#50 Crowned & Candid: Kiersten Khoury, Miss Massachusetts 2024

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Raeanna Johnson (00:00):
Hello everyone, welcome back to Sash and Soul.
We are back again with anotherepisode in the Crowned and
Candid series, and this time Iam here with Miss Massachusetts
2024, kirsten Corey, so excitedto dive into this conversation
with her.
She is a light, I can alreadytell.
It's just she's been sogracious with me already this

(00:20):
morning or afternoon, rather,because I'm like all over the
place.
If you've been listening, youknow that my dad had a stroke
about two and a half weeks agoand last night he was discharged
from inpatient rehab way soonerthan we had anticipated because
of insurance issues, but Idrove him home three hours back
to my house, and so my husbandand I are going to be hanging

(00:42):
out with him here while we tryand get him set up with some
speech therapy and just get himback on his feet.
So it's just kind of been a lotof me navigating this new normal
and managing being abusinesswoman, being a podcaster
, being a caretaker, being awife, being, you know, taking
care of the house all the thingswhich I know is it's just life,

(01:03):
and I think that's that's oneof my favorite things.
To be able to be really openand authentic about with you
guys is like we always have alot of stuff going on, and what
matters is making sure thatwe're prioritizing what means
the most to us and showing upauthentically, no matter what,
and that is exactly what Kirstenis bringing to the table today

(01:25):
in this conversation.
In Sash and Soul is just trulylike.
She had mentioned being a partof the pageant world for 20
years, and this is her goal isto show up just as herself and
be real and raw, and that's whatyou're going to get from her
today.
And just to see which I wasexplaining to Kirsten and I have
been talking about in thisseries.

(01:46):
That's what these conversationsare about is to see the reality
behind the crown, the realitybehind the title, the highs, the
lows, the everything in between, so that you, as listeners, can
see yourself in that positiontoo, because as human beings, we
are complex, we have humanexperiences, things happen,

(02:08):
circumstances change and wenavigate to the best of our
abilities, and we don't alwaysdo it perfectly, and I think
it's important to see yourselfin someone else in the position
that you are striving to be in.
So, with that, welcome Kirsten.
Thank you for joining me.

Kiersten Khoury (02:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm so excited to sit down andtalk with you today.

Thank you, let's dive in.
Tell us a little bit more aboutyourself.
I'm super curious to hear aboutyour journey and just who you
are outside of being MissMassachusetts as well.
That's important too.

Yes, so I am a born and raised from
Massachusetts.
It's always been my home.
I did, however, take a briefstint in North Carolina for four
years.
I went to High Point Universityin North Carolina, where I
majored in entrepreneurship andminored in sales, and was a
graduate with the class of 2023.
So that was the only time Iever left my home of

(03:02):
Massachusetts.
But I am back now.
I live in Boston with my bestfriend since childhood and we
live in an apartment right onthe water, which is just so
beautiful and, after beinglandlocked, what it felt like,
landlocked in the middle ofNorth Carolina for four years,
the water is a beautiful sightand you know, in terms of the
pageant world and my journeywith that, I have been a

(03:23):
competitor for almost 20 yearsnow, and so I have been somebody
who has aspired to walk theMiss America stage for many,
many, many years.
I've held lots of pageant titles.
They have all been meaningfulin their own special way, and
the Miss America dream wasalways the ultimate goal, and so
achieving that this year was ahuge milestone for me, but not

(03:46):
just for me, but for my familyas well.
I have a very close-knit familyhere in Massachusetts, as well
as all over the country.
So many of them came out tosupport me during Miss America.
So that was really meaningfulto see that it really does take
a village and that you can't dothis by yourself.
So relying on those people hasmeant everything to me.
And outside of that I, like you, own my own business.

(04:10):
So I do coaching, I do pageantcoaching, I do interview, public
speaking, resume building allof these things that I feel are
sometimes missing and hard tofind that I want to offer to
other people.
So that's kind of what I do onthe back end when I'm not
wearing the crown and sash, andyeah, that's just a little bit

(04:31):
about me.

I love that and I think you know talking about
it takes a village.
Some of my messaging lately,too, has been like it takes a
village to support us ineverything that we're doing.
But let's not negate how muchour village is gaining from this
experience too, and that it'snot really just about us, that

(04:52):
they each have a piece of oursuccess too and they own that
and they feel all these bigfeelings about it Like they're.
They're part of this journeybecause it's exciting for them
too, they love us, they supportus, but also like they get to be
a part of something special toobecause of what we are doing by
putting ourselves out there andbeing on this stage and going
after these dreams.
So I think that's a big part ofit.

It totally is, and you know everybody always
says you're a title holder, soyou represent your home state,
but you also represent yourfamily and your friends and all
of those people who havesupported you throughout those
years.
I very much feel a weight, in agood way, that I am
representative of all of thesepeople who have invested in me
and I'm just the vessel who isgiving their message and sharing

(05:37):
what's important to them, notonly just in the state of
Massachusetts, butrepresentative of different
cultures and experiences.
My dad is an immigrant fromLebanon and the support I've
received from that communitypeople living in Lebanon wanting
to support me because I am arepresentation of a Lebanese
American is huge.
I have so much family in NewYork who have rallied around me

(06:01):
and supported me.
So you're so right You're justthe vessel and the picture that
people are looking at, but youare representative of so many
people and so many differentthings being on that stage.

Yeah, and I love how you said.
It's a weight.
In a good way, it's like aprivilege.
It's a privilege to have thatmany people cheering us on and
loving on us and supporting usand taking part in our journey
as part of their own journey too.
It's a weight, and I think thatit's a tricky balance, though,

(06:32):
too, if not to take on all ofthat pressure.
Obviously, that's a bigstruggle that I think all of us
have experienced at some point,if not regularly.

In anything you do.
I mean, if your parents orfamily helped support you get a
college degree, you feel aweight to make them proud and
make that investment worthwhile.
If somebody recommended you fora job, you feel that weight to
perform well in that job.
It doesn't matter what you'redoing.
You know the people in yourlife who love and support you,
want to see you succeed.

(07:04):
So there's always that littletiny bit of I want to make them
proud, and I definitely did feelthat.
But what was so beautiful isknowing that their pride came
from me achieving the dream ofbeing there.
It didn't matter what happenedwhen I got there, you know, it
wasn't about that, and so I wasalways very fortunate to know

(07:24):
that they were just proud of mefor being me and putting my
heart and soul out there, andthat's all they could ask.

