Interview with Anastagia Pierre, Miss Bahamas

Anastagia Pierre!

-Describe your first pageant experience.

My very first pageant experience was when I was about 5 years old! Off the record, it was the farthest thing from ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’. My mom curled my hair with sponge rollers and I remember feeling so glam! I wore an emerald green taffeta and velvet party dress. My question was “What’s one thing you can’t leave the house without” and I said “My glasses, and sometimes when I forget them at home, my mommy brings it to me at school”. Everyone laughed and cheered for me. I placed in the top three! I got a crown, a sash and $100! It was then that I fell in love with Pageantry.

-How have you used Mental Management in your training?

My first time using Mental Management training was in 2009 at Miss USA. I attended the Mental Toughness for Pageantry workshop in Dallas with Heather and Lanny, and it did wonders for my confidence. Mental Management helped calm my nerves under pressure, and gave me a much more of a consistent performance. It also explained to me how important it is to have a balanced self image, sub-conscious and conscious mind. I definitely competed at Miss USA (and Miss Universe) in the “Triad State” and I owe it all to Mental Management.

-Do you have a favorite “Mental Management” quote, story, book, etc.?

My favorite book is definitely “With Winning In Mind”. It’s a short read, but it has a powerful message. I always recommend it the girls that I coach. It puts you in a great mental place while preparing for competition. I could spend all day sharing my favorite excerpts from the book, but one that works in all areas of life is, “to get what you want, you have to get rid of what you don’t want”.

-Can you share a personal story of how you’ve used Mental Management?

Well I tend to use the anticipation, action, and reinforcement training a lot during competition. Before I go into the interview room I say to myself “These judges are going to LOVE me, because I’ve worked hard for this and because it’s ‘like me’ to give a killer interview” and right after I step out of the interview room I say to myself “That was exactly the way I wanted it go. I did my very best!” For me, positive feedback and self- reinforcement is key, otherwise I start to beat myself up over little things.

-How has Mental Management helped you outside of Pageantry?

It has helped me to understand the importance of being balanced in all aspects of life. Mental Management taught me the principles, tools, and techniques that aid me in reaching my goals with confidence, and without frustration.

-What is the best advice you can give to a new competitor?

The best advice I can give to a new competitor is to fully allow yourself to grow and learn from the experience, no matter what the end results are.

-What surprised you most about competing at Miss Universe?

I think the biggest surprise was how down to earth a lot of the girls were. I think one huge misconception with international pageants, especially at this high level, is that everyone is super cutthroat and mean, and that’s not necessarily true. As a national titleholder, we all understand that its not as glamorous as some people think. Holding a title is a huge responsibility. Its not always easy, you will have to make sacrifices, and everyone has an opinion about you even if they’ve never met you. It’s nice to be around a group of girls that “get it”. I made so many wonderful friends at Miss Universe. It was also pretty surprising that I was able to survive nearly a month in Brazil with an average of 3-4 hours of sleep every night!

-Can you share any good “back stage” stories?

Minutes before I walked on stage for the preliminary competition at Miss Universe, I had a “run in” with the wardrobe lady about my gown. The lady made me so angry that it nearly brought me to tears! Miss Belgium, one of my best friends, saw and heard the whole thing and gave me a hug to try to calm me down. Then she pulled a bead off of her dress and handed it to me, she said “Here, I know you’re going to be fierce out there, no matter what that lady says! You look stunning! Take this bead for good luck, so that when you win Miss Universe, you’ll win for Bahamas AND Beligium.” I thought that was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me, especially at a pageant.

-Compare your “teen self” with your “current self.” What do you see as the most significant change?

I’ve learned to trust myself and my instincts a whole lot more. I’ve also learned that it’s impossible to please everyone, so its important to do what make YOU happy. My current self is a lot more secure and comfortable. Most of that change came with age and experience, because as a teen I was very insecure and I would always second-guess myself. I used to let those message boards and blogs really affect me. These days they don’t bother me at all. I actually think it’s flattering in way.

-So now that you have pretty much conquered the Universe.... What is next for Anastagia Pierre?

Well the most important thing to me at the moment is to finish out my reign as Miss Bahamas Universe as strong as I can. I plan to be a lot more active in my community and work with organizations that support my platform of crime prevention and conflict resolution. I’ve been modeling since I was a teenager and I plan to continue with that for as long as I can. But I graduated last May with a Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism so my next goal is to start working in my professional career. Right now I work as the Station Host at NBC Miami and I have a beauty and lifestyle segment that airs during the morning show. My ultimate goal is work on the Today Show or Good Morning America. I know that I can do anything I really set my mind to, so I’m confident that it will happen.

For more details on how you can train with Mental Management call 972-899-9640, email heather@mentalmanagement.com or visit our website http://www.mentalmanagement.com

Briana Bolton - Interview

Briana Bolton

My Mental Management Story 

Describe your first pageant experience.

My first pageant experience was exactly that… “a first”. I can honestly compare it to a baby when he or she learns to walk. There was a lot of stumbling, uncertainty, excitement and (of course) disappointment. I walked into the pageant world and went straight for the big one, Miss Texas Teen USA! Let’s just say I jumped head first… but I learned how to swim at the end. I was unhappy with the outcome of the pageant (my placement/not placing), but it taught me that anything worth having is worth fighting for. My first pageant experience was the reason I sought for help and found Heather Sumlin of the Mental Management system.

