December 11, 2025 • 44 mins
On this episode of Levels to This, hosts Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby are joined by THE Miss New Jersey USA 2025, Ivy Harrington. Ivy shares how she went from college basketball captain (as a freshman!) to the pageant stage, how her athletic background shaped her confidence, and what it really takes to prepare for competition—on and off the runway. She also opens up about pushing past beauty stereotypes, building real sisterhood amid the competition, and the mission behind her program Most Valuable Pivot, which helps young athletes find their identity beyond sports.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
It's your girls from the Foster Brasby what's.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Up, y'all?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's your girls cheryls swoops Hey, And this is a
levels to this podcast. This is the show where we
talk about the various levels of shit.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
That women go through.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
And I am so excited about today's show. We have
a guest today that's very different from some of the
guests that we have had in the past, and that
makes me very excited to speak to her. But first, sure,
we got to catch up because I haven't talked to
you in a while, and I've been over here going
through it's this I'm battling. I don't know what the
(00:54):
hell this is. Shah hear it head Cole signings.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And you know where I got this shit from?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
This right here is why I strongly advise against marriage.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Because your husband gives, you don't do that. We don't
do that. I'm doing it. You give. I don't give that.
I don't give that. Man, you do.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
The only thing I give that man is love and affection.
I give that man love and affection. He gives me
a damn sign of his head cold.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
That's what I get here, Ridsurn.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
You know what's crazy is I had something also for
a couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, but I guess maybe I sent it to you.
This is a bullshit, like what does we have?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
What is?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And you know what's crazy? Where you're look? You look,
here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
The crazy thing is, as you know, alopecia is an
autoimmune deficiency disorder, and so my immune system is piss poor,
and so somebody can have like a basic, regular common cold,
and when I get it, it's like the flu. So
it's like you'll be sick for two days. I'll be
(02:03):
sick for two weeks. Like it just never, it can
never just be normal. So I've been over here eating
mucinex like it's skittles, like I'm just trying to drain.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Out. Please please, damn well, don't pass out on.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I bet it don't. I bet it don't taste like skittles. Oh, gir,
I be sleep at eight o'clock, I might as well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
And I'm alternating between the tablet, I mean, alternating between
the tablets and the and the and the liquid girl.
I might as well just put a straw and as
ship at this point, because I'm just like, go away.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
With am are. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, wow,
I'm so sorry. Other than that, how are you doing?
I think I'm good.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You know, I did all of my I do my Christmas.
You know, we had our Thanksgiving episodes. I do all
of my Christmas stuff the evening of Thanksgiving. That's my
mean time, all my decorations, all the things. So I
have all of my decorations up, treat everything nice. But
I yeah, but I'm not in the spirit.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Like I don't.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I just don't. I don't want to shop. I don't
want anybody to come into my house.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
It's like really weird, Like Christmas is my favorite, favorite
favorite holiday.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
But yeah, I'm just not in it yet. But hopefully
I will get there. I believe it. And here's the
other thing. And we need to have a.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Basketball catch up episode soon because I got so much
stuff on my mind about what's going on in the
basketball world. The WNBA, the CBA, Project b Unrival, New coach.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I just got so much on my mind.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I took a break from social media for a minute
because there was stuff on there, and I was like, yeah,
y'all full of shit.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, yeah, nothing exciting.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Well we definitely you ain't got to convince me to
have a good time. I will have a basketball conversation
any time, anyplace, So I'm definitely down for that.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But yeah, no, we.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Are multi faceted women where we can have a few
episodes about things other than basketball, and then we can
always come back to it because we know that if
it's one thing in this world that Ryl swoops nose
into Ricans is someday on basketball.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So that ain't a little bit. Look, we know a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And you know what, it's so funny that we mentioned
being multi faceted because our guest on today's show also
is multifaceted, had a career in basketball, played basketball collegiately,
and now has moved on to pageantry, which is crazy.
So joining us on today's episode is none other than
(04:57):
the twenty twenty five Miss New Jersey, Ivy Harrington. Since
is the oldest person to ever hold the title of
Miss New Jersey, She's thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Now you not.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
You already know how I'm about to say about that.
It's just because because how old this thirty you are,
you are just ancient. Gosh, how dare you be that?
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Dare you be thirty? I wish I could be thirty
a year.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
But anyway, we are going to have a great time
shocking to Ivy, and so let's just go ahead and
take this thing to the next level. So, as always,
(05:48):
we are so incredibly excited to have.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
A special guest joining us today.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
And I mean, listen, I might not necessarily be the
one to walk the runway, but I think I got
I think if I was to enter a pageant, I
could probably do all right.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I think I could do all right. Put my money
on you, though you feel what I'm saying. I've seen
you shruck, you know, say, I.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Think I could get my six inch heels going on.
I think I speak articulate enough to be able to
answer a question or two, but I'm sure I will
not be as well as the wonderful Miss New Jersey
twenty twenty five joining us today, Miss Ivy Harrington.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Lady, Hello queens, as I like to refer.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
To you, Yes, right back at you queens. I feel
like peril isn't good enough, Like you know, we really
need to find like the sound effects, like.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know, what's the what's the There was this We'll
see you were in the Miss USA pageant.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I remember there was a song that was like there
she is.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yes, now I'll petition to get a USA.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We need listen.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But not not nothing like that though, because yeah, when
I hear that, I can't even get excited because I'm like, really,
we need something more like get the energy.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Miss Ye remix. Yes, we don't work on a remix.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
That your assignment got it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Mission is well first and foremost. Thank you so much
for making some time to join us. We are really
excited to get into this conversation because there are so
many things about you that goes beyond the scope of
your title, but we definitely want to talk about that.
So let's just kind of get into it right Like
(07:44):
you were recently crowned Miss New Jersey, you were first
runner up in the Miss USA pageant.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Just kind of tell us about how you got into pageantry.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
This is like one of my favorite stories to tell
because when I start from the beginning, I wasn't in
ballet class. I wasn't a toddler in Tierra's. I was
in my dorm room at Morgan State University in college,
just flipping through the channels and I stumbled upon the
Miss USA competition. It was the top five question where
they were answering on stage and District of Columbia Deshauna
(08:16):
Barber she won African American Woman, that's right. So she
was the winner in twenty sixteen and turned the pageant off,
went to class the next day, didn't think anything about it.
A year passes and I catched the pageant again, but
it was during the swimsuit portion, so I said, all right, well,
let me just get a gist for what this whole
(08:37):
pageant thing is. So District of Columbia won for a
second year in a row. Kira McCullough was the twenty
seventeen title holder and New Jersey was actually first runner
up that year. So I was like, there's a lot
that's happening here, and it really sparked my interest, and
I did some research, and I was studying broadcast journalism
at the time, and the one thing that I saw
that a lot of women in that space in that field,
(08:57):
whether it was production or hosting or anything in that realm.
They all had some type of connection to pageantry. So
I entered on a win because I said, I'm just
entering a pageant so I can get a job or
an internship.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Like I'm not.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I don't need the crown if I get it, great,
But I said, this can open up some cool doors.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
So I compete it for the.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
First time in Miss New Jersey, USA, and I placed
in the top twenty one, and then this switch flip.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I said, oh, if I can place, I can win.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
And then I went on this snowball effect of just
pursuing and pursuing, and here we are today.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I love it, and you do have a crown, and
we going for more crowns.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
So okay, so listen because on this podcast we keep
it real. You have to, so I'm gonna keep it real.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So I grew up watching pageants like you did, and Tea,
I'm sure you did, and I don't think I ever
like watched and said, oh my goodness, someday I want
to be Miss Texas or something like that. But when
I watched, I watched because honestly, I was like in
(10:03):
awe of how beautiful these women were, Like, their bodies
were amazing, their face was gorgeous, the hair, all the
things right. So when you watched, was there ever a
point when you would like kind of look at yourself
and say, I'm not pretty enough to do this, or
(10:24):
my body type isn't the right body type to do this?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Because I think there.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Probably are a lot of young girls who may listen
to this or who watch pageants, and maybe somewhere in
their minds they're like, I want to do that, but
I don't think I'm pretty enough to do that. Did
that ever enter your mind at any point?
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Always? Every time I compete it Honestly, the first time.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I was gorgeous.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
It takes beauty period, I mean drop dead, but so
much every time I competed.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
I think a little bit of that voice did pop up.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
The first time, not so much because I was so green,
and I went into it thinking, oh, I'm not only
going to win Miss New Jersey, I'm aa win Miss USA,
like I'm going to Miss Universe. So I had that confidence.
