Pageant Planet

This podcast covers how to stay focused if your pageant has been postponed.We saw many national and international pageants get moved from the summer to the very late fall and even in the winter to allow for more clarity of the global pandemic.However, some pageants were moved an entire year out. Imagine prepping for your pageant for months, and then being told you had to wait an entire year more.That is an incredibly long time to be preparing for a pageant, or even more staying focused enough to do so. We have 5 tips to help you stay focused if your pageant was postponed! Trying to find a pageant to compete in? Click hereShop our selection of pageant gowns here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The reigning Miss Arkansas USA 2020, Haley Pontius, is the subject of this week’s podcast. She started her journey in the pageant world at just three years old, when her mom entered her into her very first pageant. Haley is now a two time international titleholder, having won the title of Miss Teen International and International Junior Miss. This pageant pro is heading to the Miss USA 2020 stage in November. Learn her secrets to success on this week’s podcast.Is pageant prep stressing you out? Click here! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today’s podcast covers the life of Fig O’Reilly, Miss Universe Ireland 2019.  She is a model-pageant queen-engineering-NASA Datanaut. Yes, you read that right. This queen is a role model for young girls aspiring to have a STEM career. It’s no surprise she works with organizations like Girls Who Code, Women in Tech, and Science in Ireland.This accomplished young woman was also included in Pageant Planet’s Top 15 Most Influential Women in Pageantry. From her social media campaign #ReachfortheStars to her platform work, Fig is inspiring young women everywhere to reach for their dreams and get involved in STEM careers. To hear more about, Fig O’Reilly’s life story and how she’s reached the Miss Universe stage, tune in to this week’s podcast.You may also be interested in...Finding a pageant to compete in: https://www.pageantplanet.com/pages/matchShopping for pageant dresses: https://www.pageantplanet.com/shop How to Set Goals (And Achieve Them): https://www.pageantplanet.com/article/how-to-set-goals

Elizabeth Tran parents immigrated from Hong Kong and Vietnam to pursue the American Dream in Florida. The two met at a Disney college program working at Chinese restaurant in Epcot. This would eventually come back around as Elizabeth participated in the Disney Friends for Change Program as an adolescent.Elizabeth’s parents being immigrants of asian descent with a drive to succeed put a huge emphasis on success through academics. She went through school remaining a straight-A student at the top of her class. While Elizabeth was very intelligent, the word ‘pageant’ just wasn’t in her vocabulary. It all started with a letter in the mail from National American Miss. She learned that this was a competition where girls would wear dresses, but didn’t know anything else. Can you blame her though? She was only 8 years old!For four years Elizabeth competed in National American Miss Florida and the Miss American Coed pageants, never placing once. She would usually be close to last place at the local or preliminary

Katherine McQuade was born and raised in Whitestone, New York. While she grew up as a timid child, her mom always instilled in her communication skills, confidence, poise and grace.As a young child, Katherine started opening up to her natural skills and talents through dance. Through the Landrum School of Performing Arts Company Dance Team she was able to dance competitively for over a decade. It is one of Katherine’s ambitions to be a Radio City Music Hall Rockett.One lesson that Katherine learned through dance was to always win and lose graciously, a humble experience for any competitor. Her journey began competing in the National American Miss system, a pageant system that is widely regarded as one of the best for developing young women’s confidence and self-esteem through its competition. Not to mention that the annual prize package adds up to tens of thousands of dollars each year.To learn more about Katherine McQuade listen to this week’s podcast and follow her on Instagram, @katherinemcquade!Addit

Olivia Culpo was born in Cranston, Rhode Island to her parents Gus and Sophie. Olivia was the middle child of five siblings. She remembers getting along with her siblings, and the occasional argument or two between them. But who doesn’t bicker with their siblings, right?Her parents are the co-owners of several Boston Businesses, cafes and restaurants, which sparked Olivia’s culinary interest ever since she was younger. Olivia came from a large Italian family which sparked a tradition of large parties and food.Olivia began the cello in the second grade from her parents' encouragement. This became something she continued to pursue throughout her education. She performed with the Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, the Bay View Orchestra, and the Rhode Island All-State Orchestra.She won the title of Miss Rhode Island USA 2012 on her first try when she was just 18 years old. She went on to compete at Miss USA was crowned the 61st Miss USA 2012 in her second pageant

Victoria Mendoza was born in El Paso, Texas but grew up in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. She is a middle child of an older brother and a younger sister. Her fourth additional sibling growing up was her dog, Oliver. Victoria lived in a very loving family of Mexican descent. Her parents have been together for almost 30 years, now that is something to brag about!Her family was very close and enjoyed doing many activities together, including fishing, playing sports, and spending lots of time outdoors. From skiing in the winter to boating in the summer, Victoria grew up very humbly blessed with her family.One of Victoria’s passions includes her love of dance. She was a competitive dancer for 8 years, and loves ballet, jazz and hip hop. Not only that, but she also taught herself to play the piano.Victoria’s pageant and modelling career began at the tender age of 13 years old. She’s won the titles of Miss Jr. Teen Arizona in 2011 in National American Miss. Her love for pageantry was sparked by the philanthropic wor