Yeah, because that's the downfall, right Like
it's important that we have thataccountability right from other
people in our lives.
But what we have to practicenot doing is letting that kind
of overpower our sense of selfor put like so much pressure on
ourselves that we're likestruggling to even enjoy the

(07:53):
process.
Because if people love you andsupport you and they truly love
you for all the right reasonsthey don't want you to be
miserable while you're doing it.
They want you to be having agood time and you're going to
perform better.
You're going to achieve morewhen you are focusing on the
things that you care aboutgenuinely and putting your best
intentions out there.

A hundred percent.

Yeah, okay, so let's let's talk about when you
achieve this goal of your ticketto Miss America that you had
been dreaming of for so long.
Take me back to crowning nightlast year at Miss Massachusetts,
and what was that for you, whatwas going through your head,
what was the experience like?
Give us the rundown.

So I had competed in Miss Massachusetts
the year prior and, as Imentioned, I've done this for a
long time, but I always remindpeople that I have walked away
without the crown a whole lotmore times than I walked away
with it.
So I have been competing for 20years.
I've held, I think, eighttitles, so I've lost a lot more
than I've won.

(08:52):
And so the year prior at MissMassachusetts, I was in the top
10, which was a hugeaccomplishment for me personally
.
That was the goal was gettinginto the top 10.
And I was proud of myself forthat goal.
You know, achieving that andthe icing on the cake in that
experience was that I won theinterview award, and that was a
huge moment for me.

(09:14):
I had always really wanted todo well in that category and I
felt like it was something I wascomfortable in.
I really enjoyed interview.
However, I'd never beenrecognized in that kind of a way
.
So winning the interview awardwas a huge personal success for
me and, honestly, at that momentit felt just as good as
probably winning the title.

(09:34):
It was a personal feat and Iwas proud of myself for
accomplishing it.
But the next year when I cameback, I had made the top five
and they start.
They start ticking down and itis I don't even know what to
compare it to.
There's that trend going aroundon TikTok and it's like my body
doesn't know the differencebetween being attacked by a bear
in the woods and like doingwhatever.

(09:56):
That's kind of how I felt.
I was full body shakes, likecouldn't control myself, so
nervous, and then they called myname and you kind of just black
out, I think, like I don'treally remember.
I had to watch back the video afew times to really remember
what happened.
But one of the judges said thatshe had never seen somebody
shake like that in their entirelife.
She thought they were going tohave to call 911.

Like I was going to.

So I guess I was shaking pretty bad.
Yeah, I won.
And then they literally whiskyou away and they pretty much
like put me in a room and mademe wait until all of my family,
all the judges, all the formerMiss Massachusetts had gone
upstairs in our theater andlined the hallways, which I
didn't know at the time.

(10:40):
So I was just standing in thislike corridor waiting to figure
out what was going on and myexecutive director, buffy, is
standing with me and she's likewe just have to wait a few
minutes.
And I'm like, okay, like forwhat?
I'm so confused.
Finally they open the doors andeverybody is like lining the
hallways, screaming, cheering.

(11:00):
It was the most.
It might have been moreoverwhelming than getting
crowned, because I was just intotal shock and I guess one of
the people had said to my familydon't run and hug her, you're
going to make her cry again andwe have photos.
We just fixed her makeup.
So they were instructed not totouch me.
Well, the first thing I did wasrun and grab my mom, of course,

(11:21):
like duh, like.
So I ran and I grabbed her andshe hugged me and she was like
stop hugging me, you have to go.
And I was like, okay, and thenI got grabbed and we did photos
and then we do a big party afterat a local restaurant nearby
and that's when I got to hangout with my family and thank the
judges and meet all of ourboard, and you know, so it was

(11:43):
just, it was an overwhelming fewhours, but you know, it was
just incredible.
The whole time you kind of justfeel like do I deserve this?
Did they pick the right girl?
Was it supposed to be me, orare we sure You're just in like
a daze?

Yeah right.
So I'm curious.
So often we hear like I neverimagined this would happen for
me, like I never, never dreamedof this, like I hear that and
honestly I want to say that's BS, because I think we all have
like the dream.
I'm sorry, I'm going to be real.
I'm going to just call that outbecause like that's a beautiful
, humble sentiment to say but ifyou are competing for this and

(12:20):
you want it, you've allowedyourself to dream it a little
bit, so you've allowed yourselfto picture it.
Whether or not youwholeheartedly believe it could
happen, I mean, I guess that's adifferent story.
But did you like?
What was that like for you asyou were preparing?
Obviously you wanted it right Ahundred percent.

I'm not somebody who's shy about going
after what they want, and Ithink the difference and you
know and I take a religiousstandpoint on this as well where
I believe God has a plan forall of us and that is what it is
and we may not know in themoment why something happens the
way it does or what his timingis, but there is a reason,
something happens.
So I do fully andwholeheartedly believe that.

(13:01):
However, there is a reallylarge piece of did you work for
it?
And so I am somebody who is notshy about going after what they
want, and I'll tell you thisstory.
So the first pageant title Iever won was National American
Miss Massachusetts Princess in2008.
And I won it after two tries.

(13:23):
I had never done a pageant priorto that.
Then I went back as a juniorpreteen and I competed until I
was a teen, and I never wonagain.
And it wasn't that I wasn'tworking hard for it, it just
wasn't meant to be, and Ieventually had to come to the
conclusion that this was nolonger my place to be and I
needed to move on to somethingelse.

(13:44):
And I did.
I found other pageants, I wonother titles, I even won a
national pageant.
So, like other things weremeant to be for me, it wasn't
that, but it was something else.
But with Miss Massachusetts, Iabsolutely worked for it and
dreamed of it and pictured itand knew that I was capable of
doing it.
However, the difference betweenthe first year and the second

(14:05):
year was the level of work I putin and I'm okay with admitting
the fact that the first year Iwent into it I was not giving it
my 100% at all.
I maybe gave it 80.
In my defense.
I was also extremely sick theweek of Miss Massachusetts 103
degree fever, infected wisdomteeth.
My first year year had to getthem out in emergency surgery,

(14:27):
like the day after the pageant,that.
But I was definitely not at ahundred percent.
And so the second year that Iwent in I prepared like I was
preparing for Miss America and Isay that to everybody now like
I prepped for that pageant, likeI was going to Miss America.
And when I did get to go to MissAmerica the preparation kind of
stayed the same.
I was giving it my all, I wasgiving it 100% and I knew that

(14:50):
if I did that it would happenfor me.
I didn't know when, but I knewit would, and so it was just a
matter of you know when, not ifso, yeah, I think some things
are meant for us.
I think other things will neverbe meant for us and we have to
accept that.
Um, and that's a really, reallyhard pill to swallow, trust me.
Yeah, there's a lot of griefthat goes with that, or better,

(15:20):
meant for them, and it just itwasn't this thing, but that is a
really, really tough thing tocome to.
And for other young women, itis a matter of how much hard
work you put in, and if you'rebeing real and honest with
yourself, you might not betrying your hardest, and that
was something I did, actually,right before competing in my

(15:53):
first Miss Massachusettscompetition.