But the more you do something and the more you
get under the microscope with yourself, you can pick things apart.
And I know for me, being somebody who was a
former collegiate athlete transitioning to pageantry, the way that my
(11:25):
physique just a little bit more defined, a little bit stronger,
very athletic. That was always a hurdle for me because
I didn't know if I looked too muscular. I didn't
know if I looked too strong. And when I saw
Miss USA twenty nineteen Chesley christ who was a former
Division I track athlete, I had never seen a body
(11:50):
so strong and so graceful and so poised. And instantly,
when I had that visual representation, I knew I could
get on that stage, and I hope that in my
pursuits can be that for somebody. I've even gotten feedback
before from judges, and I've seen comments online she's a
little too muscular, her arms are too toned, her biceps
are to this. But by the time I got to
(12:10):
Miss USA, none of the noise matter because I already
knew their space for me, and I have to create
a lane for who's coming behind me as well, So
it all does work for your good in the end.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I love that so much, especially the criticism. Criticism can
fuel you better than all the encouragements.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
And compliments.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
You get that one person to come at you sideways,
you like, I know this they did.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That's it, That's all you need.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Like, that's all you need. But I want to go back.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
To something you mentioned, which is you being a collegiate athlete.
So first off, shout out to the HBCUs H.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yes, but you Morgan State Bears.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
You played basketball and you were the captain of your
basketball team as a freshman. It's people holding down that
title that struggling as seniors. How were you able to
not only accept that role as a freshman, But is
there maybe something about you where leadership is always maybecame
natural to you?
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I think for me, I've never been somebody who's tried
to force that role upon myself. I think the people
that were around they noticed leadership qualities in you before
you do, so it's nice.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
When they speak to that.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
My coaches, my teammates, my friends have always kind of
turned to me for advice or feedback on things, and
that gave me the confidence to know that I can
pour into others.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
So when it.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Came to sports, I think leadership from the sense of
just encouraging my teammates is what I always took pride
in is what I always enjoyed. And when I stepped
on the court as a freshman at Morgan State, I
just wanted to see the floor. I said, I'm here
to prove myself. I'm here to show that I earned
this scholarship. But when my coaches announced me as one
of the co captains, you might have to insert a
(13:58):
meme of shock so that you could see my because
I could not believe.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
I said, not this little old.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Girl from next to New Jersey who's just trying to
get some minutes. So it really just gave me some
more confidence that it doesn't matter how old you are,
how much experience you do or don't have. When others
see something in you, you should see that in yourself
just as much. So it helped the trajectory of my
basketball career in college.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You you have said, and I agree, that pageants are
a sport.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Always it's sport. It's a sport.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
So being a collegiate athlete, right and then going being
in pageants, how would you say your sports background prepared
you for the pageantry world.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I tell people all the time, if I wasn't an athlete,
I wouldn't be missing New Jersey, USA, and I will
stick to that through and through. It's the discipline that
you get from being an athlete. It's the commitment, the dedication,
the work ethic behind the scenes, the stuff that nobody sees.
You present yourself in a way where it is. Some
people like to use the work perfect on stage when
(15:10):
it comes to pageantry, but it's the furthest thing from perfection.
It's just diligence and it's just persistence. So for me,
whether it was shooting extra free throws in the gym
after practice, or running stairs or just making sure I
was conditioned, I took all of those things and applied
it to the preparation that I needed to go onto pageantry.
Because you put a six in shield in front of me.
(15:32):
After playing in basketball sneakers from the time I was
nine to twenty three insane, but I knew how much
practice that I needed to go into it, and it
just really helped boost my confidence a lot more. And
it gave me the confidence to know, like, all right, well,
if something is foreign or unfamiliar, that background that I
have in athletics can carry over into anything that I
want to do in life.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
One percent.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
When I was online for Sigma Guymirea, there was this
one thing that we used to always say, pispoor preparation
promotes pissport performance, and you can literally take that into
any thing. And so the preparation that you get from
basketball from knowing what it means to be ready for
game day, I would imagine it's the same type of
(16:14):
preparation that it takes to prepare you for pageantry. I
then so share with us if you can, what does
some of that preparation look like from you know, do
you have special people who you work with, Like, what
does preparing for a pageant look like? So for me,
the first step that I took was research, and it
was figuring out what pageant system was going to be
(16:36):
the best to suit.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
My goals and my needs.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
I looked at the American system, I looked at the
USA system, and there's so many more systems now.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But after doing that.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Research, I said, all right, if you're going to compete
in the USA system, you know there's going to be
a private interview in front of coaches, So you probably
want to work with someone so you can know how
to articulate your thoughts and you know, be up to
date on current events, be nice and opprest. I knew
there was a swimsuit port, so being an athlete is
different than presenting yourself in somewhat of a vulnerable position
on stage in a bathing suit.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So I said, all right, you let me figure out.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I'm head to toe healthy is one thing, but cut
up and boring is another. Right, So it was switching
gears and saying, all right, you may be able to
run a full court sprint in twelve seconds, but you're
not running in a paget.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
You're strutting.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
So it's working with a walking coach, it's working with
a nutritionist and somebody who can help me present my best,
leanest tone and most confident self. So I hired one coach,
Sierra Nicole out of Baltimore, Maryland Crown Bound Consulting, and
then my last year preparing for this competition, I hired
Gina Melish Consulting to help with my marketing and like
(17:49):
the interview skills of it all, and it was the
perfect formula. So the same way you have a coaching
staff in sports, it's the same thing with pageantry, hair, makeup, wardrobe.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Communication, physical fitness. You really need a team in a village.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Ever like I knew you had to prepare, but to
hear you say all the things that you did to prepare,
I don't know if I ever thought about it that way.
All right, So you play basketball, and to me, basketball
is this big sisterhood, right, And just like with sororities,
(18:27):
that is a big sisterhood. And I would assume being
in pageants and especially the more you do that becomes
a big sisterhood. Maybe. Yes, So I have some sisters,
(18:47):
is going Tea?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Come on?
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I have some sisters right in the sorority that I
played basketball with that are like my ride or dies,
Like Tea is my ride or die?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Right, But then I got some of the other ones
that girl, I just be like this here is my question.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Okay, Like as much as you want to see each
other succeed and do well, it's still a competition, yes, right. So,
and when I say sisters, I'm not just talking about
the ones on my team, I'm talking about the ones
that I played against.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, and when we're not playing.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Against each other, like I'm gonna hold you down, I
wish the best.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
For you all the things. But when we compete in
you in my way? You in my way for what
I'm trying to go get that part.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
So I know the stuff we see where it's like,
oh wow, they all like each other and they all
get along and look she's smiling at her and she's
cupping for her.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
But behind the scenes, uh huh, behind that curtain, Yeah,
behind the.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Scenes, what the folks, what's really like? How caddy? How petty?
And if it's not, then maybe it's not.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
But do tell we want the tee is what we say, okay,
and I'll serve that. My experience on the state level,
which is a much smaller scale than like Miss USA,
I've always had really pleasant interactions with the girls, with
the directors, which made me want to continue to do
(20:20):
pageants because some people I've.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Heard horror stories. I mean from hairstylists to makeup artists
to other competitors. So there is a broad spectrum of
what you can experience. I've always had really positive ones,
even at Miss USA. But what I will say, and
I love that you spoke about the competitiveness because sisterhood
is inevitable. You do have a respect for everybody who
(20:44):
you are going up against, and you want to see
everybody do their best and be happy and joyful. But
the moment I signed up for a pageantry, like I said,
it's a sport, I'm coming to win.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Yeah, I am hoping and expecting to make friends in
life long connections.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
But my competitive edge. I like to refer to myself
as the silent assassin. I may not be I may.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
Not be on your radar, I may not be in
your top twenty, your top five, whatever, but I know
exactly what's going down. I know what I put into it,
so I expect to yield and to reap exactly what
I want to get out of it, which is the crown.
And that mentality helped me stay locked in and stay
just hyper focused on it and to ignore anything else
(21:28):
that was happening outside of my mindset. So the cattiness
over here, I may turn my ear and just be
aware of it, like oh what.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Happened in the dressing room?