Misha Grimes is a 21 year old fashion model and social media personality who was born and raised in England. Her YouTube channel has more than 225,000 followers and has racked up more than 33 million views. Misha started her youtube channel in her second year of college when she was competing for the UK Galaxy title. This meant she was balancing creating videos for YouTube, her studies in college, and her preparations for the pageant. To learn more about Misha Grimes listen to this week’s podcast and follow her on Instagram, @misha_grimes!Additional Resources: Interested in competing? Click find a pageant to discover a pageant near you!Want to sell last pageant’s items to make some money? Upload your items regardless of which country you’re from and sell them on Shop Pageant Planet! Click here to get started. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You probably remember Gazini Ganados as being the reigning Binibining Pilipinas 2019 queen. Gazini won the title and this allowed her to represent the Philippines at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant.Gazini’s journey begins in Dapitan City in the Philippines. In sixth grade her family moved to Cebu where she spent most of her life. Growing up without a father figure allowed Gazini to hold a higher respect for her grandfather and grandmother. They stepped in to help raise her and taught her how precious life is. Gazini’s pageant journey took her to the Miss World Philippines 2014 pageant. In 2015, she represented Sinulog Festival in Cebu and finished as the second runner-up and the following year she was crowned Miss Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation INC. After this she joined Miss Pearl in the Philippines and won the Best in Regional Costume. The next year Gazini joined Miss Bohol and finished as the first runner-up. To learn more about Gazini Ganados listen to this week’s podcast. Additi

Corrin Stellakis grew up in a very small town called Bridgeport on a family owned horse farm. If you think having pets teaches children about responsibility at a young age, you can multiply that amount by 10 when it comes to taking care of animals on a farm.She grew up mucking stalls, cleaning water buckets, and riding horses daily. Her and her mother began an after-school horse program called “A Horse of Course”. There were lessons and programs for kids available, and Corrin loved sharing her passion for horses to other young souls. At the age of 12 she joined an interscholastic equestrian team and was able to compete all over the United States. Corrin also had a very unique experience when it came to siblings since her family was involved in a foster care program for about four years. Corrin Stellakis had two biological brothers and about 17 foster brothers and sisters growing up that her family opened up their home for. This was a great learning experience due to the responsibility it taught her and h

Alyssa Klinzing is a seasoned pageant contestant and queen, and she is one of those girls you will always get excited to see on stage. Alyssa has competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant, Miss Kansas’s Outstanding Teen, Teen Miss Earth United States, Miss California USA, Miss Kansas USA, and at Miss USA 2019. In 1997, Alyssa was born and raised in Modesto California. She lived in Northern California, then Long Beach, and then Boston before moving to Kansas. She attended Olathe North High School in Kansas. Alyssa’s natural beauty queen abilities were evident in high school. She was crowned the Homecoming Princess representing the class of 2016. She began her pageant journey in 2012 and is still planning on competing in the near future! Alyssa is a professional model with a degree in political science. She wow-ed the audience at Miss USA 2019 with her beauty and brains. She emphasizes how important it is for women to be represented in politics. Like many of the best, Alyssa has a great deal of

Riza Santos is one of the few contestants to ever go to Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth! She was born in a rural town in Alberta and grew up in Calgary, a larger city in the province of Alberta. She grew up in a culturally diverse family, and is a mix of Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino. This allowed her to look at her life and travels as an opportunity to live out her natural curiosity and drive for experience. Early in life, she was taught the value of critical thought and the pursuit of knowledge. Riza was well-influenced by her parents, who were immigrants, and her grandparents.Riza also lived in the Philippines for a while working alongside the Canadian International Development Agency through the PEARL Project. While residing in the Philippines, Riza Joined Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 and was proclaimed as the second place in the show in 2007 after gardening half a million votes. Pinoy Big Brother is similar to our culture's reality show ‘Big Brother’ and Riza received signifi

Amanda Moreno has been in the pageant industry for over 19 years. She has made her way around the block through competing in pageant competitions and now she is using her years of experience to coach young princesses on how to become pageant queens.Some of her own crowning accomplishments include winning National All-American Miss 2011-2012 and Miss International 2016. Understandably she has the perfect personal insight in these, and many other systems in the United States, to help women win these titles too. Some of these women include Ava Hill Miss International 2019 and Ashlee Nelson National American Miss 2019-2020.Amanda was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, which is known for having a variety of pageants for girls of all ages. Growing up, Amanda described herself as being a tomboy. She loved playing soccer, softball and many sports. Her Colombian family roots instilled a love for soccer especially when she was young. Although she was a tomboy on the outside, her heart was filled with princess-lik

