#329 Zoe McGrady Interview: Miss Cosmo USA 2025 1RU

Each week, I share no-fluff pageant coaching that helps you win. Both on stage and off. After coaching titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss America, and 350+ pageant interviews, this isn’t theory. It’s what works.https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe👑 About ZoeZoe McGrady is an engineer, professional model, content creator and youth mentor based in New York City.Zoe attended Duke University and obtained her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering in 2019. Since then, she worked six years in Fintech, became a professional model working for brands like Under Armor and Sephora, and began pageantry where she placed 3 time top 3 at Miss New York USA.Both as a mentor and a content creator, Zoe now shares how she succeeded in many male-dominated fields and pivoted into the beauty space while facing multiple childhood adversities. The biggest was overcoming abuse and the challenges of a dysfunctional upbringing brought on by parental addiction.After embarking on her own self-healing journey, Zoe’s initiative “Thrive Beyond Survive” is focused on sharing her story and personal lessons to help others facing adversity get out of survival mode and be able to thrive in life. She recently competed at Miss Cosmo USA where she placed First Runner-Up.👉 Follow Zoe:https://www.instagram.com/zoe.mcgrady/⏱️ Timestamps* 0:00 Intro and bio; platform overview: Thrive Beyond Survive* 12:00 Adoption, STEM, and wrestling: early identity & Duke* 14:33 The Instagram ad that led to Miss New York USA* 15:47 From résumé to story: interviews that land* 18:00 Year one results: why the judges connected despite imperfections* 19:27 Mentoring focus: from intention to speaking to kids and panels* 20:59 Feedback, boundaries, and controlling what she can (skin, weight, no surgery)* 24:35 Pressing pause on Miss USA amid controversy and ‘silenced’ titleholders* 26:59 Prelim self-critique: “I think I screwed up bikini”* 28:18 Saying yes to Miss Cosmo USA with two weeks’ prep* 30:04 Judges, scorecards, and subconscious bias in pageantry* 32:18 Backstage optics as an introvert: focus over photos* 1:01:20 Anxiety on the journey and regulating through competition* 1:17:39 Modeling craft: reviewing every frame, angles, and pose auditingI offer a limited number of private coaching sessions per month for women serious about elevating their pageant journey. Click below to book yours.https://thepageantproject.com/coachingPageantry is evolving, and you deserve coaching that’s more than surface-level. Book in if you’re ready to go beyond the crown. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe