Explore every episode of the podcast Life After The Crown With Tim Tialdo

Pageantry is in crisis. Miss Universe is tangled in financial chaos. Miss USA is losing trust by the day. Miss America has faded into irrelevance. And contestants? They see it. They feel it. They're tired of pretending everything's fine.

For five years, Life After the Crown has been silent. But in this episode, I'm breaking that silence with a hard truth: if pageantry is going to matter again, it needs courage. It needs vision. It needs leaders who are willing to stop waiting and start leading.

In this no-holds-barred conversation, I expose the cultural rot, the corruption, and the cowardice holding pageantry back — and I lay out why beauty, dignity, and truth are still worth fighting for. You may agree with me. You may disagree. And that's fine. But if we don't start this conversation now, there won't be anything left to save.

This isn't just a commentary. It's a rallying cry. Because pageantry once inspired a nation — and it can again.

Today I explain why I've decided to end the Life After the Crown Podcast and what lies ahead. 

My guest today is a former Division 1 track and field Heptathlete and Oklahoma State University. She made history as the first woman to hold titles in two major pageant systems back-to-back in Oklahoma. She was also Miss Oklahoma America 2018 and Miss Oklahoma USA 2019, and this past Spring took 2nd Runner Up at Miss USA.

My guest today is the reigning Miss World America Washington, a global speaker, and a survivor. At age 12 she had a heart block and received a pacemaker and was told she would never dance again. However, she overcame her heart challenges and was selected at the world-famous Joffrey Ballet. Then, just a few years ago, she was in a near-fatal car accident and suffered major facial burns, but she continued to rise up from challenges and focus her energy on what she can do to make a difference through pageantry.

My guest today is the reigning Miss New York USA 2020 and is also a former Miss Teen United States 2015 and Miss Earth USA 2017 where she placed in the top 16 at Miss Earth in the Philippines. Today, we talk about her pageant journey and her long journey as an immigrant. 

My guest today is an entrepreneur, author & speaker who finished Top 10 this year and also won the people's choice award at the Miss Oklahoma USA 2020 Pageant. She is the founder and CEO of the Women's Athleisure Wear line, Beyond Athletica and the 2019 recipient of a bronze Stevie for Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year. Today we chat about entrepreneurship and what that path looks like right out of school.

How has the impact of Instant Gratification on the internet affected society? How to not quit before you finally see success. Exploring the Cancel & Bullying culture online and would you dare do a social media fast? A great convo with Miss GA USA 2006 Lesa Wilson

She was set to compete in the Ms. America Pageant this past August, but she was disqualified 5 days before the event for her political beliefs being posted on her personal social media pages after having both vocal and written encouragement from the director. Today we chat about her decision to go public about it, what ensued after and how you can raise your voice to benefit the Pageant world.

Today, Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart talks about how she tried 5 times before winning Texas, and eventually the Miss USA title. She also dives into how she unexpectedly met Tyler Perry and how that launched her acting career. An insightful and inspiring conversation with Crystle Stewart!

My guest today just gave up her crown as was Miss Virginia USA 2019. Last year she was selected from a field of more than 8000 applicants as part of the 'Sweet Sixteen" for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and walked in the 2019 runway show for Sports Illustrated during Miami Swim Week. Today we talk about her pageant journey, serving her country in the military and watching her Miss USA sisters compete on the Bachelor.

My guest today is a former beauty queen who drives a hot pink 40ft school bus for her online Fashion Boutique, The Tiny Closet. She was an International Junior Miss Teen. She competed in Miss Alabama USA for 4 years, finishing runner up twice. Today we chat all about her journey and her life as a successful entrepreneur.

My guest today was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2012 and Top 16 that year at Miss Teen USA. She was a member of the Charlotte Hornets Honeybee Dance squad for 4 years and Earlier this year she became a rookie on the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Today we chat about being a DCC and her journey of pursuing goals that seemed impossible at times.

