Podcasts about Miss North Carolina

On this episode, Janet Ward Black shares the story of how God led her to start tithing on her top-rated law firm's gross income at a time when the firm's profit margin was only 1 percent. Ward Black Law is now one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. Attorney Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. The firm's clients have received settlements of more than $100 million over the last 10 years. The firm represents people injured at work, in accidents, and by dangerous products and environmental hazards across North Carolina. A graduate of Davidson College cum laude in economics and Duke Law School, Black served as the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations. The program she created while president of the 16,000 member Bar Association, "4 ALL," has been used as a model in the United States and Canada for providing free legal services to the poor.  Black is a frequent lawyer educator and motivational speaker. She is a Trustee Emeritus of Hood Theological Seminary and has served on many non-profit boards and on many international mission trips. She received the North Carolina State Bar's Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Charles Murphy Award for Public Service by Duke Law School in 2010. Black has been named in North Carolina Super Lawyers, North Carolina's Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America and her firm has been named as one of the Best Law Firms in America by US News & World Reports since 2010. She is a member of the Women's Presidents Organization and C12, Christian CEOs and Business Owners' Group. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, the highest civilian honor in the state of North Carolina. She received the North Carolina Bar Association Litigation Section's "Advocate's Award" for skill, ethics and dedication to clients and the community in 2018. She was named the Community Foundation of Great Greensboro's Woman of the Year in 2018 and Personal Injury "Lawyer of the Year" in the Triad by US News & World Report in 2020. Black served as Miss North Carolina 1980. She won a Grand Talent award at the 1980 Miss America pageant. https://www.wardblacklaw.com/ Theology of Business is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God's will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you. | Entrepreneurship | Marketing | Nonprofit | Church | Author | Startups | Marketplace | Ministry | Business as Mission | Faith and Work | Faith | Success | Leadership | www.TheologyofBusiness.com

On this episode, Janet Ward Black shares the story of how God led her to start tithing on her top-rated law firm's gross income at a time when the firm's profit margin was only 1 percent. Ward Black Law is now one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. Attorney Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. The firm's clients have received settlements of more than $100 million over the last 10 years. The firm represents people injured at work, in accidents, and by dangerous products and environmental hazards across North Carolina. A graduate of Davidson College cum laude in economics and Duke Law School, Black served as the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations. The program she created while president of the 16,000 member Bar Association, “4 ALL,” has been used as a model in the United States and Canada for providing free legal services to the poor.  Black is a frequent lawyer educator and motivational speaker. She is a Trustee Emeritus of Hood Theological Seminary and has served on many non-profit boards and on many international mission trips. She received the North Carolina State Bar's Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Charles Murphy Award for Public Service by Duke Law School in 2010. Black has been named in North Carolina Super Lawyers, North Carolina's Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America and her firm has been named as one of the Best Law Firms in America by US News & World Reports since 2010. She is a member of the Women's Presidents Organization and C12, Christian CEOs and Business Owners' Group. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, the highest civilian honor in the state of North Carolina. She received the North Carolina Bar Association Litigation Section's “Advocate's Award” for skill, ethics and dedication to clients and the community in 2018. She was named the Community Foundation of Great Greensboro's Woman of the Year in 2018 and Personal Injury “Lawyer of the Year” in the Triad by US News & World Report in 2020. Black served as Miss North Carolina 1980. She won a Grand Talent award at the 1980 Miss America pageant. https://www.wardblacklaw.com/ Theology of Business is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God's will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you. | Entrepreneurship | Marketing | Nonprofit | Church | Author | Startups | Marketplace | Ministry | Business as Mission | Faith and Work | Faith | Success | Leadership | www.TheologyofBusiness.com

On this episode, Janet Ward Black shares the story of how God led her to start tithing on her top-rated law firm's gross income at a time when the firm's profit margin was only 1 percent. Ward Black Law is now one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. Attorney Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. The firm's clients have received settlements of more than $100 million over the last 10 years. The firm represents people injured at work, in accidents, and by dangerous products and environmental hazards across North Carolina. A graduate of Davidson College cum laude in economics and Duke Law School, Black served as the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations. The program she created while president of the 16,000 member Bar Association, "4 ALL," has been used as a model in the United States and Canada for providing free legal services to the poor.  Black is a frequent lawyer educator and motivational speaker. She is a Trustee Emeritus of Hood Theological Seminary and has served on many non-profit boards and on many international mission trips. She received the North Carolina State Bar's Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Charles Murphy Award for Public Service by Duke Law School in 2010. Black has been named in North Carolina Super Lawyers, North Carolina's Legal Elite and The Best Lawyers in America and her firm has been named as one of the Best Law Firms in America by US News & World Reports since 2010. She is a member of the Women's Presidents Organization and C12, Christian CEOs and Business Owners' Group. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, the highest civilian honor in the state of North Carolina. She received the North Carolina Bar Association Litigation Section's "Advocate's Award" for skill, ethics and dedication to clients and the community in 2018. She was named the Community Foundation of Great Greensboro's Woman of the Year in 2018 and Personal Injury "Lawyer of the Year" in the Triad by US News & World Report in 2020. Black served as Miss North Carolina 1980. She won a Grand Talent award at the 1980 Miss America pageant. https://www.wardblacklaw.com/ Theology of Business is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God's will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you. | Entrepreneurship | Marketing | Nonprofit | Church | Author | Startups | Marketplace | Ministry | Business as Mission | Faith and Work | Faith | Success | Leadership | www.TheologyofBusiness.com

Arlie Kidd, Head of Talent Relations at Lemonpie, shares the value of singing as a way to unplug and recounts her personal experiences, from being Miss North Carolina to finding joy in telling people's stories through PR and podcasting. She emphasizes the significance of incorporating personal passions into the workplace to create a more well-rounded and engaged environment. Arlie reflects on the magical moments singing has created and the impact it has had on her professional career, culminating in her recent reconnection with the joy of singing as live events have resumed. She advocates for investing time in activities outside of work for personal enrichment and self-care, encouraging listeners to explore past interests from school and join organizations for personal growth. Arlie Kidd highlights the importance of human connection in the workplace, suggesting that allowing time for personal conversations can lead to emotional bonds and improved work productivity.

Besties don't let this crown fool you, Morgan is not just a beauty queen - she is also a Chemical Engineer who has a passion for making science, tech, engineering and math education accessible to girls at a younger age and show them that a career in STEM is attainable. Morgan graduated from the University of South Carolina where she obtained a Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering in 2020, and worked full-time as an Application Engineer before taking on the position of Miss North Carolina and Miss USA. In this episode we get into some real talk advice for your younger self, tips for building your confidence and finding success as a result of self love work... and seriously SO MUCH MORE!  @missusa @officialmorganromano   SIGN UP for the Downloadable Course APPLY for my 6-Week Class SUBMIT Your Questiosn for more Ask Shelby episodes!   Shop my HABIT TRACKER  Save on Memore with code SAVAGE   FOLLOW along with me: ON Instagram @shelbysacco5 ON Tiktok @shelbysacco5 (Main Account) ON Tiktok @shelbys_habits (My Daily Dairy) 

Meet the America's Ideal Miss North Carolina Teen, Allie Ingram! Allie will be competing at nationals in a few shorts weeks! Tune in to hear more about Allie's year!#idealmissncteen #crowningmomentpodcast #crowningmoment

Carli Batson did not enter her first pageant until her teenage years, a decision made after her father lost his job. Once Batson started, though, she found success, winning several titles and enough scholarship money to avoid the burden of college tuition debt. Now the former Miss Wilmington and Miss North Carolina is preparing to wear a new crown, as the 2023 North Carolina Azalea Festival Queen. 

Casey Gibson is a 23 year-old Systems Integration Analyst for a large Aero Space Engineering Government Contractor, currently residing in North Carolina. She was recently crowned Miss America's United States 2022 and will be representing North Carolina at Miss Global USA next July. A graduate of USC College of Engineering and Computer Science, Casey was also a Division One Cheerleader, a Presidential and Dean's Honor Roll student, and recipient of Silver, Bronze, and Gold Presidential Service awards, as well as Duke of Edinburgh International Service awards in Bronze and Silver. Casey is the host of the Crowning Moment Podcast, which offers listeners a look into the world of pageantry and has over 15,000 listeners in 60+ countries. The podcast can be found on all podcasting platforms and can be followed on Instagram @crowningmomentpodcast and on YouTube. You can catch Casey on the next Pageant Vision LIVE show, where she is a TV Host for Pageantry. Follow Casey: ⬇️⬇️ https://instagram.com/crowningmomentpodcast ---⠀ ⠀ Be more than just a queen. Make an IMPACT. Join our sorority:⠀ ⬇️⬇️ http://thepageantsorority.com/

