As both a model and industry executive, Cathy lives in two worlds at once.
“Since I do both things, I can act as the liaison between the model community and the rest of the SextPanther team,” she tells XBIZ.
We can all help each other. As much as there is competition, I’m very much of the mindset that we can all do better together.
Officially, her title at the company is “Model Experience Manager.” Unofficially, she’s the person whom creators message when they need help, advocacy or simply a voice that understands what it’s like to be on the other side of the screen.
“There’s always a big sigh of relief when they find out I’ve been a model on the site since 2021,” Cathy says. “They’re like, ‘Oh, thank God I’m talking to somebody who has that firsthand experience.’ I know the ebbs and flows. I know what certain types of clients feel like and how to handle it.”
For Cathy, that empathy is not a slogan — it’s her operating system. It’s also the engine behind a fast-rising career she forged by putting herself out there, connecting dots across creator communities and showing up with practical solutions.
From Creator to Builder
When she first entered the industry, Cathy had a bit of a “Goldilocks” experience, casting about until she found the niche that was just right for her.
“I was mostly doing OnlyFans at first, but it just didn’t feel like the right fit,” she explains. “I didn’t love live camming either because it felt disconnected, performing to an audience I can’t see most of the time.”
Then she Googled “sexting sites” and found SextPanther. Almost immediately, something about the platform clicked for her.
Cathy did more than just join the site, however. Like many high-performing creators, she started looking for peers from whom she could learn. She DMed top models for tips, then spun those conversations into a Telegram room focused on SextPanther advice.
That informal hub led to an invitation to an event with company leadership, where Cathy leveraged her “vanilla” background in education publishing and curricula.
“I told the owner, ‘If you ever need someone to do writing and editing on publications or anything you’re putting out, I’d be happy to help,’” she recalls.
Eventually, the SextPanther marketing team reached out to her for help with building model resources.
“It really dovetailed with my professional and site experience,” Cathy says. “They wanted a resource center and a newsletter. I started on staff in January 2023, and it blossomed from there.”
Boots on the Ground, Eye on the Big Picture
As model experience manager, Cathy’s role at SextPanther boils down to facilitating communications between the business side and the model side. She built the site’s monthly newsletter from the ground up — it now reaches about 15,000 recipients, with an impressive 30-33% open rate — and she handles all things model-related.
“When we go to events, I coordinate everything,” she shares. “I led a workshop at XBIZ Miami. I run group onboarding sessions, offer office hours and monthly coaching, and do individual one-on-ones with anyone who requests it. I also pass along requests for features that would benefit models, and bugs that are really messing with them. I feel super lucky to have opportunities to make a difference.”
Cathy’s approach to management is deeply informed by her background and her belief that creators deserve to be treated as professionals.
“My master’s is in public policy,” she says. “I’m very policy-minded. I want to dive deeper into advocacy — what we can do as individual creators, and what businesses can do to support creators.”
That big-picture focus shapes everything she does. Whether she’s coordinating events, refining platform tools or building educational resources, Cathy’s mindset is as strategic as it is empathetic. To stay ahead of policy changes and compliance challenges, she’s connected with organizers such as Savannah Sly and with the network Erotic Professionals and Allies United.
“Even if we can’t stop certain laws from going through, it’s important that we figure out how businesses can support creators in dealing with the aftermath,” she explains.
Cathy makes it her mission to do exactly that.
“A lot of people in this industry care deeply,” she says. “Yes, it’s a business, but I work with people who genuinely care about what sex workers are going through. My job is to translate that care into tools, information and support.”
Treat It Like a Career, Because It Is
“People don’t take adult seriously,” Cathy says plainly. “People especially don’t take women in adult seriously — particularly if you’re primarily a performer, creator or model. In this role, I’m doing my best to legitimize this as a career, because it is a legitimate career.”
That philosophy shapes her approach to nearly every task.
“I treat our onboarding, newsletters, coaching and resources as professional development,” she attests. “Pull in the corporate terminology if you want — this is your career. People should be helping you succeed at it.”
Nor is professional development just about making more money, as Cathy sees it. It’s also about workflow and boundaries.
“How do we avoid burnout?” she asks. “How do we find time for ourselves? How do we balance a nontraditional career with more traditional trappings of life?
“Never stop learning and you’ll never stop growing,” she adds.
Mental Health, On the House
If there’s one project that embodies Cathy’s model-first approach, it’s SextPanther’s free monthly mental health support for creators. It’s the kind of benefit most corporate workers take for granted, but creators rarely see.
“An industry veteran reached out about lack of access to care,” she explains. “Insurance boundaries, being a person of color, disability — the barriers are real. She asked if there was a way to create a partnership to offer mental health support directly to models.”
Leadership looped Cathy in, and the site is now four months into offering weekly half-hour sessions for free.
“There’s a small cost share if you exceed a certain amount, but otherwise it’s on us,” she declares. “I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback from models writing in to thank us for the support.”
Cathy calls adult work “doubly isolating,” since most creators are solo and work remotely, and many are “closeted,” not letting people in their offline lives know about their work.
“I want to continue finding ways to build community,” she says.
Her latest experiment: a monthly peer group focused on accountability and goals.
“We can all help each other,” she says. “As much as there is competition, I’m very much of the mindset that we can all do better together.”
Then she adds, with a grin that carries both truth and levity: “There will never be a shortage of people wanting to jerk off.”
Crossing Over: A Quick-Start Guide
For fellow models who may be thinking about moving to the business side but don’t know where to start, Cathy’s advice is practical and disarming.
“A lot of it is just putting yourself out there,” she says. “Know that, even though adult is seen as a nontraditional path, you hold so many skills. If you write them down, you’ll see a long list of what you can offer.”
She frames it in standard career language: “transferable skills.” Longevity counts. So do hats worn.
“Don’t downplay your experience,” she advises. “Have confidence in what you’ve done. Look for gaps you could fill. If you love a platform, or if there’s a toy company you respect, find out what opportunities are there. Don’t limit yourself to a job board. Rejection isn’t fun, but when you put your name out there, people think about you.”
When creators email Cathy about brand ambassadorships, for example, she keeps notes.
“Even if I say we don’t have opportunities at the moment, I still write their name down and remember them in case something comes up later,” she says.
For those nervous about making the big leap, she suggests taking it one step at a time.
“Start out by taking small risks,” she says. “Introduce yourself digitally. Introduce yourself at an event if you can. Know that you have worth and something to put on the table, even if it’s not what every company needs today.”
Good Coffee, Creativity and What Comes Next
Even when not working, Cathy still tends to be in constant motion.
“Ideally, I’m traveling somewhere,” she says. “I could be a nomad. I love being outdoors — vitamin D, hiking, biking, the beach or mountains. If my dog can be there, even better. And I’ll always scout a good cup of coffee and good food. I also box a lot; it’s a mental game and a physical workout.”
That restless curiosity and leaning into challenges mirrors Cathy’s professional drive. At SextPanther, she’s helping shape the company’s future.
“We have a handful of newer features we’re working on,” she says. “For example, previews or thumbnails for feed clips — that’s coming sooner than later. I’m excited to share the feature and work with models on how to use it.”
She still has her own creator goals as well.
“I’m doing better than ever this year,” she says. “I want to expand into clip work. I have a bunch of ideas that blend my loves — outdoors, movement. It taps into a level of creativity I didn’t always see in myself.”
Whether she’s refining tools or creating content, though, her North Star remains the same: respect.
“At the end of the day, I want models to feel listened to,” Cathy says. “Even when things don’t go the way they want, or a bug happens, they should feel like what they say matters. They’re who this is all about.”
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential businesswomen.
