Speaker 1: 0:30

My name is Mikkel Reed Carroll and I own Carroll Crown Consulting, which is a full-service pageant consulting and coaching business.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Okay, and then tell me a little bit about how you are helping your clients when they're looking to get into the pageant industry.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Sure. So we offer, again, full services for anyone who's interested in pageantry, whether they're a veteran, whether they're a newbie to pageantry. We help them. Number one I help them to build confidence because, frankly, confidence is one of the major things that you need to win a pageant. When anyone asks me what's the secret to winning a pageant, I always tell them confidence, and of course, it's one of those things that's sort of easier said than done, and not everybody has confidence going into a pageant. So I really help to build my clients up and become the best version of themselves is what I like to do. I work with them on everything from interview to social media, to marketing and branding, to walking, image, consulting, those types of things. So we work on a little bit of everything, as well as platform development and whatever the different categories are that they're going to be competing in, whichever different pageant system that they're in. There are hundreds of pageant systems, so there's a lot of different types of categories that people could end up training for.

Speaker 2: 1:53

Awesome, that is amazing. You got a wide variety there yes. Now, you've been doing this for about 26 years, is that correct?

Speaker 1: 2:00

I have 26 years of pageant experience and my business will celebrate three years this coming fall. Congratulations. But I've been competing in pageants and involved in pageantry since I was about 20 years old, so it's been quite a while that I've been involved as both a competitor, occasional judge and coaching.

Speaker 2: 2:21

Amazing. And now tell me a little bit about how you got into the pageant industry. I know you said, since you were 20, how did that come to be? And then where has that led you to now, today?

Speaker 1: 2:32

Sure, so I first got involved when I was 20. Led you to now today. Sure, so I first got involved when I was 20. I at that time was in college and getting ready to go to law school. I wanted to go to law school but I was extremely painfully shy. So I knew I wanted to do something that would really help me get out of really that sort of shell that I was in, where I was not comfortable being in front of people. In addition to that, I was also looking for scholarship money. Law school is expensive. I didn't come from a family that had a lot of money, so I needed to earn scholarships.

Speaker 1: 3:04

So I had learned about the Miss America organization and decided that I would try to compete in a Miss America local. I found one nearby. I signed up to compete and, frankly, I did not think that it was for me. In my first pageant I was terrified. Again, I was really painfully shy and nearly ran off stage during the swims. But a year later I was still broke, still shy, with not much confidence.

Speaker 1: 3:37

So I decided to try again and I entered a couple again Miss America local pageants and I started to enjoy it because in the Miss America system. One of the things that differentiates that system from others is that they have a talent portion, and I was singing at the time and I really started to enjoy singing in front of people. So after a couple of competitions I won a local title. I had to go compete at Miss Maine and made semifinalists there and sort of fell in love with pageantry and it really helped to do exactly what I hoped that it would, which was win me some scholarship money. I won a couple thousand dollars in scholarships, as well as really giving me more confidence and helping me to feel more comfortable in front of people Amazing, I love that, my goodness, and tell me a little bit how you got your awards and what that felt like.

Speaker 2: 4:27

I know you brought a little bit of them today.

Speaker 1: 4:29

Sure, yeah. So over the years in pageantry now number one I again I didn't start out winning a lot, and that's what I think. A lot of people think that, oh, you start out winning immediately. Sometimes it takes a while to begin winning those state and national and especially international titles, and so I didn't start winning really big titles until around 2016. This right here is my first state crown, which is I was Mrs Maine International. At the time, I was living in Maine while my husband was in Afghanistan, and that's where I'm originally from. Oh, wow.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Yeah, yeah, very cool so originally from there a transplant to Arlington, virginia, and then, a couple of years later, after I had competed at this national and international pageant it really helped me to level up and learn a lot in pageantry an international pageant it really helped me to level up and learn a lot in pageantry. And then from that, a couple of years later, I represented Washington DC in the World's Mrs Tourism pageant, ended up winning my first international title, which was World's Mrs Tourism 2018. And then after that, I wasn't sure if I was going to compete in pageants again. I thought, oh, I won an international title. I don't know if I need to continue competing in pageants again. I thought, oh, I won an international title. I don't know if I need to continue competing.

Speaker 1: 5:37

But then I had my second child. Fast forward I'm 41. I had my second child and I said you know what I really need a goal to reach? I want to get back in shape again. After giving birth to my second child, I wasn't, frankly, feeling very great about myself and I knew that pageantry would help me bring back that confidence and really give me a goal to reach for as well as far as getting in shape and feeling good about myself again. So then I entered the International Ms Pageant and I was crowned International Ms USA 2020. I think I have my sash under here, so that was really exciting. So that was my first national title, which was really exciting.

