Hey Junkies!

I once had a boss who frequently told me, “The proof is in the pudding, kid.” The first time he said it, it made me giggle – and every time I heard it thereafter, it at least made me smile (imagine it being said with a slight southern accent and it might make you giggle too!).

What my boss was saying – is that you can “theorize” about something all day long. You can hope and wish and dream and believe something will work, but until you actually put it into practice and evaluate the results – you’ll never know if it really works or not.

Today, is “Proof is in the Pudding” day for Pageant Junkies University and The Branding Course.

Yes – It’s time to report our results from the ladies who took the PJU Branding Course – And the good news is, THERE’S GOOD NEWS TO REPORT!!!  🙂 Let’s take a look!

First of all – We are SOOOO PROUD of ALL 27 Junkies who competed at their state title this year – As we all know, competing in a state pageant is no easy feat! I’m so happy for those who stepped on the stage with their best foot forward!

Second – The success you see above IS NOT OURS! It belongs solely to the women inside PJU who took the course and applied the principles they discovered. Let me explain…

When you enroll in PJU, it’s your choice as to how “involved” you’d like me to be in your journey. Believe it or not, several ladies chose to take the course without ever speaking to me! It’s true! In many cases, we didn’t have one bit of interaction with these ladies – It was almost like they read a book and decided how to improve their performance for themselves!

How did they do that?  Well – inside The Branding Course, we have a couple of ways to keep you on track (specific questions to ask yourself, a Branding Study Guide, The Brand Planner, etc). When you enroll in the course, there’s a built-in accountability system that comes with the course itself.

Now – there were also a few ladies who chose to interact with me via email, and a few others who took advantage of a free 30 minute offer via FaceTime/Skype. But don’t be mistaken – the VAST MAJORITY of women who took this course, found success on their own after taking it!

That’s because… Wait for it… Wait for it…

I’M NOT WONDER WOMAN – LOL!
(or insert your favorite super hero here 🙂 ).

Nope – Not a super hero…

Who am I…?

I’m just a gal who created a branding system for pageant contestants that gets results.

It’s the system that gets the credit – Not me!

One more thing…

I asked a few of the ladies what they thought about The Branding Course… Frankly, I was unprepared to hear the kinds of things they were saying… Things like…

Carrie…

Thank you for the way you’ve invested in me this past year – regardless of the outcome (of my state pageant), understanding and developing my brand has led to true life transformation.

I never would have understood the power behind my brand if it weren’t for you. I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store, and the biggest takeaway from all of your training is that my “pageant brand” is also my life brand, and my platform is an outline of my life’s work.

Understanding my brand, and how it maximizes the intersection of my strengths, talents, and passions, will allow me to have an impact on the world far greater than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for helping me realize this truth and truly understand who I am and what I stand for. For that reason, I feel like I’ve already won.

WOWZERS.

And let’s be honest – the only investment I made in that young woman, was OFFERING The Branding Course! That’s it! That’s why I’m no Wonder Woman – It’s the system behind The Branding Course that made the difference in this young lady’s life!

Therefore – Because this kind of transformation is what can happen if you follow the system outlined in The Branding Course, we’re going to open up Pageant Junkies University once again for 4 days at the end of the month.

When the clock strikes Midnight EST on Thursday, July 28th, you can enroll in PJU and receive The Branding Course that’s making a difference in the lives of those who take it. However, the doors will close on Sunday evening, July 31st.

During these four days, we hope to once again see Junkies from across the nation recognize the power that is inside of them. The power to fully understand who you are as a person – and how your unique brand can bring a lifetime of impact, influence and positive change in the world.

Now THAT’S a pretty great definition of “Wonder Woman” if I ever saw one.

If you have any questions, please email me directly at ThePageantJunkies@gmail.com – or to view our FAQ’s about PJU, just click here. To see the specifics of what’s being offered inside The Branding Course on July 28th, just click here.

We’d love to have you join us!

#BigJunkieLove
Carrie Lakey

To see more Thursday posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 17,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.

You know, we spend a lot of time celebrating the “winners” here at Pageant Junkies – and that’s a good thing (I’m a firm believer in celebrating successes)… But today I want to talk about the rest of us who don’t walk home with the crown on our heads…

Yup. I’m one of you.

I only competed twice for the title of Miss Kansas… The first year was amazing. The second year, not so much. I decided to sit out my 3rd year, and ended up taking a job, moving out of state, and getting on with my life, during my 4th and final year of eligibility.

Here’s the deal.