My guest today was Miss Kansas USA 1993 and second runner up that year at Miss USA. She was also a semi-finalist at Miss Teen USA 1990, representing Missouri. She is married to Clark Hunt, the Chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs. Today we chat about being a pageant mom to her daughter Gracie, being the wife of an NFL owner and possibly getting more involved in the world of pageantry in the future.

My guest today was Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007 and went on to place third runner-up at Miss Teen USA that year. And that pageant changed her life forever. She went from beauty queen to pop culture icon when she stumbled on her Top 5 Question. In this episode we talk about: 

- The Question 

- The Days Following

- The Scrutiny She Faced for Years

- How it Led to a Successful Career

 - Jimmy Kimmel, Rob Dyrdek & Tosh.O

- Finishing 3rd on The Amazing Race

- Her Modeling Career

- How she removed negative people from her life

My guest today was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2016 and Runner up that year at Miss Teen USA to Karli Hay.  She graduated from the University of North Carolina with a double major in journalism and political science. She's worked at TV stations in Atlanta and Washington D.C. and currently is a reporter at WIS-TV the NBC affiliate in Columbia, SC. 

My guest today was Miss New Mexico USA 2019 and was runner up to Cheslie Kryst at Miss USA last year. In this episode, we talk about that runner-up experience, her 8-year career in pageantry and her thoughts on state-hopping and entrepreneurship. Enjoy the show!

My guest today was Miss Arizona USA 2012. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate-of-Education in Christian Leadership and is a Fellow of the Falkirk Center at Liberty University.She also host's a weekly podcast called Mid Week Rise Up. We chat about the challenges of transitioning from being a titleholder and how to share your faith confidently in the modern PC Culture.

My guest today is an entrepreneur, speaker and pageant "roll-model" who loves to chase bold adventures. Today we talk about her journey of going from being a shy and newly paralyzed 10-year-old with spinal cord injury to winning Ms. Wheelchair USA

As we kick off the new year, no doubt each of you has resolutions for 2020. In this episode, I chat with Miss Hawaii USA 2016 Chelsea Hardin (who is the envy of many women in the pageant world when it comes to the body they desire to have). We talk about how to get into your best possible shape if you are competing this year and some resources to help you.

Betty Maxwell (Cantrell) was crowned Miss America 2016 in Atlantic City. After her year as Miss America, she came out with her first album called "Nicotine" which is available on iTunes and Spotify). So what's she doing now and what does she think of all the changes inside the Miss America Organization since giving up her crown? You don't want to miss what she has to say! 

Is being Miss America as hard as it sounds? Does it make life easier after you win? What the's hardest part about being a national titleholder? Today Miss America 2017 Savvy Shields answers all these questions and so much more as we unpack her last few years and what it has been like to be Miss America, see the organization change and to now be married to the love of her life. Enjoy the podcast!

During her year, she served as the International Brand Ambassador for the American Pistachio Growers. She traveled over 60,000 miles during her year with the crown and helped raise over $1.5 million for various causes and organizations. She used her scholarships to complete a dual-major at California Baptist University and graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor's Degree.

She is also currently applying for Law School. She is more confident, more prepared, and more motivated to pursue her goals beyond the crown because of her time as Miss California 2018. Welcome Mackenzie Freed to the Life After the Crown!

2020 is upon us and it's time to get yourself set to hit your pageant goals for the coming year. Today, in this 15 minute bonus episode I cover the 5 steps you need to take in order to do so.

She has also been featured in Cosmo, Shape, Maxim and Vogue magazines. She graduated in 2011 from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Heath Sciences. This past August she got engaged to her now Fiancé Jay Hector. Excited to welcome Miss USA 210, Olivia Jordan to the Podcast! 

This week, ABC announced that my guest today, Miss Texas USA 2019 and Miss United States 2016 Alayah Benavidez will be part of The Bachelor cast next month. While we were not allowed to talk about her participation on the show yet, we did dive into her pageant journey and what her plans are moving forward.