Speaker 4 (21:36):
Ooh, and then I'm locked back in, and I'm immediately
locked back in.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I'm aware of my surroundings.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
You know, every now and then you just want a
little tea, you a little ooh, so tell more. But
after that it stays there, and then I'm on stage.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I know that's right.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
You got to keep your head on a slubl but
you did ooh sight, can't.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You gotta have uners?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yeah, got too.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
You gotta stay in that same kind of category.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Though.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Are there any misconceptions about pageantry? I think people, you know,
kind of have their idea of what things are or
are not. But there definitely feels like there could be
some things that maybe we see as viewers of the
show or thinking about what pageantry actually is versus what
(22:22):
actually does happen or what actually does you know benefit
you and each contestant in it.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I love this question because this was actually my winning
question for Miss New Jersey USA. And I remember when
I was standing on stage. I was the last one
to go, and it came from one of the judges
and she said, what are some misconceptions that you want
to debunk and change as the title holder? And I
can remember it clears the first thing that came out
(22:50):
of my mouth was what I love the most about
pageantry is that something that was once a cornerstone for
vanity has morphed and transformed into being a catalyst for
com confidence and capability. And I think that's the one
thing that people should open their minds up to understanding
to make pageantry is a vehicle. It's not something that
you have to put all of your value in and
(23:12):
your complete identity, but it's supposed to get you to
where you want to go in life. And the skills
that I've acquired from pageantry have set me up to
do some great things later down the road, So from
being just the prettiest girl on stage to being the
most articulate.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
That's one of my favorite.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Another thing is the women who I've competed against, their
business owners, their attorneys, their leaders in their community, their politicians,
and pageantry honestly is the least interesting thing about them.
It honestly is kind of just like this cool side
quest that women do just to you know, further promote
their philanthropy, their initiatives. So it really is just something
to put you in a position to further expand on
(23:51):
what you're already doing in your everyday life.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
If I can follow up.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Talking about like how your brand is what it comes to,
because that's I think it's a huge misconception, is that
folks think that this is all you are. You just
think it's your pretty girl and you know, maybe you
come from a very expensive, stellar background because a lot
of you know, I think there's a thing where they
think a lot of women who enter pageants have been
doing it a long time ye and it cost a
(24:18):
lot of money as if.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
They had the means, and they have.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
The means, So I definitely think that that's a misconception.
But what you have done is turned the ability to
kind of morph yourself into a nonprofit and a program
that will allow you to give this knowledge to younger kids,
into other teens and to athletes, specifically young women who
(24:43):
also want to find their identity in doing something other
than being a basketball player. And that's with the most
valuable pivot. Can you give us more information with why
this was important to you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
It's so important because it's it's my story and it's
my testimony. And and I was always encouraged to have
interest outside of sports, and that helped me have different
friends and different groups. It helped me to just know
more about the things around me. So when I was
coming towards the end of my college career, I said,
all right, well, you know, you got to get a job.
(25:16):
You're not going to.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Play pro, You're not going to go overseas. This is
really going to be the end of the road for sports.
So I said, pagetry could be cool, and I know
what I want to get out of it, But then
what happens if you don't win, or what happens if
you don't want to compete anymore? So once I started
coaching middle school basketball and lacrosse, I said to myself,
this is who I once was, so how can I
(25:38):
be who I needed when I was younger? And I
piloted the program MVP with my lacrosse and basketball players
and through that just helping them to have the tools
that they need to be the architects of their identity
and just knowing that their worth is not rooted in
like performative success or achievement, because with sports or anything,
we tend to assess our value based off of how
(26:01):
many points we score or how many awards you get
at the end of a season, And that's not the
point of life at all. The point is to know
who you are, no matter what team you're on or
no matter what facet you pivot into. So that's really
the premise of it. And I absolutely love it because
I'm teaching them something. But I'm also benefiting from the
work as well, so it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I like you.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
On a more serious note, and I go back to
what you said about pageants being a sport, because we
know in sports there's always injuries, accidents, and most recently,
I believe Miss Jamaica had a fall at a Miss
Universe pageant. Yes, two things. One, do you know how
(26:50):
she's doing and can give us an update? And two
is that something that in the back of your mind
you kind of think about every time you enter a paget.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
I don't have a recent update.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
When they were updating us when she was at Miss Universe,
they did her national directors put out a statement and
said that she was hoping to return to the competition.
I don't believe she did because they wanted to make
sure that her health was the priority, which, at the
end of the day, is something When you take a
fall like that, it's like, you know what, I don't
ever goes it was, And when I watched it back,
(27:27):
it scared me because you don't think about injury when
you think about pagets. You think about knowing where your
mark is and knowing how to smile at the camera,
but when something like fath exactly exactly, but that's not
the viral moment that you anticipate. So I do hope
that she is doing well and wishing her all the best.
(27:48):
But thinking about your steps, your choreography, something that I
have been reluctant to share since winning. I actually slipped
on finals night Miss New Jersey USA prelims. I couldn't
have asked for a cleaner, smoother, more on point performance.
(28:09):
I mean I was twirling what can you Moore say?
Twirl whirling? And that gave me the charge that I
needed going into finals because I said, oh, if you
can do this once, then you can do it tomorrow.
So I noticed my energy was a little bit higher,
and it probably was nerves too. So I remember they
(28:29):
give us a sarong in finals, you know, have it
in prelims. So now I'm dealing with a prop. So
I get to the end of the runway and my choreography,
I had a double turn when I'm walking off. That
second turn could have been a turn for the worst.
I kid you not, and when you look at it
on camera it's not as bad. But in my head,
I said to myself, did I just lose this competition
(28:50):
because I tripped. But I went backstage right before I
put my evening gown on, and this is what I
said to myself. You missed a free throw, but you
didn't lose the game. Hey, you have you have to
have that comeback, bounce back mentality because everything's not gonna
go perfect, but it's how you reassess what your game
plan is and how you come back stronger in the
(29:11):
next phase.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
And I said, you still have evening.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Gown and if you're lucky enough to get called for
top five, you better bring that question home. And everything
came together and worked in my favor, so I definitely
can relate to fumbling a little bit.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I love that. Gee, I just want to follow up
real quick. Yeah do, I'm sure you do. What was
your question?
Speaker 4 (29:33):
My question was what are the negative stigmas in pageantry
today and how are you going to work to change them?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
You know, in this role.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
And it was a two part question, so you you
never know which way it's going to go. Sometimes it
can be political. Sometimes they can ask you about yourself.
But I loved that because it gave me the opportunity
to talk about what I loved about pageantry and not
the negative stigmas in it. And then it also gave
me a chance to show them how I do that
in my everyday life with MVP. And then I brought
(30:08):
it home and let them know, as your Miss New
Jersey us, Yes, this work, it's furthering this work. That's
that's like the elevator pitch all in one.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Yes, I love that.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I love that and it helps me too. Here's another
misconceptionion that you just debunked. It didn't even know you
did it. For some reason, I thought that you guys
got the questions in advance. I knew like that y'all
like knew which question was going to be asked. But
like in my head, I was like, maybe they give
them like a list of things that God asked, and
you just have to be prepared for whatever any one
(30:42):
of those questions.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I will say to you, do have a coach.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
The coaches that I've worked with, they have workbooks and
different things that they set up for their clients, over
two hundred questions to study just in case you get it,
whether it's in like the private interview or on stage.
And I can remember every question that I've gotten in
the top five. So I remember the first time, which
I completely bombed, it was what is something that's happening
(31:08):
in our state or in our country that you think
is like a prevalent issue? Rambled from my life? Four
run up and deserved it? And then the second time
it was what did you learn and deserved it? Second
question was well, what did you learn from the pandemic?
And I was like, okay, well I can kind of
(31:28):
talk to that really liked my answer, But this question
that I've got this time, I said, that's my winning question.
That is supposed to be the home run slam dunk.
That's how I want to be remembered as what I
want done.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
And I love that. I love that. What color was
your evening dress?
