Speaker 1 • 0:00 - 0:18 • 96%
The highest form of this human experience is that you live out your full potential while you're here. Whatever that is. It's different for everybody. And that's what I want women to see, is that is that I'm not special. I just happened to get the opportunity.
Speaker 1 • 0:18 - 0:27 • 96%
It was serendipitous. The right time, the right place. You know, every woman has the ability to do outstanding things with her life.
Speaker 2 • 0:27 - 0:34 • 96%
Yeah. And I think probably the biggest skill that we need to develop in order to do that is bravery.
Speaker 2 • 0:38 - 1:06 • 91%
Welcome to the Daring Dreams podcast. I'm your host, Hailey Bowen. And with me, I have the absolutely fabulous and glowing Lorraine Peters. Lorraine is the founder of the development academy. Uh, she is a past client, and she's doing something really, really cool right now, which is why I want to get her in front of you, because she is literally daring to dream.
Speaker 2 • 1:06 - 1:20 • 95%
And not just dreaming. She's actually doing. So you'll notice that she looks really glam, and that's because she is going to be in the Miss Universe Canada pageant. That's what it's called. Yes.
Speaker 1 • 1:20 - 1:21 • 40%
I guess.
Speaker 2 • 1:22 - 1:43 • 93%
Miss Universe Canada pageant later this month, July 2024. She is the oldest participant to ever be in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, and I just think it's absolutely fabulous. And we've got a great episode for you. So without further ado, Lorraine, welcome to the show.
Speaker 1 • 1:43 - 1:45 • 89%
Hi, Hailey. So excited to be here.
Speaker 2 • 1:46 - 1:59 • 96%
I am, too. Okay, so let's start with your journey as a business owner. She doesn't look like a business owner right now, you guys, if you're watching this on YouTube, but she has been a business owner for a really long time.
Speaker 2 • 1:59 - 2:13 • 91%
She is, like, serial entrepreneur, passion follower. So let's start with, why don't you let people know about what's your current business? What do you do? And we'll just start there, and then we'll just have a little chat.
Speaker 1 • 2:13 - 2:22 • 93%
I started teaching self improvement courses right on the heels of moving back to New Brunswick after I had been modeling in Ontario, in Montreal way back almost 40 years ago.
Speaker 1 • 2:22 - 2:57 • 96%
And even in parallel to my life, all, you know, through working other jobs, teaching personal development, self improvement, all of that is something that I've always loved to do. And so in 2017, I started Elle models and the personal development academy. And it was to continue this passion I have for teaching girls and women the skills of self confidence and professionalism, etiquette, deportment, all of that. That helps you to put your best foot forward. So, you know, like many other small business owners, the pandemic, you know, changed a lot of things.
Speaker 1 • 2:57 - 3:37 • 97%
And that certainly happened in my business. And it just seemed that when we were allowed to resume young girls or women of all ages for that matter, they just weren't signing up like they used to. And so it severely impacted my business of teaching, modeling and personal development. So I had to pivot and that's where you came into my life. And so I pivoted and decided to focus on a niche market, which I had discovered a few years prior as needing help in this very same area of soft skills and interpersonal skills, which is our newcomers to Canada.
Speaker 1 • 3:37 - 3:52 • 94%
And so that is where I spend the lion's share of my professional time now is helping the organizations that serve newcomers to fill that niche that I do like nobody else does.
Speaker 2 • 3:52 - 3:56 • 87%
The soft skills and cultural etiquette and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 • 3:56 - 4:04 • 88%
That's right. Integrate. So as you know, my whole marketing is around accelerating newcomer integration.
Speaker 1 • 4:04 - 4:23 • 96%
So, yes, they're integrating, but they're not doing it as quickly as they need to to be successful professionally, but also to integrate socially, which studies show that if they don't do that within five years, their physical health starts to deteriorate. So this is a really important thing for me.
Speaker 2 • 4:23 - 4:40 • 95%
I loved that you saw the need there and that you were willing to because that's so, it is so scary as a business owner to niche down. It really is, because what you have to offer can help so many people. Right?
