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      <p><span>Renowned fashion icon and TV host stalwart, Marion Caunter, offers a glimpse into how she harmonises life&rsquo;s complexities with a potent ingredient, kindness.</span></p>
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      <p><span>&ldquo;You know what my hidden talent is? I can burp loudly,&rdquo; Marion Caunter reveals when asked about her special skill. It&rsquo;s a revelation that would catch many off guard, especially considering her perfectly fashionable and elegant appearance on Instagram feeds. But it&rsquo;s precisely these unexpected quirks that are endearing about Marion, effortlessly putting others at ease during initial interactions. She exudes a natural warmth and confidence that instantly makes you feel like old friends.</span></p>
      <p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">&ldquo;I constantly remind myself that the way I treat people today will shape how my children treat others in the future,&rdquo; she shares. &ldquo;So, I choose to be a nice and empathetic person whenever possible. I love making people feel at ease when they talk to me.&rdquo;</span></p>
      <p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Caunter, who has come a long way since her poised and charismatic presence from her E! News Asia days, is at the top of her game &mdash; holding court as a style icon, beauty entrepreneur and dedicated mother of three.</span></p>
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      <p><span><strong>How would you describe this current phase of your life?</strong><br /></span><span>I&rsquo;m loving where I am right now and feeling incredibly thankful. Watching my kids grow into strong individuals fills me with pride. On the business side, Mare is nearing its two- year mark this June. While running a business at this stage of my life brings its challenges, having a fantastic team makes it all worthwhile. I&rsquo;m grateful for the steady growth we&rsquo;re experiencing. I&rsquo;ve found a balance between work and home life that enables me to nurture both my family and my career. After focusing on building a strong family foundation following my marriage, I&rsquo;m now ready to pursue my own aspirations beyond motherhood. Here&rsquo;s to seizing the opportunity and making the most of it.<br /><br /></span><strong style="letter-spacing: 0px;">What do you enjoy most about being 44 years old this year?<br /></strong><span>Ageing brings a mix of feelings. I&rsquo;m genuinely grateful for each year I add to my age &mdash; it&rsquo;s a privilege not everyone gets. However, in the entertainment industry, there&rsquo;s pressure to keep up with appearances. Personally, I&rsquo;ve accepted my imperfections and am at peace with how I look. Sometimes, I hear that inner voice urging me to quit, but I believe in pursuing what I love without regrets. Every day is a chance to learn and grow. In my forties, I&rsquo;ve learned a lot about myself&mdash; my strengths and limitations&mdash; with experience.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>How do you manage to stay fit despite your packed schedule?</strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">I&rsquo;ll be the first to admit, I&rsquo;m not as fit as I used to be [Laughs]. I think the key to staying in good shape boils down to discipline, as cliché as it may sound [Laughs]. I keep an eye on what I eat, but I also believe in allowing myself to indulge from time to time. It&rsquo;s about finding a balance. Exercise is certainly important for staying fit, but I&rsquo;ve learned that what you fuel your body with is the ultimate secret to maintaining your health. Additionally, prioritising mental well-being is crucial. Despite life&rsquo;s busyness and responsibilities, it&rsquo;s essential to carve out some time for yourself every now and then. We all need that moment of self-care.</span></p>
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      <p><span><strong>Speaking of which, what does your ideal &ldquo;me time&rdquo; look like?</strong><br /></span><span>I&rsquo;m a total beach enthusiast. You can drop me at any shoreline, and I&rsquo;ll happily stroll from dawn till dusk &mdash; that&rsquo;s my ultimate &ldquo;me time&rdquo; right there. But if I&rsquo;m in town, you&rsquo;ll most likely find me indulging in a good ol&rsquo; Netflix binge session. I mean, as much as I&rsquo;d love to say I&rsquo;m out hiking in nature, let&rsquo;s be real [Laughs]. Watching TV or listening to podcasts is my go- to relaxation activity. There&rsquo;s so much to learn from podcasts, and there&rsquo;s nothing quite like kicking back on the couch and getting lost in your favourite series.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>How do you balance life&rsquo;s responsibilities along with career pursuits, family commitments and yourself?</strong><br /></span><span>Honestly, there&rsquo;s no way I could do anything that I do now without my support system. From the help I receive at home to my personal assistant, Farah, who keeps my schedule on track, I couldn&rsquo;t do what I do without them. My husband is incredibly supportive, stepping in for me when I can&rsquo;t make it to the children&rsquo;s events. Recognising the importance of having a solid support network and being honest about my needs and limitations has been crucial. I&rsquo;m particularly grateful for my mother, who&rsquo;s always there whenever I need her. When life gets overwhelming, it&rsquo;s okay to say no and ask for help. Pushing your limits is admirable, but it&rsquo;s equally important to accept support, especially when you have a family to consider.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>What do you love the most about being a mother?</strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">My children mean the world to me. They&rsquo;re the reason behind everything I do these days. I&rsquo;m always considering how my actions will affect and influence them. Whether it&rsquo;s </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">how I talk, work or even my career choices, they&rsquo;re observing and picking up on it, whether they realise it or not. They just inspire me to strive to be better every day. I often joke with my husband, telling him that the way he treats me now sets the standard for how our son will treat his future partner [laughs]. Luckily, he treats me like royalty, so I always tell my daughters they deserve nothing less from their future boyfriends [laughs]. There was this one cute moment when one of them said, &ldquo;Mommy, I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll ever find a boyfriend.&rdquo; I asked why, and she replied, &ldquo;How can anyone top Daddy?&rdquo; That really warmed my heart.</span></p>