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Evening gown for New Jersey was a It was a
nude gown, almost like sheer, but it had all of
these crystal embellishments. And then I had a white ballero
that went over my arms and I was the only
one had that, and I said, oh, you're gonna remember me.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
This is going to be it's going to be unforgettable.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Okay, And then like down my gown for Miss USA
is what I consider to be unconventional because in the
history of the pageant, only one other woman has won
a brown gown. It was a chocolate brown gown with
caramel and bronze beating. And it was the last dress
that I tried on at my appointment. But I do
remember flipping through the racks and I said, oh, brown
(32:28):
is interesting. But I just left it there. So the
woman who ran the showroom went upstairs. She said, all right,
here's one more. I just want you to try it
on to.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
See if you like it. I put that dress on
and started crying.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
And I'm not even the type to get emotional over
like a garment or even when I see women cry
when they put their wedding dress on, I'm like, it
touches a nerd. But when I put that dress on
and saw myself in the light, I said, this is
how I want to be crowned, is Miss Usa if
it gets to that point, And.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I just knew.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
I knew.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
I want to tell you that the whole time that
you were talking. While listening, I googled and this dress
is fabulous and it is gorgeous faith you, and I
think I would probably take the same approach where like
if it were if it were me, just given how
I am the LEO and me always needs to stand out,
(33:20):
and I would probably be the person to be like,
whatever I'm wearing, it's got to be something that I
know nobody else is going that they're gonna be like, Oh,
I remember I Michigan.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
That's on from Detroit. I remember Miss Michigan.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
That's right, so right.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
There's this one picture that I found though, that is
with you and Miss Jersey, Miss New Jersey teen USA. Yes,
it is a gorgeous picture. She looks amazing. You look
amazing with your both with your crowns. And it makes
me think of what your message would be to someone
who wants to come after you, whether that is in basketball,
(33:57):
whether that's in pageantry or just trying to figure it out.
Just what would be your advice for someone that's looking
to follow in your footsteps.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
The first thing that comes to mind is, whatever you
do want to attempt, don't seek to emulate the person
who was before you, the queens and the title holders,
and if you want to go to athletics, even the
basketball players who were on teams or in roles before me.
Sometimes you can get compared to those people. How you
fit in a program, how you fit in a system,
(34:30):
but who we are just as individuals is the value
that we're bringing to set team or to the organization.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
So really just making.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Sure that you know who you are so that you
don't waiver or try to morph into somebody else once
you do get into that role. I think the individuality
that comes with identity is what makes it special and
it just makes the journey so much more memorable. Also,
the second thing is it always seems impossible until it's done.
(35:00):
It's a true testament to that persistence that we talked about.
And if you start to doubt yourself, but once you
do cross that threshold or that finish line, you realize, dang,
everything that I went through was preparing me for what
I was asking for all along. So not trying to
go against the process, but allowing the things that may
seem like hurdles to know that it's forming you to
(35:22):
fully operate in what you're asking for. And I think
the last thing would be to do your best to
stay present. When you're somebody who has a job title
or just a role, sometimes you feel the need to
be on all of the time, and then it's not
until an event is over or an appearance is done
where you're like, I don't even remember anybody's name, or
(35:45):
you know, I felt like I looked great and maybe
I said the right thing, but did I enjoy myself?
So just making sure that you can cherish each and
every step of the things that you're able to do
when you're in that position. I think that's important because
all you're going to have one day is memories, and
you don't just want to remain you know, how you looked,
but how you felt when you were there?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just I think you're amazing.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
I like your story, I love your journey, I love
your energy, I love everything about you, and I know
someday we will be seeing you.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
When Miss USA and Miss Universe.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Put get out there.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
We're putting it out there. I love it. I love it.
Last one before we get you out of here? What's
next for you? Like, what is what can we expect
next from you?
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I am assessing how I'm going to pivot into the
next phase of my purpose. But something that's really exciting
for me is working on an ebook and a workbook
for athletes. MVP is something that I'm able to pour
into people when it's in person. But I want somebody
to have like a tangible something that they can actively
(36:58):
write down their goals, and some think that they can
almost create a blueprint for themselves. I love to journal,
and I love writing down a plan because once you
put it on paper, that's when you know it's real.
So coming putting this workbook together is something that I'm
learning even more about myself. And I hope that people,
over time will be able to just have the confidence
to go after whatever they're excited about in life. So
(37:20):
be on the lookout for that workbook, and hopefully one
day if I send you all a copy, we'll be
able to see how you're going to pivot into whatever
you have next.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
Because y'all are.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Killing y'all are killing it. I love it. I love
it so much.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Well, Ivy, thank you so much for joining us for
has been such a fun conversation. I'm going to be
following your journey to see what you're doing, where you're going.
So when you see me all, when you see all
these twenty nine thousand likes on.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Your iv be like, that's just Tarita, She's just.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
That's the sea. It's a mutual spam.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
It's just see it's it.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But tell you I just want to just ask Ivy, like,
if people wanted to get involved with MVP, how can
they do that?
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Oh, so you can actually find me? Social media is
all about Ivy on Instagram or the Miss NJUSA page,
but contacting me directly is the best way, whether it
is for public speaking. If you want me to come
to do a workshop, my contact information can be found
on those platforms, but a quick plug would be Miss
NJUSA twenty five at gmail dot com. So I love
(38:29):
to travel, I love to spread it, and however else
I can help the next generation is what I'm all about.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
I love that we will definitely make sure our listeners
know how to get in touch with you.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
And thank you again so much for joining us.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Thank you so much. It has been an honor. I
just cannot even believe I'm amongst the queens today.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I love this. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
That was such a great conversation when Ivy, you know,
I never, I never once ever thought about being in
a pageant, but I did. Used to love Vanessa Williams
when I was like, like she was they she was
the Miss America.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
For me as a kid. She was it. Yeah, she
was Miss.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
America, and so Vanessa Williams was like, you know, that
was the And then there was what's her name, She's
from Detroit. I love her Kenya Moore. She was another
black woman who was in the pageant space. Yeah. So
I was just like, you know, and so it just
does my heart good to see all these incredible women
(39:41):
who look like me and look like us that are
just really coming in and killing a game in a
pageantry space. And I love that she brought up to
Shauna Sigma Gammeroau woman, come on girl, who also went.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
To an HBC. So I love it, just, you know,
such a fun episode for a lot of reasons.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
I loved why watching the pageants, but I was like,
I could never compete in a pageant for a lot
of reasons because and this was one question I should
have asked, but I didn't. I always thought you had
to weigh a certain amount and couldn't eat. And I
love my food too much. Gray listen here the group,
(40:20):
the better, the fatter, the better, all the things. But anyway,
they do have those I have seen recently over the
last at least six or seven years for sure that
they have like these full figure pageants, they like miss
full figure whatever. But here's the thing, Sis, they full figure,
be like the size ten, and I'll be like, bitch,
(40:41):
a ten, I'm not full.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
A tall figure to me is a fourteen, sixteen, eighteen too.
So girl, I.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Lived a full nine lifestyle for a very long time.
I don't know what this is. This a ten, a
ten in twelfth grade. I'll re honest with you. I'm
gonna be honest with sis. Let me just be honest
with you. Besides all that, here's the other thing. They
smile a lot at each other.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Okay, looks so cute. Oh what you did so good?
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I might have to stick my foot out and trip
you walk in and be like, nah, don't talk, bitch.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Don't you talk to me.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
You're in my way.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
You are staying between me and my crown. No, ma'am,
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Well.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
Thanks again. I just love having her on.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Yes, definitely, definitely, I love it. I love it well.
With that being said, she is leveling up people who
she works with her middle school and high school students
with her MVP program, and Cheryl always leveled us up
with a positive word of affirmation at the end of
every show.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
So, Cheryl, what you got for us today, I'll just
get right to it. There's something about this that I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
I think I need to hear it and need to
kind of remind myself of of who I am at times.
So hopefully this will resonate with somebody. And it says
she didn't climb the mountain to be seen, she climbed
it to remind herself what she was capable of. I
(42:20):
love that I need. I need to remind myself sometimes,
and especially during this time of year, you know, holidays,
and I don't know, I've been in a little funk lately,
So yeah, I needed that. Yeah, I mean, I like
that a lot because at the end of the day,
it isn't always about everybody else. Sometimes it's just about
(42:42):
remembering who you are, Okay, Yeah, doing this for you, right,
It's for me, It's for me. I love that one
hundred percent. Well, guys, thank you all so much for
listening to levels to this. We will be back next
week with more next level conversations about the ship that
we go through as.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
When and on next week's.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
Episode, we will also be announcing who won the thousand
dollars in our pageants, so you definitely want to tune
in if you submit it for the contest and you
want to know if you won. You will find out
next week whether or not you won. So continue to
reach out to us and let us know what you
(43:23):
think about our show, because remember this isn't just our show,
it's our show.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
So you can.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Definitely send us an email at Levels to This podcast
at gmail dot com and let us know if there
are topics or things that you want to talk about.
You can also leave us a review in Apple Podcasts
and tell us what you think about the show, and
please follow us on Instagram at lttpod.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
But until then, keep.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Your Mitchell's ground level and we'll be back next week.