Speaker 2 • 4:40 - 4:59 • 96%
But to become an expert in one specific area, that's when you get people wanting to work with you. When you're kind of like a generalist and you can serve a lot of people, it's a lot harder to get clients. I find when you're a generalist than when you are a specialist, it is.
Speaker 1 • 4:59 - 5:12 • 94%
And so, you know, it's like putting my money where my mouth is. It's having the confidence in yourself to say, research indicates that there's a need here, and I believe that I'm the best at it.
Speaker 1 • 5:12 - 5:20 • 96%
And what happens if I don't do it was the bigger question, you know, because the business that I was in was, was suffering.
Speaker 2 • 5:20 - 5:36 • 94%
Okay. I think that's awesome. So you niche down now when we work together, and I don't want to dominate this with actually our work together, even though it was super interesting. But there was a moment when we worked together that I will not forget.
Speaker 2 • 5:37 - 6:07 • 96%
It was an important moment in, in my career as well because I love to see when people have internal epiphanies, I guess. And I really believe that the more that we know ourselves, the better we are at serving others, and the better we are at marketing our business. So we were doing some work together, Lorraine, on understanding your brand purpose. And we knew that you wanted to help women. We knew that you wanted to help, well, people in general.
Speaker 2 • 6:07 - 6:22 • 97%
And we knew that you had a passion for helping with soft skills and stuff like that. But why don't you explain to the viewers, what was that process like for you? What happened through that process, and how did it change how you showed up?
Speaker 1 • 6:22 - 6:32 • 89%
Well, it was annoying. It was aggravating, it was frustrating, and I would find myself losing my patience for it.
Speaker 1 • 6:32 - 6:59 • 94%
And if, and if it hadn't been a situation where I. I was there together with you in it, I would have quit because I just didn't enjoy the process. But there was this one session that we had that you kept asking me, well, why do you want to help women? Why do you care if they're successful? And it would really take some deep dive for me to come up with the answer.
Speaker 1 • 6:59 - 7:31 • 95%
And then each time I did, you'd say, well, why do you care? Why does that matter? What difference does it make to you? And I was like, oh, why did she keep asking me that? And when we finally drilled down to my horrific experience in school, which was that I just felt alone and unsupported, and I was failing desperately in grade twelve, I did not graduate the traditional way because I could not get that math credit that you need.
Speaker 1 • 7:31 - 8:07 • 96%
I know I'm not the only person that struggles with that, but this was, this was one of those inflection points in my life that I. It changed the trajectory of my life because it was such a horrible experience. And what I didn't realize that that did to me, those feelings of being unsupported, of feeling alone, feeling like the only option was to quit. That turned on a switch in me that I was unaware of. And that is what drives me to help women and has my whole life.
Speaker 1 • 8:07 - 8:44 • 94%
Even if I'm not monetarily benefiting from the work that I do, I cannot not do it, because if I can be that person or that situation that makes somebody feel like I'm not alone, I'm not unsupported. I don't have to quit. If I just put 1ft in front of the other, I think I can do it. That is literally, it was life changing. It was another inflection point in my life that gave, that, put the packaging around why I do what I do.
Speaker 1 • 8:44 - 8:48 • 96%
And when you know why you're doing something, it's life changing.
Speaker 2 • 8:48 - 8:50 • 83%
Yeah, you can't stop.
Speaker 1 • 8:51 - 8:59 • 97%
You can't stop. But it also makes sense to you sometimes. I used to think, why do I do this to the extreme that I do it?
Speaker 2 • 9:00 - 9:00 • 28%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 9:01 - 9:23 • 95%
Now I don't have to question that about myself because I understand that it comes from my own, my own suffering. And that's a strong word. But I suffered as a result of that, you know? And I will say that it has left, you know, a chip on my shoulder when it comes to academia, you know, because I felt very betrayed by it.