Talk about a particular event shaping your life, while earning a degree in photography, Marlana Semenza stepped onto a tour bus and began an adventure and a career. In this Unstoppable Mindset episode, you get to hear from Marlana about how she was hired by WWE as a photographer and suddenly found herself on a bus going to different wrestling events as a photographer. She always liked the camera and taking pictures, but with her new WWE, (World Wrestling Entertainment), a position she took her dreams to a whole new level. On this episode we get to experience from Marlana her many adventures and experiences not only just taking pictures, but also how she evolved her camera knowledge into telling visual stories. For me, this episode is extremely fascinating since, as a blind person, I don't really do pictures. However, Marlena's exciting and commitment rub off and I very much enjoyed hearing what she has to say. I hope you do as well. About the Guest: While earning a degree in photography, Marlana Semenza stepped on to a tour bus and began an adventure and a career. She uses her unique background that includes storytelling, advertising, set design and location scouting to tell her client's stories in their most powerful way. An international photographer and visual strategist, Marlana's client base has included athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and public figures including Miss North Carolina. She photographs clients in person and now virtually through her service 'Photographer In Your Pocket.' She is also the host of the podcast Your Iconic Image. How to connect with Marlana: Website: https://www.marlanasemenza.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlana.semenza.photo/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlanasemenza/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063107685069 About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:20 Hi, once again, I am Mike hingson, your host and welcome to unstoppable mindset today we get to interview Marlana Semenza, who is a professional photographer and I think has some very interesting and clever things about photography that she wants to talk about. She has photographed celebrities, WW II, events and people and so on. And I don't know what all being blind Do I look at pictures? No, not necessarily, but I appreciate them. Although my favorite joke is although people say a picture is worth 1000 words, I would point out that it takes up a whole lot more memory. So do it that much. But welcome to unstoppable mindset. How are you?   Marlana Semenza  02:01 I'm well thank you so much for having me.   Michael Hingson  02:03 Well, thanks for being here. And Marlena also has her own podcast and we will get to that and talk about that as we go forward. I'm sure why don't we start a little bit by maybe you telling us just about you growing up and kind of some of the the early things, you know, to sort of set the stage for what you did with your life.   Marlana Semenza  02:21 Well, I was actually born in New Jersey, and then my mother transplanted me to Connecticut when I was about 10. We're in New Jersey. I was born in Morristown, New Jersey. Okay. Then, when we got to Connecticut, it was in Fairfield County, Connecticut, I was in New Fairfield, which is about an hour north of Fairfield. But it was great because I never really lived more than an hour outside of New York City for most of my life. So that's a very rich culture. And you have access to a lot of a lot of things. My grandfather, who I adored, put a camera in my hand when I was a kid. And that was his hobby. And I because I idolized him and wanted to do everything he was doing. Then it became my hobby, and then later on became my profession.   Michael Hingson  03:18 I was reading your bio, and it said that you stepped on a tour bus and began a speaking career. What's that about?   Marlana Semenza  03:26 Well, not a speaking career. I've   Michael Hingson  03:27 not a speaking career but a career. Yeah, adventure.   Marlana Semenza  03:32 I graduated from college with a degree in photography. And before I went to Western Connecticut State in Danbury, Connecticut. Originally, I was going to go to Fordham for law. And what happened was, I didn't really want to have all the college debt. So I thought, Okay, well, I'm gonna go locally, somewhere for a year and get some common core under my belt. And I don't know why. I never, it never occurred to me that you could make a living in the arts, I don't know where I thought all of the photos in magazines and things came from. But once I realized that you could actually do it for a living that hobby then became what I wanted to do. But about, oh, six months or so before I graduated, a friend of mine was working for WWE, which actually at the time was WWF and Stamford, Connecticut. And he worked in the graphic design department. And they were looking for somebody to work in photo editing. So I went down to apply for the job in photo editing. And my soon to be boss came into the interview. And by the end of the interview, he said to me, do you have a problem with airplanes? And I said, Well, no. And he said, That's good, because instead of photo editing, you're going to be my assistant and I was given the time to meet, which was in the evening. I stepped on a tour bus. I was they pointed and said this is your bunk it was me and I think it was six guys And I had never watched wrestling in my life. I knew nothing about wrestling. And the next morning, I stepped off the bus, walked backstage at the arena and looked around and went, What have I done? But it's, yeah, it was, once I got past the initial shock of it all, it was actually an amazing, amazing experience that I'm eternally grateful for. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  05:27 So you, you started a career and certainly an adventure. No, no question about it. I had some experience with photographers after September 11. I was contacted by I don't even remember who but it had to do with the fact that I think PepsiCo had been involved in a campaign to raise funds for the families of people who perished on September 11. And they wanted people who had become visible. And I certainly had in the one of the things that they wanted to do was to put pictures of people into ads in USA Today. And so one November day, and I lived in New Jersey at the time, we lived in Westfield, but one November day, in 2001, I went into New York and went to the photographs photography studio of Richard Avedon. Oh, and of course, Richard Avedon, with the time was probably the most famous photographer in the world. Anyway, we, he took a picture of me and Roselle, it took about 45 minutes all together, and it was done. It was very enjoyable time very pleasurable to spend some time with him. And there we were, and I still have that picture to this day, which is great, because he sent me a copy.   Marlana Semenza  06:54 I love that. And that. As soon as you said his name, several images of his just flashed through my head. Like, yeah, oh, well, um, there's one of a woman jumping off the sidewalk, I believe that's his image with a umbrella. And I remember, I think there was another one that he shot of, I want to say it was Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller. But anyway, there's, there's several different images that I that popped into my head.   Michael Hingson  07:33 It was a very, as I said, pleasurable experience. And he was a person who clearly knew what what he was doing. And, you know, a lot of people said, Oh, you're going to be there all afternoon, because photographers take a long time. And clearly, it wasn't that way. He knew what he was about. He got the shot set up that he wanted, and we were done.   Marlana Semenza  07:55 Yeah. And, you know, it's interesting that you say that, because I've had people say to me, you know, do you work with assistants? And what kind of equipment do you bring with you to various sessions and things like that. And maybe it was all the years that I spent in studios, and lugging all kinds of gear around and things like that. But if I can't carry it on my person than in my head, I don't need it. And I think part of that also came from because I photograph weddings for a brief period of time in my life. And it's just that being free to kind of run and gun and, and use whatever you see and had the fluidity and the flexibility. And also to i i don't like a whole lot of people on set. I like it to be whoever I'm photographing and me because this is what we're going to make together.   Michael Hingson  08:49 You talking about. This just reminds me of the times after September 11. For me, when people started wanting to come in interview me the press heard the story. They got a hold of it, especially after appearing on Larry King Live. And literally we had hundreds of people, over a few months come to our home. And we had a number of television stations from around the world. And we had everything from one or two people from one station who came set up, did their interview and so on. All the way up to 14 people from one Italian station, who came in it took 14 People they felt to do the interviews, which was amazing. A couple of people just stood around and directed and didn't really do anything. And they had a number of camera people and it was just incredible. The number of people who came for that interview and we always wondered why but everyone is different.   Marlana Semenza  09:46 Yeah, you know, I sometimes wonder when people do that why? And you know, I have to say all of the photographer's that took the images from 911 because I lived up in Connecticut at the time You're right across the river really? Right? Um, I would not have been one of those photographers, because I know me and I would have been running and it would not have been a matter of, oh, let me capture this. And no, I would have been running,   Michael Hingson  10:18 as opposed to the two French photographers of the French people who actually recorded and had the first real recordings of that day, having seen the first plane go into the building, and they were there covering one of the fire stations, but they got probably the best early coverage of everything that eventually went into a documentary.   Marlana Semenza  10:40 Yeah, yeah, I give them all credit. But I would not have been wondering, yeah.   Michael Hingson  10:46 Well, I don't know you've done pretty well tell us more about WWE. So they showed you where your bunk was. And there you were. So tell us about that.   Marlana Semenza  10:54 Yeah. And I didn't even go away to college. So for me to climb on that bus and be a part of this. And for the first, I don't know, several months or so, it was showering in the arenas and get climbing back on the bus and going to the next place. And the job was held for me while I went back and finished my last semester at school. But, you know, then after that I graduated there were only maybe, I don't know, a handful of women on the road at that point. And so one of the producers and I, once they, once they decided, you know, I didn't have to ride the bus with the guys anymore. I got to go actually in a rental car and sleep in a hotel, like a, like a big girl. Christina and I traveled together a lot. And so that was nice, too. Because what that also allowed I was young, I was, you know, very, very early 20s. So that allowed me to be able to sometimes fly into a location early or out of a location later, if I wanted and be able to see a lot of the country. I saw 32 states and three years and a lot of them more than once.   Michael Hingson  12:09 What was it like being on the bus with with those guys, it had to be a little bit intimidating. If for no other reason being a woman or not, there are a whole lot bigger, and they're wrestlers. And you're not?   Marlana Semenza  12:21 Well, the fortunate thing is I didn't have to be on the bus with the wrestlers. That the bus that I was on, we were all of the people that had to be first at the arena. So it was my boss who was the head of production for for all the live events, my boss, the sound guys, the the riggers, things like that, that had to get the lighting, all set in the arena. So that's who I traveled with the wrestlers. The funny thing about it is most of them became almost like Big Brother ish to me. I am not a big girl. So I literally came up to most of their chest. And, you know, it was, it was just an amazing time and an amazing experience. And a lot of them were friends of mine up until, unfortunately, most of them are deceased. Now, the people that I worked with, but it was just a great time, it was a really, really great time.   Michael Hingson  13:29 But they valued you and they respected you. And do you think that they treated the other people all the other people that you rode with sort of the same way? Or were you special to them? Because you weren't,   Marlana Semenza  13:44 I mean, you know, you always have guys that are going to push it and and see, you know if they can get a rise out of you or, or, or try and review or something like that. And you know, we were no different. But at the end of the day. A lot of the things that other people may have experienced and I don't know what other people's experience was. But I know for me, I didn't have I wasn't put in bad positions. I wasn't put in, you know, they were they were good to me.   Michael Hingson  14:19 What great memories, huh? Yeah, that's cool. And then you got to go. Not on the same bus. Why did that happen? Just because you rose through the ranks and became kind of more of a of a higher end person or what? Oh, God,   Marlana Semenza  14:34 no. Just checking. I think it was just, you know, let's give the girl a break. Get her off the bus. You know, and I didn't really have to be there. At the time that everybody else has rode that bus had to be there. So I think it was just a kindness on my boss's part.   Michael Hingson  14:57 me recognize that you could be more efficient doing other things rather than just sitting around or sitting around waiting.   Marlana Semenza  15:02 Yeah, that can very well be the case. Well, well,   Michael Hingson  15:06 well think good thoughts. Yeah. How long did you do that for WWE for years? Well, then what did you   Marlana Semenza  15:15 do? I've always been freelance my whole life. So from there, I actually got off the road and did a bunch of work for a cartooning and animation company also. Because I had a minor in illustration. So I, that company we did the monsters comic book and the Tom and Jerry comic strip and animation sells for various places that were limited edition. And from there, I got to go out to Comic Con in San Diego with them, which Oh, boy. Yeah, I'll tell you. You think wrestling is crazy. Go to Comic Con. Tell us a whole nother experience for me.   Michael Hingson  15:55 I've never been to Comic Con. I've heard about it, you know a lot. But I'd love to hear some of your experiences.   Marlana Semenza  16:01 Um, once again, I was surrounded by people from people in Halloween costumes, pretty much in a dressing up as this superhero or that superhero. And when we went out there, it was when we were doing the monsters comic book. So we had Pat priest who was Maryland monster and Butch Patrick, who had played any monster out signing autographs and signing the comic books. And so, you know, we got to spend some time with them. And, you know, comic book artists are amazing artists, also. So, but there was a little bit of Have you ever seen the Big Bang Theory? Oh, lots. Yeah. Okay. I'm convinced. I saw lots of Shelton's and Leonard's and Rogers and Howard's walking around. Any pennies? I'm very, very, very think that. Yeah, I think the pennies were mostly the actresses that were paid to be the superheroes.   Michael Hingson  17:11 Got it. But you But you saw lots of the other characters?   Marlana Semenza  17:15 Oh, yes. Without a doubt, without a doubt.   Michael Hingson  17:18 Did you ever were any of the actual actors ever? There were like Jim Parsons, or any of them today?   Marlana Semenza  17:26 No. The only other than Pat Preston. Which Patrick the only other celebrity that I recall seeing there was Lou Ferrigno.   Michael Hingson  17:35 Oh, the Hulk.   Marlana Semenza  17:39 The original Hulk,   Michael Hingson  17:40 who original? Well, not the original one, but because it goes back before the cartoons. Yes. But original series. Yeah. Well,   Marlana Semenza  17:47 I guess what I'm getting at is that dates me but that's okay. I saw that hook. And then I used to also work with the other Hulk in wrestling. So yeah, yeah. Yeah.   Michael Hingson  17:57 Yeah. I mean, for a while original one. Yeah, he Well, there you go. See? Well, when hoax can can protect the body so it's okay. So, what did you do at Comic Con, you took pictures?   Marlana Semenza  18:10 No, actually, because when I worked for the cartooning and animation company was called animated arts. I was actually an artist assistant. So backgrounds and things like that the reason why they took me out to ComiCon was, so I could help be talent relations, because of my background with wrestling, and working with all of them. So that was mostly why I was. So what do you mean by that? I'm just getting people where they need to be when they needed to be there, making sure that they had what they needed. That type of thing.   Michael Hingson  18:49 So I know COVID has affected Comicon. Needless to say, but at the same time, I think we had ComiCon this year. Have you been   Marlana Semenza  18:57 back? No, I have not. I haven't been in years.   Michael Hingson  19:02 Do you want to go back?   Marlana Semenza  19:05 I would go back to work it again. I'm not a good I'm good in production. I'm not so good in the stance.   Michael Hingson  19:18 Not a good tourist. I'm not like rather than working.   Marlana Semenza  19:23 Yeah. Let me get my hands into it. And I'm better.   Michael Hingson  19:29 Cool. Well, so as a as a photographer, you must feel you do things that that make you stand out or make you different from other people so that people want to hire you what makes you different? What do you think makes you different than other photographers in the world?   Marlana Semenza  19:51 I think part of it is background. But I would also say another part of it is at the end of the day, I'm really not in the photography business. I'm in reputation business. So, because of that, it's, you know, photography is obviously the vessel that I use to help people tell their stories and stand out and create a reputation. But that's really the business that I'm in, not so much the image taking for the image taking sick.   Michael Hingson  20:21 So you want to tell stories,   Marlana Semenza  20:24 I want to tell stories, but I also, my job is to take what makes you valuable and unique. And relay that to the people that need to know it in a way that will connect. So it's, yeah, it's it's more than just the capturing of an image, there's a lot of strategy that goes into it. There's a lot of, okay, well, how can we make this effective? How can we, how can we make it connect these images connect and unique for the person that they're being created for?   Michael Hingson  21:01 So you have to develop a good, strong relationship with the clients, the people that you're working with? And I guess there's, in a sense, there's kind of two levels of clients, they're the people who may hire you, who may not actually be the people that you interact with, but then they're also the people that you interact with. And so there must be a lot of trust and teamwork involved and all that.   Marlana Semenza  21:26 Oh, absolutely. I think, especially as I was saying earlier, I like to be one on one with my clients, whenever possible. And because of that, I think that helps establish a level of trust, because it can be just us. And we, we know that we're in it together. And that I value their input, I think trust is essential in because I That's it goes back to working one on one with people. And because this is our creation together, so I value not just the person, but also their input and what we can make together. And, you know, there are a lot of people that just aren't comfortable in front of a camera, they become self conscious, or they don't know how to pose or how to act or how to be. And when you develop that level of trust that I've got you. And that's the whole thing that my clients know is I've got you. I guess it's much, much easier.   Michael Hingson  22:36 I think that's probably what impressed me now that I think back about it about Richard Avedon, because what he really did was very quickly established a level of trust, even if not saying anything, just his attitude and the way he worked. He did spend time wanting to learn about me. And I think that helped him to him deciding what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. But it was all about trust. And I think that no matter what we do, it's really all about trust, when people take the time to develop trust in and gain that trust, it doesn't get any better than that.   Marlana Semenza  23:11 Right. And you know, when I photograph someone, by the time we get to that point where I actually pressed the button, we have had several conversations. And we have, really, because the first thing that I do is there's a large questionnaire that they fill out. And then we dive into that in a meeting. And I've had clients cry during that process, I've had them you know, and what you uncover, just even at that point, develops a relationship that transcends just photographer, subject. And I just think that's really important. Because the better that I can understand you, the better that I can know You, the better these images are going to be, because they will then be more tailored to you and more unique to you.   Michael Hingson  24:09 So what do you actually go through to get people to trust you? What, what's your process?   Marlana Semenza  24:16 Um, like I said, there, there is a questionnaire. It's also it's a large level of honesty on my part, too, because am I fit for everyone? No. And that's okay. The goal is for them to have the best photographer for them. And if I am not that, then I think I need I would be doing them a disservice to not say that. And also, I know enough photographers that I can probably point you in the direction of somebody that will be a better fit for you. Doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with either one of us. It just means that there's somebody else better designed to tell your story and create those images with you than me. And I think it's that level of honesty He too.   Michael Hingson  25:02 So that is part of what you have to do to make sure that you do the best job for your client, which is something that ought to be true in, in general. Trust, it seems to me is so much under attack today in so many different ways, don't you think?   Marlana Semenza  25:18 Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think the other thing, too, that that's under attack a lot, too, is humility. I look at humility as a beautiful thing, because it doesn't mean that you think less of yourself, it just means that you are teachable. And that you you think of others before you. And I think that that goes a long way also.   Michael Hingson  25:45 So now, how long have you been doing photography and doing the work that you do?   Marlana Semenza  25:51 I've been a photographer for probably 25 years doing this kind of work, personal brand, things like that. I'm probably about five Wow.   Michael Hingson  26:04 So what did what did you do? So you did the cartoon work? And ComiCon as you said years ago, what did you then go do   Marlana Semenza  26:12 I also have this next for you. Next after that is I went to do some freelance work for the photo department at Ethan Allen. And because I was in Danbury, Connecticut, and that's where their headquarters is and then from there I started to do set styling and design work for them I got to work on their New York Times ads and their style books and their training videos for their designers and their their magazines, things like that. So all of these things the the storytelling that I learned in wrestling and the creating of personas, the the thinking outside the box when it comes to cartooning and animation and creating something from scratch, the set styling and design, the location scouting, all it all of those things come together and that's what I can pull from to tell somebody story now.   Michael Hingson  27:12 So you've said that you don't work with everyone how quickly usually do you discover the you may not be the best fit for someone today,   Marlana Semenza  27:22 um, I can usually tell by one conversation and also combing their social media,   Michael Hingson  27:33 what kinds of things become cues or, or messages that somebody might be the right person for you to work with, as opposed to somebody who isn't?   Marlana Semenza  27:46 If they are the right person, usually, it's funny because the women that I tend to work with have what I refer to as the lashes and Lu batons factor, usually somewhere in in their story or somewhere in there. Their brand, is a bit of fashion is a bit of that beauty angle. But not always, but usually, that's an easy key for me, it's easier to tell who's not a fit. I have one client who has pushed me way out of my comfort zone. And normally he would not have been a good fit for me, he has done Naked and Afraid four times. And I'm just not an outdoorsy girl. I'm not a hiker, I'm not all those things. So normally somebody like that, I have a friend of mine who also does what I do, and she is a hiker, and will you know climb mountains and all those kinds of things. That would have been somebody I would probably have, you know, introduced to her as a better fit. But it turns out he and I want to be in a good fit so far. Even though the first snake I see I might be out of there. I can't guarantee   Michael Hingson  29:09 what what made you decide, though, that that you guys did click,   Marlana Semenza  29:14 um, personality. And there's a lot of trust on his end for me. And I also trust that on his end, when we are in situations that I'm uncomfortable that he's got my back. So I think it goes back to like you said, there's a lot of trust involved.   Michael Hingson  29:39 And you've been able to develop that. So of course, one of the natural things it's tempting to ask is Who are some celebrities that you've worked with over the years that people might have heard of,   Marlana Semenza  29:52 um, most of them would be in the wrestling vein. I've also had The opportunity. One of the first women that I worked with in the pageant community was a woman named Chesley Crist. And a lot of people would know her name at this point, too. She went on to be Miss USA, she went on to be a correspondent for extra TV. And she was just an amazing, amazing woman.   Michael Hingson  30:23 Well, tell us more, if you would, um,   Marlana Semenza  30:27 Chesley. When you met Chesley, she's the was a person that you never forgot. Whenever once you met her or spent any amount of time with her. I remember, when I first walked into the room with her the first time I met her. It was like, even the air turns turned into its attention to her. She was that captivating. She was that type of a presence. And she like I said she went on to be she was Miss North Carolina, USA, then she went on to be Miss USA. Then she went on to I think she finished in the top five or 10 at Miss Universe. I want to say five. And then she went on to be a correspondent for extra TV. And she unfortunately, in January of 2022, was in the news. Because at 30 years old, she committed suicide, she jumped off the 29th floor of her Manhattan high rise. And that opened up a lot for a lot of people. Because in the pageant industry, the pageant world that I knew, and the girls that I work with Chesley was the gold standard. And so for this to happen, it sent a lot of people reeling. Plus also, if you knew Chesley when I remember, when I first saw it in the news, I thought it had to be a mistake. But what it has fortunately done, I'm hoping and I'm seeing is that it's opening up a dialogue, that it's okay to say you're not okay. And for you know, the other thing that was so sad to me, because it's a bigger commentary that I think needs to be addressed is when she was 29. She did a an article for a law magazine. And in that article, she made the statement that she felt like she was running out of time to matter in society's eyes. And unfortunately for women, I think that that becomes a burden that men don't seem to face. We are are faced with this aging. And it is thrown up at us more so than it's thrown up at men. And we feel like we're on more of a timeline or a time crunch than a lot of men, unfortunately. And I'm hoping that that starts a dialogue around that. And hopefully that can change as well.   Michael Hingson  33:06 Yeah, it's it's a significant issue that that is always I think, in a sense been part of society. And maybe we should be fair and say plagued society that you got to look good. And if you don't, you're getting too old or whatever. And you're right, that doesn't tend to pressure men nearly as much as it does with women even so called sexy man. You never hear the same discussion about them that you do about women.   Marlana Semenza  33:38 Right? Here men, you know, oh my gosh, look at how distinguished he looks. Meanwhile, for us, it's good hold she looks. So yeah, that will at least start discussions.   Michael Hingson  33:50 Even if they try to make it a compliment she ages Well, still, it's the same thing. Yeah, exactly. Which is, which is really unfortunate. Well, so for you, you. Most of your business has been in what you do traveling, or do you do most of it from a particular place? How does that work for you?   Marlana Semenza  34:13 Um, I am currently situated just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. So a lot of my clients actually traveled to me only because I have everything that you could want here as far as backgrounds go, and things like that, if you need something specific. I have traveled to clients. But, you know, during COVID, when we all got thrown into captivity, mostly photography is a face to face. Sport, you know, and it could no longer be so I had to do a real shift. And my friend Claire that I mentioned earlier happened to see a lot of photographers doing photography on using FaceTime. So she's like, let's try this out. So we tried it out and In. Most photographers seem to be doing it for fun. And I thought this is a business model. So I've since then found an app that seems to work really well. And it allows me to take over the camera on your phone. So now I can photograph people remotely all over the world.   Michael Hingson  35:16 Tell me more about that, how does that work?   Marlana Semenza  35:20 I connect, I go through the same process, get to know them, and all that type of thing. So we know what kinds of images they need to create the, and then when we decide that we're going to connect, I connect from my computer to their phone, it'll like I said, it allows me to take over the camera on their phone, and I can still direct them, I can still capture the image, the images come to me so I can edit them. And the plus side is you can have content from anywhere. You don't have to worry about even if you're on vacation, and you decide you want photos, you don't have to worry about finding a photographer because you literally have one in your pocket. And the but the downside to it is if you're looking for images that are going to be on a billboard, or on the cover of a book, or any of those those types of things, this wouldn't be the right platform for that only because it the capture isn't large enough for that. But for social media, or any kind of you can even put them on a website if you needed to, or something like that. But definitely for social media, it's perfect. And a lot of people that's the content that they need. They need to to keep generating. And this way, you don't have to rely on selfies, because I got you.   Michael Hingson  36:39 How does it? Well, that's, that's fair, I think to ask how does that work as opposed to a selfie? What? What's the difference?   Marlana Semenza  36:47 Um, I'm actually doing the photo. So I'm still taking the shot. So all's they have to do is if they, you can do it one of two ways. You can either put your phone on a tripod, you can prop it up on something I've had people stick it in their shoe, if they're out on a beach. And this way, I can just direct and shoot.   Michael Hingson  37:13 So when you get the shot you want you take it. Exactly, exactly. So as long as people have a good phone connection or a good internet connection,   Marlana Semenza  37:22 it it helps to have to be connected to Wi Fi. But you do not have to be you do not have to be when the images download, I kind of need you to be on Wi Fi. But but you don't necessarily have to be for me to take them.   Michael Hingson  37:38 So what kinds of environments or scenes have you taken pictures in using this app? So I've done some interesting things.   Marlana Semenza  37:48 I've done photos for a couple on a beach in Kennebunkport, I've done photos for a woman who is a business coach at her home in Mexico, I've done some photos at a NASCAR event, a realtor out in California. So it's, it can be anywhere, it really can.   Michael Hingson  38:10 Do you find it more difficult in any way to if you will take the picture remotely in terms of setting the scene getting things the way you want, then if you were actually there,   Marlana Semenza  38:23 what becomes more difficult is you have to be more than the photographer, you have to be very clear about direction. And because I have to kind of teach the person on the other end to be me, as well as be in the scene. So what has been helpful too is if I can get somebody on their end, that becomes what are referred to as the voice activated tripod, which all they do is hold the phone and they go up down left, right if I ask them to. And that just makes things go faster. But the app allows me to depending on the make and model of your phone to zoom in and out and really utilize the different features of your camera, which makes it fun.   Michael Hingson  39:11 And you do all that part of it. I do? Yes. Because you can control that from the app.   Marlana Semenza  39:16 What's that called? It's called shutter app.   Michael Hingson  39:20 And the whole idea is using the app that someone else actually takes the picture and becomes the photographer and the the active person and setting up the shot. Yeah. And then the person who has the phone is, is well are rather the person whose phone it is that you put the app on who you want to take a picture of is is still the subject but you get to still do the active things that you want to do to set.   Marlana Semenza  39:47 Exactly, exactly. And you know, there are things that it helps to have a professional do even even in a case like that because when it comes to posing and things like that. I know how to pose you, I know how to pose you quickly. I know how, you know if, and one of the things I usually ask women especially is, are there any areas of your body that you want to highlight or hide? And if, if they say, you know, well, yeah, I want to look thinner, which seems to be an ongoing thing. There are poses just little tweaks in your body that I can make, that will make you look better on camera,   Michael Hingson  40:31 is that more in adjustments that you make, or how you position the camera, or what   Marlana Semenza  40:37 it depends in, in real life, or in face to face, some of it is positioning, some of it is lens choice, stuff like that, when it comes to the phone, some of it is zooming in and out with the lens if I had that ability, but a lot of it too, is just making tweaks and of how to position your body   Michael Hingson  41:02 with a camera. photographers taking pictures have the opportunity to put different lenses on depending on what they want to do. Is any of that available for phones where you can depend on   Marlana Semenza  41:15 the model? Well, it depends on the model of your phone, too. I haven't had anyone that has any external lenses, or any of that kind of thing that they can hook onto there. But for example, the iPhone does give you the opportunity to go wide angle, and to zoom in and things like that. So it really just depends on the make and model of your phone. What's available to me.   Michael Hingson  41:39 But there aren't additional hardware options that you can can add or have to It's my   Marlana Semenza  41:44 it's my understanding, I think there are attachments that you can get for the phone. But I'm, I'm uncertain as to what all those are. Because most of the time I'm hauling around a mirrorless full frame camera. So right, yeah.   Michael Hingson  42:06 Well, what is next for you. So you've, you have made changes in what you do with COVID. And you use shutter app and you're able to do a lot via the phone now. What's next,   Marlana Semenza  42:19 I just want to continue to work with people and make them stand out and shine. That's what makes me happy. I don't like to be the it's never about me. It's always about the people that I'm working with. And I just want to see them succeed. And I want to see them be everything that they want to be and dream about being. And so if I can help them get there, then that makes me very happy.   Michael Hingson  42:44 Which also is part of the whole trust thing. Because if you can get people to understand this is an ego for you. But that you love doing what you do, and it's all about doing the best thing for them. That's gotta   Marlana Semenza  42:58 help. Yeah, yeah, it's never about me, which is cool.   Michael Hingson  43:02 What made you end up in Raleigh from being in Connecticut? Well,   Marlana Semenza  43:07 from growing up in Connecticut, the year before we moved, I have photos of my husband out shoveling the snow that was waist deep. And I had enough. I had had enough of that. You know, when winter strikes when you're up in New England, you know that you're gonna buckle up and you're in for about six months and misery. And so I wanted a more temperate climate. My grandmother had been out in the Arizona area. And that wasn't really my thing. I really liked the East Coast. So he started applying for jobs. He got a job down here. And that was the end of that. What does he do? He's in sales.   Michael Hingson  43:55 So what kind of interesting shots well, so let me do this first. Have you had much snow in Raleigh, then do you get snow there?   Marlana Semenza  44:03 We get snow. It's not a whole lot of snow, at least not since I've lived here. And it's funny because it does turn to ice very quickly. But for the most part, when we get snow, it's gone in a day, maybe two days. I remember the first time that we had just bought our house. And it snowed, maybe about three inches, and for lack of something to do my husband and I were out with a dirt shovel shoveling the driveway. And my neighbor came out and she stroked my arm and she said we just let that melt here.   Michael Hingson  44:37 And you kind of had this epiphany.   Marlana Semenza  44:39 Yeah, but it's nice because it's pretty. And it stays pretty. Because it never gets to be that.   Michael Hingson  44:48 Frozen that   Marlana Semenza  44:49 exactly and that that brown and you know, gray snow that has all the salt in it and things like that. It just doesn't get to that point.   Michael Hingson  44:58 Right which is pretty cool. All, huh? Have you had any interesting pictures or shots around North Carolina,   Marlana Semenza  45:06 I have actually, I just, I had been wanting to use this one location. And I'm still searching for locations here. Because I, I feel like there's so much and so much that I don't know about. And I also love taking photos, and doing kind of like a juxtaposition of something beautiful in the middle of chaos or things like that. So for example, there was a shot that I did for a dress designer a few years back. And the way the dress was, it was this denim dress. But I felt like it needed to be shot in just a warehouse or something like that. Well, instead, we wound up going to a scrap metal yard. And we had the best time got some amazing images of distress in the scrap metal yard. And just about a week or so ago, there's an location that I'd been wanting to use for years. And it's the remains of an old hospital. And it's fenced in, and it's on the campus of St. Augustine University in Raleigh. And fortunately, because my relationship with the Miss North Carolina organization, I was going to photograph Miss North Carolina and and I said, How about that, and they called and made it happen. And it was, it was the most amazing place. But I love things like that, just these gems of places. And that's why I like to shoot on location.   Michael Hingson  46:39 What's the most interesting or unique location where you ever done a shot?   Marlana Semenza  46:44 I didn't know that scrap metal yard was pretty, pretty interesting. The interesting it was because when we first got there, the gentleman that owned the property, we got the the lowdown on we'll stay at that area over there, because that's where the rats are and, and don't go over here and and like I said, I'm not, I'm not a critter kind of girl, I don't like critters. So that was an eye opener for me. But they were so lovely. And so wonderful. And by about halfway through the session, the manager came out and he's like, do you want us to move anything around for you or help you out with anything? And they were they were fantastic. They're fantastic to work with?   Michael Hingson  47:25 Is there any place that's kind of on your bucket list that you want to do a shoot that you no matter can think of?   Marlana Semenza  47:34 I don't know. Um, a lot of them as I find them, I'm, I'm slowly being able to check them off. I also came out of wedding retirement a few years back to do a wedding over at the Biltmore, which was pretty amazing to that. That's quite a place.   Michael Hingson  47:55 Well, if people want to learn more about you and reach out to you, whether it's to see if you're a good fit, or just learn about what you do, how do they do that?   Marlana Semenza  48:05 The best thing is to just go to my website, which is Marlenasemenza.com.   Michael Hingson  48:09 Can you spell it please,   Marlana Semenza  48:10 it's M a, r l a n a. S e m e n z a.com. And you can see all my social media links are on there. There's a way to to reach me on their contact forms. There's all kinds of things on there. But that's, that's the hub.   Michael Hingson  48:28 And we're also putting that into the notes and into all the descriptions that go with the podcast. So it will be there as well. And we hope that people will reach out. Yeah, I   Marlana Semenza  48:40 hope so. Well,   48:42 I want to thank you once again. And thank you for listening. I hope that you found this interesting this for me, it's been fascinating. It's an area that I don't directly know a lot about and don't do a lot with pictures myself being blind, but I'm always interested to learn so it's it's fascinating to hear what Marlena has to say. I hope that you found it. So as well. Love to hear your thoughts. Please reach out to us at Michaelhi at accessibe.com A C C E S S I B E or go to our podcast page, Michaelhingson h i n g s o n.com/podcast. And we'd love to hear from you either way, please give us a five star rating. We appreciate your ratings. And the five star ratings are of course what we want. We love to get love to hear your thoughts, anything that you think we ought to have as far as a an idea for a podcast want to hear from you about it. Marlena goes for you as well. If you know of any one or any other thoughts of things that we should have for a podcast, I'd love to hear from you about it. But again, I want to thank you for being here and for coming on unstoppable mindset today and I know that we talked about coming on your podcast Actually, why don't you tell us briefly about that?   Marlana Semenza  49:56 Yeah, my show is called your iconic image and it is As tools, tips, information and inspiration to help you grow a Brand on Purpose, and Michael is going to be a guest.   Michael Hingson  50:07 And how do people learn about the podcast?   Marlana Semenza  50:11 Once again, there's a link to it on my website, or you can find it anywhere you listen to podcasts.   Michael Hingson  50:18 Anywhere podcasts are sold.   Marlana Semenza  50:20 Yeah, exactly. And also to if you would prefer to watch it, any of those people that would prefer to watch it, you can also find it on my YouTube channel.   Michael Hingson  50:30 And we've done that with unstoppable mindset for those who may not have looked or noticed unstoppable mindset is up on our YouTube channel as well. So find us love to hear from you. And again, we appreciate your five star ratings and Marlena one last time. Thank you very much for being here with us and for giving us your time today.   Marlana Semenza  50:49 Thank you so very much. I appreciate you.   Michael Hingson  50:57 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

