Are Pageant Queens Just Fake Smiles and Backstabbing?

Are pageant queens just fake smiles, big hair, and backstabbing drama? That is what the movies want you to believe. Miss United Universe Brandi Babin is here to blow that up entirely.In this episode, I sit down with Brandi — Northern Colorado native, founder of the Reclaim platform, and the inaugural Miss United Universe — to challenge just about every assumption most people carry about the pageant world. We get into the real sisterhood behind the sashes, the personal crisis she survived on the way to her first crown, and the platform she has been building and living for over five years without wavering once. Fair warning: this one gets real, fast.What You'll LearnWhy everything Hollywood taught you about pageantry is almost completely wrong — and what it actually looks like insideHow Brandi went from a Word document she wrote in her darkest season to a published guidebook, a podcast, and an entire platformWhat suicidal ideation actually feels like from the inside — and the five-minute survival strategy that got her through itWhy she won a national title in a $300 Facebook Marketplace dress doing her own hair and makeup — and what that says about what actually mattersHow self-talk is the single most powerful thing you can change, and why you should start with just one sentenceChaptersIntro: Meet the Woman Behind the CrownWhat Movies Get Completely Wrong About PageantryFrom Mrs. Colorado to Miss United Universe: The JourneyThe Personal Crisis That Became a PlatformThe Word Document That Became a BookReclaim: The Guidebook, Podcast, and PlatformHow to Get Started in Pageantry Without Losing Your MindButt Glue, Crowns, and the Reality Behind the StageFinal Words: Talk to Yourself Like a Five-Year-OldResources MentionedReclaim: A Journey to Self-Discovery (guidebook/workbook)Self Rediscovery Guide (mini version, $13)Shattered to Unbreakable Podcast (100+ episodes, Season 9 coming)Reclaim University (DIY video courses)Brainspotting resources (available on her website)Contact and LinksWebsite: thereclaimstrategy.comInstagram (pageant): Miss United UniverseInstagram (personal): brandy.babin2Instagram (platform): thereclaimstrategyFacebook: Miss United UniverseIf this episode challenged the way you see pageantry — or the way you see yourself — share it with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Your support keeps these conversations going.#WomensEmpowerment #SelfLove #PageantryTruth