Speaker 1 • 9:23 - 9:48 • 94%
I felt very confused by it because I was told I was stupid, and clearly I'm not. But those are things you sometimes have to figure out on your own after people that you're supposed to trust have. Have instilled that in you. So where I come at this from is so deep and personal, I cannot not do it. And you helped me figure that out.
Speaker 2 • 9:48 - 9:53 • 94%
Yeah, I love. I loved that. And I remember that story. I think. I'm sure I cried.
Speaker 2 • 9:55 - 10:19 • 97%
You know, it's such a good story. And to think of somebody or even more than one person treating you in that way, it's just. It's not right for people to bring other people down. And I love that you are here in this life and ready to support people and to lift people up and to give them that hand up that they need. So I think it's really fabulous.
Speaker 2 • 10:19 - 10:39 • 95%
Okay, so let's talk about this pageant, because this is just like, I remember when you told me you were going in this pageant, and I was so excited. I can't even. And, like, I'm not even. I'm not a pageant person. But the fact that you have the guts and the drive to do this, because it's not easy.
Speaker 2 • 10:39 - 10:43 • 84%
So why don't we share with everybody why you're doing this?
Speaker 1 • 10:43 - 10:53 • 89%
So go back to the early seventies. I was brought up watching Miss America. I had the Miss America Barbie doll. Grew up watching Miss Universe.
Speaker 1 • 10:53 - 11:20 • 96%
Obviously, it's been around now for almost three quarters of a century. And I think it was around the age of eight, somewhere around there, that I remember watching one of the pageants. I almost think it was Miss America. And I just remember having this knowing in my belly that I was going to do something meaningful in either pageantry or modeling someday. At an eight year old level.
Speaker 1 • 11:20 - 11:35 • 95%
I couldn't even articulate it. It was just something that plunked there. It was in my belly, and it never left. So, you know, fast forward through my whole life, which has been. I've done a lot of things, went on to have family and children.
Speaker 1 • 11:36 - 11:59 • 94%
And so, you know, the logical brain would tell me, well, you've missed your opportunity for the big leagues because you're over 28 now. But whatever that. Whatever that is in your gut, sometimes it just didn't go away. And I knew, even though, again, logic would tell me that can't happen, the time has passed. I knew that something was going to happen.
Speaker 1 • 11:59 - 12:18 • 97%
And last year, when they announced the upper age limits coming down from Miss Universe, I was paralyzed. I was like, this is it. This is the thing. And I'm like, I have stayed ready. I have stayed knowing that it was going to happen for me, and I'm doing it.
Speaker 1 • 12:18 - 12:30 • 85%
And I went on the mission versus Canada website, and the guidelines were reflected in their literature, and I applied and started the selection process.
Speaker 2 • 12:30 - 12:40 • 92%
That's so crazy. They say. They actually say, and I have posted about this before, is what you want to be when you are like ten. 8910, right?
Speaker 2 • 12:40 - 13:05 • 95%
Is really what your true heart's desire is because you're not inhibited as much. And obviously it's different for different people. People have had different experiences growing up, but you're not as inhibited by what society wants of you and what your role models are. And it's like, this is just what you want. And so when I was ten, I wanted to be a radio announcer.
Speaker 2 • 13:05 - 13:18 • 95%
And so here I am on my podcast doing it. But I love that you did that. So, tell us about the journey so far. What's been going on? How has the reaction been?
Speaker 2 • 13:19 - 13:23 • 96%
Any life lessons that you've learned in the last little bit since you've started doing this?
Speaker 1 • 13:24 - 13:47 • 95%
Yes, I started preparing around February, and it's been amazing. The most amazing part so far has been the 100% positivity around this, which has been kind of a surprise to me, actually. But I'm hearing from women all over the country, women that I don't know, and they're sending me private messages. Some of them are public on my social media.
Speaker 1 • 13:47 - 14:15 • 95%
They're thanking me for the inspiration. And that's like gasoline for me. Right, Hailey, you know, that, because that, again, goes back to my life's work, is that I want this to not just inspire girls and women, but to be that thing that mobilizes them to do something that they may not have previously done because they saw me in a certain way. And, you know, I'm a big visualizer. I used to be a yoga teacher.