“We teach people how to think of us.”Are you ready to steer your reputation? Are you ready to up-level your brand? Are you ready to connect with your audience and show them who you really are? Are you ready to create visual assets that frame the way you are seen and understood? And, most importantly….are you ready to show up on purpose?My name is Marlana and I am an international photographer and visual strategist. My client base has included athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and public figures including Miss North Carolina.My experience includes storytelling, advertising, location scouting and set styling and design. My work has been featured on magazine covers and in NY Times ads.I have been hosting Your Iconic Image for 100 episodes now and for episode 100, my first guest, John Dalrymple is going to turn things around and interview me. www.marlanasemenza.comIG: marlana.semenza.photoTranscription : Vision In WordMarlanaWell, welcome to the 100th episode of Your Iconic Image. And today, you are actually going to get a little insight on me, and what we're going to do is, we're going to bring this whole thing full circle. My very first guest is going to do the interview. If you missed his episode, please go back and watch it. It is called What Makes An Icon? John, the show's yours. JohnWell, hello, Marlana. How are you? Marlana I'm well. John Well, it's an honor to talk with you today. You know, you are a genuine and authentic person, incredibly talented. And I would even say gifted in your ability to bring out the best in people. You've reached this milestone 100 podcast. And today, we get the chance to get to know you. Even though you've done 100 podcasts, many people really don't know what you do. So, first question, tell us about what you do.MarlanaI am a photographer and visual strategist. So, what that means is, I take all the things that make you unique, and I bridge the gap between that and what your audience or clients need to know. I do that in images, and that's in a nutshell, that is that.JohnOkay, you're in a crowded field, as we all are. Tell us what makes you different than other photographers.MarlanaI think part of it is my background. But also, at its core, I'm really not in the photography business. Photography is the vessel that I used, and the means of communication that I use. But really, I'm in the reputation business. And so, I think that's the biggest difference.

