The Pageant Gal Podcast

What happens when you stop letting fear, rejection, and the opinions of others dictate how big you can dream? For pageant coaches who know they’re meant for more but feel stuck trying to figure out the next step in their business, this conversation is your reminder that you don’t have to build it all alone.In this episode, I’m sitting down with Coreene, a fellow pageant coach, serial entrepreneur, and client inside the Empire Mastermind to talk about what it really looks like to bet on yourself, invest in mentorship, and build a business that reflects the level of excellence you want to bring to your clients.✨ In this episode, we cover:💕 From “why not?” to building a business: How Coreene turned a challenging season of life into the beginning of her pageant coaching business.💕 Knowing when you’ve outgrown a room: Why sometimes the next level requires you to walk away from environments that no longer support your growth.💕 Building confidence as a business owner: How mentorship helped Coreene shift her mindset around content creation, clarify her brand, and show up with more confidence.💕 Creating offers that transform your clients: Why moving beyond one-off sessions into coaching packages and payment plans can create a more supportive client experience.💕 The power of a positive community in the Empire Mastermind: How surrounding yourself with women who celebrate your wins, understand your challenges, and want to see you succeed can change the way you build your business.Meet CoreeneCoreene is a pageant coach, serial entrepreneur, and beauty industry professional who brings years of experience in pageantry, coaching, hair, and bridal services to her work. After years of coaching and mentoring women in different areas of life, she officially turned pageant coaching into a business in 2024.Today, she helps pageant contestants and titleholders prepare with confidence, polish, and attention to detail, supporting everything from interview and evening gown to personal style, stage presentation, mindset, and social media.Connect with / Follow Coreene:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreenecollinspageantcoach/✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together:Apply for The Queen Collective for Pageant competitors & platform builders:https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collectiveApply for the Empire Mastermind for women monetizing brand and building businesses:https://thepageantgal.kartra.com/page/empire-mastermindDM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode: https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

If you’re trying to win a pageant, grow your brand, or build a business, but you keep finding yourself pulled toward other opportunities, other people’s businesses, or “safe” jobs, this episode is for you.Maria gets real about the five things she did before fully committing to building her own business empire, and how each one became a distraction from the thing she actually wanted. You’ll learn why focus, ownership, and disciplined action matter so much, and how to recognize when an opportunity is actually pulling you away from your North Star.

In this episode, we cover:

✨ The five jobs and opportunities Maria took on before fully committing to The Pageant Gal

✨ Why being a model, brand ambassador, podcast editor, assistant, and personal trainer ultimately distracted her from building her own brand

✨ The difference between being busy and actually doing the right things

✨ The rejection that became one of the biggest turning points in Maria’s business

✨ How to identify where you’re giving your time and energy to something that isn’t part of the future you actually want

Maria shares the moment she finally realized: “I don’t need anybody else to help me build what’s mine.

”That shift, from looking for someone else’s opportunity to fully owning her own, changed everything. And now, her question for you is simple: Where are you allowing yourself to be distracted?What would happen if you stopped looking for the next opportunity and poured that same energy into building your own?"

✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together:

Apply for The Queen Collective for Pageant competitors & platform builders: https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collectiveApply for the Empire

Mastermind for women monetizing brand and building businesses: https://thepageantgal.kartra.com/page/empire-mastermind

DM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode: https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

What happens when you stop waiting until you feel ready and decide to bet on yourself?

In this episode, Maria sits down with Ann, a former nurse, real estate investor, house flipper, pageant woman, and now real estate coach, to talk about turning lived experience into a business, finding the courage to be seen, and taking the first step before you have the whole path figured out.

If you’ve ever thought, “Who am I to do this?”.. this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

✨ How Ann went from nursing to flipping houses and building a real estate portfolio

✨ Why your story can become one of your biggest assets when building a personal brand

✨ Overcoming the fear of being seen, judged, or misunderstood online

✨ Why you don’t need to know every step before you take the first one

✨ How mentorship, community, and accountability can help you stop waiting and start building

Meet Ann Ficociello

Anne is a real estate investor, house flipper, and real estate coach from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. After years of building her own experience through flipping, rentals, and property investing, she now helps others navigate real estate with personalized coaching and support.

Ann and Maria first connected while competing at Miss Universe Canada and later began working together inside Maria’s Empire Mastermind.

Follow Ann and learn more about her real estate journey:

Instagram @annficociello444

✨ Apply for The Empire Mastermind where pageant women are monetizing their brand and business:

https://thepageantgal.kartra.com/page/empire-mastermind

DM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode:

https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

 The 3 Ts the Top 1% of Pageant Women Do Differently

If you want to stop simply competing and start training to win, this episode is for you. Maria breaks down the three things the top 1% of pageant women understand about preparation, performance, and becoming the woman who can handle the crown.

In this episode, we cover:

• Type: Choosing a pageant system that aligns with your personal brand and strengths
• Timeline: Why the top competitors prepare 6–12 months out
• Transformation: Why winning requires more than checking off pageant-prep tasks
• How to train your mind, body, identity, and energy to handle pressure
• Why the goal isn't just to win one crown, but to become a woman who can win again and again

✨ Resources + Ways to Work

Apply for The Queen Collective where pageant women come to win, grow their platform, and become leaders creating global impact:

https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collective

Shop on demand courses for pageant prep & brand growth: https://www.thepageantgal.com/programs

DM me on Instagram your biggest takeaway from this episode:

https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

What if the biggest transformation of your pageant journey has nothing to do with the crown?

In this episode, Maria sits down with Marie-Zoé, a microbiologist, scientist, podcast host, nonprofit leader, and Miss Canada 2026 First Runner-Up and People’s Choice winner, to talk about what happens when you stop preparing to become a titleholder and start showing up as one now.

If you’re coming back to pageantry after a break, building a platform, or wondering how to handle the unexpected without losing yourself, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

💛 Why pageant girls never really retire: and what brought Marie-Zoé back to the stage after several years away

💛 Building your brand and platform **before** worrying about how you’ll present it on a pageant stage

💛 How showing up as the woman you want to become can create opportunities you never expected

💛 What to do when things go sideways: including having your pageant gown break just weeks before competition

💛 Why your crown, your wardrobe, or your placement cannot determine your identity or your impact

Meet Marie-ZoéMarie-Zoé is a French Canadian microbiologist, graduate student, podcast host, public speaker, and nonprofit leader from Quebec.After competing in Miss Canada in 2021, she returned to the pageant world in 2026 with a new platform: Balado Hors Labo (Outside the Lab Podcast).

She went on to finish First Runner-Up and People’s Choice, while building a podcast that has opened doors to scientific conferences, media opportunities, nonprofit leadership, and so much more.

✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together

✨ Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario

💛 Let’s Connect! Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know your biggest takeaway from today’s conversation. I love hearing what speaks to you and cheering you on in your own journey.

If you know deep down that you are meant for more than just winning a crown, this episode is for you. Maria breaks down what separates the top 1% of pageant women, the women who do not let the pageant be the peak, but use it as a launchpad for a bigger life, bigger brand, and bigger opportunities.Because the crown is never the destination. It is about who you become while earning it and what you choose to create once you have it.In this episode, we cover:• Why the top 1% of pageant women have a bigger vision and bigger goals after the competition• How creating a strong daily routine helps you move through the post-pageant transition without losing your momentum• Why your personal brand is one of the most powerful assets you can build and how it gets you known, remembered, and paid• Why continuing to invest in yourself through mentorship, masterminds, retreats, and expansive rooms is essential for continued growth• How to stop treating the pageant as the goal and start using it as the vehicle to become the queen of your life✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together:Life After the Crown TrainingJoin Maria for Life After the Crown, where she teaches the three biggest components of building a personal brand that gets you known, remembered, and paid.https://thepageantgal.kartra.com/page/life-after-the-pageant)Apply for The Queen Collective:https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collectiveDM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode:https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal✨ Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario💛 Let’s ConnectIf this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it!Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know your biggest takeaway from today’s conversation. I love hearing what speaks to you and cheering you on in your own journey.And remember your greatest transformation doesn’t happen after you win the crown. It happens in the woman you become while you’re earning it.Keep your chin up, crown on, and I’ll see you in the next episode.

If you've ever questioned whether you're "confident enough" to compete or felt like you have so much potential but don't know how to bring it all together this episode is for you.Today, I'm sitting down with one of my incredible Queen Collective clients, Alexandra (Aly) Sanchez Ruiz, fresh off her win as Miss Elko County.

We talk about the inner transformation that led to her crowning moment, how she found her voice, and why the biggest victory wasn't the title it was becoming the woman capable of earning it.

in this episode, we cover:

How Aly transformed from a shy competitor into a confident titleholder

The interview breakthrough that earned her the Best Interview Award

Why building a platform rooted in your own story changes everything

The power of mentorship, accountability, and community throughout your pageant journey

Why your growth doesn't stop after you win the crown

Meet Today's Guest

Alexandra (Aly) Sanchez Ruiz is the newly crowned Miss Elko County, a social work graduate student, ballet dancer, and founder of Steps of Strength a platform that uses ballet to help build mental resilience and support mental health through movement. Her passion for service, storytelling, and personal growth is helping her make an impact far beyond the pageant stage.

✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together:

Apply for The Queen Collective:

https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collective

DM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode:https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

✨ Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario

Follow Aly: https://www.instagram.com/alexandrasanchezruiz.05/💛

Let's Connect If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it!

Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know your biggest takeaway from today's conversation.

I love hearing what speaks to you and cheering you on in your own journey.

And remember your greatest transformation doesn't happen after you win the crown. It happens in the woman you become while you're earning it.Keep your chin up, crown on, and I'll see you in the next episode.

What if winning the crown isn't actually the finish line?

In this episode, Maria takes you behind the scenes of the Monumental Queen Retreat and shares the biggest lessons, breakthroughs, and mindset shifts that emerged from an unforgettable weekend with ambitious women from across North America.

JOIN OUR NEXT RETREAT: Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario

From dreaming bigger to overcoming fear, you'll learn what separates women who stay stuck from women who create extraordinary results on and off the pageant stage.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why pageants are the vehicle—not the destination
• How to stop playing small and start dreaming bigger
• The power of being witnessed as you pursue your goals
• How to move through fear and insecurity with confidence
• Why consistency and commitment always outperform motivation

Resources:

✨ Nail Your Pageant Interview Program

Leave Your Legacy Program

Apply for The Queen Collective

Instagram: thepageantgal

If this episode resonated with you, send Maria a DM and share your biggest takeaway.

Remember: your title is only one chapter of your story. Dream bigger, lead boldly, and keep becoming the queen you're here to be.

Chin up. Crown on.

The biggest mistake I made during my very first reign and what I would do differently today

Why every contestant should start planning their reign before they win

How building relationships and community opened incredible opportunities during my Miss Canada journey

The power of creativity, adaptability, and innovation when life doesn't go according to plan

Three practical lessons you can apply immediately in your own pageant journey

Featured Titles Discussed and The Key Lesson from Each Reign Shared:

👑 Miss Tecumseh 2016

👑 Miss Canada 2018

👑 Royal International Miss Canada 2021

✨ Ways to Work Together:

Apply for The Queen Collective:

https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collective

Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario (send me a DM to apply)

On Demand Courses: https://www.thepageantgal.com/programs

DM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode:

https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

And when you're ready, head over to Part 2 where I'll share the next three titles in my journey and the powerful lessons they taught me.

Winning a pageant starts long before competition day, and it has everything to do with the woman you're becoming.

In this episode, Maria sits down with Queen Collective member Emily Mast to talk about what really happens when you stop chasing perfection and start building unshakable confidence, leadership, and purpose. If you've been wondering whether coaching is worth the investment, struggling with comparison, or feeling like you're capable of more, this conversation will show you what's possible.

• How to overcome comparison and build unshakable confidence
• Why mindset work matters just as much as interview and runway prep
• The power of accountability and community during pageant season
• How Emily transformed her platform into a bigger mission and legacy
• Why investing in yourself creates results that last far beyond the pageant stage

Emily Mast is the current International United Miss Michigan and will be competing at the International United Miss 10th Anniversary Pageant. After taking time away from pageantry to recover from surgery and build a new chapter of life, Emily returned with a renewed purpose and shares how her mindset transformation has completely changed the way she approaches competition, leadership, and life.

✨ Resources + Ways to Work Together:

Apply for The Queen Collective:

https://www.thepageantgal.com/the-queen-collective

DM me on Instagram with your biggest takeaway from this episode:

https://www.instagram.com/thepageantgal

✨ Ascension Retreat | September 25–27, 2026 | Windsor, Ontario

If this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it!

Send me a DM on Instagram and let me know your biggest takeaway from today's conversation. I love hearing what speaks to you and cheering you on in your own journey.

And remember—your greatest transformation doesn't happen after you win the crown. It happens in the woman you become while you're earning it.

Keep your chin up, crown on, and I'll see you in the next episode.