Speaker 1 • 14:15 - 14:26 • 93%
Meditation and mindfulness is. Is high on my. My list of priorities. And so as I go into this, you know, I have to compete in swimwear and. And not even my swimwear.
Speaker 1 • 14:26 - 15:02 • 94%
Swimwear that they issue me. Yeah, right. So, you know, when I step on that stage in my swimwear, I am taking visually and spiritually, I am taking every woman with me who ever didn't do something because she was afraid. Every woman who was told, you can't do that, who do you think you are? Every woman that didn't do something because they were scared or didn't have the confidence, I'm taking every one of them with me when I walked down that Runway.
Speaker 2 • 15:02 - 15:07 • 98%
I love that. Yes. Oh, my God. Give me a moment.
Speaker 1 • 15:07 - 15:09 • 76%
And that's the biggest, really hitting me.
Speaker 2 • 15:09 - 15:18 • 95%
It's so true. Like, we are all so capable of whatever our dream is. And I love that visualization of you bringing us along.
Speaker 1 • 15:18 - 15:23 • 94%
That's the other message. I feel so humbled by the messages that people are sending me.
Speaker 1 • 15:23 - 15:50 • 96%
But at the same time, I wish I could be in front of that woman saying, I'm not unique. Like, I am not special. I know so many women who are so capable and their strengths and talents, they just haven't brought them out into the light. I think that that's the highest form of this human experience, is that you live out your full potential while you're here. Whatever that is.
Speaker 1 • 15:50 - 16:00 • 92%
It's different for everybody. And that's what I want women to see, is that. Is that I'm not special. I just happened to get the opportunity. It was serendipitous.
Speaker 1 • 16:00 - 16:07 • 95%
The right time, the right place. You know, every woman has the ability to do outstanding things with her life.
Speaker 2 • 16:07 - 16:17 • 94%
Yeah. And I think probably the biggest skill that we need to develop in order to do that is bravery. And I know that people say bravery is a personality trait.
Speaker 2 • 16:17 - 16:23 • 95%
I don't know if it was yours. Was it your social media post that I watched about bravery? Yes, it was.
Speaker 1 • 16:23 - 16:24 • 28%
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 • 16:24 - 16:24 • 71%
Share that.
Speaker 2 • 16:24 - 16:27 • 96%
Because that was. That was really empowering.
Speaker 1 • 16:27 - 16:48 • 97%
I like talking about that because, you know, the more you understand feelings and emotions, the more equipped you are to make better decisions in your life. And, you know, a big misconception about bravery is that, you know, some people think that bravery is being stoic, putting on a strong front. Right.
Speaker 1 • 16:48 - 17:17 • 94%
Making everything is okay now. I'm okay over here. That's actually very cowardice, but we don't think of it that way. The actual brave thing to do is to be vulnerable is to be willing to be so open and raw that you potentially set yourself up for ridicule and embarrassment, maybe sometimes even public shaming. If you're on such a different level that people just don't get it, yet.
Speaker 1 • 17:18 - 17:27 • 90%
And so being vulnerable is true bravery because you're dropping that armor that allows you to protect yourself.
Speaker 2 • 17:27 - 17:27 • 43%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 17:27 - 17:34 • 96%
And at almost 59, I'll be 59. A few hours after crowning, crow is.
Speaker 2 • 17:34 - 17:37 • 67%
Like, he's turned me on.
Speaker 1 • 17:37 - 17:43 • 90%
And can I say that they refashioned the crown from Miss Universe canon and happens to be my birthstone.
Speaker 2 • 17:43 - 17:47 • 89%
Oh. Ready for you.
Speaker 1 • 17:47 - 17:55 • 96%
Just saying it would look good sitting right here. Ironically, I always had that armor up.
Speaker 1 • 17:56 - 18:07 • 94%
That thing that protected me was either my real or my perceived confidence. And I. And I took that and I ran with it because it was a way to protect myself.