Ruby Durham, Miss North Carolina for America 2022House of RedSuited X RedI have a passion for creating aesthetic spaces and dressing women. I started building the foundations for both businesses in 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic. I just recently resigned from my on-air tv news job as a journalist to go full time as an entrepreneur.https://www.houseofred.co/https://www.houseofred.co/the-collectionwww.marlanasemenza.comAudio : Ariza Music Productions

PageantCast Classic Original Release: 2006 Paula Miles, Executive Director of Miss North Carolina USA, Miss South Carolina USA and Miss Louisiana USA This week's show: Intro by Syndee Baris Opening Notes Quick note about Beauties...

In this episode, Jeff and Janet discuss: Janet's unique professional journey from Miss North Carolina to being a personal injury lawyer. Being open about who you are and what you believe. Showing what you believe by your calendar and your checkbook. The shift in culture that comes with including your employees in giving.   Key Takeaways: Your first law path may not be your ultimate path. Be willing to take a chance and see where your path may take you, even if it isn't where you think you're going to go.Join the groups where you can learn from those who are running their businesses in a way that you aspire to. Be authentic to who you are. The bolder you are, the more you are protected. With the Lord, you can do more than you have ever been able to do on your own or in previous years.   "We want to make sure that we're doing our philanthropy with the same kind of strategic planning that we're using in operating our law firm. We don't want to be sloppy in what we're doing with the Lord's money." —  Janet Ward Black About Janet Ward Black: Attorney Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro. It is one of the largest woman-owned law firms in North Carolina. The firm represents people injured at work, in accidents, and by dangerous products and environmental hazards across North Carolina. Her firm has been named as one of the Best Law Firms in America by US News & World Reports since 2010.A graduate of Davidson College cum laude in economics and Duke Law School, Black served as the third woman president of the North Carolina Association of Trial Lawyers and the fourth woman president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She was the second lawyer in history to serve as president of both organizations.The program she created while president of the 16,000-member Bar Association, “4 ALL,” has been used as a model in the United States and Canada for providing free legal services to those in need. More than 100,000 North Carolinians have talked to a lawyer for free since “4 ALL” began in 2007.Black is a frequent lawyer educator and motivational speaker. She is a Trustee Emeritus of Hood Theological Seminary and has served on many non-profit boards and on many international mission trips. Black has been named The Best Lawyers in America since 2007. She has been a member of C12, Christian CEOs, and Business Owners' Group since 2005. She was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, the highest civilian honor in the state of North Carolina by Governor Pat McCrory.Black served as Miss North Carolina 1980. She won a Grand Talent award at the 1980 Miss America pageant playing Chopin's “Revolutionary Etude” on the piano.Her law firm's philanthropy was spotlighted on the 700 Club national broadcast in 2020. https://www1.cbn.com/doing-impossible-bless-others Connect with Janet Ward Black:Website: https://www.wardblacklaw.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMPC2G3je92ZufeD5R3lWWgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-ward-black-831a8511/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ward-black-law/Twitter: https://twitter.com/wardblacklaw?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wardblacklaw/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wardblacklaw/  Connect with Jeff Thomas: Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-upEmail: jeff.thomas@arkosglobal.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisorsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

These #glowgang exclusives were originally intended to our glowing subscribers only, but now we are sharing them with all of you!This exclusive conversation with Jerenae, Autumn, and Carli are full of nuggets to help you rock your next competition! 