Please listen to Levels to This on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search
Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster as
we and start listening
Levels to This is an iHeart women's sports production in
partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Hey, what's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Everybody?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
It's your girls from the Foster Brasby what's.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Up, y'all?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
It's your girls cheryls swoops Hey, And this is a
levels to this podcast. This is the show where we
talk about the various levels of shit.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
That women go through.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
And I am so excited about today's show. We have
a guest today that's very different from some of the
guests that we have had in the past, and that
makes me very excited to speak to her. But first, sure,
we got to catch up because I haven't talked to
you in a while, and I've been over here going
through it's this I'm battling. I don't know what the
(00:54):
hell this is. Shah hear it head Cole signings.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
And you know where I got this shit from?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
This right here is why I strongly advise against marriage.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Because your husband gives, you don't do that. We don't
do that. I'm doing it. You give. I don't give that.
I don't give that. Man, you do.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
The only thing I give that man is love and affection.
I give that man love and affection. He gives me
a damn sign of his head cold.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
That's what I get here, Ridsurn.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
You know what's crazy is I had something also for
a couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah, but I guess maybe I sent it to you.
This is a bullshit, like what does we have?
Speaker 3 (01:36):
What is?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And you know what's crazy? Where you're look? You look,
here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
The crazy thing is, as you know, alopecia is an
autoimmune deficiency disorder, and so my immune system is piss poor,
and so somebody can have like a basic, regular common cold,
and when I get it, it's like the flu. So
it's like you'll be sick for two days. I'll be
(02:03):
sick for two weeks. Like it just never, it can
never just be normal. So I've been over here eating
mucinex like it's skittles, like I'm just trying to drain.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Out. Please please, damn well, don't pass out on.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I bet it don't. I bet it don't taste like skittles. Oh, gir,
I be sleep at eight o'clock, I might as well.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
And I'm alternating between the tablet, I mean, alternating between
the tablets and the and the and the liquid girl.
I might as well just put a straw and as
ship at this point, because I'm just like, go away.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
With am are. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, wow,
I'm so sorry. Other than that, how are you doing?
I think I'm good.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
You know, I did all of my I do my Christmas.
You know, we had our Thanksgiving episodes. I do all
of my Christmas stuff the evening of Thanksgiving. That's my
mean time, all my decorations, all the things. So I
have all of my decorations up, treat everything nice. But
I yeah, but I'm not in the spirit.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Like I don't.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I just don't. I don't want to shop. I don't
want anybody to come into my house.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
It's like really weird, Like Christmas is my favorite, favorite
favorite holiday.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
But yeah, I'm just not in it yet. But hopefully
I will get there. I believe it. And here's the
other thing. And we need to have a.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Basketball catch up episode soon because I got so much
stuff on my mind about what's going on in the
basketball world. The WNBA, the CBA, Project b Unrival, New coach.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I just got so much on my mind.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I took a break from social media for a minute
because there was stuff on there, and I was like, yeah,
y'all full of shit.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, yeah, nothing exciting.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Well we definitely you ain't got to convince me to
have a good time. I will have a basketball conversation
any time, anyplace, So I'm definitely down for that.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But yeah, no, we.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Are multi faceted women where we can have a few
episodes about things other than basketball, and then we can
always come back to it because we know that if
it's one thing in this world that Ryl swoops nose
into Ricans is someday on basketball.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So that ain't a little bit. Look, we know a
little bit.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And you know what, it's so funny that we mentioned
being multi faceted because our guest on today's show also
is multifaceted, had a career in basketball, played basketball collegiately,
and now has moved on to pageantry, which is crazy.
So joining us on today's episode is none other than
(04:57):
the twenty twenty five Miss New Jersey, Ivy Harrington. Since
is the oldest person to ever hold the title of
Miss New Jersey, She's thirty years old.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Now you not.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
You already know how I'm about to say about that.
It's just because because how old this thirty you are,
you are just ancient. Gosh, how dare you be that?
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Dare you be thirty? I wish I could be thirty
a year.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
But anyway, we are going to have a great time
shocking to Ivy, and so let's just go ahead and
take this thing to the next level. So, as always,
(05:48):
we are so incredibly excited to have.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
A special guest joining us today.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
And I mean, listen, I might not necessarily be the
one to walk the runway, but I think I got
I think if I was to enter a pageant, I
could probably do all right.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I think I could do all right. Put my money
on you, though you feel what I'm saying. I've seen
you shruck, you know, say, I.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Think I could get my six inch heels going on.
I think I speak articulate enough to be able to
answer a question or two, but I'm sure I will
not be as well as the wonderful Miss New Jersey
twenty twenty five joining us today, Miss Ivy Harrington.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Lady, Hello queens, as I like to refer.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
To you, Yes, right back at you queens. I feel
like peril isn't good enough, Like you know, we really
need to find like the sound effects, like.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
You know, what's the what's the There was this We'll
see you were in the Miss USA pageant.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I remember there was a song that was like there
she is.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yes, now I'll petition to get a USA.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
We need listen.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But not not nothing like that though, because yeah, when
I hear that, I can't even get excited because I'm like, really,
we need something more like get the energy.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Miss Ye remix. Yes, we don't work on a remix.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
That your assignment got it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Mission is well first and foremost. Thank you so much
for making some time to join us. We are really
excited to get into this conversation because there are so
many things about you that goes beyond the scope of
your title, but we definitely want to talk about that.
So let's just kind of get into it right Like
(07:44):
you were recently crowned Miss New Jersey, you were first
runner up in the Miss USA pageant.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Just kind of tell us about how you got into pageantry.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
This is like one of my favorite stories to tell
because when I start from the beginning, I wasn't in
ballet class. I wasn't a toddler in Tierra's. I was
in my dorm room at Morgan State University in college,
just flipping through the channels and I stumbled upon the
Miss USA competition. It was the top five question where
they were answering on stage and District of Columbia Deshauna
(08:16):
Barber she won African American Woman, that's right. So she
was the winner in twenty sixteen and turned the pageant off,
went to class the next day, didn't think anything about it.
A year passes and I catched the pageant again, but
it was during the swimsuit portion, so I said, all right, well,
let me just get a gist for what this whole
(08:37):
pageant thing is. So District of Columbia won for a
second year in a row. Kira McCullough was the twenty
seventeen title holder and New Jersey was actually first runner
up that year. So I was like, there's a lot
that's happening here, and it really sparked my interest, and
I did some research, and I was studying broadcast journalism
at the time, and the one thing that I saw
that a lot of women in that space in that field,
(08:57):
whether it was production or hosting or anything in that realm.
They all had some type of connection to pageantry. So
I entered on a win because I said, I'm just
entering a pageant so I can get a job or
an internship.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Like I'm not.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I don't need the crown if I get it, great,
But I said, this can open up some cool doors.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
So I compete it for the.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
First time in Miss New Jersey, USA, and I placed
in the top twenty one, and then this switch flip.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I said, oh, if I can place, I can win.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
And then I went on this snowball effect of just
pursuing and pursuing, and here we are today.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I love it, and you do have a crown, and
we going for more crowns.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
So okay, so listen because on this podcast we keep
it real. You have to, so I'm gonna keep it real.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So I grew up watching pageants like you did, and Tea,
I'm sure you did, and I don't think I ever
like watched and said, oh my goodness, someday I want
to be Miss Texas or something like that. But when
I watched, I watched because honestly, I was like in
(10:03):
awe of how beautiful these women were, Like, their bodies
were amazing, their face was gorgeous, the hair, all the
things right. So when you watched, was there ever a
point when you would like kind of look at yourself
and say, I'm not pretty enough to do this, or
(10:24):
my body type isn't the right body type to do this?
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Because I think there.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Probably are a lot of young girls who may listen
to this or who watch pageants, and maybe somewhere in
their minds they're like, I want to do that, but
I don't think I'm pretty enough to do that. Did
that ever enter your mind at any point?
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Always? Every time I compete it Honestly, the first time.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
I was gorgeous.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
It takes beauty period, I mean drop dead, but so
much every time I competed.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
I think a little bit of that voice did pop up.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
The first time, not so much because I was so green,
and I went into it thinking, oh, I'm not only
going to win Miss New Jersey, I'm aa win Miss USA,
like I'm going to Miss Universe. So I had that confidence.
But the more you do something and the more you
get under the microscope with yourself, you can pick things apart.