Speaker 2 • 18:07 - 18:07 • 30%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 18:07 - 18:25 • 96%
And now that I'm 58, almost 59, I'm starting to realize that the things that you do, the armors that we put up that may have served a purpose in the past, may have protected us in the past, they're not necessarily what you need now.
Speaker 1 • 18:25 - 18:58 • 94%
And I'm realizing now, at my age and going into Miss Universe Canada, some of the inflection or the introspection I've done is that I'm really endeavoring to be more vulnerable now. That's not to say, throw up all of your life on the Internet. That's not what I mean. What I mean is I'm being more open and raw about who I am, where I've come from, the difficulties, you know, like the school experience. I never really talked about that with anybody.
Speaker 1 • 18:58 - 19:08 • 95%
So I think this is going to be a whole new level of serving women than I've ever done before, because that armor is coming down. It doesn't serve me anymore.
Speaker 2 • 19:08 - 19:10 • 91%
Yeah. Yeah. I think.
Speaker 2 • 19:10 - 19:27 • 87%
I mean, just from. Because this is a marketing podcast, just from a marketing perspective, too, that false facades, perfection. Like, all of that is not selling anymore. Right? Like, it is about authenticity.
Speaker 2 • 19:27 - 19:44 • 97%
It's about being real. It's about inspiring. Right? That's what people are longing for. And whether it's just through conversations like this or in your marketing, if you're a business owner in your business, building it in, like, that's what people need.
Speaker 2 • 19:44 - 19:53 • 97%
That's what people. I believe that's what they're going for. And the stats are supporting that. So I love that for you, and I love that for everybody. Really?
Speaker 1 • 19:53 - 19:54 • 79%
Yeah.
Speaker 2 • 19:54 - 19:55 • 72%
And it's scary.
Speaker 1 • 19:55 - 20:04 • 96%
It is. You know, and I've made a point on my instagram of showing myself on the daily without makeup on. I just did this morning.
Speaker 1 • 20:04 - 20:38 • 92%
I had just got up. I had a cup of coffee. I'm sitting on my deck with my dog, and I hadn't even brushed my hair yet. So I also want women and girls, to see that women are fascinatingly complex, multidimensional beings, that we're not just one thing. We're not just beautiful and put together and polished, and we're not just crawling out of bed, messy hair, cleaning poopy diapers.
Speaker 1 • 20:38 - 21:00 • 94%
Like, we are a beautiful mess of everything on that spectrum. And that's. That's what I'm here to showcase, is that if pageantry is going to survive, which I hope it does, we need to show. We need to show the different faces of what the future of pageantry can be, because it really does do a lot of good.
Speaker 2 • 21:00 - 21:01 • 95%
Yeah.
Speaker 2 • 21:01 - 21:29 • 93%
So, actually, let's talk about that, because there was a post that you posted today, I think, or yesterday, that spoke to you were getting. There was some negative talk about pageants in general, and I want to talk about that because I had actually written a comment, and then I was like, no, I'm going to save it. I'm going to save it for my podcast, and we can talk about it. So tell me, what is the feedback that you're getting from a pageant perspective that you shared on your instagram?
Speaker 1 • 21:29 - 21:30 • 95%
Right.
Speaker 1 • 21:30 - 22:21 • 94%
So this is really kind of escalated or accelerated, let's say, just in the last few months, you know, in the US, which we know the US is far more active in pageantry than Canada is. So, you know, the drama around Miss USA relinquishing her title, Miss Teen USA, some difficulties there as well, calling into question the ethics of the leadership in that organization, because let's not forget, this is a business. And then, you know, come over to Canada. Pageants that have run since 1955 for the first time didn't run because they didn't have enough participants. Also, in Ontario, I know there were some pageant or two that didn't run because low participation.
Speaker 1 • 22:21 - 22:54 • 95%
So I think we're at a crossroads, you know, and it's not unlike a lot of other legacy type of businesses. Haley, as you would know, they get to a certain point where it's reinvent or die. Right. So I think that we're at that point because behind the scenes, I know what good pageantry does, but the public who, like you said at the beginning, don't really follow or not really into pageantry, all you see is the optics of it. The thing, the final night on stage, which is the swimwear, the evening gown.