What better way to close out our 2nd season than by chatting with the reigning Miss North Carolina!? In this episode, Jerenae and Autumn sit with Carli Batson, Miss North Carolina 2021, and discuss her pageant journey, her experience at Miss America and what life will look like for her after the crown. 

In episode 35 of the Crowning Moment Podcast, Casey continues the series with the North Carolina Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate America winners. Next on the series is Kelcie Farmer, Miss NC Collegiate America. Casey recently had the opportunity to judge along side Kelcie, they were able to get to know each other more outside the pageant world! Kelcie attends NC State University, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has been preparing for the national competition and is ready to go! Kelcie tells the listeners more about her Live initiative, with the BRAVE national platform. This will concluded the North Carolina girls competing at Miss High School America Organization.*I do not own rights to the background image - credits to Sheldon Smith Sports Photography & Miss Highschool America Organization*

Carli Batson - Miss North Carolina 2021 / Miss North Carolina Scholarship Organization Originally from Wilmington, North Carolina & a current senior at Appalachian State University, Carli studies communication; Public Relations and minors in Theatre Arts. Her passion lies within the arts & she has dedicated her reign as Miss North Carolina 2021 to serving communities across North Carolina, specifically local art communities. Carli has raised over $35,000 for rural theatre communities with her social impact initiative, Carolina Cares. She is proud to be a first generation college graduate this May and a debt free one, thanks to the Miss North Carolina and Miss America Organizations. Instagram - @missamericanc  Website - http://missnc.org (missnc.org) www.marlanasemenza.com Audio : Ariza Music Productions Transcription : Vision In Word Marlana    Carli Batson has experienced the past year as Miss North Carolina 2021, originally from Wilmington and a current senior at Appalachian State University, clearly appropriately studies communication, public relations and minors in theater arts since that's where her passion lies. She is proud to be a first generation college graduate in May 2022. And a debt free one thanks to the Miss North Carolina and Miss America organizations. Welcome Carli.    Carli    Hi, thank you so much for having me today. Well, I'm so so excited to do this.    Marlana    So here's the thing. June of 2021, they announced your name, you win a title and you get thrown into the public eye. What has been the best part of that? Oh,    Carli    my goodness, that's such a hard question to start off with. But I get this question quite often. And what I always say and what will probably always be my answer is the amount of people that I've been able to meet, but the amount of different types of people I've been able to meet, in one weekend, I could be at the poetry Jubilee, and then at a senior citizen center, and then reading to students. And you know, you never get to really understand how broad our state is, as a community and how, how different we are and how special and unique that is, until you're kind of in a position like this. So I've been super, super grateful for that. And being able to make so many connections this year, and hopefully, some professional connections going forward. And it's just the journey of being myself. I think, in this conversation, we'll get into it more. But that's what a lot of people forget. When the crown gets put on your head, or you get an amazing opportunity, they forget that you're an actual human being with actual real human being problems, too. So it's been difficult to balance everything, especially still being a full time student. I'm graduating in a couple of days from Appalachian State. So being able to balance everything has been kind of chaotic, but I couldn't have done it without the amazing support system I have, and how welcoming our state has been of myself, even with all the challenges that I brought to my, to the table on my own.    Marlana    So what do you think, has been the most difficult part of the job or the part that you wish that you had been either better prepared for or better warned about?    Carli    Right. So I think in today's society as a whole, the role of a title holder, especially in the Miss America organization, has turned from, she's still a social advocate in her community, but even more, so she has to be able to display that on social media, and almost become more of an influencer on social media. So that was something I was completely uncomfortable with. Moving into this role, I didn't have that pretty much of a social media presence to begin with. I wasn't super comfortable talking and being candid and transparent on social media. So at the...

In episode 33 of the Crowning Moment Podcast, Casey starts the series with the North Carolina Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate America winners. First on the series is Mia Paniagua, Miss NC Junior High School America. Casey begins by asking Mia about journey to the crown, and her emotions of winning. Mia speaks on not letting her self confidence down over little "oop's" on pageant day. Mia gives the listeners more information on her BRAVE initiative. Mia tells the listeners about her previous pageant experiences and how it has molded her into this confident young women. Listen in tomorrow for more from the North Carolina girls competing at Miss High School America Organization.I do not own rights to the background image - credits to Sheldon Smith Sports Photography & Miss Highschool America Organization#misshighschoolamerica #missjrhighschoolamerica #missncjrhigh #pageantry

In episode 34 of the Crowning Moment Podcast, Casey continues the series with the North Carolina Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate America winners. Next on the series is Allie Sigmon, Miss NC High School America. Allie tells the listeners about her point of view on pageantry. She has been preparing for the state competition for the past two years, now on her journey to the National competition. Casey was very impressed with Allie throughout this episode. Allie tells the listeners more about her platform My Mom-Mom's Mission, aligning with the national platform BRAVE. Allie talks about the stigma of pageantry, and how it made her feel loved, and how she had a place where she belonged. Listen in tomorrow for more from the North Carolina girls competing at Miss High School America Organization.*I do not own rights to the background image - credits to Sheldon Smith Sports Photography & Miss Highschool America Organization*

Attorney Janet Ward Black is the principal owner of Ward Black Law located in Greensboro, NC - one of the largest woman-owned law firms in the state . During our time together, Janet Ward shared her career journey - including stories of her time as Miss North Carolina and the moment she chose to jump off her comfort cliff and in to entrepreneurship. Janet Ward is the queen of grit and grace and is not afraid to tell it like it is.  Join me for a dynamic conversation on how to fully appreciate your career potential in ways that are  unconventional, true-to-self and reliant on more than just talent alone. www.reinventionroadtrip.com

Monica Palumbo's enthusiasm, energy and positivity radiates in this wide-ranging conversation with Davey Segal(4:45), where she details her insanely busy schedule, how she balances it all and her time in motorsports as the original Miss Sprint Cup. Palumbo's career started out in acting, and she explains why she went down that road and how she wound up working with A1 celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black. A former Miss North Carolina pageant winner (and Miss Congeniality, to nobody's surprise), Palumbo also worked with Sandra Bullock to help promote a movie that loosely mirrored her life. As if that wasn't enough, she also co-hosted with hit show "Live with Regis and Kelly" the legendary Regis Philbin and details how that opportunity came about. Most know Palumbo from her work as the OG Miss Sprint Cup in the mid/late 2000s. She recalls why that position was created, how she was chosen for it, how she and Sprint went about being the liaison between drivers and fans, pressure with representing the top brand in the sport accurately, her most memorable times in Victory Lane over the years and. She also explains relationships she's cultivated over two decades remain crucial in her role now as an in-race host on the jumbotrons at the track, managing multiple voices in her head and how hosting on the big screen during races differs from her role as Miss Sprint Cup. Plus, countless more stories from the Sprint days, how her time as MSC ended, her work with FOX Sports/SPEED channel, being at the forefront of the social media era and learning that on the fly, how starting a family has changed her life, her pizza/pug farm obsessions and more. Davey also touches on Chase Briscoe's first career Cup Series victory at Phoenix Raceway, previews the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway and Papa Segal pays homage to The Silver Bullet.

On today's episode of the podcast, I interview Girl Fit member and Miss North Carolina, Sarah Roof.  Sarah shares her experience with health and fitness along her pageant journey, the good and the bad…Sarah is a huge inspiration and has a passion to positively influence as many girls as possible to approach exercise and diet, THE RIGHT WAY.I am so excited to share this interview with you, Sarah is one of a kind!Make sure to follow Sarah on Instagram at @missncforamerica. Please make sure to leave us a review and a five-star rating, it helps more than you know!Also, click here to download your FREE Macro Swap Table Guide.Make sure to download my free Guide to Nutrition on my social accounts and website. Follow me on:Instagram @girlfitmethodYoutube Tiktok @girlfitmethod1

In this episode we had the 75th Miss North Carolina, Arlie Honeycutt Kidd! In 2012, Arlie was honored to receive the Miss North Carolina Overall Talent award as well as a Talent Preliminary award, and went on to become the 75th Miss North Carolina!!! She had the opportunity to travel the state over the course of a year speaking and performing, and she received a Most Talented Non-Finalist award at the 2013 Miss America Pageant.  Offstage, Arlie currently serves as the Talent Relations Associate at Lemonpie.  She has also sung in numerous shows, favorite roles including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Anne (Cover) in The Rake's Progress, and Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri. In 2017, she completed her Masters degree in Vocal Performance at Louisiana State University. She talked about her pageant journey being a contestant in Miss America, her crowning moment in Miss North Carolina, and her experience working at Lemonpie! As always, we hope you enjoyed this episode!Stay on the Loop: https://www.instagram.com/rmvpod/Stay Connected: https://www.instagram.com/arliehoneykidd/Compete!: https://missnc.org/local-competitions/--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/support

In this episode we had the 75th Miss North Carolina, Arlie Honeycutt Kidd! In 2012, Arlie was honored to receive the Miss North Carolina Overall Talent award as well as a Talent Preliminary award, and went on to become the 75th Miss North Carolina!!! She had the opportunity to travel the state over the course of a year speaking and performing, and she received a Most Talented Non-Finalist award at the 2013 Miss America Pageant.  Offstage, Arlie currently serves as the Talent Relations Associate at Lemonpie.  She has also sung in numerous shows, favorite roles including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Anne (Cover) in The Rake's Progress, and Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri. In 2017, she completed her Masters degree in Vocal Performance at Louisiana State University. She talked about her pageant journey being a contestant in Miss America, her crowning moment in Miss North Carolina, and her experience working at Lemonpie! As always, we hope you enjoyed this episode!Stay on the Loop: https://www.instagram.com/rmvpod/Stay Connected: https://www.instagram.com/arliehoneykidd/Compete!: https://missnc.org/local-competitions/--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/support

In this episode we had the 75th Miss North Carolina, Arlie Honeycutt Kidd! In 2012, Arlie was honored to receive the Miss North Carolina Overall Talent award as well as a Talent Preliminary award, and went on to become the 75th Miss North Carolina!!! She had the opportunity to travel the state over the course of a year speaking and performing, and she received a Most Talented Non-Finalist award at the 2013 Miss America Pageant. Offstage, Arlie currently serves as the Talent Relations Associate at Lemonpie. She has also sung in numerous shows, favorite roles including Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Anne (Cover) in The Rake's Progress, and Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri. In 2017, she completed her Masters degree in Vocal Performance at Louisiana State University. She talked about her pageant journey being a contestant in Miss America, her crowning moment in Miss North Carolina, and her experience working at Lemonpie! As always, we hope you enjoyed this episode! Stay on the Loop: https://www.instagram.com/rmvpod/ Stay Connected: https://www.instagram.com/arliehoneykidd/ Compete!: https://missnc.org/local-competitions/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/meghavarsha/support

