Pageants, Mental Health, & Pet Peeves

Each week, I share no-fluff pageant coaching to help you lead, speak, and leave a legacy. With 300+ interviews and coaching across Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss America, this isn’t theory—it’s what works.https://thepageantproject.com/subscribePageant Coaching Conversations in NashvilleEarlier this month, I flew to Tennessee for the Miss Volunteer America pageant — but more importantly, to finally catch up in person with my fellow coaches Gracie Pfaff, Danielle Mullins, and Holly Nelson.It’s rare these days that I get to create content face-to-face. Back when I was mostly interviewing Australian contestants, in-person chats were the norm. But as my audience (and coaching work) expanded globally, Zoom and StreamYard took over.This was actually my first time meeting Gracie and Danielle in real life — despite having collaborated for years online and exchanged a small novel’s worth of DMs. It’s wild to think we’ve known each other for almost three years now.In this episode, we talk candidly about mental health in pageantry, social media pressure, $10K gowns, coaching frustrations, performative advocacy, pet peeves — and everything in between. It’s honest, at times hilarious, and very much unfiltered.Timestamps* 00:00 – Coaches in the Same Room?!* 00:43 – Meet the Coaches: Branding, Glam & Mental Health* 08:13 – The Mental Health Side of Pageantry* 14:16 – Danielle on Therapy, Burnout & Competing Overseas* 19:01 – Is It Really Not About the Gown?* 23:04 – Holly’s ‘Chuck-It Bucket’: A New Way to Understand Pageant Anxiety* 29:30 – Validation vs. Experience: Why Are You Competing?* 31:38 – Pageant Pet Peeves: Hot Picks, Performative Advocacies & More* 38:09 – When Pageants Overpromise and Underdeliver* 42:50 – Should Pageants Be Regulated?Want more than the episode?If you're looking for personalised coaching, I offer a limited number of private sessions. It’s for women who want tailored strategy, mindset support, and real accountability—on stage and beyond.https://thepageantproject.com/coachingPageantry is evolving—and you deserve coaching that’s more than surface-level. Join us 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