Obviously, there’s a much larger population of people who’ve lost their state title – than there are those who’ve won a state crown. 🙂

Quick tangent here – Yes, Yes, I know… I can hear someone out there cringing at my last statement – dying to give me those positive affirmations right now… Something along the lines of…

“C’mon Carrie! Don’t say you lost! We’re all winners… “

“You know – I’m a firm believe that you never lose if you learn something… “

“Look – I’m sorry this happened… but maybe it’s just not meant for you… “

“You don’t need this! God/The Universe/Someone else has something bigger and better for you… “

Phooey.

Look – Those are all well-meaning statements – Usually said by some very, very, very nice and well-meaning people, who probably love you A LOT. But let’s be honest. Even if those things are true, they don’t take away the sting from falling short of your goal. And believe me, I know all about the sting.

Now, while falling short of a dream with a deadline is painful, it’s not nearly as painful as selling yourself short because 5/7 people subjectively decided “it’s not you”.

And that’s where the real-life-application stuff begins.

Allow me to explain.

I can spot winners. And I’m not talking about whether or not I pick you for the Top 5 in your state pageant. I mean, I can spot which women will be the strong, confident, successful people in ‘the real world’ – whether a pageant judge sees them that way or not.

And ladies – listen to me when I say – There is NO NEED to get ‘stuck in a moment’ where someone said “it’s not you.”  Here’s why…

Many times, I feel the ladies who AREN’T selected as their state titleholders, are the ones who go on to prove something. They’re the ones who won’t allow the opinion of 5 people to be the final judge and jury of their lives. In fact, time and time again, I’ve seen the pageant “losers” go on to become much stronger, and much more accomplished people, than the “winners” ever were.

Further (and I’m very sorry ladies, but this is the truth) – Throughout your life, you’re going to find times when you don’t get what you worked for. Even if you deserve it. Even if you might be better than the person who did get it. There will be times when things don’t work out the way you want them to – and what’s worse – sometimes, there are no answers! No reasons why! Unfortunately, rarely is there ever a legitimate explanation that makes everything better – when you know you could’ve been AMAZING at whatever it is that you’re not going to be doing.

Dwelling on a “why” that may or may never come is not a good idea. Instead – the key is to keep going.

Case in point.

And as I sat at the Miss Kansas Pageant a few weekends ago, watching the 4 ladies who were each crowned Miss Kansas during my 4 years of eligibility, something smacked me in the face.

Everything I’ve done SINCE those years, is my success.

Not my pageant history.

I never won the title of Miss Kansas, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved since those days. Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but I worked my way up the corporate ladder at a publicly traded company on Wall Street. When I was named a General Manager, I was the youngest, and the only female GM in the company, serving in the number 4 market, and we were one of the largest grossing revenue clusters in the nation. Later, I became the VP of Sales for a different organization – again as the only female and the youngest in the room. Further, my husband and I started a non-profit organization which helps orphans in Africa, after adopting our son from Rwanda. And I’m a hog-farmer’s daughter, from a town of less than 150 people (graduating class = 14).

But I never won the title of Miss Kansas.

So – as I sat there, in the audience, watching the lovely ladies who wore the crown and the sash all those years ago, I wasn’t upset or jealous or envious of what those other ladies had achieved.

Why not?

Because I knew my success wasn’t their success either.

20 years ago, I thought I needed to be one of those ladies who walked on the stage as a “former” in order to prove my success.

Turns out, I was very, very wrong.

Winners are easy to spot. They’re the ones who believe in themselves and their own ability to achieve whatever they choose to achieve. And many times, that kind of person doesn’t have the best talent, or the best interview, or the best body.

What that person has – is an unrelenting belief in themselves.

Now – I realize that sharing my story may not necessarily take “the sting” away from you either.  As I said earlier, I know all too well about the sting. It’s very real.

However – I do hope that by sharing my story, you’re able to see something that perhaps you’ve lost in the past few days/weeks since your state pageant…

Somewhere inside you – You’re still the same vibrant, exuberant, confident young woman, who walked into your state pageant. That person – the one who was ready for the job of Miss fill-in-the-blank… She’s still in there!  You saw her once – Heck, you WERE her once! Only a few days/weeks ago!

And you know what? That person – The one who believes in the possibility of her dreams – That person is DYING to get out and show the world what she still has to offer.

Do yourself a favor.

Let her out.

And watch her shine…

#BigJunkieLove
Carrie Lakey

To see more Thursday posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 17,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.

Once upon a Bazillion years ago (or so it seems)… I was asked to judge a pageant outside of the Miss America system.

And boy howdy – I sure learned a WHOLE LOT from sitting on the other side of the table! In fact, being a judge gave me a much greater perspective on being a better pageant contestant – one that I would like to share in today’s Thursday Post…

THERE is GREAT WISDOM in a DIVERSITY of OPINIONS!