As a military child, Karolyn Martin has lived all across the country, but North Carolina has alwaysbeen home. In fact, out of the 12 schools she attended in her travels, 3 of them were located inthe Old North State. While she did not grow up competing in the Miss America Organization,Karolyn has always sought a way to be of influence and service to others.As a child and teen, she struggled with her body image. As a titleholder, she has turned thisstory into impact. Karolyn's social impact initiative, #SelfKare: Eat to Success, aims to teach thecommunity to eat in a way that fuels our minds and bodies to success while taking the focus offof weight and appearance.In August of 2019, she won her first local title of Miss Moore County. Since then she has spokento over 2,000 students about the importance of positive wellness, hosted a nationally attendedwellness summit, and sold almost 60 copies of her cookbook, The Self Kare Kitchen: DormMeals for the Healthy College Student.This summer (June 2021) She placed as 2nd Runner Up at her very first state competition. Sheplans to continue her impact and pursue her dreams of becoming Miss North Carolina and MissAmerica while growing her social impact initiative and the success of the Miss AmericaScholarship Organization.Karolyn is grateful for the opportunities the organization has afforded her including the over$7,000 of scholarship she has earned allowing her to pay off one of her college loans in full atthe age of 21!Karolyn Martin is a senior at Appalachian State Univerity's Honors College in Boone, NCstudying communication and marketing. Following graduation, she hopes to pursue a JD/MBAat a top institution.Karolyn's Socials:Titleholder IG: https://www.instagram.com/missmetrolina_nc/Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/karolyndmartin/The Crown IRLInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrownirl/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecrownirlShelbyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelby_lentz/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelbylentzmusicMiss Southwest MIInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/missmisouthwest/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miss-Southwest-Michigan-and-Miss-Sunset-Coast-Scholarship-Pageants-129488850409140

Ebby and Lee are back again! We have model/actress and future Ms. NC USA Tatayana Samone on the show this week!!! She talks about going viral on TikTok and becoming a contestant for Miss North Carolina. They get into that and some other sh*t. Let's goooooooooooooo! "The Sexiest Podcast Duo In Charlotte" @whiskeylee_ @ebbythestacked #blackandabroad #blacklove #blackpodcaster #blackpodcasters #blackpodcastnetwork #blackpodcasts #blackpodcastsmatter #blackwanderlust #business #dopeblackpodcast #dopeblackpods #entrepreneur #explorepage #hiphop #charlottepodcast #charlotte #atlanta #atlantahiphop #waahchallenge #newpodcast #podcastaddict #podcasthost #podcastinglife #podcastingwhileblack #podcastjunkie #podcastlove #podcastmovement #podcasts --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/were-all-adults-here-podcast/support

Today's guest helps small business owners create a new level of influence to help land their dream opportunities. This week, we're chatting with Marlana Semenza,  international photographer and visual strategist. She's worked with athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars, and public figures including Miss North Carolina. She's going to break down just how we can teach people how to view us.    It's important to realize when you're creating a brand and producing images, it isn't just a pretty picture--it's a conversation. You have to understand who you're speaking to and what you're telling them. It should show them “why you.” What you would be like to be around, be friends with, work with. It's for you to use to communicate that. Your brand is your business. When people come to work with you, they are coming to you, not your business. You carry that influence with you everywhere you go.    When a business is ready to build a brand and start making connections, it's crucial that you're clear about who you're speaking to. Speak to the “one”--your ideal client. The conversations you have with different people will have different needs, priorities, and goals. Make sure you're communicating effectively what it is you do and who you serve.    You have to show up on purpose. That means have a strategy and intention for what you're creating. Don't just post to post--speak to who you're speaking to and connect with purpose.    Identify what makes you unique! Consider how you tell your story--you're more than a photo of you at a computer. What makes you ‘you?' These images play a huge role in creating your entire brand. By deciding what you want to represent and show up you teach people who to think of you. Steer the conversation.   Marlana's process starts with an extensive questionnaire that gives her an idea of who you are, what you're about, and what your social media circumstances are now. From there, a conversation is had that goes beyond the surface-level information the questionnaire offers. That is the jumping-off point. From there, of course, there are in-person photos happen, but also FaceTime photos allow Marlana to take high-quality photos of anybody, anywhere. All with the same process. Expect instead of Marlana Semenza taking the photo, she coaches her clients in positioning, lighting, location, and posing. All that adjustment happens via FaceTime. Key Takeaways   It isn't just a pretty picture--it's a conversation. Get clear on who you're speaking to and communicate why ‘you.' You carry your influence everywhere you go. Make sure you're showing up with intention to every client.    LINKS   Social media channels: https://www.instagram.com/marlana.semenza.photo/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlanasemenza/ https://www.facebook.com/Marlana-Semenza-Photography-129332310573483 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3wRcnYROOe3qO4b-_KK3kQ   Website: www.marlanasemenza.com

Moving hymns of Christian faith have often emerged from tremendous personal trials and tribulations. In part two of Dr. Michael C. Blackwell's interview with Dana Dixon, listen as the duo share messages of inspiration and encouragement while reflecting on the origins of hymns. Also, be treated to special vocal performances by Dixon.

Dana Dixon began singing in church at age two, then toured with her church's musical drama group as a young adult. Joining Dr. Michael C. Blackwell, Dixon describes her journey to Miss North Carolina and beyond, sharing her unique experiences developing, and using God's gifts to bless others through song and service.

Arielle Chambers is a multi-media journalist, host, and social media manager based in New York City. She utilizes storytelling to amplify the voices of women and magnify their excellence. Intentionally staying on the women's side of things, Chambers seeks to show girls and women, worldwide, that their potential is limitless. ​Chambers has since dedicated her efforts to grassroots coverage and the utilization of social media to close the coverage gap. She has served as a reporter for the WNBA and NCAA women's basketball, covering multiple WNBA All-Star games, NCAA Women's Final Fours, and ACC Women's Basketball Tournaments. For the 2019 WNBA Draft, Chambers was chosen to be the WNBA digital news host and delivered #WNBANews. She also has experience in hosting and was the Connecticut Sun's backup in-arena host for the 2018 season. Earlier 2019, Chambers accepted a position to spearhead Bleacher Report's new platform, highlighter and has grown it from the very beginning to now over 70,000 followers and counting. HighlightHER has been the fastest growing women's sports platform for the majority of 2020 and the potential is limitless. Join us as we speak about her faith and how she exhibits Servant Leadership in all of her endeavors. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/chefranjohn/support

Are you ready? The countdown is ON. Pageant competitors all across the country are preparing for state competitions, so now is the time to kick preparation into high gear! In this episode, Autumn and Jerenae bring in Miss North Carolina 2012, Arlie Honeycutt Kidd, to share exactly what her prep looked like 6 weeks out from Miss NC! Join us as Arlie shares her story, competition tips, and her advice to the next Miss North Carolina. If your eyes are set on the Miss America stage, I guarantee you do not want to miss this episode! Be sure to follow Arlie on instagram @arliehoneykidd!If you loved listening to this episode be sure to subscribe, rate, and review! Want to get to know us outside the podcast? Follow us on instagram!https://www.instagram.com/_readysetglowww/https://www.instagram.com/jerenaerachelle/https://www.instagram.com/__itsautumn/

The Carolina Cabinet welcomes Miss North Carolina USA, Madison Bryant. Madi tells us of her platform and duties while wearing the Crown. The Cabinet takes up discussions on Covid, Parks Bonds, and the Vote Yes Fayetteville campaign. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thecarolinacabinet/message

Victoria Huggins, the 74th queen of Wilmington's N.C. Azalea Festival, talks with host John Staton about some of the festival's most famous and notable queens, as well as some of her personal favorites. Huggins is the first Miss North Carolina -- as well as the first Miss Wilmington -- to be named queen of the storied Wilmington festival, which she grew up attending as a child growing up in rural Robeson County. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well + Nourished is back! Host Ashley George has lots to update listeners about. After taking a short break from the podcast, Ashley returns with several updates, including new family news, moving and buying a new house, and winning Miss North Carolina! Take a listen and hear what's in store!

This is episode #6 of Entrepreneur Mindset-Reset. Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning-in today for a new episode of Entrepreneur Mindset-Reset, THE podcast where entrepreneurs just like you and me share how they master their mindset to overcome obstacles to their success. In today's episode, I'm speaking with the extremely talented international photographer and visual strategist, Marlana Semenza. She uses her photography to tell her clients' stories in their most powerful way.  In our interview, she talks about the difference between marketing and branding, and I love her analogy about the difference between the two. She says marketing is like asking someone on a date, and branding is the reason they say yes. Your personal brand ultimately isn't about you; it's about what you can do for people. It's always about your clients and customers.  You won't want to miss the story about how she took photos of a client on a motorcycle in California while sitting in her home office in North Carolina! You'd never, ever guess that she took these photos virtually on a FaceTime call! You've got to check out these very cool images at PhotographerInYourPocket.com  So, grab a beverage or a snack and settle-in to listen to Marlana and her amazing journey. You can find Marlana at: www.MarlanaSemenza.com  www.PhotographerInYourPocket.com  Instagram: @marlana.semenza.photo Facebook: @marlana-semenza-photography LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlana-semenza/  Listen to Marlana's Podcast: https://www.marlanasemenza.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3wRcnYROOe3qO4b-_KK3kQ RSS feed: https://feeds.captivate.fm/your-iconic-image/ Marlana's Bio: Marlana Semenza is an international photographer and visual strategist. Her diverse client base includes athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and beauty queens including Miss North Carolina. An industry veteran, Marlana uses her degree in Photography and 20+ years of experience to tell her clients' stories in their most powerful way. Marlana's photography has graced over 8 magazine covers, with her work featured in publications such as Woman's Day and The New York Times.

Sharniece Springs is a professional plus-size model, full time pre-law student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is proud to represent the beautiful state of North Carolina as Miss North Carolina International 2020. Sharniece was honored to place in the top 5 finalist group at the Miss International 2020 competition. As a titleholder, she has made several appearances promoting her platform, "Love Your Genes," a movement that teaches women about body inclusivity. She is passionate about sharing messages of positive self-esteem and self-compassion. Tune in now to learn more about Sharniece Springs! Follow Sharniece: www.facebook.com/MissNCInternational www.instagram.com/missncinternational2020 Follow SASH Says: www.facebook.com/sashsayspodcast www.instagram.com/sashsayspodcast

Today's woman grew to 6 ft 2 by the age of 13 and many believed being a basketball player would be her future. But fate had a different plan for her. She won Miss North Carolina and by the age of 19 had made over 500 speeches. A lifetime of speaking began to unfold. But her speaking wasn't like other professionals.  She played around with ways to entertain and came to realize that the real power in speaking was in sharing her personal stories from a woman's viewpoint.  And in these true stories she could help others laugh not only at her life journey but also at their own. As the decades flew by, she continuously kept her material fresh and relevant. And as a world class humorist and speaker, she continues today to brighten and uplift the lives of millions of people. It is my pleasure to introduce you to one of the World's Greatest Women - Jeanne Robertson. 

Interview with Crystal Coney --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A 2018 graduate of Clemson University, Laura Matrazzo served as Miss North Carolina2018. During her year, she worked to promote her initiative, “Money Talks: Student-Focused Principles of Financial Management, making nearly 300 appearances! She enjoys dancing, performing, and most importantly, college football. Laura currently works at her Alma Mater, Clemson University.

On today's episode, I dive into the mind of Marlana Semenza, an international photographer and visual strategist, specializing in personal brand images. Marlana hosts the podcast 'Beyond the Lens' as well as a video series called 'Move The Needle.'Her diverse client base has included athletes, celebrities, and public figures, including Miss North Carolina. An industry veteran, she uses her degree in photography and 20+ years of experience both in front and behind the camera to tell her clients' stories in their most unique way. On Insight Sunday, we discuss how Marlana became a brand photographer, and how she thinks and runs her business as a solopreneur. She talks about her six guiding values and how important they are in ensuring the success of her business. I hope you're as excited as I am to learn from Marlana's insightful values that have generated success as an entrepreneur.  This episode is brought to you by Adaptability Coaching. Want to reduce exhaustion, overwhelm, stress, and increase passion, engagement, and growth in yourself and your company? Learn to turn tough circumstances, reactions, and exhaustion into energy, excitement, and excellence for you and your company. Learn to become fast, flexible, and formidable. Learn more at www.DrYishai.com/Coaching Guest Links:Website: https://www.marlanasemenza.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/marlana.semenza.photo/LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlana-semenza/FB: https://www.facebook.com/Marlana-Semenza-Photography-129332310573483/YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3wRcnYROOe3qO4b-_KK3kQHost Links:The Business Couch with Dr. Yishai Website: https://thebusinesscouchwithdryishai.buzzsprout.com/Connect with Dr. Yishai: https://www.DrYishai.com/contact Dr. Yishai's email: Yishai@DrYishai.comDr. Yishai's Instagram: @DrYishai or https://www.instagram.com/dryishai/To request being on TSBS, please book a call with Dr. Yishai at: https://calendly.com/dryishai/adaptDisclaimer: The information contained in this publication is for general informational purposes only and shall not be relied on or construed as coaching advice. © 2020 Yishai B LLC. All rights reserved.  

