Forget everything you think you know about pageantry. Samantha Carelse is far more interested in building confidence, changing lives and raising three remarkable boys than collecting crowns.<\/h4>\n
Some people instantly make you feel at ease. Samantha Carelse is one of them. She\u2019s laughing about the random Lego pieces permanently living in her handbag thanks to her boys. Admits that a perfect Saturday usually ends at Spur with her fam. And confesses she could happily finish an entire slab of Cadbury chocolate on her own. This is Samantha. Or simply Sam, as she prefers.<\/p>\n
Yes, she\u2019s recently been crowned Mrs Supranational South Africa, but titles have never been what defines her. Spend a little time chatting to Sam, and you\u2019ll soon discover that she\u2019d far rather talk about the young people she mentors, the lessons she\u2019s learnt along the way and the joy of simply being mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just Sam,\u201d she smiles. \u201cA wife, mom, and a woman of faith who\u2019s still learning, still growing and still finding beauty in the ordinary.\u201d That authenticity is exactly what makes her so relatable.<\/p>\n
Life hasn\u2019t always been kind to Sam. Looking back, she doesn\u2019t believe there was one defining chapter that shaped her. Instead, it was a series of seasons that changed the course of her life. From battling illness to surviving human trafficking and other deeply difficult chapters, each experience strengthened her faith, reshaped her perspective and ultimately became part of the woman she is today. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, she has chosen to let them fuel a life of purpose and service.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t allow my past to define me. I allow it to remind me of how far I\u2019ve come.\u201d \nIt\u2019s a perspective that didn\u2019t happen overnight. There were moments she questioned everything. Moments when she simply had to trust that taking the next step would eventually lead somewhere brighter.<\/p>\n
One lesson has stayed with her through it all. \u201cSuccess celebrates you, but struggle introduces you to yourself.\u201d Perhaps that\u2019s why Sam\u2019s greatest passion isn\u2019t collecting titles. It\u2019s helping other people discover what they\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can make a difference in one person\u2019s life, the ripple effect will follow.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As the founder and head coach of Vogue Catwalk Models West Rand, she has spent more than a decade mentoring young people, helping them build confidence, develop leadership skills and discover their own sense of purpose. With a background in psychology and counselling, she\u2019s equally passionate about mental wellness, believing that confidence begins long before anyone steps onto a runway.<\/p>\n
Around 60 students walk through her studio each year, many from challenging circumstances. While modelling is certainly part of the journey, Sam believes the real transformation happens long before the first pose.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about confidence and self-worth. Young people need to know who they are and what they stand for before anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the first lessons she teaches her students is also one of the most unexpected. \u201cI teach them how to lose first.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Coming from someone who\u2019s spent more than two decades in the modelling and pageantry industry and collected numerous titles along the way, it might sound surprising. But she believes character is built far more in disappointment than victory.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a lesson she lives every day. If she can help just one person believe in themselves, she says, the ripple effect will take care of the rest.<\/p>\n
That philosophy eventually became the inspiration behind her advocacy platform, #BeTheImpossible, which encourages women and young people to embrace who they are, overcome adversity and never stop believing that tomorrow can look different from today.<\/p>\n
If there is one role she treasures above every title, though, it\u2019s motherhood. Her boys are her biggest source of laughter, her greatest teachers and, judging by the Lego hidden in her handbag, her constant companions. \u201cThey\u2019ve taught me patience, unconditional love and that my greatest achievements will never compare to raising such amazing human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ask what kind of men she hopes they\u2019ll become and her answer comes without hesitation. Men who lead with kindness, integrity and respect. Men who stand beside the women in their lives, not in front of them.<\/p>\n
Like so many mothers, Sam admits she\u2019s still learning that looking after herself isn\u2019t selfish. \u201cI\u2019m often harder on myself than I would ever be on someone else. But I\u2019m learning that taking care of myself allows me to show up better for the people I love.\u201d<\/p>\n
She doesn\u2019t pretend to have life all figured out. She still battles self-doubt from time to time. She still has days when motivation disappears. \u201cOh \u2026 motivation comes and goes, but purpose, that stays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Away from social media, life is refreshingly ordinary. Late nights. Busy schedules. Trying to balance family, work and everything in between. Add a movie night with her hubby and boys, popcorn piled a little too high and the occasional slab of Cadbury chocolate, and you\u2019ve got a pretty accurate picture of Sam\u2019s happy place.<\/p>\n
When asked what chapter of her life deserves more credit than it gets, her answer doesn\u2019t come wrapped in fanfare. \u201cThe chapter where I rebuilt my life. No applause. No audience. Just choosing every day to show up and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s why her story resonates. Not because she wears a crown. But because she reminds us that resilience isn\u2019t something reserved for extraordinary people. It\u2019s found in ordinary moments. In choosing hope. In trying again. In believing that our hardest chapters don\u2019t have to become the whole story.<\/p>\n
And if you ever find yourself sharing a cup of tea with Sam, don\u2019t expect a motivational speech.<\/p>\n
Expect warmth. Expect the kind of proper belly laugh that stays with you long afterwards. And expect someone who will gently remind you that your story isn\u2019t over yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not behind. You are not broken. Some of the most beautiful chapters of our lives begin after we\u2019ve survived the ones that nearly destroyed us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words may never earn a trophy. But they might just stay with you long after you\u2019ve turned the page.<\/p>\nImage credit: @newfacemedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Quickfire with Sam:<\/strong> \nAlways in my handbag:<\/strong> Heidi Couture perfume, hand lotion and a random individual set of earrings. \nThe phrase my boys hear most:<\/strong> \u201cWho\u2019s my favourite guy? This guy! Just don\u2019t tell the others …\u201d \nComfort food:<\/strong> This might sound a little unusual, but whenever I\u2019m feeling nostalgic or under the weather, it\u2019s raw rice with salt in hot water. \nMy perfect day off:<\/strong> Sleeping in, enjoying a cup of tea, making progress on my book and spending time with my family before ending the day with reruns of Suidooster. \nBiggest pet peeve:<\/strong> Honestly? Raising three boys has taught me to let the little things go. I think I\u2019ve outgrown most of my pet peeves! \nThe best advice I never took:<\/strong> Play it safe. Growth has never happened inside my comfort zone.<\/p>\n
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