we interview like-minded women in business. This week, we interviewed the wonderful Sophia Mantell, Managing Director at Daily Wellness about her journey with skincare and being your own boss. 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm 33, I have 3 daughters and I love my kids, my friends, sunshine, cooking, travel and obviously I am very into wellness and skincare! In my spare time you can find me doing any number of activities with my kids, with my girlfriends going for a walk and talk/sharing a meal or taking myself to a movie solo (its weirdly a great time, try it). 
How did Daily Wellness start and what motivated you to create your skincare line in spite of the huge selection of brands in the market?
Daily Wellness actually started when I moved to Bali with my daughters in 2018, it has like all start ups had many iterations and developments since then. I really wanted to create a range that was simple to use, that used the best ingredients and made real change in peoples skin without having to change your daily rituals to fit in elaborate amounts of product. If your products are made with effective, high quality ingredients - then simple consistent rituals are all you need.

Have you always been a lover of skincare?

Absolutely, it's always been something I enjoyed, I was often found as a kid rummaging through the garden and making things with the flowers, rosewater for toner or avocados for a face mask, I loved it. As I grew up skincare became more of a challenge for me to make enough time for, I have three kids and I want to nourish my skin but I don’t have time to spend hours on it each day.

What is important to you when creating new products?
Efficacy. I can’t stress this enough, I will not formulate a product if it doesn’t have clinical data to show that IT WORKS. When you buy our products you can be sure that they are backed by data and trials as well as being at levels that actually create change in the skin.
What does a typical day in your life look like for you? 

I am up at 6am every day, I make a coffee in my little Bialetti Moka pot, always Allpress Browns Mill OrganicWhile I enjoy my coffee I do my morning skincare ritual, I tend to use the Supercalm CleanserRegenerating Power Serum and our new (soon to launch) Day Cream which is INCREDIBLE. I get the kids up and I make breakie for us all, take my supplements, then drop off kids and I am in the office by 9am. When I get to the office I am straight into meetings and calls with manufacturing, suppliers and retailers, you never know what the day will hold - which I love. I own two other businesses as well so it is a varied juggle, changing gears for whichever business I am working across and I am always pivoting from one thing to another to ensure we are moving forward across them all. I love being engaged in all the businesses and being at the forefront of their milestones, its very rewarding. I leave generally at 2.45pm and I pick up the kids, we might have an extracurricular activity then I will cook dinner, help with homework and get everyone off to bed. After a quick tidy up I usually do an hour or so of work to catch up on any time sensitive items, then I do my nightly skincare ritual, take my evening supplements and get a good nights rest before it starts again.

 

Supplements I use:

Evening:  Activated Charcoal

 

What is the upside and downside of being your own boss?

 

I think the upside is you have unlimited potential, you can grow as big as you’re willing to work for. I love flexibility around my hours so I can be present with my kids and building something not only feels great but it teaches you so much about yourself and what you’re capable of. The downside is its often lonely and you have to be self-motivated, there are many sacrifices and not everyone will understand why you are doing what you do. There are many challenges along the way and progress can feel slow at times. Ultimately, you have to be okay with always feeling like you’re not quite there but pushing on anyway because you never feel like you’ve “made it”, theres always another goal. Its always a challenge but the rewards are worth it.

 

What’s one key piece of business advice you’ve learned?

 

Whatever you do, don’t stop, keep putting one foot in front of another, it will happen and keep talking to people, learn from them, be open, try not to be afraid. Take a look around at what people have already created, if they can do it, so can you. My favourite quote is “ The secret to change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but building the new”. Life is open and available to you at any stage, just step forward and keep walking, even if it's slow.

 

 

 

Pictured: Villa Weave Edit Tee - White, Sahara Jacket - Dark Camel, Pace Full Legging - Black.

 

Where do you see Daily Wellness in 5 years time?

 

In five years I would see Daily Wellness being available through major retailers, in new countries and covering a few more product categories. Its all in play, keep your eyes peeled!

 

Is there any beauty or wellness advice that you want to share with our readers?

 

Stop stripping your skin! I always harp on about it but I think that harsh chemicals that “strip” the skin are problematic - theres exfoliation annnnd then there is damage. I would encourage you to think of your skin as a little plant that needs to be fed and watered, use products that give your skin the building blocks like collagen, ceramides, peptides, neutraceuticals that work but that are always adding nourishment and care not astringent, drying products. Our range is soon to expand so you will be able to rely on Daily Wellness for your full daily ritual of skincare - stay tuned, I can’t wait to share it with you.

 

To learn more about Daily Wellness head to daily-wellness.co

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