Okay, I was going to ask that because you
won interview your first time atMiss Massachusetts.

I did, I did.

So like don't fix what's not broken, Right, so
okay.

Absolutely, and I'm a, I'm big on that one.
Like do not fix what's notbroke, because I think some
girls get in their own headabout that.
Like, if you won the gown award, you don't need to spend $5,000
on a new dress.
It works, keep it, you know?
Or?

if your talent is working, you don't need to
work your butt off and spend abunch of money on a brand new
talent.
Keep it me.

I knew I did well in interview.
I knew they liked me ininterview.
I wasn't going to change that.
I continued to prepare.
But I didn't alter or tweak orchange too too much about what I
did, and that's a whole otherconversation on.
You know, don't be practiced,be prepared.

But yeah, and we could be best friends.

I like yeah, don't don't sound rehearsed,
just be prepared.
Um.
So, yes, like the interview wasworking for me, so I didn't
spend too much time on that.
However, I needed to focus onmy physical health.
I needed to focus on, you know,not only because I got sick.
Clearly, I was not doing wellthe first time, um, so I wanted

(17:22):
to make sure that I was doingeverything I can leading up to
be physically, mentally,emotionally prepared for this
competition, and so I spent alot of time in the gym.
I spent a lot of time on mywellness and on my nutrition,
making sure that I was doingsomething that was sustainable
for me and that was going togive me the energy I needed to
make it through the week.
And I also did change my talentcompletely.

(17:45):
I was tap dancing the first yearand I was a tap dancer my
entire life.
However, I took a four-yearbreak in college, and getting
back into that a few monthsbefore the competition was not a
good idea for me.
It just wasn't.
It took me out during thecompetition, not only because I
was ill, but also just because Ididn't have the stamina I used
to have for that, and it just itwasn't well suited.

(18:09):
It didn't look good.
It didn't feel right.
It wasn't it.
So I decided to change talentsand do a Her Story and I won
with that and it was so muchmore meaningful, so much more
impactful and so much bettersuited for me.
So those were like the areas Ifocused on.
I focused on the fitnesscompetition.

(18:29):
I focused on the talentcompetition.
I did change my gown.
However, it was probably amistake, because the judges told
me that I won in spite of mygown Oof.
They quite literally saidyou're lucky, you can talk,
because that gown was not doingyou any favors.
So we changed that for Miss.

America.
That's interesting because Iwon overall interview when I won
Miss Wisconsin, but none of myjudges liked my dress.

Really See, and everybody thinks it's the
amount of money you spend andthe fancy outfit you have.
It's not.
It is the girl inside of it.
I promise you.

A hundred percent, a hundred percent, and
I love that.
You, you, you seemed verythoughtful and intentional about
the decisions that you made inyour preparation.
I think that's important,especially because there could
have been a lot of peopletelling you no, no, no, a tap
dance would be way better than aher story.
It's easier to score this, thatand the other thing, it's more
entertaining.
Whatever, blah, blah, blah.
A lot of people just don't likethe her story and get it

(19:23):
personal preference.
But what I really appreciateabout your decision is that I
think I don't want to put wordsin your mouth, but, like you
knew that it would cause moremindset issues for you and more
stress to try and do the tapdance thing than to just choose
something else that you could doreally well.

And that's tough for people.
Not only is there a negativeconnotation about the Her Story
which, after doing both afterpreparing a traditional talent
and preparing a non-traditionaltalent I would argue both have
the same amount of work, bothare just as difficult.
You know, as I said, I was acompetitive dancer my entire

(20:02):
life.
I stopped in college, took abreak.
Trying to get back into thatwas not easy.
But writing an emotional pieceto deliver in front of thousands
of people, whether it's spokenword, whether it's you know,
poem, whatever you want to make,it is not easy either.
And the nuances and thesignificant changes that you can

(20:24):
make in the delivery is alsonot easy.
It's kind of like looking at anactor and saying your job is
easy.
It's not.
There is emotional conviction,there are hand placements, there
is walking patterns, there areprops, there are timing.
Everything about it ispinpointed to a point where you

(20:45):
want to have the most emotionalimpact you can have in a minute
and a half, and that's the otherhard part is that is not a lot
of time to convey a personalstory.
So it's not easy.
I would argue that it is atalent and that you really do
have to practice and prepare itto do it well.

I agree and I think everything you just said
has to be so validating for somany women listening to this
right now.
And yeah, please DM us and letus know that that hit you,
because I think a lot of womenneed to hear that that
validation of like no, this is alot of work.
You and I both know this.
Right, I've never done a Her Um.

(21:23):
I did do some monologue stuffin high school, but like there's
so, like you said, the nuancesand being able to read the
audience and like practicing itand having to listen to whole
mess of feedback because youlike you need other people to
tell you what's working andwhat's not, and what's hitting
and what's not, and then notsounding overly rehearsed and
memorized Like it's like a mess.

(21:45):
Yeah, it's hard, all right.
So we're reaching the end ofyour year now, so look back at
the crowding moment.
But who were you then versuswho you are now?
How much have you changed?

I keep saying this was the most transformative
year of my life and it's notover yet.
But you know, we are nearingthink five weeks left and so
much of me has changed, so muchof what I wanted out of life.
I don't know that I do anymore.
And it's so interesting becauseyou would never think that

(22:18):
something like this couldcompletely change your mindset
on your career, on your ambition, on your goals.
But it does, at least it didfor me.
I was working in corporateAmerica when I started this
position and doing coaching as aside hustle on the you know,
just very small on the side.

(22:39):
And then I had a year ofopportunity to travel and meet
new people and speak atdifferent functions and to hear
how much that means to people,especially when speaking about
my experiences with dyslexia.
How many little girls and boysI've touched by talking about my
experience.