And I know for me, being somebody who was a
former collegiate athlete transitioning to pageantry, the way that my
(11:25):
physique just a little bit more defined, a little bit stronger,
very athletic. That was always a hurdle for me because
I didn't know if I looked too muscular. I didn't
know if I looked too strong. And when I saw
Miss USA twenty nineteen Chesley christ who was a former
Division I track athlete, I had never seen a body
(11:50):
so strong and so graceful and so poised. And instantly,
when I had that visual representation, I knew I could
get on that stage, and I hope that in my
pursuits can be that for somebody. I've even gotten feedback
before from judges, and I've seen comments online she's a
little too muscular, her arms are too toned, her biceps
are to this. But by the time I got to
(12:10):
Miss USA, none of the noise matter because I already
knew their space for me, and I have to create
a lane for who's coming behind me as well, So
it all does work for your good in the end.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I love that so much, especially the criticism. Criticism can
fuel you better than all the encouragements.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
And compliments.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
You get that one person to come at you sideways,
you like, I know this they did.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That's it, That's all you need.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Like, that's all you need. But I want to go back.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
To something you mentioned, which is you being a collegiate athlete.
So first off, shout out to the HBCUs H.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yes, but you Morgan State Bears.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
You played basketball and you were the captain of your
basketball team as a freshman. It's people holding down that
title that struggling as seniors. How were you able to
not only accept that role as a freshman, But is
there maybe something about you where leadership is always maybecame
natural to you?
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Definitely.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
I think for me, I've never been somebody who's tried
to force that role upon myself. I think the people
that were around they noticed leadership qualities in you before
you do, so it's nice.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
When they speak to that.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
My coaches, my teammates, my friends have always kind of
turned to me for advice or feedback on things, and
that gave me the confidence to know that I can
pour into others.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
So when it.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Came to sports, I think leadership from the sense of
just encouraging my teammates is what I always took pride
in is what I always enjoyed. And when I stepped
on the court as a freshman at Morgan State, I
just wanted to see the floor. I said, I'm here
to prove myself. I'm here to show that I earned
this scholarship. But when my coaches announced me as one
of the co captains, you might have to insert a
(13:58):
meme of shock so that you could see my because
I could not believe.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
I said, not this little old.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Girl from next to New Jersey who's just trying to
get some minutes. So it really just gave me some
more confidence that it doesn't matter how old you are,
how much experience you do or don't have. When others
see something in you, you should see that in yourself
just as much. So it helped the trajectory of my
basketball career in college.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You you have said, and I agree, that pageants are
a sport.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Always it's sport. It's a sport.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
So being a collegiate athlete, right and then going being
in pageants, how would you say your sports background prepared
you for the pageantry world.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
I tell people all the time, if I wasn't an athlete,
I wouldn't be missing New Jersey, USA, and I will
stick to that through and through. It's the discipline that
you get from being an athlete. It's the commitment, the dedication,
the work ethic behind the scenes, the stuff that nobody sees.
You present yourself in a way where it is. Some
people like to use the work perfect on stage when
(15:10):
it comes to pageantry, but it's the furthest thing from perfection.
It's just diligence and it's just persistence. So for me,
whether it was shooting extra free throws in the gym
after practice, or running stairs or just making sure I
was conditioned, I took all of those things and applied
it to the preparation that I needed to go onto pageantry.
Because you put a six in shield in front of me.
(15:32):
After playing in basketball sneakers from the time I was
nine to twenty three insane, but I knew how much
practice that I needed to go into it, and it
just really helped boost my confidence a lot more. And
it gave me the confidence to know, like, all right, well,
if something is foreign or unfamiliar, that background that I
have in athletics can carry over into anything that I
want to do in life.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
One percent.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
When I was online for Sigma Guymirea, there was this
one thing that we used to always say, pispoor preparation
promotes pissport performance, and you can literally take that into
any thing. And so the preparation that you get from
basketball from knowing what it means to be ready for
game day, I would imagine it's the same type of
(16:14):
preparation that it takes to prepare you for pageantry. I
then so share with us if you can, what does
some of that preparation look like from you know, do
you have special people who you work with, Like, what
does preparing for a pageant look like? So for me,
the first step that I took was research, and it
was figuring out what pageant system was going to be
(16:36):
the best to suit.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
My goals and my needs.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
I looked at the American system, I looked at the
USA system, and there's so many more systems now.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
But after doing that.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
Research, I said, all right, if you're going to compete
in the USA system, you know there's going to be
a private interview in front of coaches, So you probably
want to work with someone so you can know how
to articulate your thoughts and you know, be up to
date on current events, be nice and opprest. I knew
there was a swimsuit port, so being an athlete is
different than presenting yourself in somewhat of a vulnerable position
on stage in a bathing suit.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So I said, all right, you let me figure out.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I'm head to toe healthy is one thing, but cut
up and boring is another. Right, So it was switching
gears and saying, all right, you may be able to
run a full court sprint in twelve seconds, but you're
not running in a paget.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
You're strutting.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
So it's working with a walking coach, it's working with
a nutritionist and somebody who can help me present my best,
leanest tone and most confident self. So I hired one coach,
Sierra Nicole out of Baltimore, Maryland Crown Bound Consulting, and
then my last year preparing for this competition, I hired
Gina Melish Consulting to help with my marketing and like
(17:49):
the interview skills of it all, and it was the
perfect formula. So the same way you have a coaching
staff in sports, it's the same thing with pageantry, hair, makeup, wardrobe.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Communication, physical fitness. You really need a team in a village.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, if I.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
Ever like I knew you had to prepare, but to
hear you say all the things that you did to prepare,
I don't know if I ever thought about it that way.
All right, So you play basketball, and to me, basketball
is this big sisterhood, right, And just like with sororities,
(18:27):
that is a big sisterhood. And I would assume being
in pageants and especially the more you do that becomes
a big sisterhood. Maybe. Yes, So I have some sisters,
(18:47):
is going Tea?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Come on?
Speaker 1 (18:51):
I have some sisters right in the sorority that I
played basketball with that are like my ride or dies,
Like Tea is my ride or die?
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Right, But then I got some of the other ones
that girl, I just be like this here is my question.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Okay, Like as much as you want to see each
other succeed and do well, it's still a competition, yes, right. So,
and when I say sisters, I'm not just talking about
the ones on my team, I'm talking about the ones
that I played against.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, and when we're not playing.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Against each other, like I'm gonna hold you down, I
wish the best.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
For you all the things. But when we compete in
you in my way? You in my way for what
I'm trying to go get that part.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
So I know the stuff we see where it's like,
oh wow, they all like each other and they all
get along and look she's smiling at her and she's
cupping for her.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
But behind the scenes, uh huh, behind that curtain, Yeah,
behind the.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Scenes, what the folks, what's really like? How caddy? How petty?
And if it's not, then maybe it's not.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
But do tell we want the tee is what we say, okay,
and I'll serve that. My experience on the state level,
which is a much smaller scale than like Miss USA,
I've always had really pleasant interactions with the girls, with
the directors, which made me want to continue to do
(20:20):
pageants because some people I've.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Heard horror stories. I mean from hairstylists to makeup artists
to other competitors. So there is a broad spectrum of
what you can experience. I've always had really positive ones,
even at Miss USA. But what I will say, and
I love that you spoke about the competitiveness because sisterhood
is inevitable. You do have a respect for everybody who
(20:44):
you are going up against, and you want to see
everybody do their best and be happy and joyful. But
the moment I signed up for a pageantry, like I said,
it's a sport, I'm coming to win.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
Yeah, I am hoping and expecting to make friends in
life long connections.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
But my competitive edge. I like to refer to myself
as the silent assassin. I may not be I may.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
Not be on your radar, I may not be in
your top twenty, your top five, whatever, but I know
exactly what's going down. I know what I put into it,
so I expect to yield and to reap exactly what
I want to get out of it, which is the crown.
And that mentality helped me stay locked in and stay
just hyper focused on it and to ignore anything else
(21:28):
that was happening outside of my mindset. So the cattiness
over here, I may turn my ear and just be
aware of it, like oh what.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Happened in the dressing room?
Speaker 4 (21:36):
Ooh, and then I'm locked back in, and I'm immediately
locked back in.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
I'm aware of my surroundings.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
You know, every now and then you just want a
little tea, you a little ooh, so tell more. But
after that it stays there, and then I'm on stage.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
I know that's right.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
You got to keep your head on a slubl but
you did ooh sight, can't.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
You gotta have uners?