There’s a reason why we don’t have 1 person judging a pageant. That’s because each winner should not be determined by only 1 person – It should be determined by a collective group of people who recognize, nobody’s perfect. We ALL have strengths and weaknesses – we ALL have good days and bad days. We all have different things to share that resonate with different audiences – and NOBODY can please everyone. That’s why a diversity of opinion is a good thing.

If the judges (who often come from wildly different backgrounds and experiences) can enjoy each other’s company and get along with one another in some pretty intense situations, despite likely having differing opinions of the ladies on stage, then YOU can most certainly benefit from their “collective wisdom”. It’s a good thing – not a bad thing. Embrace it. 🙂

WHAT is a PAGEANT – REALLY…?

Contrary to popular belief… Pageantry isn’t about being ‘the best’ in interview, or having ‘the best’ talent, or having ‘the best’ clothes, body, makeup, hair or stage presence. Pageantry isn’t even about being well-rounded in each of these categories! It’s more than all that!

In my opinion, pageantry is about making 5 different people, fall in love with you, at the same time.

How is that possible? LOL! Great question! Especially since most judges come from a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, birth orders, personal experiences, and other various motivations!

Before we can to how you make 5 total strangers fall in love with you, I can certainly tell you one way NOT to get 5 people to love you all at one time… By becoming someone YOU THINK they want. That’s a recipe for disaster which we’ve discussed at length here in the Thursday Blog…

If I might suggest a better way…

Be Yourself.

Which pretty much makes me sound like a broken record, right?

IF I’ve HEARD it ONCE, I’ve HEARD IT a THOUSAND TIMES…

“Just walk in and be yourself”

“Let the judges see your heart – the REAL YOU – and you’ll be fine”…

Look – Those are great tips (and stuff you should totally do) – But I would like to encourage you to take it a step further and ask you this question…

WHY is it important to “be yourself” and “let the judges see your heart”?

Many of you may be thinking, “Well – because if I’m ‘me’ and I win, I know it’s because I was ‘me’ and not a fake version of me.”

True. But there’s more to it than just that…

If you can “be yourself” in front of 5 total strangers, that’s your best chance at connecting with 5 total strangers.

Your goal, when you walk into the interview room, shouldn’t be to talk about your platform, or to make sure the judges learn “this” about you before you leave, or to even have the judges thinking about how smart you are when you’re through.

The goal – is to connect.

And when you’re being yourself, it means you’re truly confident in who you are as a person. You’re not trying to please anyone… Instead, your genuine interest is in others – Not in yourself.

AND HERE’S the KICKER…

When you’re comfortable in your own skin, that means you can easily communicate with all kinds of people who disagree with you! How? Well, in short, it’s because you’re not trying to have all the answers. You’re not trying to “be amazing” or “impressive” or any of the other things young women try to be in pageants.

Think of it this way… When you’re trying to be “impressive” or “funny” or whatever else your goal may be in your interview, you’re busy thinking about YOU. And you know what? Nobody likes talking to people who think about themselves the whole time! Not in real life – and certainly not in a pageant interview!

However, when you speak in a confident way, that succinctly expresses what you believe, without putting anyone else down – and allows people to recognize you’re comfortable in your own skin – you’ve just done something extraordinary…

YOU’RE CONNECTING

And when 5 judges, who come from a super wide variety of backgrounds, believe your ultimate goal is to reach out and connect with each one of them, they can’t help but respond! As human beings, we’re wired to get along with each other… Especially when someone else is purposefully trying to get along with you first!

It doesn’t mean you have to check your opinions at the door. It doesn’t mean you can’t be strong. It doesn’t mean you need to play both sides of the issue. It only means, you’re secure enough to simply be yourself and express yourself in a way that makes people respect you – because your ultimate goal isn’t to “be impressive” – instead – your goal is to connect.

And when a young woman walks into an interview room and can connect with 5 total strangers, those strangers begin to fall in love with you.

WHAT’S YOUR GOAL???

When you walk into your interview room, do you have a list of things you want to say? Are you busy worrying about what the judges might ask you? Or is your heart set on making a connection?

Maybe one day you’ll get the good fortune of sitting on the opposite side of the table as a judge and you’ll come up with a few things you wish you knew too.  In the meantime, trust me. Make “connecting” with the judges (and people in general) your first priority.

That’s the kind of mentality that wins way more than pageants – it wins friendships, jobs, and a positive relationships that you will treasure for years and years to come.

Each and every time.

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

If you’d like to see more Thursday blog posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 16,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.

In case you thought Pageant Branding was dead (or just for contestants in the Miss America system), think again.

Last weekend, Miss USA crowned Deshauna Barber, a 26 year old commander for the 988th quartermaster detachment unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, just outside Washington DC. She’s also an IT analyst, and gave arguably, one of the most memorable on-stage answers in recent pageant history.