(22:59):
How many parents have come tome and appreciated what I've
done, how many businesses whofind it valuable, schools.
It's overwhelming in the bestway possible, because I never
realized that I had a voice anda story that could make an
impact like that.
I think us young women who docompete in pageants hope that

(23:23):
that's the case, but until youhave people who are genuinely
coming to you and saying thatyou don't realize the skills
that you possess.
You know we always talk aboutoh, we learn how to public speak
and we learn how to give a goodinterview, but you don't really
realize what kind of impactthat's having on people until
they tell you that's having onpeople, until they tell you.

(23:48):
And so for me, now I haverealized that this advocacy I'm
doing for dyslexia is notsomething that's going to stop
the year, the time I give up mytitle, like it's not just for
one year, it is for life.
I have taken steps to joinboards and become involved in my
community with it and it's notgoing to just end.
And also, looking at what Iwant in a career and

(24:08):
accomplishments in life, I valuenow the opportunity to travel,
the opportunity to speak to newpeople and meet new people, the
opportunity to have autonomyover the work that I do and
realize that everything that Ido is part of my brand, has my
name on it and that's importantto recognize as well.

(24:29):
So there are just so manythings that have kind of
transformed over this year and alot of it's personal growth.
A lot of it is personal desireout of what I want to see in my
future, but a lot of it was alsoreally really hard lessons that
I also had to learn.

Yeah, let's.
Let's talk about, like, thebusiness side of being a title
holder and everything that youhad to put into it so that you
could get out everything thatyou did get out of it.
What I mean, what was thebusiness side like for you in
Massachusetts?
Every state is different.
Every organization is a littlebit different.
What did that look like for youin particular?

So, first and foremost, I'm very, very
fortunate because ourorganization in Massachusetts
does prioritize the fact thatthis is a job and you get paid
for a job.
So they are very, very good atdoing their best to recognize
the effort, the time, the energy, the travel that we put into
our appearances and make surethat we're compensated in some

(25:30):
way for that.
So I am very grateful for that.
It has given me the freedom todo a lot of things that I
otherwise wouldn't have beenable to do, and I do recognize
that other states don't havethat opportunity because they
are so sorry my computer isfreaking out, because they are
maybe not in that same position,are maybe not in that same

(25:55):
position.
So we are very lucky here inMassachusetts that we do
prioritize this like a job andwe can use our free time to do
this and be compensated for it.
I know that's not the case foreverybody else.
We are also very, very fortunateto have sponsors and have
people who support thisorganization, and it's been a
personal mission of mine tocontinue to grow our sponsorship
base because I found holes inwhat my year offered and what I

(26:18):
felt like I could be offered,and so I did the work personally
to say let me go out to thesebusinesses that I already
utilize and see if they'd bewilling to help me out
throughout this year.
And they have, and a lot ofthem have signed on for next
year, and so that's great andsomething that I think a lot of
people underestimate.
But with all of that, thattakes work and there is a lot
that goes on behind the scenesthat people don't see.

(26:40):
I can't tell you the amount ofhours I spend emailing
businesses, researchingbusinesses, finding appearances
for myself that are meaningfulto me, communicating with
different people and trying toget Miss Massachusetts in the
room.
There is a lot of that thatgoes on behind closed doors that
we don't really publicize astitle holders but is very, very

(27:01):
real work.

How much of that did you anticipate versus
figure it out along the way?

I didn't anticipate much of it, to be
honest with you, I guess, beinga title holder from prior years,
I always looked at and it is.
But I always looked at MissAmerica as the most prestigious
organization in the world ofpageants and it very much is.
But that doesn't mean that youget driven around everywhere and

(27:27):
that everybody does everythingfor you and somebody's putting
your shoes on every day, likeyou are still doing all of the
work that every other titleholder is doing.
And so, as I mentioned, I'vehad other titles and I did all
that work when I was younger.
My mom helped me do that work,but I assumed when you got to
Miss America it's all done foryou, and that's not true.

(27:48):
This is a job.
They call it a job for a reason.
You very much earn your keeparound here and so you have to
put in the effort, you have toput in the time, you have to put
in the work to get the yearthat you dream of having.
It doesn't just happen for you.

From where you sit now.
How much pre-planning do youthink someone could do to
prepare for that type of workand the legwork that it takes to
build your appearances, buildsupport through sponsors and
everything else that you need asresources for your year to be
successful?

So I actually felt that there was a lack of
information given to me off thebat, and that's nobody's fault,
it's just there's certain thingsthat, after you do this for 100
years, people assume you knowand you don't.
Every organization is different.
So I decided to make a binderwhich I will be giving to the
next Miss Massachusetts, and ithas a detailed, organized I'm a

(28:50):
little type A, but organized toa T of all the information I
felt I was missing when I wascrowned that I want to then pass
on to the next girl, and soI've broken it down into
appearances, sponsorships,preparation for Miss America,
what to expect at Miss America,what to do after Miss America,
how do you want to leave yourlegacy as a title holder all the

(29:12):
pieces that I wish I had alittle bit of advice on.
And I have to say I'm sograteful because the
Massachusetts sisters are sogood, Like I could text any
single one of them and theyanswer any question I have.
So I'm so, so grateful I hadthem.
I've actually included advicefrom the formers as a page and
I've reached back to, I think,Miss Massachusetts 1986 to see

(29:37):
if they would give me advice,and they all have responded.
So there is a page back therewith all the advice from our
formers on what you shouldexpect out of your year.
But my best advice, and thething that kind of is the main
overarching goal of this binderis your year is going to look
different than everybody else's,so just know, walking into it,

(29:57):
what your priorities are, whatyour bucket list is and what
you're hoping.
When you're sitting in thisposition a year from now, five
weeks out from giving up yourtitle, did you accomplish
everything you wanted to do?
Because if you have an idea ofthat from the get go, you can
better structure your year forwhat you want to achieve.

And, I think, from a realistic standpoint too.
I think that is so veryimportant to be realistic about
the time constraints, your levelof energy output that you can
put out there, how much you needto balance prep for Miss
America and doing the sponsoredappearances, the things that are

(30:42):
required of you as a statetitle holder, and then also
wanting to do your CSI work andthe other fun appearances that
you want to do.
When you're looking at planningout your year and dreaming of
what your year looks like,having a realistic perspective
is incredibly important because,having judged, you sit in that
chair and you're reading throughpaperwork and you're talking to

(31:03):
these women that have these big, grandiose plans.
You're like that doesn't seemplausible.

