Confessions of a Pageant King

With close to a decade’s worth of pageant experience and an estimated FIFTY competitions under her belt, you’d understand why Brooke Cochrane had to take a break from pageantry. She came back with a vengeance though, taking out her first national title of Miss Diamond Australia 2019. I caught up with the popular Melbourne-based Twitch streamer a month or so after her big win. TIMESTAMPS · 1:21 Win...

I first interviewed Olivia Raffaele some two years ago (before The Pageant Project even existed). We discuss pretty much everything in this in-depth interview from women’s rights to the correct pronunciation of ‘gnocchi’. TIMESTAMPS  · 1:52 Why Olivia decided to make a pageant comeback · 4:28 Favourite pageant memory so far · 7:57 Day job · 15:49 Downtime fun (food and cooking pretty much) · 29:20...

Denika Donnelly has one of the most amazing back stories of anyone I’ve ever interviewed. She’s proof that you can turn your life around no matter how dark it may seem. TIMESTAMPS  · 0:46 Denika’s pageantry background · 3:02 The International United Miss System · 9:50 Study: counter-terrorism, security and intelligence · 16:48 Hobbies · 17:51 Denika’s amazing life story and challenges · 29:34 Down...

Emily Egan is a fierce advocate for body positivity and gender equality as well as being an avid martial artist. I caught up with Emily in the lead up to Miss Galaxy Australia 2019. TIMESTAMPS · 0:51 Emily’s pageantry experience · 8:15 Body positivity · 12:00 International Women’s Day and gender equality · 16:21 Martial arts, study and tea · 22:21 Fundraising for Make A Wish Australia · 24:01 Goal...

I’ve interviewed pageant girls who nerd and pageant girls who drift, but I’m not sure I’ve interviewed one that does BOTH! Chantelle is also volunteering with TWENTY-SEVEN different charitable organisations this year alone. Find out what makes this pocket rocket tick and what drove her to regain her belief, confidence and voice. TIMESTAMPS 1:14 Chantelle’s charity work 4:05 Pageantry journey 7:26...

Jazmine Alessio is your typical extraordinary girl next door balancing her pageantry with work, family and soon to be study. She advocates for The Heart Foundation after losing her grandfather to a heart attack and also has a small boutique business Easter Hats That Sparkle! TIMESTAMPS · 0:54 Pageantry background · 5:30 The Australia International Pageant system · 7:46 Jazmine’s sister queens · 9:...

I like genuine people who can laugh at themselves and come with a side of quirky. That’s why I was excited to get a chance to interview Ruby Adamson. Philanthropy and charity are supposed to be at the heart of pageantry, but there are many who only pay it lip service. One look at Ruby’s social media and you’ll be able to tell immediately that doesn’t apply to her. She is a constant advocate for Do...

Jasmine Farlow is not only one of the people I respect most in the pageantry world, she’s also one of the most experienced. Obviously she’s competed herself somewhere in the vicinity of thirty times, but she’s also a Director, a pageant coach and has her own fashion label. I caught up with Jas at the Hunter Valley Zoo, in between shoots and interviews for her Milestone team. TIMESTAMPS • 2:38 Inte...

I initially met Rachel Gallagher through the Miss Australia Continents pageant in 2018, her first ever pageant experience. What caught my attention was actually her field of study: female leadership, obviously a topic that’s close to my heart. Whilst she’s finishing off her thesis in that area, Rachel is also busy promoting her Irish heritage through her dancing and the Crookwell Festival, bloggin...

Maddy May has definitely been through her fair share of tough times. And then some. I’ve always said adversity builds character. People who have depth rarely achieve it easily. The thing that struck me most about Maddy was that she was able to retell the stories of the ordeals she had been through without getting choked up, and to me that means she’s truly been able to overcome them. TIMESTAMPS ·...

Releasing this at the same time that Krysta Heath is literally in the air flying to Cambodia to represent this great country of ours in Miss Planet International. I cannot think of anyone I'd rather have representing our country. I've often told Krysta that she's the one pageant girl I never have to worry about because she's so level-headed - nothing ever seems to faze her or get her down for long...

Kim Gundani is one of the most well-spoken queens I've interviewed, as well as being fierce and singularly determined. The only weakness she seems to have is for anything technology-related! I interviewed the Miss Grand Australia title-holder a few days out from her travelling overseas to represent Australia on the international stage for the first time. CONNECT WITH KIM https://www.facebook.com/k...