  It is hard to believe it is already our 10th episode and 9th neighbor interview. It was my complete honor to interview the Legendary Coach, Wes Moore.    Coach Wes Moore was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. His mom raised him and his two older sisters.  He could be found playing whatever sport was in season until it got dark outside.  Then college brought him to the state of Tennessee where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.  He is married to Linda, a former Miss North Carolina contestant and absolutely the sweetest woman you would ever want to meet.   Coach Moore was named the 4th Head Coach in the program history of the North Carolina State University, Women’s Basketball team on April 4th, 2013.  In his seven years coaching the Wolfpack women, he has achieved numerous accolades including a 73% winning record, 4 NCAA tournament appearances, and most recently Coach Moore led the NC State Wolfpack to become the ACC Tournament Title Champs.  This was the program’s first conference tournament championship in 29 years.  Prior to his time at NC State, Coach Moore racked up more stats as a coach in South Carolina and Tennessee.   Coach Moore has been a head coach for 31 years and 12 of those years received “Coach of the Year” honors including the 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year Runner-Up. He was the only coach in NCAA history, to take three different teams to a national tournament, at each NCAA level…Division I, Division II, and Division III. I truly appreciated the conversation and hated to see it come to an end.  Coach Moore is such an inspiration. He is a powerful, articulate, and dynamic speaker. He taught me so much about him, his profession, and life in general.   We are delighted to have them as part of the 12 Oaks family for the past 7 years and hopefully many more to come.   In This Episode: [01:34] Welcome Coach Wes Moore our 9th “P” in the pod[cast].  [01:45] Coach Moore was named as the 4th Head Coach in program history, of the North Carolina State University, Women’s Basketball team, on April 4th, 2013.  [02:42] Most recently, Coach Moore led the NC State Wolfpack Women, to the 2020, ACC Tournament Title. This was the program’s first conference tournament championship in 29 years.  [04:47] Coach Moore has been a Head Coach for 31 years. He has 12 “Coach of the Year” honors and the 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year, Runner-Up. [05:04] Coach Moore was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Tennessee.   [07:12] Coach Moore had a great childhood, his mom raised him and his two older sisters.   [08:36] He shares his motivation and reasoning for going to college.   [10:10] Coach Moore had a great influence by being around Pat Summit.   [11:27] The biggest influence was his mom made sure they were in church on Sundays. By being involved in the church, Royal Ambassadors, and sports his friends were all from families that have good values and created lifelong friendships.   [13:54] Coach Moore shares the story about the older gentleman walking along the beach, picking up things and throwing them in the ocean.     [15:24] Wendell shares about some of the teachers that made a huge impact on his life.  [16:39] Coach Moore pursued a career in coaching because he loved sports his entire life.  [17:37] Why did you choose to coach Women’s Basketball? [20:19] Coach Moore always tries to recruit character.  The off the court character needs to be something they want to bring in their locker room.  They try to recruit high character people that are going to work hard on and off the court.   [22:18] During the pandemic, we have been doing Zoom calls with recruits and parents.  We are also having weekly Zoom calls with the athletic department as well as with staff.   [24:42] As a head coach, where do you see yourself and your program in the next five to ten years? [26:30] Our team has a lot of momentum this year and a lot of things to be excited about as well as a lot of work to do.   [26:51] Our team had the opportunity to host the first and second-round games the last two years for being one of the top 16 seeds in the country.  [28:44] Coach Moore was the only coach in NCAA history, to take three different teams to a national tournament at each NCAA level…Division I, Division II, and Division III. [29:48] Coach Moore shares how and where he met Linda.  [32:22] What is a normal “day-in-the-life” of Coach Moore as the husband and Head Coach prior to this pandemic?  [34:42] Film watching is what consumes most of the basketball season from November  until March every night.   [37:16] Why did you choose to live in 12 Oaks?  [38:28] He loves the lot they chose and the view from the 14th hole.   [40:02] Coach Moore shares something that is true, but almost no one agrees with him about.   [42:00] What is Coach Moore most proud of?  [43:39] If you had a mulligan in life, what would it be and why? [46:28] The chancellor stood up for his team to be able to play in the arena.  Then they went on to win 12 conference championships in the next 15 years.   [47:34] Coach said, “One of these days someone is going to give me a chance, and when they do, I am going to make them look good.” [50:21] So many things have happened along the way and he can’t help but think how fortunate he is.   [50:39] When it’s your time to say farewell, what will Coach Moore be known for?  [53:02] What question should I have asked you that I didn’t? Links and Resources: 12 Oaks Community Website Team Anderson Realty Wendie on Facebook  WML Wellness on Facebook Dallas, TX (Coach Moore born and raised) https://www.visitdallas.com Royal Ambassadors (Instrumental in Coach Moore’s development as a boy) http://www.royalambassadors.com Dallas Christian College (Coach Moore’s first year of higher education) https://www.dallas.edu Johnson University (Wes meets Linda – former Miss Martin County, NC) https://johnsonu.edu University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (Coach Moore’s 1st Division I Head Coach and 3rd Head Coach position) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tennessee_at_Chattanooga Frances Marion University (2nd Head Coach position) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion_University Maryville College (1st Head Coach position) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryville_College# Coach Pat Summit (Mentor) – Head Coach Women’s Basketball @ University of Tennessee and where Wes Moore achieved his Masters’ graduating with Honors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Summitt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tennessee Coach Randy Lambert (Mentor) – Head Basketball Coach @ Maryville College https://www.mcscots.com/sports/mbkb/coaches/lambert_randy?view=bio North Carolina State University  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_State_University

My guest today is Miss North Carolina, Alexandra Badgett on The E-Spot with Camille. "Alexandra, of Denver earned the title of Miss North Carolina 2019 on June 22nd, representing the city of Jacksonville. Alexandra earned over $20,000 in scholarships from her participation with the Miss North Carolina Organization in June. A graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Alex's social initiative, N.I.N.E, No Is Not Enough, aims to deepen the message of the anti-rape anthem “no means no.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/camillekauer/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/camillekauer/support

At the recommendation of a family friend, Emili McPhail began competing in pageants, going on to win the title of Miss North Carolina's Outstanding Teen on her third attempt and later serving as Miss Virginia 2018. Currently, she's working in Global Communications at The Estee Lauder Companies in New York City.

Kelly Fletcher (@fletcherpr) is a powerhouse leader, CEO, speaker, author, podcast host, marketer, and former Miss North Carolina. She graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina with a degree in Music, Vocal Performance, and Communications. All through her twenties, she was aspiring to be a singer and lived in New York. She’d tell you, “I worked a lot, but I didn’t make a lot of money.” Up until she was 29, she sang with the National Opera Company as a cover, which is similar to an understudy, for two years, she worked odd jobs to make ends meet, and she toured with music companies. When she left New York, she decided to pivot to a career in communications as well as start a family of her own. At age 40, she started her own marketing and PR firm, and let’s just say she’s killing it. She not only reinvented herself, but she created an incredible company, successful career, and community of leaders following in her footsteps. In part 2 of this episode, Bob and Kelly dive into the power of the female consumer. Additionally, Kelly shares helpful and timely advice for leaders looking to grow in their leadership skills and abilities. Bob and Kelly talk about if this entrepreneurship journey is all worth it, what her pet peeves are, and a few productivity hacks.

Kelly Fletcher (@fletcherpr) is a powerhouse leader, CEO, speaker, author, podcast host, marketer, and former Miss North Carolina. She graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina with a degree in Music, Vocal Performance, and Communications. All through her twenties, she was aspiring to be a singer and lived in New York. She’d tell you, “I worked a lot, but I didn’t make a lot of money.” Up until she was 29, she sang with the National Opera Company as a cover, which is similar to an understudy, for two years, she worked odd jobs to make ends meet, and she toured with music companies. When she left New York, she decided to pivot to a career in communications as well as start a family of her own. At age 40, she started her own marketing and PR firm, and let’s just say she’s killing it. She not only reinvented herself, but she created an incredible company, successful career, and community of leaders following in her footsteps. In this episode, Bob and Kelly reminisce on the beginnings of her entrepreneurial journey. They recount the fear and courage it took for her to transition careers over the years from music and performance to marketing and communications. She shares her personal journey of growing in confidence and growing into her own, and with such care, she inspires audiences with her empowering spirit and advice.

Marlana Semenza is a personal brand photographer by title. But, the business she is in is creating reactions and designing reputations through images. She has photographed athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and public figures including Miss North Carolina. An industry veteran, Marlana uses her degree in photography and 20+ years of experience both in front of and behind the camera to tell her clients' stories in their most powerful way. Her photography has graced over 8 magazine covers, with her work also being featured in publications such as Women's Day and The New York Times. Marlana is the host of Beyond The Lens Podcast, which was born out of the relationships she has developed and the stories people have shared with her. www.marlanasemenza.com www.beyondthelenspodcast.com info@marlanasemenza.com Music credit: Junior 85 - Left for Deadish

My guest today was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2012 and Top 16 that year at Miss Teen USA. She was a member of the Charlotte Hornets Honeybee Dance squad for 4 years and Earlier this year she became a rookie on the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Today we chat about being a DCC and her journey of pursuing goals that seemed impossible at times.

My guest today was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2016 and Runner up that year at Miss Teen USA to Karli Hay.  She graduated from the University of North Carolina with a double major in journalism and political science. She’s worked at TV stations in Atlanta and Washington D.C. and currently is a reporter at WIS-TV the NBC affiliate in Columbia, SC. 

Guests, Mark Blackwell, Founder of Justice Ministries and Alexandra Gadgett, Miss North Carolina pageant winner

Guests, Alexandra Badgett, Miss North Carolina and Belinda Mazyck, President of The Big Super Ten Ministry

What does it take to be a professional motivational speaker? Courage? Yes, probably. Confidence? Definitely. But above all of that, to be a successful motivational speaker, you need to be able to tell motivational stories. Jim Cathcart is a Hall of Fame keynote speaker who started his career repossessing log trucks in the mountains of northern Arkansas. It wasn’t until he heard speaker and author, Earl Nightingale, on the radio in 1972, that he decided to take a complete U-turn and become a professional speaker. Since then, Jim has built quite a reputation for himself as one of the most recognized and highly sought after motivational and sales speakers in the world. He is the author of 16 books including the famous, Relationship Selling, which has transformed the entire world of sales. Jim has given more than 3,000 presentations worldwide and his motivational stories have moved countless people to change their lives for the better. One of Jim’s best (and my personal favorite) stories is about a memorable employee of a fast food restaurant. Chances are, you’ve heard of this restaurant before and you’ve probably had lunch there this week. Listen in to hear the story about Grandma, where it came from, how it’s evolved and what’s next for this Hall of Fame speaker. Find out about: The surprising story about Grandma and the importance of providing memorable moments for your customers How the Grandma story has evolved and survived 40 years of professional speaking How Jim can change the lesson of the story by altering the application The problem with depending on ‘sight gags’ in your presentation How to strategically withhold information from the audience in a way that builds suspense How Jim got into the professional speaking business How to find, curate and adapt better stories Quotes from the episode: “If you're telling a story, you’ve got to create your characters visually in the mind of your audience.” - @jimcathcart (https://twitter.com/jimcathcart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Ajimcathcart&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fspeaking.com%2Fspeakers%2Fjim-cathcart%2F) “Everybody’s got stories. The human brain works through experience. You either have an actual physical personal experience or you have a vicarious experience through a story.” - @jimcathcart (https://twitter.com/jimcathcart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Ajimcathcart&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fspeaking.com%2Fspeakers%2Fjim-cathcart%2F) Important Links & Mentions   Relationship Selling (https://www.amazon.com/Relationship-Selling-How-Keep-Customers/dp/0937359254) Connect with Jim Cathcart Website (https://cathcart.com/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jimcathcart/?hl=en) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/jimcathcart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3Ajimcathcart&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fspeaking.com%2Fspeakers%2Fjim-cathcart%2F) What’s the best piece of advice you've ever been given about the speaking business? “Bill Gove was the first one President of the National Speakers Association and I met him in the year that NSA was created. I was at a conference in Phoenix and I had the privilege of spending a two-hour lunch with just him and one other person. And, he just he was holding court. You know, Bill was a master storyteller, one of the best I've ever met in my entire life. The impression I got was, first, you need to enjoy it, you really ought to let yourself get into this and have fun with it for heaven's sakes, and then look at it afterwards and make it better.” Who is your dream guest for Standing Ovation? “Jeanne Robertson must be on your show. She started as a Miss America candidate. She was Miss North Carolina and she says, “I'm

This Week in Mal’s World, Mal Vincent previews former Miss North Carolina, and current comic sensation, Jeanne Robertson’s performance at the Ferguson Center for the Arts this Friday, Oct. 18th at 8 PM. As Mal recalls, he never knew her when she was short (she’s 6’6 in heels), but he did know her when she competed for the Miss America Pageant in 1963. Learn more at http://fergusoncenter.org/.