Pageant Planet Made Big News This Week Announcing They Would No Longer Be Covering Miss America. What prompted the decision and why now? Tim Tialdo chats with Pageant Planet Founder/CEO Steven Roddy.

Miss America 2016 already has the #1 Life After the Crown Podcast of all time, but she continues to find ways to inspire and educate others. This time it's through her new book "Miss Unlikely". Today Betty joins me to talk about her new book.

Today we chat about how pageants have changed from when she was Miss Illinois Teen USA 2012 vs competing in Miss USA this past Spring. It's the debate between the Glitz and Glam of the Trump era and the more relatable woman in the IMG era. Which is her favorite and why? 

To Learn more about Lesa Wilson, go to LesaWilson.com 

In This Episode You'll Learn:

Moving on after Finishing Top 5 at Miss USA (3:13)
What You Should Know Before Pageant Life is Over (8:58)
What it Was Like to Compete as a Semi-Finalist on American Idol (11:34)
How to Use the Platform You've Been Given (13:26)
When Everything Changed For Her Professionally (15:20)
Her Original Goal with Being on TV (17:45)
How She Has Succeeded in Atlanta (19:10)
Agent or No Agent? She Weighs In (20:53)
Navigating the Modeling World (25:16)
Plus Much More!

Follow Chelsea on Instagram @chelsea_hardin

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What she was thinking when she got the infamous TOP 5 Question Trump or Hillary? (3:00)

Where she came up with the idea for her now popular dress she wore for Miss USA (7:00)

What drew her to compete in pageants after Volleyball (9:26)

What she found challenging about competing at Miss USA (10:45)

How her modeling career has evolved (13:30)

What it's like to now split time between Hawaii, LA and Oregon (18:20)

What her career aspirations were before modeling happened (19:50)

Where her desire to help others in a humanitarian role comes from (21:15)

Plus Much More!

We all sat down over the weekend to chat about taking over the crown from Cheslie Kryst, how they make full time careers modeling and even how they handle their family dynamic.

Both were Jovani it girls and cover girls for the Jovani Prom and Red Carpet Line catalog. Younger Sister Courtney was in the music video "One Number Away" for Country Music Singer Luke Combs and older sis Laura was the 2017 Sideline Attraction cheerleader for All pro cheer magazine.

These were also both NBA dancers. Dancing for the Charlotte Hornets Honeybees for a combined 5 years.

And lastly, if you follow either of them on social media, you'll know that both have been Monster Energy Girls for the past 2 ½ years making appearances in Victory Lane for all of the biggest Nascar Races, the Winter and Summer X-Games and Supercross.

Some great laughs and advice from the Little sisters on todays episode.

My guest today started in pageants when she was 16 years old, capturing the title of Miss High School America 2011 and 4 years later crowned Miss United States 2015. This year, she began working with MMG Model Management as their Director of Digital Media and PR and is spearheading the development of their new influencer division that will contain four top of the line Artificial intelligence software integrations.

My guest today has multiple state titles to her name. She was Miss Wisconsin United States 2017, she placed Top 10 that year at the national pageant, and just last month gave up her title as Miss Wisconsin USA 2019. Today we reflect on her year as a state titleholder and what's next!

She graduated from the Nashville School of Law in May 2017 and passed her state bar exam on her first attempt. She is currently practicing law part time, working in the entertainment industry, serving as a board member for the Kindness for Kids Foundation and producing her own television show and vlog.

On October 14th, The Perfect Race will be released in theaters in multiple cities where she reprises the role of Courtney Smith-Donnelly, starring opposite Clarence Gilyard in this inspirational sports drama.

Excited to have Miss Tennessee USA 2017 Allee Sutton-Heathcoat stop by the podcast!

A Nebraska native, Sarah graduated cum laude from Texas Christian University (AKA TCU) in four years with two degrees while working part-time as a pilates instructor at Tatiana at Lululemon Athletica.