It's not going to happen and that's tough to
come around to as well.
You get one year and it soundslike a lot, but it's not a lot
of time, especially when nowthese girls, their first two
months, three months, will bespent wholly prepping for Miss
America.
There isn't going to be a wholelot of time for anything else.

(31:29):
And then there are some womenwho keep their full-time career
and don't go on hiatus, don'ttake a break, don't step down,
don't go to part-time, whateverit is.
They still have to manage that.
And I think the biggest thingthat people forget is that
you're not just going to cut offyour friends, your family, your
significant other, yourwhatever it is, because you have

(31:50):
this thing going on.
You're still going to have tofind time for the people in your
life that matter, the things inyour life that matter your
mental health, and finding alittle bit of time at the end of
the day to de-stress.
I mean, there is only so manyhours in a day, there's only so
much you can do, and so I agreewith you.
I had a bucket list of what Iwanted to do as Miss
Massachusetts and I can tell youthat probably three of the 10

(32:14):
things on there won't happen,and it's sad.
But I also have to keep in mindthat, like I did so many things
Number one, I never dreamed Iwould do and number two that
were a huge blessing in the endthat I maybe wouldn't have put
on that list in the beginning,and so that's something like you
have to keep in mind as well.

Yeah, absolutely.
How would you compare becauseyou worked in the corporate
world you said before becomingMiss Massachusetts Can do a
comparing contrast for me ofwhat it was like working that
like 40 some hour week in acorporate position versus the

(33:00):
job of Miss Massachusetts?

They are a hundred percent different.
I don't even know that.
There's many correlations, tobe honest with you, and
something I say a lot is thatthis job is so hard because you
never leave it.
You are your job.
You wear your job on your headand across your chest.

(33:25):
You wear your job on yoursocial media.
You never leave it.
It is a consistent year of youridentity being tied to your
profession, and that's not trueof corporate America.
You go in from eight to five ornine to six or whatever it is,
and you work your 40, 45 hours aweek and you go home and maybe

(33:48):
you get asked at dinner how waswork?
But realistically, it is notyour whole life and it is surely
not your identity.
And so I actually said at theMiss Massachusetts orientation
this is the hardest job you'llever have.
And I said and some of you havevery impressive careers but
this is harder and it's becauseit is you.

(34:12):
You are it.
They are one in the same andthat's a really hard thing for
people to understand if theyhaven't done it Like.
It's very unique and so, yeah,I don't know that I find a lot
of similarities in them.
These two careers havechallenged me both, but in very

(34:33):
different ways, and because ofthat I've grown as a person.
As I mentioned, I found that Iwant other things out of my life
that I wouldn't havenecessarily known otherwise, and
that's a beautiful gift thatI've received so much
opportunity to grow personallyand to get a lot of
clarification out of what I want, but it's one of those things

(34:59):
that very few people will everunderstand unless they've done
it themselves.

Yes, because words don't teach, experiences
teach.
My therapist and I have talkedabout this, this expectation
that we have of women when theycome into this role, about this,
this expectation that we haveof women when they come into
this role, this public figurerole, where all eyes are on you
and your identity is is, is yourjob.

Yeah.

And you know we look at how celebrities handle
that like people that have beenin the spotlight either for just
a very long time or really wereborn in that that kind of
culture, and how different thatis from women like us that have
just been going to school likenormal women or starting our

(35:42):
careers like just everydaynormal women.
And then all of a sudden we arejust catapulted into this
public facing position with verylittle preparation and in many
cases, like honest support forour mentality, our wellbeing and
like how to navigate being inthat public eye.

Yeah, I think about it frequently.
But realistically, thecompetitors, the title holders
of Miss America, should probablyhave PR individuals, because I
have always considered myself apretty thoughtful individual.
I try my best to think before Ispeak.

(36:26):
I try my best to think abouthow others will interpret
something.
I try my best to put on themost authentic but still
polished version of myself whenI am out in the world.
But it's hard to do that for365 days consistently and never
make a mistake.

(36:46):
And I will be so honest that Ihave said things that I'm like I
didn't mean it that way, Ididn't intend for it to come
across that way.
That didn't sound the way itsounded in my head.
And we don't have the media PRtraining that these celebrities
have.
We just don't.
We are normal girls off thestreet and that is the beauty of

(37:08):
Miss America, that anybody cando this job because we are
everybody's girl.
But what comes with that isthat we are not trained in
certain things, and one of thosethings is being in the public
eye and being media trained andknowing what the perfect thing
to say is all the time.
We make mistakes.
We are humans.
We are not perfect and peopleunfortunately don't know that

(37:33):
from looking at us.
So there's very little gracethat comes with that.

Beautifully said.
Yep, a hundred percent Cause,isn't it?
I was learning or readingsomething a long time ago like
bachelor and bachelorette forthe longest time were like my
guilty pleasure and like kind ofgraduated from that because I
don't really love the way thatthe series had gone or the show
had gone.
But I heard somewhere that theBachelor or the Bachelorette had

(38:04):
like kind of some intensivetraining or some level of
training in PR and incommunication skills at that
level, because they too are mostlikely normal people thrown
into it and the and ABC and theproducers need that star leading
role to look good and soundgood.

So I actually just read Hannah Brown's book
and I think it's calledsomething like I'm a mess or
something like that, hot mess,something like that.
But I just read her book andshe talks so much about that and
I resonated to it more than Ithought I would, because I've

(38:48):
never been really on television,like I'm not some reality star.
But I resonated to the factthat she was like, yeah, I said
some things and I did somethings and I had no idea they
would be interpreted the waythey were.
But I I didn't mean it that way, I didn't realize.
I now know that I shouldn't dothis or say that or whatever,

(39:09):
but I didn't know back then.
And so it's so interesting evenpeople who do get that training
because they do, they go through, I believe, some sort of media
training, so to speak still makemistakes.
I say the wrong word.
I can't think of the word Iwant to say.

(39:36):
I say something that I think isfunny that people take the
wrong way.
It happens, and it would bereally sad.
I think it's a culture too now,but like we cancel everything,
and so I think that's anotherthing that we're always thinking
about.
It's like okay, well, how do Isay this without offending a
soul.