How have you used Mental Management in your training?

Mental Management was my only pageant training for many years. It has changed the way I look at competition, prepare and focus. It taught me how to rebound, how to focus during competition time and so much more. The interview training has been absolutely excellent. It put me at a level where I excel during interview and make a strong, connection with the judges.

What Mental Management program did you attends?

I attended several Mental Management programs! So many I can’t count. But beyond the programs, the private sessions with Heather are remarkable. The private sessions can help you strengthen your weakness and even increase your strengths more.

Do you have a favorite “Mental Management” quote, story, book, etc.?

My favorite Mental Management book is With Winning In Mind by Lanny Basham. The book leads you into the “before”, “during” and “after” parts of competition. It teaches you principles to apply to pageant and other competitive sports.

Can you share a personal story of how you’ve used Mental Management?

I’ve used Mental Management since 2008, almost immediately after my first pageant. I competed in National American Miss Texas Teen and I was first runner up. I also placed in several other NAMiss state competitions. Later that year I returned to Miss Texas Teen USA. I won swimsuit, Miss Congeniality and placed 2^nd Runner Up. The following summer, I competed in National American Miss Texas Teen again and I won crown their Miss Texas Teen. I also placed in various additional NAMiss state competitions. The Mental Management training was an instant change. I saw improvement immediately after diligently training with Mental Management.

How has Mental Management helped you outside of Pageantry?

It has given me an understanding of what preparation is, how to train for a task and how to “be” during a task. It is the mathematics to your pageant problem, which can be applied universally to any form of competition or mentally strenuous task. P=MM² Pageant= Mental Management squared. The more I used it, the better I became in pageantry and other tasks I applied it to.

What is the best advice you can give to a new competitor?

Use Mental Management! It is your first pageant or you are still suffering from pageant jitters. You probably have a general idea of how things are, but you need to have someone one with extensive knowledge of this industry. Go to HEATHER! Go!!! And after you go to her, apply what she has taught you. Application of new concepts is the key to succeeding when you want to go to the next level.

What surprised you most about competing at your state and/or National pageant?

I’ve competed at state and national levels. I think what surprised me was the level of talent. Everyone was just as smart, accomplished, beautiful, and well dressed! Everybody looks glamorous. But what I learned was the separation factor. What separates the 90% from the 10% (contestants who placed) had to do with preparation and how they handled the pressure. That’s where Mental Management comes in!

Share your most embarrassing “Pageant Moment” and how you overcame it.

My most embarrassing pageant moment … uhh do we have to go there!!! Honestly I have plenty of embarrassing moments. But my most embarrassing moment was when I spilt my makeup all over my swimsuit, with less than 2 minutes before walking on stage for swimsuit competition at Miss Dallas USA. I tried to wipe it off. The chaperone tried to wipe it off. I even asked if anyone had a backup swimsuit. We used soap, water, paper towels and tide pens! But the stain did not come off. So with only seconds left, I took my sash and two safety pins. I pinned the sash on my swimsuit over the stain, slapped on some butt glue and walked out like nothing was wrong. I still placed :) …talk about Mental Management!

Can you share any good “back stage” stories?

My all time favorite “back stage” story comes from my first pageant (lol the one I didn’t win or place). Right before we went on at Miss Texas Teen USA, the choreographer comes out and tells us directions, words of encouragement etc. Then his assistant comes by. Her name was Felicia. She says something like this (paraphrased): Everyone be quiet; we are going to pray. For those of you who don’t pray just be quiet to respect those who do.

Her prayer touched my heart. I still say it to this day during competition and training. Her prayer went something like this (paraphrased): There will only be one winner who will wear the crown of Miss Texas Teen tonight. Lord, help us to be happy for her and to have the right spirits when she wins. But Lord the most important crown, bigger and better than any crown is “your crown of Glory”.

It helped me to realize there are bigger, better, more victories beyond pageants. Yes this is a goal of mine. Yes this is my heart’s desire. But if I don’t win, let me honor the person who did.

Compare your “pre-Mental Management self” with your “current self.” What do you see as the most significant change?

Myself now can run circles around who I was pre-Mental Management. I am more confident. I am more assertive. I am more focused than I’ve ever been before. And what’s so wonderful is that I’m happy and not stressed out during/before/after competition. There is no stress. I walk more freely, because I know that my foundation through Mental Management and God are strong. I no longer worry about the outcome of the pageant and I simply focus on the process. I can honestly say I am doing my very best work, with less effort than ever before. That doesn’t mean I don’t work hard…because there is sacrifice (ask the cheesecake I haven’t touched in 5 weeks). But it means that as a competitor, I have more assurance in myself, my abilities and everything else is NOT in my control. God has blessed me with peace of mind when I compete so it’s just fun! I am certain that my preparation with Mental Management has put me at my best level possible.

What is next for you?

I plan on traveling the world soon and pursing my career in Broadcast Journalism. As for pageants they are not on the back burner. I plan on competing still. Pageantry is my passion!

(Briana has attended private training with Heather Sumlin as well as Interview workshops and the Mental Toughness for Pageantry 1 day workshop with Heather Sumlin and Shilah Phillips, Miss Texas America 2006 - for more information on Mental Management training for pageantry please email heather@mentalmanagement.com or call 972-899-9640)