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When the Universe Calls, You Leap: My Journey from State Stage to the World Stage

Jun 9

4 min read

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I didn’t place.


That’s the honest truth. After months of preparing for Mrs. Oregon America, pouring my heart into fitness, wardrobe, interview prep, community work, and platform development, I walked off stage without a crown…but I was still so proud.


Proud of my effort. Proud of my resilience. Proud of how I showed up, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a flicker of disappointment or a whisper of what now?


And then, out of the blue, the universe answered.


I was invited to represent the Pacific Coast at the Continental Worldwide Pageant, a prestigious international system with an entirely different energy, format, and mission. My heart said yes before my head could catch up. Some may think that’s a bold move, jumping into a global competition right after a state pageant loss, but I don’t see it as a contradiction. I see it as a continuation.


This time, I wasn’t chasing a title.

I was answering a call.


A System Shift and a Mindset Reset


Pageant systems are like families, each with their own rhythm, rules, and values. Shifting from one to another isn’t just about adapting to new paperwork or walking patterns. It’s about realigning your why.


Continental Worldwide welcomed me with open arms and I’ve walked into this season lighter. Less about pressure, more about purpose. I’m no longer trying to prove anything. I’m here to express what’s already true: that I am a leader, a wife, a mother of eight, a builder of community, and a woman who rises, not just when it’s easy, but especially when it’s not.


Being fresh out of my last competition turned out to be an unexpected blessing. I was already in “pageant mode,” both mentally and physically. The wardrobe was ready. My platform was sharpened. My confidence? Still intact, but this time, I have the gift of perspective.


A Homecoming Rooted in Generations


What makes this journey even more meaningful, though, has nothing to do with competition at all.


The Continental Worldwide finals are being held in Salt Lake City…my hometown. I was born there and spent the first six years of my life nestled in the valley before my family moved to Elko, Nevada. Years later, I returned to Utah with my two oldest babies and lived outside of Moab for a season.


Even though I didn’t grow up in Salt Lake in the traditional sense, it has always felt like home. My ancestors were among the early families who built their lives in the Salt Lake Valley generations ago, and that legacy still runs deep. There’s something about that connection, about being woven into the story of a place that creates a kind of rootedness.


Salt Lake has always wrapped me in a quiet comfort. It’s one of the only places in the world where I immediately feel at peace. And this July, I get to go back, not just as a competitor, but as a daughter, granddaughter, and woman returning to her roots.


I’ll finally get to see my grandparents again. It’s been too long. Life has pulled us in so many directions, and visits haven’t come easily. But this trip, this moment, is giving me the gift of reconnection. I can’t wait to sit with them, laugh with them, and remember where I come from.


A Mother-Daughter Tradition, Reunited


Maybe the most emotional part of this experience is the time I’ll get with my mom.


When I was a child and teen competitor, my mom was my pageant partner in every sense of the word. Every summer, we traveled to Las Vegas together for pageant week. She curled my hair, zipped my gowns, calmed my nerves, and cheered the loudest from the crowd. It wasn’t just a tradition…it was ours.


Now, decades later, we get to do it again.


After years apart, my mom will be with me in Salt Lake City, just like old times. I’ll be the on stage only this time, older and wiser, with eight children of my own…but still, in many ways, that little girl who wanted nothing more than to make her mom proud.


And she will be there, watching me rise again.


Why This Leap Matters


People often ask why I’m still competing. Why I didn’t just close the chapter and move on after Oregon. We’ll, here’s the truth:


Because I’m not done.


Because my work isn’t done.


Because someone needs to see what it looks like to rise again and do so boldly, joyfully, and without apology.


Because representation matters, and motherhood isn’t a limitation, it’s a superpower.


Because when the universe calls, we don’t question the timing, we trust the assignment.


So What’s Next?


In July, I’ll be taking the Continental Worldwide stage in Salt Lake City as Mrs. Pacific Coast, a title that represents more than geography. It represents the bridge between where I’ve been and where I’m headed.


This time, I’m not chasing validation.

I’m carrying a message.


This journey has already given me more than I could have imagined and I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.


So, if you’ve ever been told to wait your turn;

If you’ve ever felt like the door you wanted didn’t open; If you’re standing at the edge of a leap that doesn’t quite make sense…Take it anyway. Because sometimes the universe doesn’t wait for perfect timing. Sometimes it just wants to know you’re ready.


And I am.

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