That's hard.
Yeah, it's really hard.
Have you found that thenon-pageant community versus the
pageant community havedifferences in how critical they
are of you as a title holder?

the pageant community have differences in
how critical they are of you asa title holder.
No-transcript.
I used to look up to women whowere in my position more than I
could ever put into words.
I look at Miss America as acelebrity and that's the little

(40:35):
baby pageant girl in me who'sjust obsessed with it and thinks
it's the coolest thing in theentire world.
And now that I have a personalrelationship with a Miss America
, I you know, I look at itdifferently.
Now that I've had this job, Ilook at it differently.
But I used to look up to themin such a light that I can't

(40:57):
even put into words.
And so now, being one of them,being in that position, doing
that thing that I thought Iwould, you know, never get to do
or just thought was the coolestthing in the entire world, I
realized that people are really,really harsh on us and they
don't necessarily always mean tobe, but whether or not it's,
you know, a judge or somebody ona Facebook page or somebody on

(41:20):
a blog post, or people have somethings to say.
And the people in the pageantcommunity, I believe, are more
critical of appearance, ofouterwear, of performance on
stage.
That's what they know, it'swhat they love and so they
critique it.
People outside of the pageantcommunity, I think, don't

(41:43):
understand what we do.
They don't understand what goesinto it, they don't understand
how much practice andpreparation it takes.
And so you have one group ofindividuals who fully know how
fabulous you are, but are stillfinding something to critique.
And then you have a communityof people who don't understand a
thing about it, and so they'relike oh, look at that beautiful

(42:06):
girl.
But I don't understand, why arepeople making such a big deal?
And that is not to say that'sthe majority, but if we're
talking about the two types ofnegatives, that seems to be the
difference for me, and it's justinteresting.

Very interesting.
Yeah, I have found that as well, that people within the pageant
world that understand it, thathave, like you said and I've
done it too where we have kindof this image and this
expectation and we've kind ofepitomized what a woman would be

(42:42):
or act like or sound like orlook like in that role, and so
then when there's any kind oflike human error, we notice it.

More than anybody else ever would.

Yes, and I don't know.
I think we got to checkourselves on that because then,
when you've been in the position, you realize, like, how
frequently we make mistakes.

Yes, and both people are coming from a place
of not understanding it, becauseI have never heard a young
woman who has done this job inany state, in any capacity,
critique another young woman thesame way that others do who
have never done this job.
So both parties are coming froma place of not understanding

(43:31):
different types of notunderstanding.
But the individuals I felt whohave given me the most grace and
have given me the most supportare the people who have actually
done this themselves and knowjust how hard it is.

I agree.
And then, in the same breath,it's the people that have been
in this position that, forwhatever reason, have strong,
harsh opinions that are the mostpainful opinions of yours.
Yes, absolutely, yeah, yeah.
All right, let's dive into someof the mindset stuff and the
ups and downs of the year.

(44:06):
As a title holder, what weresome of the pressures that you
felt throughout your year thatyou had to navigate?

I think any young woman can understand that
there is a pressure to look andfeel your best always.
That is heightened within thisrole.
It's also heightened in thefact that people are constantly
taking pictures and videos andyou might catch yourself at not
the prettiest angle and soyou're like, oh wow, that's not
great, and so that's definitelya pressure that I think I've

(44:39):
always felt to some degreebecause, as I said, I've been in
this role even as a dancer.
You feel that pressure, so I'vebeen in that kind of a position
for so long that I've alwaysbeen conscious of it.
It was definitely heightenedthis year, and something I
really really tried to remindmyself of is that not everybody
looks good from every angle, nomatter how beautiful they are.

(45:01):
Like you can catch the mostbeautiful woman on the planet
Earth at a bad angle, in badlighting.
You can catch the mostbeautiful woman on the planet
Earth at a bad angle in badlighting.
Sit in a certain way, look in acertain way.
It does not take away from yourbeauty or what you really look
like, you know.
So I had to remind myself ofthat quite frequently this year.
I would also say the pressureto always be on is there.

(45:28):
I consider myself a veryoutgoing person.
I am bubbly to the high heavens.
I can talk to a brick wall forhours, but there were days I
came home emotionally exhaustedand I never thought I was
capable of that.
I honestly never understoodthat from others.
You are on 24-7.

(45:49):
And you are constantly thinkingabout what am I saying, what is
the conversation?
What is my point to get across?
What do I want to make surethey know?
What do I maybe not want totalk about?
It's constant in anyconversation you're having, and
that is a lot of pressure tonever make a mistake, which I
promise you, I made plenty, butI was really trying not to.

(46:09):
So that pressure to always beon is there.
You just you never want toleave somebody with a bad
impression of you, and so I wasalways working overtime to make
sure that that didn't happen.
And then I just think I put aninternal pressure on myself to
live up to the expectations ofothers, and so I definitely had

(46:32):
this idea of what I thought MissMassachusetts should be and
what her year should look like,and so I put that internal
pressure on myself of makingsure I lived up to that.
That might not have been fairto myself, but it was just I
didn't want to let myself orothers down.

I guess it was just I didn't want to let myself
or others down, I guess.
Yeah, we see the externalsocial media.
We see women at appearances outin the community.
We, you know, hear theirspeeches, see the pictures.
We can see the physical energyand output that can be
exhausting, of late nights, longappearances, traveling the

(47:12):
state you know doing doing thework to prepare for the next
level of competition.
What we underestimate becausewe don't see is the mental load,
the mental work, which isexactly what I heard you talking
about, of like having to thinkabout all the things at all
times while also being presentand open and real.

(47:36):
And you know that this likeenergy that that we have to
bring to every appearance,because it's not about us, it's
about the people that we'reinteracting with, and that is
exhausting and it is one ofthose unspoken, you know,
characteristics and and uhstruggles within being a title

(47:59):
holder.

And it's again.
These things are so uniquebecause they're very unique
experiences.
There were very few careers orpeople who would even understand
it and so because of that it'sso hard to make a relatable.
You know, everybody complainsabout their job, or everybody

(48:21):
has bad days at work, oreverybody has somebody that they
have to work with that theydon't love.
But it's heightened and it'spublicized in what we do and
because, again, that job is partof our identity for that year
it becomes more personal thananything at work ever could.
And so that's what makes it sohard, I think, is that you come

(48:42):
home from a really long day andthere were so many incredible
parts of it, so many wonderfulmemories, beautiful photos.
You know you got all that.
But then you come home from theend of the day and you're
exhausted and it's really hardto talk to anybody about it
because they don't really get it.

They don't get it.
I remember that, coming backfrom Miss America too, of kind
of feeling this guilt of likethe letdown and some of the
regrets and as I was likeprocessing it and then not
really being able to talk toanybody about it because it was
a whole lot of.
But you went to Miss Americaand how exciting, and then you'd
go to appearances and oh, how'dyou do?