Sarah Rose Summers is a Nebraskan beauty who has won the state titles of Miss Nebraska Teen USA and Miss Nebraska USA as well as the national title of National American Miss. But let’s be real, we all know her best for being the very first woman from Nebraska to win the title of Miss USA in 2018.Her work as a Child Life Specialist helps her to be compassionate and understanding to people she meets both inside and outside of work. With her unique and caring perspective, she has been able to travel across the United States inspiring many.Sarah Rose was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Papillion. Omaha doesn’t exactly scream ‘Miss USA’ pageant community, but it did breed a great support system for Sarah Rose to grow up in. However, when you think about it, we’ve had a Miss America in Teresa Scanlan and a Miss USA from Nebraska in the last decade, which not many states can say.Sarah grew up watching her mom try all of the diets, but then she joined a program where she learned to eat nutritious foods in heal

Mia Jones is a triple threat state titleholder after winning the titles of Miss Delaware Teen USA 2014, Miss Delaware USA 2017, and Miss Delaware Earth USA 2019. A graduate from Delaware State University, Mia graduated with a major in art education and now works as a middle school teacher. She experienced racism and bullying at a young age which is when she turned to art for comfort. She has been able to turn this therapeutic coping technique into a platform and a career to help other children express their internal creativity.Mia’s life turned around when she realized she had talent, her education, and her story to share with others. This is when she found pageantry. To learn more about Mia Jones listen to this week’s podcast. Additional Resources: Need earrings, shoes or a dress for your next pageant? Shop Pageant Planet.Want daily training for us for free? Click here to sign up for Pageant Daily. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dani Walker has over 10 years of experience competing in pageants in the National American Miss, Miss America and Miss USA state organizations.The most notable thing about Dani’s pageant journey is the way she was able to overcome the adversities of coming from a low-income household. Dani is often featuring the reality of pageant costs as well as thrifty ways to compete and style yourself on a budget! Being the first to graduate college from her family, Dani is a communications specialist for her self-created pageant coaching business called Pageant Access. Now, Dani focuses on using her past experiences and knowledge to mentor girls on their pageant journey through online courses, practice resources, one-on-one coaching, Youtube tutorials and social media advice.Listen in on this week’s episode to discover more about Dani Walker and how you can win the crown. Additional Resources: Click pageant jewelry to find earrings for your next pageant.Need help preparing for your next pageant? Click her

No matter where you are in the world, you have heard about the Black Lives Matter movement reaching new heights in the United States. This is due to a largely politicized case of a man named George Floyd being killed at the hands of the police during an arrest on video. This shed a light on continued challenges with police brutality and the black community. You might be thinking, “why is Pageant Planet covering this, they should stick to pageants”. Though, this issue has started in America, where we are based, the ripple effect has been felt globally. Depending on your pageant you could be asked about this in pageant interview, so this will help. Additionally, our goal is to serve the black women who compete in an overwhelmingly white industry, white contestants who want to become better allies and directors who may have some blind spots. To help with the conversation we have invited former Miss International and mental health counselor, Elise Banks. Additional Resources: Click Miss B

Vanessa Lachey was born in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines almost 40 years ago. She has an older brother, who is adopted.Vanessa’s father was in the Air Force which meant they did not settle permanently into the places they travelled to. Vanessa calls her and her brother ‘Air Force brats’, which is a term used for military kids who travel constantly. Within her first nine years of schooling, Vanessa attended eight different schools. After over 10 years of military service, her family settled down in Charleston, South Carolina. Here, Vanessa was able to have a more stable school life. She was able to join cheerleading, compete in pageants and could enjoy living in one place. She went on to win the Miss Teen USA After her success in pageantry, she became a fashion-model for brands like BONGO Jeans and Flirt! Cosmetics. She appeared on magazine covers for SHAPE, Lucky and Maxim. Maxim also ranked Vanessa in its annual Hot 100 Issue several years in a row, ranking at #15 in 2006.It was around this t

Victoria Piekut will be representing her state as Pennsylvania at this year's Miss USA 2020 pageant. This will be the most popular and televised pageant Victoria will be competing in, but she has had many experiences in competing to prepare her for this journey.Victoria has done very well for herself in the National American Miss and International Junior Miss pageants. She has won several titles and awards including a national and international talent award for singing opera. She has been practicing her talent since high school and it has given her the opportunity to stand out in pageants today. But, it’s her passion for business and entrepreneurial spirit had led her to being the co-founder and president of the Wight Elephant Boutique. This is a women's fashion boutique that specializes in providing unique, fun and timeless styles to women from clothing lines around the world.Listen in on this week’s episode to discover more about Victoria Piekut and how you can win the crown. Additional Resources:

In this episode Jesse Ladoue and Steven Roddy, interview Kaliegh Garris, Miss Teen USA 2019. Throughout this interview Kaliegh talks about finding her uniqueness in high school and her pageant journey that led her to the Miss Teen USA stage. She attributes her winning to her finding and embracing her differences. After you listen to this podcast you will discover how you can capitalize on your differences to lead you to winning the crown. Listen in on this week’s episode to discover more about Kaliegh Garris and how you can win the crown. Additional Resources: Click to read our Top Pageant Hairstyles of All Time (2020 Edition)Click pageant coaches near me to discover local pageant experts you can work with! Click pageant swag to shop cute outfits for your next pageant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.