Speaker 1: 6:22

And so I was Ms USA in the international Ms system for two years, because I was crowned in 2019. So I was a COVID queen and then gave up my title in 2021, crowned a new successor and then after that, again I thought I would retire from pageantry, as my husband keeps hoping that I will. But I was turning 45 in 2022. And I said you know what? Again, I want to get in fantastic shape, so I maybe want to do one more pageantry. Look at you just like just one more. Just one more pageant. Look at you just like just one, just one more. And so I decided to sign up for the Ms USA Universe pageant. I represented again the District of Columbia and I came to Miami and competed and, lo and behold, I won my Ms USA universe crown and this is my sash from that pageant.

Speaker 2: 7:18

Wow, I love that one. That one's beautiful yeah it is.

Speaker 1: 7:22

So that was my Ms USA universe crown, and again I had another national title my International Miz USA title that I decided I wanted to open a coaching business. Right after I think I had given up my title, about a month later, I said you know what? I've been at this for 20 plus years. I feel like I have a lot of knowledge and experience to pass on. So I decided to open my business and since then then things have just been growing and expanding and I'm really proud of how much things have really progressed. I've had a number of national and even international title holders, and this past year I was actually named by Pageant Planet, which is for people who don't know anything about pageants. Pageant Planet is one of sort of the number one online resources for pageants across the globe, and I was named one of the top 20 coaches of the year for 2023, which was very exciting going because I just had my second year in business so it was really wonderful and I'm really thankful to all my clients who helped get me to that.

Speaker 1: 8:35

That sort of recognition, Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 8:37

Congratulations to that.

Speaker 1: 8:38

That's amazing.

Speaker 2: 8:39

I love that you like push yourself every time you're like okay, I think I can go back. Like it shows that like if you put your mind to it you really can. You just got to get back into it, get that confidence and maybe good things, great things, will happen. Right, Exactly.

Speaker 1: 8:54

Yeah, thank you so much, and that's something that I'm good at. I'm a pretty tenacious person, so when I set my mind to something, it's hard to really take me off course.

Speaker 2: 9:06

Yeah, and now tell me a little bit about your accident that you had with your hip, or were you diagnosed with something that led to that?

Speaker 1: 9:16

Yes, so I had actually just been having hip pain for a few months last year. At the time I was living in Serbia. My husband's a foreign service officer, so we live all over the world. We were living in Serbia. I had some hip pain. We're about to move back to the US and I said I think I'm going to get an MRI. It's pretty cheap here, I'll just go in. I bet they're going to tell me I have arthritis.

Speaker 1: 9:34

So I went in, got an MRI on my hips and, lo and behold, the doctor told me McKellie, you have a rare condition called avascular necrosis. And I was like what is that? I have no idea what this is. And he said well, your hip bones both of them are dying and they'll soon collapse and you won't be able to walk. And I just sat there sort of like what Are you sure? I was hoping it was some sort of language barrier. You know, being that I was in a Serbian hospital, I'm like maybe this is a language barrier and he's not quite understanding what he's telling me. So then called my husband, went home, was in shock initially. Then I got home and, just, you know, broke down. I have two young children, my son, danny, who was eight at the time, my daughter Franny, who was four at the time, and I just pictured my life, my business, everything just going away, because I wasn't sure what I was going to do. But, like I said, I'm pretty tenacious.

Speaker 1: 10:38

So within a few days I started researching the condition and found that there was an incredible doctor and engineer at Yale Medical who had created a groundbreaking surgery that could possibly save my hips, and it utilized both 3D modeling to do a really targeted surgery, as well as stem cells and bone grafting transplant for my own body. So I decided to contact this doctor. I looked up his information, emailed him, sent him all my medical records, all the stuff you're not supposed to do, and I did it because I was really manifesting the surgery. I said you know, I need this surgery. I don't want hip replacements at my age I was 45 at the time, so I don't want full hip replacements. And sure enough, two days later this doctor contacted me and he said Michele, I think I can help you. Wow, yeah, and so then I had my first hip surgery scheduled in September, second hip surgery in January. Both of them went amazingly.

Speaker 1: 11:40

And in the middle of my recovery from my first hip surgery, I had learned that the Miss Universe organization had lifted age restrictions and we're now allowing women of any age to compete. And though I'm lying in bed, by the way, and just had gotten home recently from a complication at the ER, I said I'm going to compete. And then the other part of me was like are you crazy? You just turned 46. You just had a hip surgery.