(49:18):
And it's just like it was a lotto navigate internally.

It it is and it's you don't and this is my
biggest thing is I never want tocome off ungrateful or not
appreciative, because I knowthere are women who never had
the opportunity that I have andI'm doing this for them as well,
and so that's a really, reallyhard.

(49:45):
That might be the hardestinternal struggle is how do I
remain grateful for thisopportunity and present and
appreciative while stillallowing myself to realize that
this is a really hard job andthis takes a toll and I have to
mentally recuperate to gothrough the next day.

And not judge yourself for having bad days and
having moments where you'relike man.
I wish I didn't have to go tothis appearance because I'm just
tired and I want to veg andbinge, watch something on
Netflix or whatever.
Like, just have a normal day asa normal human and there's
there is a lot of guilt thatcomes with that, I remember.

Much guilt.

Yeah, so you mentioned some mistakes that
you've made.
Would you mind sharing, likesome of those moments that you
were like, oh my gosh, that'snot what I meant to do, or
whatever.
Like I have a whole laundrylist, too, like things that I'm
like, oh my gosh, like rollingmy eyes, um, about my choices.
Uh, would you mind sharing someof those, just so we can like

(50:45):
really see like we're human?

So one of the first appearances that I had in,
one of the first mistakes Imade was I I didn't understand
the commotion that came withbeing Miss Massachusetts in
Massachusetts.
And so you know, as a normallittle girl when I was a title
holder, okay, a few people caredand took a picture, but it
wasn't anything crazy.

(51:08):
As a normal little girl when Iwas a title holder, okay, a few
people cared and took a picture,but it wasn't anything crazy.
One of the first appearances Iwent to was on the beach in part
of Massachusetts and it wasthis international sand
sculpting competition that Iguess they hold in Revere Beach,
the first public beach in theUnited States.
Well, I didn't realize thecrowd that came with that.
I was mobbed, like utterlymobbed, and we always have a

(51:34):
chaperone, but it was my mom.
I needed like a six foot threesecurity guard.
I didn't know.
I just I had never thoughtabout personal safety in this
kind of a thing ever, aboutpersonal safety in this kind of
a thing ever.
And after that experience,anytime, I knew I was going to

(51:55):
be in a public, very, verypublic, without any sort of
privacy or security.
I had my dad come to thoseappearances with me Because,
truth be told, it was sooverwhelming but it was also a
little scary.
You know, I was walking throughthe crowds of people trying to
get to the podium where I had tospeak and it was just crazy.

(52:15):
So that was like something Ihad never thought of before and
I was like, okay, mental note,you need to be concerned about
your personal safety.
That needs to become a priorityfor you throughout this year
and it was a good learninglesson and it definitely did,
but not something I would havethought of.
Another, you know, thing that Ithink about a lot is the

(52:38):
opportunities that we get welike to not say no to, but a lot
of times it may not be the bestsuited thing for you and maybe
it's okay to say no to something.
There are certainly some thingsthat I have done this year
because I wanted to pleaseeverybody and make sure that I
gave everybody an opportunity toutilize me as the title, as a
promotion, as whatever, and Iprobably shouldn't have.

(53:00):
There are definitely somethings that I look back on and
say maybe that wasn't the bestfor my brand or for me or for
the organization, and it wasjust me wanting to please
everyone and make sure everybodygot access to me, that I
probably could have protected myown piece a little bit in that
and made another decision.

(53:24):
Something really important forme specifically is that I very
un-pageant-y of me.
I swear, I'm from Massachusetts, we swear.
I don't even catch myself doingit sometimes and I thought,
because you know, when I'm onstage or in an interview for a
pageant, of course I'm notswearing, but sometimes it slips

(53:48):
and it's culture here, like,like I can't explain it to
anybody in North Carolina, theydon't believe me, but like it's
culture here.
We use it as seasoning on oursentences, like we just do it.
There have been a few timesthis year that I have let it
slip and every once in a whileit's on video and I'm like, oh
my goodness, kirsten, get ittogether.

(54:09):
So yeah, that's probably one ofthe biggest things that I have
to remind myself of daily,hourly, by the minute.

Yeah, that's.
Yeah, I get that, though.
Um, fortunately for me, youknow, when I'm podcasting, I can
edit that.

Exactly, and that's the thing is like if you
can edit it, great, if you can't, whoops.
I said it, um, yeah, and, andeverybody here does it.
I mean, sometimes the persontalking to me is swearing, so
then I like forget because it'sjust, it's, it's culture here
and I know it's so inappropriateand offensive to others.

(54:49):
We don't view it like that here, like I can't explain it in any
other way.
But as Miss Massachusetts, Ineed to refrain from it and I do
my best.

So was the concern more about it being on
video and other people outsideof your communities would see it
and get an impression of MissMassachusetts or MAO.

Exactly.
It's so much you know here.
We don't.
It doesn't even register at all.
People swear in front of theirchildren, People swear in public
, people swear on Instagramposts.
It's not like a thing.
However, I am speaking on alarger platform to a larger
audience that are not all livinginside of Boston, massachusetts

(55:34):
, and so that was always thething is like.
I never want anybody to beoffended by a word choice I made
that I am using for emphasis,but is going to come across a
different way.

And therein lies again, the need for a PR
manager.

Exactly.

I see it, I get it.
Has your definition of successchanged for you since earning
this title last year?

I think so.
I obviously found in my eyesthat being at Miss America was a
success for me, and it was.
It was a huge accomplishment,it was a huge goal and I
achieved that and I allow myselfto feel successful for that.
However, with all the personalgrowth and learning that I've

(56:29):
done this year, I also realizedthat success is not always a
tangible thing.
It's not always a check on theyou know goal list.
Sometimes it's just being happyand being content and feeling
confident in what you've donethus far and sitting in that a
little bit.

(56:50):
Us pageant girls and a lot ofpeople have a tendency to always
be achieving, always looking atthe next goal, always pushing
for the next thing.
Sometimes the day after weachieve the thing we've been
working years for.
So you know, I won MissMassachusetts and the next day
all I can think about is how amI going to win Miss America?
That's crazy.

(57:10):
It's just something we areinnate to do and I wish it
wasn't the case.
I wish it wasn't the culture,because there is so much success
in what we achieve, in thefriendships we make, in the
relationships that we have, inthe personal growth that we do,

(57:30):
in the confidence that we buildthat we need to sit and
recognize that a little bit morethan looking for the next notch
on our belt.

How do we measure that level of success
then?

