Have you ever competed in a pageant? Well, the Career Goddess Academy is sharing an exclusive interview with a former pageant contestant, Mompreneur, and pageant director.

Kenyonn Demps at A Seasoned Affair (Senior Pageant)

Kenyonn Crown

What is your previous pageant experience or thoughts about pageantry? – It’s somewhat strange, because the funny thing is I am not a pageant girl by experience. I did a few (less than 5) pageants in my life and only 1 as an adult, and that was the MCA pageant. I have always admired pageants since I was a child.

What attracted you to the Ms. Corporate America pageant? I watched MCA for about a year before I completed the application. I was attracted to the concept of beauty and business. I believe that women are powerful, beautiful beings that can seriously run the world. Besides that, it was a good time for me to leap out of my comfort zone and do something different, so I woke up one day and jumped for it!

How did you prepare as a first-time contestant? I prepared by critically looking at my strengths and my opportunities. I used my greatest critics whom wanted the best for me to troubleshoot what I needed to work on, and from there, I just kept practicing my walk, interview questions, and above all, I practiced self-talk and reminded myself there was no better me than my unique self.

Elaborate on what you took away from the experience. I took so much away: new friends, increased confidence and self-esteem, and empowerment that I CAN and I WILL. I learned about me. I grew. I learned about pageants as a contestant, and the list goes on and on…

Why did you decide to compete multiple times? Well, besides friendly competition, I believe in the mission.

What does it mean to be a Mompreneur? – Being a mom is the best thing in the world to me. I never thought I could love and care for anyone more than life itself. I know how it feels to want to give my son the best of everything and go broke doing it (Smile). As a mompreneur, it’s great to be able to combine motherhood’s ups and downs, tests and true testimonies, challenges, and inspirations with my love of entrepreneurship. Whether I am doing the best job in the world as a mom or working the tasks of entrepreneurship, I love what I do and who I serve. To be a Mompreneur means being able to strategically be a mom, meeting the needs of your child or children, and balancing your business. It’s a true honor to have been chosen as Ms. Mompreneur 2014.

How did you use the title to further your personal and professional goals? – My goal as Ms. Mompreneur 2014 was to inspire women to step out of their comfort zone. To see themselves as bigger and greater than they did yesterday and to stop negative self-talk. I was driven to prove that women could be business-minded and reach their goals all while being a mom, a wife, a sister, and savvy in the workplace. I believe that women are the foundation of getting things done.

Can you take us behind the scenes and let us know what it’s like to start and manage your own pageant? – Again, let me reiterate that I love helping women build their self-esteem. I love watching them grow, and even more, I think it’s necessary to help each other reach our goals. My company A Seasoned Affair, Inc. assists mature women (aged 60 and above) in reinventing themselves through pageantry. We have been in business since 2008, empowering senior women to step out of their comfort zones and have some fun, meet new people, strut their stuff, and ultimately dispel the myths about aging. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and people underestimate it because they hear it’s a “senior pageant,” so they do not think it requires time or, better yet, they just don’t know what happens.

Senior pageants take time — and a lot of it. Between recruitment, retaining the contestants, establishing relationship with the contestants to help them build their confidence, and creating ideas for their talents — again all of these tasks takes time and a lot of dedication — but it is well worth it. I always make sure we have some fun activities planned so the ladies can connect and make new friendships. That’s important and definitely makes their experience valuable.

We start each pageant year setting goals and creating a plan to reach them. The behind-the-scenes is a demanding question that I know deserves a more thorough response, but for the sake of time and space, I will just add that my pageant experience as a regional, state, and national pageant judge, a servant leader, a pageant founder/director, and a nursing home administrator have allowed me to embrace details and stay determined on creating a pageant for mature women.

How do you start a pageant? – When I started this pageant, I did not know anything, but what I did know is that there were people in the world that wanted to help me. The first thing I did was research everything possible about pageants, self-esteem, and confidence, and I started judging pageants. It was not the easiest to do time-wise, but I made it happen, and 7 years later, my company is still going strong and will be expanding to a few other cities in Florida in 2016.

A Seasoned Affair Facebook Page

www.aseasonedaffair.com

Types of opportunities Kenyonn is seeking: In search of opportunities to speak on the ABCs of long-term care, setting and reaching goals, time management, and how pageants can transform your life. I am also looking for opportunities to partner with businesses and organizations for my company’s upcoming pageants for mature women.

Contact information: 904-323-2063 or aseasonedaffairpageants@gmail.com

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