Victoria Huggins is no stranger when it comes to representing our state with her talents! She’s a motivational speaker, vocalist since the age of seven, and she was a morning news producer. She’s also been on It’s Showtime at the Apollo, Star Search, American Idol (Top 100), the American Bible Challenge and was also crowned 2017 Miss North Carolina! She hasn’t slowed down a bit and has now taken the position of Manager of Community & Media Relations for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers! On this podcast she discusses the wins and challenges Fayetteville faced while working to get the Houston Astros franchise agreement here. She also discusses how the Woodpeckers name was chosen, what we’ll experience in the almost $40 million stadium and the impact this will make for downtown Fayetteville. Check out more here: https://www.milb.com/fayetteville Proven By Ruben PODCAST (also available on iTunes): https://anchor.fm/provenbyruben Check out more here: https://www.provenbyruben.com Create your OWN podcast: https://amzn.to/2DWKFKL

Miss North Carolina and Miss Alabama's simmering feud comes to a boil. Who is the strongest Bachelor contestant of all time? And would you invite Colton to your pool party?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-baller-lifestyle-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Clay Travis is very bothered that there is no statement from Roger Goodell and the NFL 3 days after the blown call in New Orleans. Clay wants to know why and brings in the crew and callers to help him answer that question and Jon Campbell joins Outkick with his early Super Bowl bets. Clay proves he's the King Solomon of radio with another edition of the Anonymous Mail Bag and gives a statement FOR the NFL, as Clay says he'd be a better commissioner than Roger Goodell. Plus, Petros of AM 570 LA Sports is in the house and talks Super Bowl and the Bachelor battle between Miss North Carolina and Miss Alabama!   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Miss North Carolina and Miss Alabama's simmering feud comes to a boil. Who is the strongest Bachelor contestant of all time? And would you invite Colton to your pool party? Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-baller-lifestyle-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The heat is turning UP on this week’s episode! The Broads discuss the smiliest mortal enemies ever, Demi’s puns, Sydney’s flexibility, Colton’s cannonballs,....but mostly Hannah Alabama and Miss North Carolina.

Mother-daughter duo Marcia and Ariel talk about this weeks episode of Miss USA: Where are they now? While the Miss North Carolina and Miss Hot Mess Express hash it out, pirate Demi takes a shot at getting Captain Colton's booty. Join us as we dive into week 3 of Colton's hot mess express train wrecked journey to find love!Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosettespodcast/?hl=enEmail us: rosettespodcast@gmail.comVisit our website: https://rosettespodcast.wixsite.com/website

Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen 2017 Marissa Garrison talks about her life.

Here comes another episode you don't want to miss! We were so fortunate to spend some time talking with Brittany and Richard Kichton. These are two incredible people who have a great story to tell and we are sure you are going to enjoy listening to them as much as we enjoyed talking with them. For those of you who don't know, Brittany is Miss North Carolina 2011 and is a hunter to the core. Brittany and Richard met in Alberta, Canada while she was on a wolf hunt up there and the rest is history. Richard grew up in the outdoors as an Alberta farm boy and it definitely helped him become the virtual hunting encyclopedia he is. He will forget more about predator hunting than most folks will ever know. Brittany and Richard are living a dream and sure do know how to make it happen outdoors. Thank you Brittany and Richard  we surely appreciate your time. Stay safe from the grizzlies and we can't wait to talk to you again.

The DadBods ramble about being stuck in an elevator, Miss NC, and a Ticked Off Tommy Tirade about Dating Apps

B's Sister Trish joins the show this week to talk about the hottest players at the World Cup, crazy happenings and I get quizzed again. We talk about Trish's friend Laura Matrazzo who is competing in Miss North Carolina this week. Listen to find out how to vote, we out. #RIPKoKo

Raised on a farm in South Carolina, Britnie Turner (IG:@britnieturner) was a beauty contestant (and Miss North Carolina) who showed her passion for helping the disadvantaged by doing mission work in Africa and Latin America. Today, at the age of 30, Britnie is the CEO of Aerial Development Group, a multimillion-dollar real estate business she started literally from the ground up to pursue her vision of helping others on a broader scale. In this episode — recorded before a live audience in Nashville — Britnie tells us about living intentionally, thriving as a woman in a male-dominated industry and using the growth of her business to accomplish philanthropic goals. “Frustration is one of the best things you could ever have,” she says, “because it means you have the vision of a higher standard.”

Victoria Huggins won Miss North Carolina on her fifth try, fulfilling a dream she had since childhood. She's no stranger to the spotlight, with appearances on Showtime at the Apollo, Star Search and American Idol in her past. Raising awareness of Alzheimer's Disease and advocating music therapy, she's on track to be the busiest woman to ever wear the crown. 

When I first saw our guest on the main stage at the national speakers association in 2012, I thought to myself, boy John, you certainly have a lot of work cut out for you to be that good.  Jeanne Robertson is one of those humorist who always looks for and finds the funny in every day life occurances. She does not put anyone down, she is always building up. After you hear her, you feel as if mankind is just a little bit better of a place because Mrs. Robertson, a former Miss North Carolina, has allowed you into her presence.  Today, we chat about: How to stay relevant in a changing world.The difference between comedy and humor.and, how she honors the people in her life in her stories. You can find Jeanne on her website at jeannerobertson.com There you can find all of her show dates. You also need to find her on YouTube and just take a listen to her quick wit. Enjoy the show and leave a comment. John John Register is a long jump silver medalist and American record holder at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. His business, Inspired Communications International, LLC, shows business leaders how to "Hurdle Adversity, and create their new normal." Follow John on all social media platforms at www.johnregister.com  

Conversation with Amanda Bailey, formerly Miss North Carolina, and her platform which was ALS.  

On this episode of TrendChat we talked about another federal judge blocking President Trump's executive orders. We talked about the upcoming NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta this weekend and Miss North Carolina International Anna Scott Marsh join us to talk about her platform to "Stand up to sexual assault" and more.

On this episode of TrendChat we talked about another federal judge blocking President Trump's executive orders. We talked about the upcoming NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta this weekend and Miss North Carolina International Anna Scott Marsh join us to talk about her platform to "Stand up to sexual assault" and more.

Kate Peacock is one of those ladies who lived her life with purpose and direction - And just so happened to win the title of Miss North Carolina along the way!  She certainly understands what it's like to overcome serious challenges, and then make the commitment to "give back" to those in need... We can absolutely see why Kate was such a popular Miss North Carolina - and after today's podcast, you will as well! (PS - This interview was recorded back in June while Kate was still serving as Miss NC, before our Outstanding Teen Series began).

So excited to have David on the show. Check him out here! Jen is in…

Between 1975 and 1990, Miss North Carolina never made the Top 10 - But Jennifer Vaden (Smith) Barth did it, and changed the story for NC in '91. Years later, she came back to Miss North Carolina and offered to help grow the pageant that changed her life.  Now, she's an Ambassador for the newly created Miss America State Titleholders Association (MASTA) and plans to help young women across the country change their own stories - whether they're involved in Miss America or not!  Her vision is awesome - and contagious... Just listen!

Business accelerators are helping entrepreneurs start companies in our state. The Victory Junction Gang Camp provides a traditional summer camp experience for children of all abilities. Miss North Carolina 2014 Beth Stovall stops by our studios. And the Tar Heel Traveler meets a former beauty queen from NC.

Arlie Honeycutt, Miss North Carolina 2012. Originally aired January 11, 2013.

I really enjoyed interviewing Chris as he is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the world of songplugging and how to work a catalog of songs. Many people wonder what it takes to get your song performed by a top selling, top charting artist. This interview discusses just how that is done! Thanks to the great writers Chris represents, his company has placed more than fifty cuts in the last eight years including songs recorded by major stars such as George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks and Dunn ( ACM Award winner, CMA and Grammy nominated single "BUILDING BRIDGES"), Lonestar, international recording artist Haydain Neale and many other independent artists. He was formerly vice-president of publishing for Barbara Orbison Productions / Still Working Music Group. He represented the Roy Orbison catalog as well as fifteen contemporary songwriters to the global music market. Under my leadership, the company had songs recorded by Pam Tillis (Top Ten), George Strait (#1), Reba McEntire (#1), Brooks & Dunn (#1), George Jones, and international recording star, Cliff Richard. As a former partner in KMA Management, along with Bill Aucoin (Kiss, Billy Idol) and Kent Martin (Owner, SRO Productions) he managed Mike Younger (Beyond/BMG). Mr. Younger's critically acclaimed debut album, which was produced by Rodney Crowell, was released in October 1999. Among others, he represents or has represented the catalogs of Criterion Music (Maribeth Derry, Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, and Rosanne Cash), The Roys, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jim Reilley, Ronna Reeves, and many other talented writers. Additionally, he's am proud to announce that he now represents renowned producer and former Disney Music VP of A&R, Fred Mollin (www.fredmollin.com). Weekly, Chris volunteers as a music teacher and a member of the Advisory Council at the W.O. Smith Music School, a school for children who typically cannot afford music lessons. He is a member in good standing of the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, The Recording Academy, and Toastmasters International. As well as sitting on several charity boards, he is also a judge with the Miss America Scholarship Program and have served on judging panels at Miss Virginia, Miss North Carolina, Miss New Mexico, Miss Florida and Miss Oklahoma. For over twenty-five years Chris has been involved in the music industry as a performer, producer, and publisher. He studied music at Virginia Commonwealth University and have toured and performed (as an artist) throughout the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe and the Middle East. He has produced numerous award winning television and radio commercials as well as regional and national record albums. He's been a guest on David Hooper's nationally syndicated radio show Music Business Radio (http://blog.musicbusinessradio.com/2007/05/index.html, Episode #32). He has been a featured panelist at the Midwest Regional Music Festival (St. Louis) and Atlantis Music Conference (Atlanta). He's been a speaker at the New York, Tampa, Detroit and Roanoke, VA Chapters of Nashville Songwriter's Association International and has also been the featured publisher on several occasions at the Songwriter's Guild of America and Tennessee Songwriter's Association monthly song critique in Nashville. http://www.chriskeaton.com/

Humorist and YouTube sensation Jeanne Robertson  has hit the road on her National “Looking for Humor” tour following the release of her DVD of the same name and live SiriusXM  “Blue Collar Radio” national broadcast. At 68 years young, this former Miss North Carolina stands tall at six-foot-two and has a personality, heart and sense of humor just as soaring.  For years, her witty speeches were mostly limited to conventions and meetings. But with the dawn of the digital age, the world became exposed to Robertson's infectious humor and before long, she went viral. "The thrill has always been constantly creating new material.  It keeps me fresh," says Robertson, who has been honored with every top award in professional speaking.   "Through SiriusXM and my national concert tours, I now get to tell my tales to a much wider audience."  Now with seven nationally released DVDs, three books, hundreds of hours on SiriusXM and more than 14 million YouTube hits, the demand for Robertson's family-friendly and engaging brand of humor has grown exponentially. This “Granny Gone Viral,” over-night sensation (four decades in the making) can be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/JeanneRobertson WWW.JEANNEROBERTSON.COM