It's going to look different for everybody.
For me, being content withwhere I'm at at the moment is a
huge success, because I havealways been the person looking
for the next best thing.
I always wanted to have anaccomplishment or an accolade,

(58:04):
and it's not necessary.
It doesn't bring you peace, itdoesn't make people like you
more, it's not as important asit seems to us, especially when
we're younger, and so finding apiece in my physical and mental
health, finding a piece in whatI have accomplished and where I

(58:26):
want to go without needing atrophy to do so, those are all
things I view as successful.
However, that's really hard toexplain to somebody else and
they might not view it that way,and that's okay, but I do
encourage everybody to findtheir definition of success and
maybe try and not make it aphysical award or accolade,

(58:50):
because it's not always whatbrings you the most success out
of being in this powerfulexperience.

That's something that I had to learn in
the decade after giving up mytitle.
But that really weird shiftfrom I'm working towards

(59:23):
something whether that was mycollege degree or becoming Miss
Wisconsin or going after mydream of becoming Miss America
and then all of that's done andthen it's like who am I?
What am I if I'm not going forsomething huge?

Correct.
That's so hard for us it'sagain, that's kind of a unique
problem, but you know, if youwere trying for the Olympics
it'd be the same thing.
You know you do it, you got thegold, you went.
You can say you achieved.
What do you do now?
Like it is that huge shift andit's hard, and there have

(01:00:06):
definitely been moments thathave felt scary for me of like,
well, what do I do next?
I've been talking aboutachieving this my whole life.
I have always found any awardand project I could put myself
into so that I could achievethis.
Now I've done that.
What?
What do I do?
And that that is tough.

(01:00:26):
But yeah, I guess my bestadvice and what I've tried to
really hone in on this year isappreciate all that you've done.
Allow yourself to be proud andrevel in the accomplishments
that you've had thus far andtake time for yourself to really
really think about what's nextand what you want out of the

(01:00:50):
next five and 10 years foryourself.
And it again doesn't have to bean accolade, that's okay.

Raeanna Johnson (01:00:59):
Speaking of next.
What is next for you?

Kiersten Khoury (01:01:03):
So one thing I am just so excited about is
being able to continue myadvocacy work.
I have found such a passion anda drive for speaking to
dyslexic students, speakingabout dyslexia to others, and so
I decided to reach out to theInternational Dyslexia

(01:01:23):
Association and partner withthem throughout the year, and
that has now turned into itbecoming a board member on their
board of directors.
So that is something I'm reallyexcited about.
It is a um nonprofitorganization.
It is a you know organizationI'll be able to donate my time
and energy to, and that is justsomething I'm really excited to

(01:01:46):
be a part of.
And that is just something I'mreally excited to be a part of.
That, I think, will bring a lotof joy to myself.
Another thing that I'm justreally excited about is finding
a way to succeed in my career,in a new career that I never
thought would become my focalpoint, but, you know, be able to
invest energy and time intothat, because I do think now I

(01:02:09):
have a better idea of what Iwant and what direction I want
my career to go in, and so I'mexcited to find how to make that
happen.
And I'm also really, reallyexcited to have a Saturday free
and spend time with my friendsand go to the beach and see my
family and not feel like I'mmissing out on so much because

(01:02:30):
I'm doing all these otherincredible things.
You know, that is one thingthat we don't talk about a lot,
but we make sacrifices everysingle day for this job.

And I'm really excited to be able to put the
people in my life that areimportant at the forefront again
.
I think be prepared, if thatcrown and sash is placed on you
listeners out there, that it is365 days of having to make
really tough decisions andsacrifices and find balance as
best as you possibly can tomaintain your grounded sense of
self.

Yeah, it's so true sense of self.

Yeah, it's so true.
Right, as we wrap up, what elseis on your heart today?

Can I give you the last word?
I think we've talked about alot of things that are not
typically talked about, and Ilove what you're doing because
it does give the inside lookinto what the life of a title
holder is, and these things arenot glamorous, but they are
important, they're impactful,they give you the truth, and so
many young women idolize thisposition and you should.

(01:03:41):
It is incredible.
We are so very fortunate forwhat we've been able to do, the
lives we've been able to touch,the impact we've been able to
make.
But I do think it's really,really important to note that
this job is not for everybody.
That's okay, and for those whodo have it, please be prepared
to make a really, really bigcommitment and a lot of

(01:04:04):
sacrifice to be able to do thisjob to the fullest.
So I love that we were able totalk about that today.
I love that we're alwayshighlighting the positives and
all the wonderful things we do,but it is really really
important to talk about some ofthe things that go on behind
closed doors.
So I appreciate you giving methe space to do that today.

Oh, thank you.
Thank you for being open andhonest and well candid very
candid.
It was good and, like I, everysingle conversation I've had so
far with the Miss America classof 2024, 2025,.
You're the class of 2025.

(01:04:44):
We're all 2025.

We're all 2024.

So confusing.
I was Miss America class of2015, but I was a 2014 title
holder.
It's confusing, anyway, butevery single conversation that
I've had with this class, likenone of it has been about the
tea we don't care.
Like, don't bring me the drama.
Like none of that is what thisis about.
It's all about giving arealistic job.
Preview.

And, truth be told, one thing we didn't touch
on but is very important to meis that we are a very close
class.
I am actually leaving tomorrowto go on a Miss America spring
break trip with a bunch of mygirls, and 30 of us attended
Abby's homecoming in Alabama.
We are a very close-knit classand there isn't a whole lot of

(01:05:30):
tea because we really get alongvery, very well and I'm very,
very fortunate to say that isone of the greatest gifts I came
out of this year with.

Amazing.
I can relate to that.
We had our 10-year anniversarytrip in Colorado in September,
so yeah so cool, amazing.
Well, I'm really excited tofollow your journey, as to what
comes next for you, and thankyou so much for your time today
and for sharing your heart, andevery single conversation has
been valuable, and yours isabsolutely no different, so

(01:05:59):
thank you so much for being hereand best of luck to you.
Thank you so much, absolutely.
As for the rest of you, sashand Soul community, we'll be
back again next week with morefor you to dive into and to
learn from this amazing class ofrepresentatives in the Miss
America 2025 class.

(01:06:20):
We'll see you then.
Bye.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#50 Crowned & Candid: Kiersten Khoury, Miss Massachusetts 2024

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

All Episodes

#50 Crowned & Candid: Kiersten Khoury, Miss Massachusetts 2024

Stuff You Should Know