Speaker 3 (21:57):
Yeah, got too.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
You gotta stay in that same kind of category.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
Though.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Are there any misconceptions about pageantry? I think people, you know,
kind of have their idea of what things are or
are not. But there definitely feels like there could be
some things that maybe we see as viewers of the
show or thinking about what pageantry actually is versus what
(22:22):
actually does happen or what actually does you know benefit
you and each contestant in it.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I love this question because this was actually my winning
question for Miss New Jersey USA. And I remember when
I was standing on stage. I was the last one
to go, and it came from one of the judges
and she said, what are some misconceptions that you want
to debunk and change as the title holder? And I
can remember it clears the first thing that came out
(22:50):
of my mouth was what I love the most about
pageantry is that something that was once a cornerstone for
vanity has morphed and transformed into being a catalyst for
com confidence and capability. And I think that's the one
thing that people should open their minds up to understanding
to make pageantry is a vehicle. It's not something that
you have to put all of your value in and
(23:12):
your complete identity, but it's supposed to get you to
where you want to go in life. And the skills
that I've acquired from pageantry have set me up to
do some great things later down the road, So from
being just the prettiest girl on stage to being the
most articulate.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
That's one of my favorite.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Another thing is the women who I've competed against, their
business owners, their attorneys, their leaders in their community, their politicians,
and pageantry honestly is the least interesting thing about them.
It honestly is kind of just like this cool side
quest that women do just to you know, further promote
their philanthropy, their initiatives. So it really is just something
to put you in a position to further expand on
(23:51):
what you're already doing in your everyday life.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
If I can follow up.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Talking about like how your brand is what it comes to,
because that's I think it's a huge misconception, is that
folks think that this is all you are. You just
think it's your pretty girl and you know, maybe you
come from a very expensive, stellar background because a lot
of you know, I think there's a thing where they
think a lot of women who enter pageants have been
doing it a long time ye and it cost a
(24:18):
lot of money as if.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
They had the means, and they have.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
The means, So I definitely think that that's a misconception.
But what you have done is turned the ability to
kind of morph yourself into a nonprofit and a program
that will allow you to give this knowledge to younger kids,
into other teens and to athletes, specifically young women who
(24:43):
also want to find their identity in doing something other
than being a basketball player. And that's with the most
valuable pivot. Can you give us more information with why
this was important to you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
It's so important because it's it's my story and it's
my testimony. And and I was always encouraged to have
interest outside of sports, and that helped me have different
friends and different groups. It helped me to just know
more about the things around me. So when I was
coming towards the end of my college career, I said,
all right, well, you know, you got to get a job.
(25:16):
You're not going to.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Play pro, You're not going to go overseas. This is
really going to be the end of the road for sports.
So I said, pagetry could be cool, and I know
what I want to get out of it, But then
what happens if you don't win, or what happens if
you don't want to compete anymore? So once I started
coaching middle school basketball and lacrosse, I said to myself,
this is who I once was, so how can I
(25:38):
be who I needed when I was younger? And I
piloted the program MVP with my lacrosse and basketball players
and through that just helping them to have the tools
that they need to be the architects of their identity
and just knowing that their worth is not rooted in
like performative success or achievement, because with sports or anything,
we tend to assess our value based off of how
(26:01):
many points we score or how many awards you get
at the end of a season, And that's not the
point of life at all. The point is to know
who you are, no matter what team you're on or
no matter what facet you pivot into. So that's really
the premise of it. And I absolutely love it because
I'm teaching them something. But I'm also benefiting from the
work as well, so it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
I like you.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
On a more serious note, and I go back to
what you said about pageants being a sport, because we
know in sports there's always injuries, accidents, and most recently,
I believe Miss Jamaica had a fall at a Miss
Universe pageant. Yes, two things. One, do you know how
(26:50):
she's doing and can give us an update? And two
is that something that in the back of your mind
you kind of think about every time you enter a paget.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
I don't have a recent update.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
When they were updating us when she was at Miss Universe,
they did her national directors put out a statement and
said that she was hoping to return to the competition.
I don't believe she did because they wanted to make
sure that her health was the priority, which, at the
end of the day, is something When you take a
fall like that, it's like, you know what, I don't
ever goes it was, And when I watched it back,
(27:27):
it scared me because you don't think about injury when
you think about pagets. You think about knowing where your
mark is and knowing how to smile at the camera,
but when something like fath exactly exactly, but that's not
the viral moment that you anticipate. So I do hope
that she is doing well and wishing her all the best.
(27:48):
But thinking about your steps, your choreography, something that I
have been reluctant to share since winning. I actually slipped
on finals night Miss New Jersey USA prelims. I couldn't
have asked for a cleaner, smoother, more on point performance.
(28:09):
I mean I was twirling what can you Moore say?
Twirl whirling? And that gave me the charge that I
needed going into finals because I said, oh, if you
can do this once, then you can do it tomorrow.
So I noticed my energy was a little bit higher,
and it probably was nerves too. So I remember they
(28:29):
give us a sarong in finals, you know, have it
in prelims. So now I'm dealing with a prop. So
I get to the end of the runway and my choreography,
I had a double turn when I'm walking off. That
second turn could have been a turn for the worst.
I kid you not, and when you look at it
on camera it's not as bad. But in my head,
I said to myself, did I just lose this competition
(28:50):
because I tripped. But I went backstage right before I
put my evening gown on, and this is what I
said to myself. You missed a free throw, but you
didn't lose the game. Hey, you have you have to
have that comeback, bounce back mentality because everything's not gonna
go perfect, but it's how you reassess what your game
plan is and how you come back stronger in the
(29:11):
next phase.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
And I said, you still have evening.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Gown and if you're lucky enough to get called for
top five, you better bring that question home. And everything
came together and worked in my favor, so I definitely
can relate to fumbling a little bit.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
I love that. Gee, I just want to follow up
real quick. Yeah do, I'm sure you do. What was
your question?
Speaker 4 (29:33):
My question was what are the negative stigmas in pageantry
today and how are you going to work to change them?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
You know, in this role.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
And it was a two part question, so you you
never know which way it's going to go. Sometimes it
can be political. Sometimes they can ask you about yourself.
But I loved that because it gave me the opportunity
to talk about what I loved about pageantry and not
the negative stigmas in it. And then it also gave
me a chance to show them how I do that
in my everyday life with MVP. And then I brought
(30:08):
it home and let them know, as your Miss New
Jersey us, Yes, this work, it's furthering this work. That's
that's like the elevator pitch all in one.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Yes, I love that.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I love that and it helps me too. Here's another
misconceptionion that you just debunked. It didn't even know you
did it. For some reason, I thought that you guys
got the questions in advance. I knew like that y'all
like knew which question was going to be asked. But
like in my head, I was like, maybe they give
them like a list of things that God asked, and
you just have to be prepared for whatever any one
(30:42):
of those questions.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
I will say to you, do have a coach.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
The coaches that I've worked with, they have workbooks and
different things that they set up for their clients, over
two hundred questions to study just in case you get it,
whether it's in like the private interview or on stage.
And I can remember every question that I've gotten in
the top five. So I remember the first time, which
I completely bombed, it was what is something that's happening
(31:08):
in our state or in our country that you think
is like a prevalent issue? Rambled from my life? Four
run up and deserved it? And then the second time
it was what did you learn and deserved it? Second
question was well, what did you learn from the pandemic?
And I was like, okay, well I can kind of
(31:28):
talk to that really liked my answer, But this question
that I've got this time, I said, that's my winning question.
That is supposed to be the home run slam dunk.
That's how I want to be remembered as what I
want done.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
And I love that. I love that. What color was
your evening dress?
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Evening gown for New Jersey was a It was a
nude gown, almost like sheer, but it had all of
these crystal embellishments. And then I had a white ballero
that went over my arms and I was the only
one had that, and I said, oh, you're gonna remember me.
Speaker 3 (32:02):
This is going to be it's going to be unforgettable.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Okay, And then like down my gown for Miss USA
is what I consider to be unconventional because in the
history of the pageant, only one other woman has won
a brown gown. It was a chocolate brown gown with
caramel and bronze beating. And it was the last dress
that I tried on at my appointment. But I do
remember flipping through the racks and I said, oh, brown
(32:28):
is interesting. But I just left it there. So the
woman who ran the showroom went upstairs. She said, all right,
here's one more. I just want you to try it
on to.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
See if you like it. I put that dress on
and started crying.