Following graduation, she completed her clinical rotations to become a Certified Child Life Specialist. In addition to child advocacy, she is passionate about encouraging others to have a healthy relationship with food and fitness - she spoke out about body shaming during her year as Miss USA to shine a light on society's distorted ideals of beauty.

She can now be found hosting events, taking a dance party cycling class, or enriching people's lives through her new podcast called More Than A Crown.

Born and raised in Rochester, NY, she was inspired by her own childhood experiences to pursue a career in family law. She went on to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Syracuse University in 2011 followed by her Juris Doctor from New England Law in Boston in 2018.

What kept her motivated during her academic journey was her intense passion for sports. In 2017, she accepted an internship in Dallas, TX with the NFFC or National Fantasy Football Convention as a social media coordinator. After graduating from law school the following year, she packed up and relocated to Dallas to continue working with the NFFC as the Director of Media Relations.

Her involvement quickly evolved into her current position as executive director when the company re-branded in 2019 to SportsCon.

She currently resides in Dallas, TX and is a diehard Dallas Cowboys and Syracuse Orangemen fan and is a candidate for her Masters Degree in Communications at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University through their online program.

Welcome Lorna Rose to Life After the Crown!

She has reported live from the Golden Globes red carpet, and has interviewed countless celebrities, including Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Lopez, and Kelly Clarkson. She also produces segments for her signature series: "Uniquely Boston", which features the people and places that make Boston special.

Prior to this role, Jackie anchored and covered general assignment news for NECN and WWLP in Springfield, MA. She was one of the first reporters to tweet from the Boston Marathon bombing, and delivered eyewitness reports in the minutes, hours, and days that followed.

When it comes to pageants, she still enjoys helping girls prepare for competitions. She also has judged state and local pageants for both Miss USA and Miss America.

She is a graduate of Boston University, and a devoted mother to her two boys Jack and James.

Welcome Jackie Bruno to Life After the Crown!

In 2016 Logan earned her Real Estate License in Texas and has become a popular and successful real estate in the Lone Star State who provides world class service, and has built a reputation for her professionalism, attention to detail and her devotion to her client's success.

She is a member of the Houston Association of Realtors, the Texas Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.

In addition to her crown and real estate credentials, she is also a successful fitness model.

She has been featured in hundreds of articles from TV Guide to the New York Times, and is a familiar face to millions who welcomed her into their homes as a popular TV host on QVC.

Her work with renowned designers inspired her to combine her sense of style and entrepreneurial spirit to launch the Kim Parrish Collection clothing line which ran successfully on shopping networks around the world.

Now she is celebrating how women look at every age, in her role as a Beauty Expert on Jane Seymour's Secret to Youthful Looking Skin, the nationally top-ranked infomercial that introduces Crepe Erase, an antiaging line of body care.

As the brand's Spokesperson and Director of Education, she launched Crepe Erase on QVC and it quickly became a Rising Star Nominee in the QVC Customer Choice Awards.

She is the author of the "Snapdragon Princess," and is a proud mom to two fabulous boys who describe themselves as "kidpreneurs", dedicating hundreds of hours a year to running their own social causes.

She also was Miss West Virginia 1992.

Welcome TV Host and Brand Builder Kim Parrish to Life After the Crown

She is the Creator/Editor of Krystle Clear Pageantry, a pageantry and lifestyle website designed to serve as Your Krystle Clear Source for All Things Pageant Related. In this episode we chat about the self-esteem aspect of competing and also how to afford competing without breaking the bank! 

She's more than just a beauty queen, Danielle graduated Magna Cum Laude from TCU in December 2015, majoring in Sports Broadcasting with a minor in Communication Studies. She has appeared as a host for FOX Sports Southwest and the nationally televised show, Girls on the Go Driven by FORD.

She most recently enjoys the career she's built with The Campbell Agency in Dallas, Texas.

She will begin her next adventure in November of this year when she will marry her college sweetheart, Dylan.

