Author: Catherine Ooi
Company: LA Legend A Beauty
Position: Founder
From Losing Confidence to Becoming a Light for Others
I am Catherine, an ordinary woman born in the 1980s and a mother of two.
People who know me today sometimes ask, “You already have a successful business. Why do you still work so hard?”
They see the confident and courageous woman I am today, but few know that there was once a time when I lost my confidence and gradually lost sight of who I was.
When I was younger, I worked for a large corporation. My days began early and ended late, and even after returning home, there was always more work waiting for me. At the time, I believed that working hard and earning a good income was the best way to take responsibility for my family.
Eventually, I realised that while I was earning a living, I was also missing precious moments of my children’s childhood. I was fulfilling my responsibilities at work, but had less and less time for the people I loved most.
The constant pressure left me physically and emotionally exhausted, and tension gradually began to affect my family life. Eventually, I made the decision to leave the corporate world, return my focus to my family, and support my husband in managing our business.
I thought life would become easier. Instead, I found myself facing something even more difficult—the gradual loss of my self-confidence.
For years, I struggled with severely dry and cracked lips that repeatedly peeled and bled. After the birth of my second child, my skin became increasingly unstable, with frequent breakouts and blemishes. Whenever I looked into the mirror, the woman staring back at me felt more and more like a stranger.
Gradually, I stopped enjoying photographs. I withdrew from social situations and became increasingly conscious of how others might see me.
Eventually, I decided to take my condition seriously and began learning how to care for myself. As my skin and lip condition gradually improved, I realised that the greatest transformation was not simply physical.
I was willing to look at myself in the mirror again.
I began stepping back into the world, reconnecting with people, and slowly rebuilding the confidence I had lost.
But the experience that truly revealed my purpose came through my son.
During his teenage years, he struggled with severe acne. He became quiet and withdrawn, wore a face mask every day, and was afraid to look up or interact confidently with his classmates.
As his mother, it broke my heart to see him that way, because I knew exactly what it felt like to lose confidence in yourself.
With consistent care, patience, and encouragement, his condition gradually improved.
One day, he finally took off his mask and said to me:
“Mummy, thank you. I can finally hold my head up and face people again.”
My eyes filled with tears.
In that moment, I understood something deeply: helping someone transform is not simply about changing how they look.
When a person regains confidence, they also regain the courage to face the world.
That moment became my awakening.
I began to understand that the insecurity, self-doubt, and loss of confidence I had experienced were not meaningless. Because I had walked that journey myself, I could understand what someone who had lost their confidence truly needed.
From that day forward, my purpose became clear:
I wanted to help more people rediscover their smiles, rebuild their confidence, and recognise their own worth.
The journey of entrepreneurship has never been easy. I was once timid, afraid of approaching strangers, and hesitant to make important decisions. Over the years, however, I continued challenging myself to step beyond my comfort zone.
I went from being afraid to speak to standing confidently on stage and sharing my story.
I went from being afraid to try to learning how to take responsibility and lead.
I went from being a woman who had lost confidence in herself to becoming a businesswoman capable of leading and inspiring a team.
Today, I have built my own business and am surrounded by a group of like-minded partners. Yet my greatest achievement is not simply what I have accomplished in business.
My greatest achievement is that I found myself again.
Because I know what it feels like to walk through the rain, I want to hold an umbrella for someone else.
Because I once lost my confidence, I understand just how precious it is to rediscover your own light.
Today, I understand that a woman’s true fulfilment is not defined only by having a happy family. It is also about remembering to love herself while loving those around her, and having the courage to pursue her own growth while supporting the people she loves.
I am Catherine.
A woman who once lost her confidence. A mother who found herself again. And a woman who now chooses to use her own journey to become a light in someone else’s life.