Speaker 4 (32:38):
And I'm not even the type to get emotional over
like a garment or even when I see women cry
when they put their wedding dress on, I'm like, it
touches a nerd. But when I put that dress on
and saw myself in the light, I said, this is
how I want to be crowned, is Miss Usa if
it gets to that point, And.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I just knew.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
I knew.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
I want to tell you that the whole time that
you were talking. While listening, I googled and this dress
is fabulous and it is gorgeous faith you, and I
think I would probably take the same approach where like
if it were if it were me, just given how
I am the LEO and me always needs to stand out,
(33:20):
and I would probably be the person to be like,
whatever I'm wearing, it's got to be something that I
know nobody else is going that they're gonna be like, Oh,
I remember I Michigan.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
That's on from Detroit. I remember Miss Michigan.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
That's right, so right.
Speaker 1 (33:34):
There's this one picture that I found though, that is
with you and Miss Jersey, Miss New Jersey teen USA. Yes,
it is a gorgeous picture. She looks amazing. You look
amazing with your both with your crowns. And it makes
me think of what your message would be to someone
who wants to come after you, whether that is in basketball,
(33:57):
whether that's in pageantry or just trying to figure it out.
Just what would be your advice for someone that's looking
to follow in your footsteps.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
The first thing that comes to mind is, whatever you
do want to attempt, don't seek to emulate the person
who was before you, the queens and the title holders,
and if you want to go to athletics, even the
basketball players who were on teams or in roles before me.
Sometimes you can get compared to those people. How you
fit in a program, how you fit in a system,
(34:30):
but who we are just as individuals is the value
that we're bringing to set team or to the organization.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
So really just making.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Sure that you know who you are so that you
don't waiver or try to morph into somebody else once
you do get into that role. I think the individuality
that comes with identity is what makes it special and
it just makes the journey so much more memorable. Also,
the second thing is it always seems impossible until it's done.
(35:00):
It's a true testament to that persistence that we talked about.
And if you start to doubt yourself, but once you
do cross that threshold or that finish line, you realize, dang,
everything that I went through was preparing me for what
I was asking for all along. So not trying to
go against the process, but allowing the things that may
seem like hurdles to know that it's forming you to
(35:22):
fully operate in what you're asking for. And I think
the last thing would be to do your best to
stay present. When you're somebody who has a job title
or just a role, sometimes you feel the need to
be on all of the time, and then it's not
until an event is over or an appearance is done
where you're like, I don't even remember anybody's name, or
(35:45):
you know, I felt like I looked great and maybe
I said the right thing, but did I enjoy myself?
So just making sure that you can cherish each and
every step of the things that you're able to do
when you're in that position. I think that's important because
all you're going to have one day is memories, and
you don't just want to remain you know, how you looked,
but how you felt when you were there?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just I think you're amazing.
Speaker 3 (36:09):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
I like your story, I love your journey, I love
your energy, I love everything about you, and I know
someday we will be seeing you.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
When Miss USA and Miss Universe.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Put get out there.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
We're putting it out there. I love it. I love it.
Last one before we get you out of here? What's
next for you? Like, what is what can we expect
next from you?
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I am assessing how I'm going to pivot into the
next phase of my purpose. But something that's really exciting
for me is working on an ebook and a workbook
for athletes. MVP is something that I'm able to pour
into people when it's in person. But I want somebody
to have like a tangible something that they can actively
(36:58):
write down their goals, and some think that they can
almost create a blueprint for themselves. I love to journal,
and I love writing down a plan because once you
put it on paper, that's when you know it's real.
So coming putting this workbook together is something that I'm
learning even more about myself. And I hope that people,
over time will be able to just have the confidence
to go after whatever they're excited about in life. So
(37:20):
be on the lookout for that workbook, and hopefully one
day if I send you all a copy, we'll be
able to see how you're going to pivot into whatever
you have next.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
Because y'all are.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Killing y'all are killing it. I love it. I love
it so much.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
Well, Ivy, thank you so much for joining us for
has been such a fun conversation. I'm going to be
following your journey to see what you're doing, where you're going.
So when you see me all, when you see all
these twenty nine thousand likes on.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Your iv be like, that's just Tarita, She's just.
Speaker 3 (37:51):
That's the sea. It's a mutual spam.
Speaker 4 (37:54):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
It's just see it's it.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
But tell you I just want to just ask Ivy, like,
if people wanted to get involved with MVP, how can
they do that?
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Oh, so you can actually find me? Social media is
all about Ivy on Instagram or the Miss NJUSA page,
but contacting me directly is the best way, whether it
is for public speaking. If you want me to come
to do a workshop, my contact information can be found
on those platforms, but a quick plug would be Miss
NJUSA twenty five at gmail dot com. So I love
(38:29):
to travel, I love to spread it, and however else
I can help the next generation is what I'm all about.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
I love that we will definitely make sure our listeners
know how to get in touch with you.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
And thank you again so much for joining us.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Thank you so much. It has been an honor. I
just cannot even believe I'm amongst the queens today.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
I love this. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
That was such a great conversation when Ivy, you know,
I never, I never once ever thought about being in
a pageant, but I did. Used to love Vanessa Williams
when I was like, like she was they she was
the Miss America.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
For me as a kid. She was it. Yeah, she
was Miss.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
America, and so Vanessa Williams was like, you know, that
was the And then there was what's her name, She's
from Detroit. I love her Kenya Moore. She was another
black woman who was in the pageant space. Yeah. So
I was just like, you know, and so it just
does my heart good to see all these incredible women
(39:41):
who look like me and look like us that are
just really coming in and killing a game in a
pageantry space. And I love that she brought up to
Shauna Sigma Gammeroau woman, come on girl, who also went.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
To an HBC. So I love it, just, you know,
such a fun episode for a lot of reasons.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
I loved why watching the pageants, but I was like,
I could never compete in a pageant for a lot
of reasons because and this was one question I should
have asked, but I didn't. I always thought you had
to weigh a certain amount and couldn't eat. And I
love my food too much. Gray listen here the group,
(40:20):
the better, the fatter, the better, all the things. But anyway,
they do have those I have seen recently over the
last at least six or seven years for sure that
they have like these full figure pageants, they like miss
full figure whatever. But here's the thing, Sis, they full figure,
be like the size ten, and I'll be like, bitch,
(40:41):
a ten, I'm not full.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
A tall figure to me is a fourteen, sixteen, eighteen too.
So girl, I.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Lived a full nine lifestyle for a very long time.
I don't know what this is. This a ten, a
ten in twelfth grade. I'll re honest with you. I'm
gonna be honest with sis. Let me just be honest
with you. Besides all that, here's the other thing. They
smile a lot at each other.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Okay, looks so cute. Oh what you did so good?
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I might have to stick my foot out and trip
you walk in and be like, nah, don't talk, bitch.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Don't you talk to me.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
You're in my way.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
You are staying between me and my crown. No, ma'am,
I love that. I love that.
Speaker 3 (41:28):
Well.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
Thanks again. I just love having her on.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
Yes, definitely, definitely, I love it. I love it well.
With that being said, she is leveling up people who
she works with her middle school and high school students
with her MVP program, and Cheryl always leveled us up
with a positive word of affirmation at the end of
every show.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
So, Cheryl, what you got for us today, I'll just
get right to it. There's something about this that I
don't know.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
I think I need to hear it and need to
kind of remind myself of of who I am at times.
So hopefully this will resonate with somebody. And it says
she didn't climb the mountain to be seen, she climbed
it to remind herself what she was capable of. I
(42:20):
love that I need. I need to remind myself sometimes,
and especially during this time of year, you know, holidays,
and I don't know, I've been in a little funk lately,
So yeah, I needed that. Yeah, I mean, I like
that a lot because at the end of the day,
it isn't always about everybody else. Sometimes it's just about
(42:42):
remembering who you are, Okay, Yeah, doing this for you, right,
It's for me, It's for me. I love that one
hundred percent. Well, guys, thank you all so much for
listening to levels to this. We will be back next
week with more next level conversations about the ship that
we go through as.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
When and on next week's.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
Episode, we will also be announcing who won the thousand
dollars in our pageants, so you definitely want to tune
in if you submit it for the contest and you
want to know if you won. You will find out
next week whether or not you won. So continue to
reach out to us and let us know what you
(43:23):
think about our show, because remember this isn't just our show,
it's our show.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
So you can.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Definitely send us an email at Levels to This podcast
at gmail dot com and let us know if there
are topics or things that you want to talk about.
You can also leave us a review in Apple Podcasts
and tell us what you think about the show, and
please follow us on Instagram at lttpod.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
But until then, keep.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
Your Mitchell's ground level and we'll be back next week.
Please listen to Levels to This on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search
Levels to This with Cheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster as
we and start listening
Hosts And Creators
Terrika Foster-Brasby
Sheryl Swoopes
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