 What is there to say about Alicia Van Schoonhoven that I haven't said already? This is our third pageant interview, she's the original Ambassador for The Fear to Freedom Project and a close personal friend. Beautiful on the inside and the outside, a proper queen in every aspect. CONNECT WITH ALICIA https://www.facebook.com/aliciajvs/ https://www.instagram.com/aliciajvs/ https://www.aliciajvs.com/...

I honestly can't remember how I connected with American teen Savannah Miles to begin with. The miracles of Instagram. What quickly became apparent is that she is one of the most well-spoken teens I've ever interviewed. Probably one of the most well-spoken queens I've ever interviewed period. I'm predicting a bright future for this queen. CONTACT SAVANNAH https://www.instagram.com/savannahmiles/ Sn...

Alicia Tavani was a National Finalist in the Continents Australia Pageant when we interviewed, but she actually ended up taking out the title. Alicia hails from Perth and I'd say she's quiet yet fiercely determined. It didn't surprise me at all that she took out the title. CONTACT ALICIA https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007362402673 https://www.instagram.com/aliciatmodel/ FOLLOW US https...

Krysta Heath is quirky and weird (her words not mine). She's certainly authentic in a very real and relatable way which makes her a bit of a rarity in the pageant world. Last time I interviewed Krysta was in 2018 during the lead-up to the Aussie Power Pageant. Since then she's been chosen to represent Australia as Miss Planet Australia 2018, walked in high fashion shows and had some adventures at...

Miss Australia Global International 2018/9 Chelsea-Anne Lewis is lucky to be here given that just eight weeks before we interviewed she was in a life-threatening car accident. That incident gave the vivacious and straight-talking queen a new lease on life and a greater appreciation for the gifts she’d been given. I caught up with Chelsea just after helping her judge a pageant in Newcastle, a coupl...

When I initially contacted Lauren Parkinson about interviewing, she was just returning from work so that she could continue to fund her pageant pursuits. It was after midnight her time. Lauren originally entered pageantry after a violent assault forced her to return home and rebuild her life and herself from scratch. It's one of the reasons why she is so passionate about the message of Miss Grand...

Sapir Isabella is a freelance digital designer and self-professed 'space nerd' who lists her heritage as 1/4 Polish, 1/4 Russian, 1/4 Italian and 1/4 Egyptian. On top of that she was born in Israel but is proud to call herself Australian. I caught up with Sapir just days before she jetted off to represent Australia on the international stage for the first time. If you enjoyed this interview, make...

Real estate agent by day and superhero pageant queen by night, Mikaela-Rose Fowler lined up to compete in the Aussie Power Pageant in 2018 (comprising of the three titles of Miss Global Australia, Miss Intercontinental Australia and Australia's Teen Queen). As you'll be able to tell from her social links below, Mikaela took out the title of Miss Intercontinental Australia and, at the time of writi...

Rachel Falzon is a self-confessed competitive girl who's out to capture the Miss Global Australia title after a brief break from pageant competition. She's big on women's empowerment and revolutionising her industry and workplace, and will no doubt be one to watch next month on the Gold Coast. FOLLOW RACHEL https://www.instagram.com/rachelfalzon_/ PAGEANT & MODELLING COACHING Visit our website and...

Lisa Bennett is somewhat of a veteran when it comes to the pageant world, having competed in many of the same pageants regularly, whilst also improving her PLACING regularly. Slow and steady wins the race! She's also a bit unusual in that she works in the mining sector and has a deep love for history (as you'll find out in this interview... it's a subject I failed miserably at school). FOLLOW LISA...

I knew one thing heading into this interview with Krysta Heath - there was going to be a lot of laughing. After it took us about twenty takes to get the introduction right, I think that was an understatement! But, just because she's a character doesn't mean that Krysta doesn't have a heart of gold. She is one of the hardest workers I've ever met and genuinely wants to make a difference in people's...

Jade Lozankoski isn't exactly your typical pageant girl (I'm finding out there really is no such thing). For a start, she's quite petite and she boxes (the real stuff not the version you sometimes see thrown into aerobics classes). Jade was one of the six Miss Grand competitors I didn't get to interview during the competition, so we sat down the day after it was all over to have a longer-form chat...

Kassandra Kashian says she felt oddly peaceful when she entered Miss Grand Australia in 2017. 'Pageants' and 'peaceful' aren't words you normally hear together in the same sentence, however it obviously worked, even though she was shocked when pronounced the winner. I sat down to interview Kassandra exactly a week out from her handing over her crown to the new Miss Grand Australia who will be crow...