Speaker 1 • 22:54 - 23:44 • 95%
Right. That a lot has happened before that. I think that, you know, we need to give pageantry a little bit of an image update and start bringing more to the forefront about what skills pageantry builds and how it's so beneficial for girls and women who may not be Joc's, who may not be academics, or who may be all of those things. But there's another side of their personality that they want to experience. Pageantry fills all of those gaps, especially these days, with the way society is now since COVID with the lack of consideration for other people, the decline in etiquette and manners and looking out for one another and respecting elders and.
Speaker 1 • 23:44 - 24:22 • 94%
And hierarchy in organizations. Like, we are not behaving very well. Pageantry is this place where girls and women can go to just really fine tune their skills of communication and presenting themselves nicely and being elegant, speaking impromptu on the spot, public speaking, so many good things. That's what we need to highlight. And now with the age requirements lifted, this from a business perspective, the future of pageantry could be alive and well if we do this right.
Speaker 1 • 24:22 - 24:26 • 95%
And that's where I think I can make a difference as Miss Universe Canada, to be quite honest.
Speaker 2 • 24:26 - 24:35 • 97%
Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Because I think, like, really, to me, gone are the days when it's all about looks. Right?
Speaker 2 • 24:35 - 24:56 • 96%
And so when I think about pageantry and when I was growing up, there was two things I loved about it. I loved the song at the end, through good times and bad times. Like, I, like, loved it. And I would watch the pageant and I would listen to that song and, like, it was about the friendships, like, to me. But that's my personality.
Speaker 2 • 24:57 - 25:19 • 96%
Right? And I was like, that's what I would imagine is those friendships. And, you know, but the only other thing that it gave me was, these are beautiful women. They're in beautiful dresses. They have perfect bodies, and, you know, now that's not the message that we want for the next generations, is that you have to be perfect, and you have to be beautiful, and you have to have a perfect body.
Speaker 2 • 25:19 - 25:34 • 97%
And so I think that you are absolutely right when you say they need to start redefining. What does Miss Universe Canada, what does she stand for? Right. Like, it needs to be about more than just the looks now.
Speaker 1 • 25:35 - 25:45 • 95%
So I think what you're saying is true, but there's also, I feel that we do need to keep pulling up the level of expectation.
Speaker 1 • 25:45 - 25:48 • 93%
I don't think we should let expectations fall.
Speaker 2 • 25:49 - 25:49 • 85%
No.
Speaker 1 • 25:49 - 26:21 • 97%
I think that what we need to do is be more transparent about this is what it all looks like. This is, you know, the personality interview, all things that go on the week of a competition, besides the fact that, yes, they have to also bring it on home with being well put together with, you know, having a fit body by looking like they take care of their hair, they know how to do their makeup. So I do think it needs to be the full package.
Speaker 1 • 26:22 - 26:37 • 95%
Yeah. Yes. And still. Still keeping a sport. You might as well call it still keeping a competition that requires you to be the very best in order to be there.
Speaker 1 • 26:37 - 27:00 • 95%
Otherwise, you know, if we keep going in the direction we're going, not just with pageantry, but with a lot of things. Elite athletes are elite because they are amongst the top 1% that will go over and above to achieve what it takes to be where they are. Okay. So, is the answer dropping the bar so more people can enjoy it, or no? I don't think so.
Speaker 1 • 27:00 - 27:22 • 96%
You know, I don't believe that's the answer. I think we need to keep requirements and standards across all of these types of things very high. And then when people get there, it's like, okay, you know, we have to bring it on home with everything. Your personality, your public speaking, your. Your community service work.
Speaker 1 • 27:22 - 27:25 • 94%
That's very big in pageantry. That's another thing people don't realize.