And here’s the interesting thing… If I asked you to tell me something ABOUT each of the Top 5 contestants (not just DC), chances are, you’d remember a thing or two about them… If not, here’s a few reminders…

– Hawaii played collegiate volleyball and got the tough question
– California’s dad was Rico Suave and she was people’s choice
– Georgia has a racially diverse and supportive family
– Alabama is a small town country girl with a lot of pets!

Even members of the Top 15/Top 10 – had some pretty memorable stories behind them as well…

– Virginia teaches at Hampton University, has her doctorate, and is CRAZY FIT
– Arizona overcame anxiety and is an advocate for mental health
– Connecticut is a trauma nurse (and her dad taught her to change the oil in her car)
– Missouri is an impressive athlete, and is headed to law school
– South Dakota has an international perspective after traveling to Africa to help young girls (and a super awesome/memorable evening gown)

And while you may think that’s just “stuff for television” – I’m here to tell you, it’s more than that.

It’s Pageant Branding.

And you know what? Based on the results I saw on Sunday night, Miss USA is now on the Branding Bandwagon.

Think about it… Based on my social media feed – A LOT of people had Hawaii as their winner going into the Top 5. She was stunning, styled beautifully, had a super strong ‘presence’ about her, and many people thought she looked like someone who should be walking on the Miss Universe stage.

But along came Deshauna.

You know what? Deshauna was getting a few nods here and there because of her story – She wast completely off the radar so to speak. But, it wasn’t until she opened her mouth and started speaking that she began to surge to the front as a top candidate for Miss USA. Why?

Because once Deshauna spoke – Everyone realized that she knew her brand.  Plus – she was able to refer to her brand not once, but TWICE on the Miss USA stage.

Did it turn a few pageant fans off (hearing her talk about her military background in both answers)?  YES.  But did she win???

You bet your bottom dollar she did!

And in my opinion, Deshauna came from behind to win – I would guess she was in the middle of the pack going into finals night. But if there’s two things I know America tends to love – it’s (1) an underdog and (2) a strong woman who knows who she is.

Deshauna displayed both of those qualities on Sunday night – and IMHO, she snatched the crown away from the frontrunner (Hawaii) – all because when push came to shove, she reminded the judges of her unique Pageant Brand.

If you think Pageant Branding is only for Miss America contestants… Or, if you think Pageant Branding doesn’t matter – Think Again.

If Deshauna is any indication of the direction Miss USA is going, you better understand your pageant brand. Miss USA is under new ownership (IMG and William Morris Entertainment), and they produced an extremely classy pageant that felt more like the Oscars than a Reality Show. Now they have a winner with a killer brand.

“As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military… We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I’m powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States.”

Are you still trying to be all things to all people? Are you still trying to please everyone without grounding yourself in who you are? Are you afraid of developing a strong brand because you’re afraid it might excluding someone?

Stop. Don’t give in to that kind of mammy-pamby thinking.

Instead – Embrace. Your. Brand.

Embrace the qualities that make you who you are! Those are the same qualities that allow people to remember you for your uniqueness!

Because here’s the thing… When you embrace who you are, pageant judges don’t think about how you’re excluding others… They only see how GREAT you are at attracting others!  As humans, we’re drawn to people who have confidence in themselves!  And in 99% of the pageants I’ve seen, judges want to crown strong women who know where they’re going, what they stand for, and how they plan to make their mark in the world!

Yes – Those of us who are die-hard Miss America fans finally got the chance to see the pageant we’ve been waiting for… Miss USA just crowned a strong, articulate, beautiful winner who will be remembered for who she was BEFORE the crown –

Is the beautiful? Yes. Is she fit? Yes. Was she elegant on stage? Absolutely. But for the most part, so were 51 other ladies on that stage.

What separated Deshauna from the pack? Her unique and laser focused pageant brand.

So here’s the deal… Based on what I’ve seen from Miss America, other pageant systems, and now Miss USA, it doesn’t look like pageant branding is going away anytime soon! If anything, I’d say it’s now more important than ever – regardless of whatever pageant system you’re in!

Therefore, given this new understanding of how branding applies to all pageant contestants, I am going to work on an even greater and more comprehensive branding system than we’ve ever done before.

If you want to be one of the first to know what we develop, then please join our email list by filling out the box below. That way you won’t miss any special offers – Plus, you’ll also have the information before anyone else does. 🙂

Once again, just sign up for our email list in the box below and we look forward to hearing from you!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

 If you’d like to see more Thursday blog posts like this one, just click here…

Carrie Lakey is kind of obsessed with Miss America…
So are 16,000 of her closest friends.

As an avid fan of the Miss America Organization, Carrie began
publicly predicting pageant winners over 10 years ago.
Now, she’s galvanizing an online movement of fans
known as “Pageant Junkies”.
Learn more about the Junkie Nation
by clicking here.