In this episode Shandi and I compare pageantry today versus when she was Miss USA in 2004, which was also the TV ratings height of pageantry when viewership was in the tens of millions. Are Pageants still relevant today? And if they are, where are they headed? We tackle some of the incredibly controversial issues and neither of us re afraid to share our opinion on them. If you're interested in seeing pageantry survive, then you'll definitely want to download this episode!

To Learn More About Nicole, head to her website

In this Episode you'll learn:

How she got started in the world of fitness (2:30)

Who some of her inspirations early on were (6:00)

Coming back from 2 physical injuries to become a world champion (7:00)

How she embraced her more muscular look  early in her career (9:15)

Transitioning from a state level competition mindset to the national level (14:00)

Her daily disciplines and how she perfected the art of posing on-stage (16:30)

How to stay in shape after you are done competing (21:00)

What is required to stay at the top (26:45)

Plus Much More!

Many of you are willing to have conversations behind the scenes about what you do and don't like about pageantry in 2019, but in this Episode Eboni and I throw all the topics out on the table and talk openly and honestly about them. If you compete in pageants, you definitely don't want to miss this one! Enjoy the show and please share!

She is a Youtuber and communications coach, awarded for Best Content/Social Media at the 2019 Global Beauty Awards and shares weekly vlogs and tutorials that range from style tips to influencer strategies.

As a devoted volunteer, she's worked with over fifty nonprofit organizations since 2004, which work to address sustainable solutions for poverty. She approaches business, and life goals, with the motto, "What can I give? Instead of, what can I gain?" because she believes impactful success centers around service.

Fresh off the latest version of Miss America airing on NBC, former Miss America's Betty Maxwell and Savvy Shields have plenty to say about the newest version of the pageant (aka competition) and today they share ALL their thoughts on Miss America 2.0

Since starting the Superfan company in January 2011, Kim has worked with A-list clients such as Katy Perry, The New York Mets, KISS, Mumford & Sons, Kellogg, Miller Coors, and The Beach Boys.

This year she was one of the members of the selection committee at Miss USA in Reno/Tahoe. She has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Advertising Age's 40 Under 40, and Inc.'s 35 Under 35 list while the company was hailed as a Top 30 Startup to Watch by Entrepreneur, and dubbed an "overnight success" by Inc. Magazine. She was most recently seen on ABC's hit primetime show, Shark Tank, securing offers from 4 out of 5 sharks. She's contributed articles to numerous media outlets including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes Woman.

She enjoys good music, witty banter, and commenting on life and entrepreneurship on her social channels. If you don't interrupt her during one of her beloved Florida Gator games, she is always up for a conversation, laugh, or figuring out a master plan on how she can meet and hug one of her idols, Harrison Ford

Welcome Kim Kaupe to the podcast!

My guest today was Miss Nevada USA 2018 and 2nd runner up that year at Miss USA. She She grew up in New York City where she spent most of her time watching her father, a former pro basketball player from the Dominican Republic, play in an optimist league.

After moving to Miami, her love of sports grew and she got the best seat in the house at every Miami Dolphins game as she graced the sidelines as a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader for the 2012-2013 season.

Welcome MJ Acosta to the podcast! 

My guest today was Miss Nevada USA 2018 and 2ndrunner up that year at Miss USA. She has a passion for travel and hiking, and she enjoys volunteering with the Las Vegas Inspiring Connections Outdoors), an outreach program that provides nature outings and wilderness experiences to underserved urban youth in the Las Vegas area. She is also an advocate of the Nevada partnership for Homeless Youth. This organization is especially close to her heart because she experienced homelessness firsthand.

She currently works as a model, having shot for national brands such as Forever 21, Nordstrom, Target, CVS, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Lancome among others. In her free time, she enjoys raising her three rescue animals and reading motivational books. She also aspires to someday work as an ambassador of a global organization.

She is a licensed health coach certified in Positive Psychology, a licensed yoga instructor, and is the owner of RKT Consulting which focuses on helping women shed the false beliefs, rewire the negative thought patterns, and step into their purpose, passion and power to live the life of their dreams.