What is the most powerful characteristic about you? The ability to learn through new experiences and responsibilities. A prime example would be becoming a podcast host with no prior experience. But I accepted the challenge and have grown our listeners from 0 to an average of 1,000 – 2,000 per show from at least 10 countries. Other than being crowned, tell us something that you dream of doing? Leaving behind a legacy of people who improved their lives because I cared enough to share my journey to health and wellness. What is the most interesting personal fact about you? At the age of 47, I made my debut as a Pro Bikini Natural Bodybuilding competitor and won 1st Place! Have pageants been a part of your life? I competed within the USA pageant as a Teen and Miss in my teens, and then again, as a Mrs. in my mid-20’s, but haven’t competed since then. I generally did well, placing in the top 5, but never achieved a title until now. What prompted you to run for Mrs. Iowa? I was serving on the judging panel for the Iowa Teen & USA Pageant and fellow judge and pageant coach, Kerry Damiano, asked the rest of the female judges if we had considered participating in a Mrs. Pageant. And quite honestly, the thought had not crossed my mind. Later that evening, I was relaying the conversation to my husband, and he thought on it for a moment and then asked, “How much is this going to cost us?” Which I thought was comical, because I still wasn’t thinking that I was going to enter a pageant. But the more we talked about it, the more the potential of being a title holder came into view as far as being able to spread a health message to a broader audience. So, I researched some different pageant organizations for married women, landed on the Mrs. America organization and signed-up. Tell me more about Mrs. Iowa: The Mrs. Iowa America pageant publicly recognizes accomplished, driven, and beautiful married women who have obtained personal, professional and community achievements. The motto for the pageant is “We Are Family”. The “Mrs. America Competition” rich in history, was first held in 1938 and continued until 1968. In 1977, after a nine-year hiatus, it was revived by David Z. Marmel, after his successful career in professional athletics and independent television production. He was instrumental in setting the new direction for the pageant and transforming the pageant into the multifaceted event it is today. Mrs. America was the first and remains the foremost competition for the married woman in America. Nowin its 41st year it is the premiere pageant for married women. it has epitomized excellence, professionalism, and the celebration of family values, and is supported by an office and full-time director in every state in America and the District of Columbia. The winner of the Mrs. America crown receives prizes and endless opportunities. During her exciting and memorable reign, she will make personal appearances throughout the country. For the entire year she acts as the ambassador and spokesperson for America’s married women. She may speak to civic groups and business organizations, appear in print and television commercials, and conducts countless interviews 25
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