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        <p><span><strong>What is a particularly memorable moment in your motherhood journey?</strong><br /></span><span>Leia recently had her graduation ceremony, and she wrote a piece about her role model. While other kids were idolising big names like Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, Leia surprised me by saying, &ldquo;I want to be like Mommy. She works hard, she&rsquo;s an entrepreneur, and she also gives back. She&rsquo;s my role model.&rdquo; I was left speechless and incredibly moved by her words. It was one of those moments that made you feel proud to be a mother. They truly inspire me to be the best version of myself. It&rsquo;s amazing how much girls watch and learn from their moms.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>That is lovely. What have your children taught you about yourself? </strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">It&rsquo;s kind of funny how they&rsquo;re always pointing out my flaws; that&rsquo;s just the dynamics we have. They&rsquo;re constantly pushing me to be a better person because, as I mentioned, everything I do or say feels like it&rsquo;s going to shape how they see the world. They also serve as a reality check for me. While they often show that they are proud of me which makes me feel on top of things, they also keep me grounded because to them, I&rsquo;m always just their mom, no matter what.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>Let&rsquo;s change gears to talk about your closet. What are your dependable and go-to style picks?</strong><br /></span><span>A pair of jeans, a white T-shirt and a good jacket. I am obsessed with jackets.</span></p>
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        <p><span><strong>What do you love the most about the new TUMI Asra collection?</strong><br /></span><span>I&rsquo;m totally loving the colour! It&rsquo;s super versatile, goes with any </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">outfit whether you&rsquo;re dressing up or keeping it casual. And that modern shape? Totally fresh and practical. Honestly, what more could you ask for in a bag?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>You started your hair care brand, Mare, in 2022. What gaps does Mare fill in the hair care industry?</strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Now more than ever, people are seeking effective hair care solutions amidst a flood of products. Recognising this, I launched my hair brand to cater to this need. I began with a hair vitamin, addressing the surge in hair loss, particularly during stressful times like the pandemic. After conducting extensive research and development, Mare was born. The customer feedback has been rewarding with many expressing restored confidence. It&rsquo;s remarkable how hair can affect mood and self-esteem, and I&rsquo;m proud our brand has made a positive impact.</span></p>
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        <p><span><strong>Any other exciting news from Mare you can share with us?<br /></strong></span><span>We&rsquo;re gearing up to release a new scalp oil soon. We firmly believe that the key to healthy hair always begins at the root. It&rsquo;s easy to overlook what lies beneath the surface when we&rsquo;re often so focused on what we see externally. Similar to other Mare products, this new scalp oil harnesses the power of ashwagandha, known for its calming and repairing properties. We&rsquo;re thrilled to offer another solution that establishes the health and well-being of your hair from its very foundation.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><strong>Lastly, have you thought about what you want your legacy to hold?</strong><br /></span><span>It&rsquo;s a deep question indeed. Lately, I&rsquo;ve been reflecting on the passing of several people I know, including friends my own age. It&rsquo;s made me realise that when we&rsquo;re no longer here, what truly matters isn&rsquo;t the list of achievements we leave behind, but rather the impact we&rsquo;ve had on others. At the end of the day, it&rsquo;s about how we make people feel and the memories we&rsquo;ve shared. For me, I hope that when I&rsquo;m gone, people will remember me as someone who was kind and who made others feel good about themselves. I aim to be a person who uplifts those around me and leaves a positive impression on the world. This perspective shapes how I interact with others and inspires me to strive to be the best version of myself and to show kindness and empathy whenever possible.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>CREDITS:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Editor-in-Chief</strong> John Ng<br /><strong>Photography</strong> Chee Wei<br /><strong>Creative Direction</strong> Joan Kong<br /><strong>Words</strong> Syazil Abd Rahim<br /><strong>Styling</strong> Amelia Tan<br /><strong>Hair</strong> Juno Ko<br /><strong>Makeup</strong> Chufan<br />All bags TUMI<strong></strong></p>

Digital Cover #10: New way, Marion Caunter's way featuring TUMI

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