It was less than two years ago that Dr. Nina Cash found herself buying a leopard-print bikini in Australia, a taboo fashion statement for the mom of three and retired university associate dean. Little did she know that a playful beach photoshoot with her husband would become her gateway into Sports Illustrated’s 2023 Swim Search winners list.
While vacationing in Australia with her husband, Cash found herself deciding between slim pickings at the mall after leaving her bathing suit at home. Though not her style, Cash settled for a two-piece animal print suit. Now, she rocks all kinds of outfits.
As one of six winners of Sports Illustrated’s 2023 Swim Search competition, Cash has begun a new “encore career” in fashion and modeling. Sports Illustrated’s Swim Search competition offers career opportunities for aspiring and established models, allowing them to grace the inside of the magazine and participate in brand deals.
After her beach photoshoot, Cash made the spontaneous decision to submit her snapshots to the Swim Search casting call application. As a 57-year-old mom with gray hair, she never expected to win the competition, as older models aren’t often represented in fashion.
Holding a PhD in educational leadership, a bachelor’s in human resources and a master’s in negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, Cash’s wisdom extends beyond her dedication to adult education and her newfound career.
From living with type 2 diabetes to young motherhood, Cash’s fierce independence and go-getter attitude have led her to where she is today. In a recent interview with Just N Life, Cash tells us all about her journey to being a model at 57, using her platform to embrace aging beauty and social change.
JNL: Congratulations on making the inside of Sports Illustrated magazine! What does it feel like to hold this title at your age?
NC: It’s kind of surreal. I don’t know how to explain it, but I will say that I’m happy I did it and have no regrets. To have this encore career, I’m loving it. I’m absolutely loving it.
JNL: Though you were scouted for modeling in high school, some cultural reservations held you back. What advice do you have for Asian women who want to pursue a career in the fashion industry while navigating cultural expectations?
NC: I come from an Asian family where you don’t lose face for the family. Very traditional upbringing. I think nowadays there is more support, so I would say to my Asian brothers and sisters: just go for it. It’s a good time to follow your passions and follow your dreams. Hopefully, with your parents being very conservative, they will understand the world is changing. Time is going to pass regardless of what you’re doing or not doing, so just go for it. It’s never too late.
JNL: How does your background in higher education influence your approach to your new modeling career?
NC: So, my specialty, or what I’ve been focusing on primarily in my higher education career, has been the returning adult student. Why? Because I am a returning adult student. I currently consult at colleges and they’re called “continuing education extension.” Essentially, we build and create training programs to fill the needs of our return adult students. Now that I have this platform, it’s to bring about some other alternatives to learning, like competency-based education, where you prove your competency whether it takes 45 or 60 hours. I’m here to say that there’s an old way of thinking because the model of education was developed solely with faculty and retirement in mind and not with the student, so that kind of model has failed.
JNL: You’ve certainly took control of your own career and broken the “conventional” timeline for pursuing higher education and modeling as a mother. What kind of empowerment has this given you?
NC: I was a single mom, so I couldn’t go to a traditional university anymore because I was working. I had to take the unconventional route because I had to take care of my daughter. I had to get a real job — a survival job. I had to go to a university geared towards working professionals and people who had families and I had to make a living, so everything was delayed. I had people who surrounded me with support, kindness and encouragement who said, “go get your Master’s, go get your doctorate.” It’s never too late and I’m so blessed for that. There’s always a plan, and I’ve written my plan.
JNL: We know you’re involved with the Get Safe organization. We’d love to learn more about your involvement and what it means to you working with them.
NC: Get Safe is very dear to my heart. I’m going on my 25th year as a volunteer and I’m currently on their board. The mission of Get Safe is to educate, advocate and empower community members to live violence-free lives. We work on training survivors of violent crimes and sexual assault as well as police officers. We created some of those safety programs. One thing is that the IDD [intellectually developmentally disabled] population is victimized and re-victimized 10 times more than the neurotypical population. There are lots of sexual assaults on this population and it wasn’t talked about. During my volunteering for Get Safe, I decided to do some training to talk about how we can be of support of this particular population.
JNL: Now that you’ve promoted the hashtag #gonegrayandstillslay, what other aspects of aging do you embrace and want to destigmatize?
NC: I want to normalize menopause. I’m here to say it’s real. It’s true. Another facet of being a woman is having the privilege to grow old because not a lot of people get that. So, yeah, I would love to talk about menopause and the aging process. We need to encourage, support and embrace all facets of our lives as humans.
JNL: As someone living with type 2 diabetes, what does a healthy lifestyle look like to you? How do you approach your personal health journey?
NC: I eat everything in moderation. I do not deprive myself of things, so I will have a piece of pie. I won’t have the whole pie. I will have ice cream. I won’t eat the whole gallon of ice cream. I’m just very mindful of that. I do exercises and I like my Peloton. I play tennis and I love walking. I love dance. You can dance anywhere.
JNL: You prefer to eat five small meals over three larger ones every day, so, please share some of your favorite meals or snacks!
NC: Because I’m diabetic, I want to make sure I fuel myself for the day. I tend to really dive deep into the proteins because it’s going to last longer in my body. For breakfast, I like to have eggs and bacon. I’ll do a little bit of toast. I’ll put some peanut butter on there. I love snacking and all the stuff that maybe people don’t find appealing, like celery and carrots and bell peppers. I’ll even have some salami. I’ll maybe do a chicken breast and I love spinach. I will have some rice, but I don’t overdo it. And, I put soy sauce. I’m not Asian if I don’t mention that will always be a staple!
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