Speaker 1: 12:06

By the way, you don't know when your next hip surgery is and you're going to compete in a pageant. Okay, you are crazy. But I said to myself you know what? I think I can do this and if I can walk, I'm going to compete. So, sure enough, I had my second surgery in January. Recovery was amazing on that hip because that hip was in a newer stage of this disease. And within a month I was modeling in New York Fashion Week and was walking fine and I said I'm definitely competing. And then I found out that there were some new owners of the Miss Virginia USA pageant and they announced the date and I signed up as soon as I could. Wow.

Speaker 2: 12:50

Tenacious indeed. This girl said, like I'm in bed recovering, but this is my goal. I love that. How has that changed your perspective for being Miss Pageant and still competing with all these competitions, knowing that you had all these surgeries? Did that make you more like, oh, I want to be so grateful for this moment and never take it for granted? Or did it make you see it in a different perspective, in a different light?

Speaker 1: 13:17

It definitely gave me a new perspective on things. I've faced a lot of trials and challenges in my life, but I think this one is definitely the biggest and I've never had a significant health challenge. So going through something like that really did give me perspective and I thought you know what I really need to move forward and do everything that I can in life and take advantage of every opportunity. And I also wanted to show my children, who had seen me literally at the worst of the worst that I've ever been in my life. I was very depressed that first week in my room, literally crying every day for almost a week, and my kids saw that. I tried to keep it from them, but it's hard, um, and they saw that.

Speaker 1: 14:00

And then all of a sudden they started to see me happy, excited with this fire inside of me again, and then started to see me healthy, going from using a walker to then working out seven days a week, going to a physical therapist twice a week, going to see a personal trainer weekly, and they saw this change in me and I really wanted to use that to show them that no matter what happens in your life because we're all going to have challenges that you go forth and you never give up on your dreams, and this was a dream I'd had since I was a teenager. I may have left that out. When I was a teenager, I started, you know, seeing Miss USA and Miss America, and I thought to myself I want to be on the Miss USA stage someday. And I did compete when I was younger for four years and I lived in Maine and never won. And then I aged out at age 26. At the time was the age that you aged out, I know right.

Speaker 1: 14:54

So I thought it had passed me by, and so when this opportunity came up again, I said you know, I don't know if this opportunity is going to last forever, so I'm going to compete and see what happens and show the world what a 46 year old mom with two hip surgeries can do on stage.

Speaker 2: 15:12

So empowering your story is crazy, my gosh.

Speaker 1: 15:16

So I I'm proud of you hearing this story.

Speaker 2: 15:18

It's just like that's not an easy thing. And you still are doing it and you look amazing. You're here today and you're just killing it.

Speaker 1: 15:24

So thank you so much. I really appreciate that. And that's what I want to do. I'm I want to inspire people and that's one of the reasons that I'm competing. I want people to see that, no matter where they are in life, matter their age, disability, whatever status they have, that you know the best isn't behind them. The best is yet to come and I truly believe in that.

Speaker 2: 15:46

Yeah, where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Speaker 1: 15:51

In five years, let's see. Hopefully I will be a motivational speaker talking about my role as the oldest Miss USA in history and obviously continuing to expand my business. I'm already global. I have a number of clients across the globe, from Australia to the UK to across the United States, so hoping to continue to expand that as well and really just also watching my children thrive and hopefully, my new regenerated hips continuing to do well. Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 16:27

And what do you like to do when you're not focused on, like beauty pageants, miss Universe, miss America, all that good stuff? What do you like to do? Do you like to listen to music, cook, read any books, hang out with your kids?

Speaker 1: 16:41

Sure, I love hanging out with my kids. I'm definitely not a cook, that's one talent I do not possess. Thank God, my husband likes to cook and he's good at it, but I love my kids, danny and Franny. They're really fun. My daughter's always wanting to dress up and be a princess. My son wants to be an astronaut, so we're usually watching, you know, space movies and documentaries and things like that, so I love that. I used to love to walk all the time.

Speaker 1: 17:07

I'm getting back into walking sort of testing out the new hips, but those are things that I that I really enjoy just spending time with family and downtime. I love reading as well.

Speaker 2: 17:17

Yeah, and for marketing for yourself, your brand. Are you big on social media? Are you on YouTube? How do you like to let people know about your story and the services that you provide?

Speaker 1: 17:29

Sure, they can find me on social media, both Instagram and Facebook, at my handle at Mikkel Reed Carroll, as well as at Carroll Crown Consulting, so that's where you can find me. I do have a youtube channel as well, but that's mostly just sort of pageanty type videos from from my past pageants and competitions and things, but you can certainly find me on there as well perfect and um, besides the complications that you've had with um this rare disease, what have been some things as being in the pageant industry that you've encountered?

Speaker 2: 18:07

Do you feel like women are supportive of each other? Is it very competitive, or what are some things that people may not know that you're like? Oh wow, this is interesting.

Speaker 1: 18:18

Sure, I actually think most people have misconceptions about pageantry and one of the things that I found that I really love is how supportive women are, for instance my International Ms, sister Queen Corinne Devon, who when I was crowned International Ms USA, she was crowned International Ms and she's actually flying out from San Diego to come support me in the Miss Virginia USA pageant. And though both of us because she's active duty in the Navy have lived across the world, we still talk, at least on a monthly basis, and I've actually been helping to coach her. She's the current Miss California. I helped her work for that pageant and I'm now helping her to get ready for Miss USOA which is happening next month in San Antonio. So really, women are so supportive of each other in this for the most part I'm not gonna say that everyone is, but for the most part, most pageant women are very supportive, very empowering to others.

Speaker 2: 19:17

Okay, good, yeah, those are some common misconceptions and I was just like let me ask her while I'm here. She knows the ropes, so let's see what she to the client part helping them in your business what kind of services are you offering Like particularly, I know there's like coaching, women, empowerment. What does that entail and what?

Speaker 1: 19:38

do you do Sure? Number one thing I do is, when someone contacts me, is thoroughly research whatever pageant system that they're in, to make sure I know the ins and outs of the pageant system, what their scoring is like, each component of the judging whether it's going to be interview, evening gown, swimsuit, talent, whatever types of things are being judged on and then I work to help them really be consistent in each and every one of those categories. And what I tend to focus on is looking for people's strengths and then also the things that make them unique and helping them find that uniqueness about them that they're bringing to the table that nobody else is. A lot of times people think that whatever it is that's unique about them is what they want to hide from the judge and from the public. But generally that's the thing that's going to help them stand out. But generally that's the thing that's going to help them stand out.

Speaker 1: 20:30

And today, really in pageantry, they're looking for more authentic, real people to represent their pageant systems. So I'm also helping people to really be their best, most authentic selves and find that sort of authenticity within themselves, in addition really training them on their interview and using my skills as an attorney to help them lead their interview, as well as to lead through their paperwork and whatever information. It is that the judges are seeing about them and being very strategic in that. So that's where my background as an attorney comes in and really being very strategic in helping my clients.

Speaker 2: 21:13

Okay, so was that your previous?

Speaker 1: 21:16

job being an attorney. Yes, so my husband is a foreign service officer and so we're moving all over the world, which means generally I'm not able to practice being an attorney, but I was a nonprofit attorney for five years and utilized my skills, basically assisting victims of crime. I worked with more than 6,000 victims of crime during my time as a nonprofit attorney, helping them to rebuild their lives, and roughly half of those victims of crime were victims of domestic violence.

Speaker 2: 21:43

Oh, my goodness, wow, that is amazing. You just have like the whole package and you know how to like talk to people and like help, guide them and empower them, and I feel like that has helped you a lot too, as well as understanding them and just hearing their stories and seeing where you can help them and add some positive outcomes to their lives with what they want to do in pageantry or when you were an attorney as well.

Speaker 1: 22:06

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's where that sort of learning how to be really empathetic and compassionate and really put my myself in the seat of that other person and trying to understand who they are and also find those things within them. I think we all have a hidden potential within us that sometimes we don't see ourselves, that other people can help bring out, and that's what I try to help bring out in my clients and it's what I used to help to try to bring out when I would work with victims of domestic violence or victims of crime.

Speaker 2: 22:39

Okay, and now? Is there anything that maybe I haven't touched on, that you would like to share with our audience? Just want to make sure we hit all those key points.

Speaker 1: 22:49

Let's see. I don't think so. I'm very excited for the Miss Virginia USA pageant. It's coming up June 21st, the 23rd. Um, I'm going to be the oldest woman in history to ever compete which is very exciting. I look at that as an advantage and I'm just really excited to see what happens next and to really also expand my business and bring that to the next level.

Speaker 2: 23:13

Amazing. And now my final question for you is if you could leave a message for our listeners, what would that message be? Anything that's in your heart, it can be in relation to your industry, anything in life, what would that be?

Speaker 1: 23:28

Sure, I think my message for them would really be to never give up. Don't give up on yourself, don't give up on your dreams, no matter what. On the other side of whatever challenge it is that you're facing, there'll be strength and joy, and even beauty.

Speaker 2: 23:45

Beautiful, well said. Thank you so much. Yeah, I appreciate you taking the time to be here today and sharing your amazing story with us. Thank you so much for having. I appreciate you taking the time to be here today and sharing your amazing story with us.

Speaker 1: 23:53

Thank you so much for having me. I've really enjoyed this experience and I really appreciate you guys.