Speaker 2 • 27:25 - 27:26 • 49%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 27:26 - 27:41 • 92%
Is that philanthropy and community service, raising money, raising awareness, starting their own foundations, these are capable, ambitious women who do a lot for their communities, and that's huge.
Speaker 2 • 27:41 - 27:41 • 33%
Yeah.
Speaker 2 • 27:41 - 27:52 • 91%
And that needs to be a bigger light, I guess. Needs to be shined on that from the producers or, you know, like, what we see as the public needs to be what you expect experience.
Speaker 1 • 27:53 - 27:54 • 93%
That's right.
Speaker 2 • 27:54 - 28:00 • 95%
As a pageant person, as opposed to just like you said, kind of that last. The last night of it.
Speaker 2 • 28:00 - 28:09 • 95%
Right. Because there's so much more. And now we're so used to seeing behind the scenes. That is what is going to endear us to contestants is what. What are they really like?
Speaker 1 • 28:09 - 28:31 • 94%
That's right. And, you know, and I have this gentleman that feels the need to. I don't know what he's trying to do, but he's being very negative towards me in terms of saying, you know, you're not going to win. There is a obvious front runner, and I know pageants, and, you know, Canadians aren't even that into them anyway. And you're never going to change that.
Speaker 1 • 28:31 - 29:15 • 96%
And I. Don't threaten me with a good time is what I say, because I really believe that, you know, I put my business hat on, that we could change and renew and actually grow pageantry in Canada. If we were to take from this point that we're at now, Haley, this. This progressive change that I am making history in, we could grow that almost, like, look at pageantry in Canada as a brand new thing starting right now. And look at the new audience you would have with women of any age being able to embrace this by showing this brand new avenue to so many girls and women of a way to themselves and better themselves.
Speaker 1 • 29:15 - 29:26 • 96%
So I disagree with him 100%. And if I am Miss Universe Canada, that's going to be one of my major platforms, is changing that and growing it in Canada.
Speaker 2 • 29:26 - 29:33 • 95%
Yeah. I think, too, people, like, the purpose is to inspire people to be the best version of themselves. Right.
Speaker 2 • 29:34 - 29:51 • 93%
And, you know, not everybody is going to be inspired by the same things, but there are people who are inspired by pageants. And I tell you, there is a lot of people who are inspired by you. And I am. And the bravery it takes. Now, am I somebody who's ever going to do a pageant?
Speaker 2 • 29:51 - 29:57 • 94%
No. Because that's just not what I want to do. Right. But you are very inspiring. Right.
Speaker 2 • 29:57 - 30:24 • 93%
And the fact that you're doing it, and I just think, you know, there's lots of. It bothers me when people poo poo, I guess, for lack of a better term, ideas that are meant to bring good out. Right. And I think that pageantry has the potential and has, in the past done some really amazing things and inspiring people.
Speaker 1 • 30:24 - 30:24 • 98%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 30:25 - 30:51 • 91%
And if you. You know, my favorite girl of all times is Sierra Burchill. I don't know. She competed at Miss Universe, I want to say 2017 beautiful girl from out west, and she was severely, publicly shamed for her curvier body. And my goodness, she was just so lovely looking and fit.
Speaker 1 • 30:51 - 31:18 • 95%
It was just unreal what they did to her. But she's gone on to just do wonderful things. And again, be so inspiring as a mother and a professional that a lot of these pageant girls, winners or not, have done great things in their life. And it should be applauded. It's a wonderful outlet for girls and women to do amazing things.
Speaker 2 • 31:18 - 31:24 • 91%
Yeah. And I. And I do love that there's so much more to it. Right. Than what we see.
Speaker 2 • 31:24 - 31:42 • 92%
I hope they're listening because we want to see more of the real stuff. Right. So you said philanthropy, public speaking, personality. What else do they do behind the scenes that we don't know about?
Speaker 1 • 31:42 - 32:08 • 96%
So the whole week, really, when you think about the moment that your feet hit the ground, that everything about you has to pull through that whole week as one consistent story, from the way that you look, the things that you do, the ways that the judges meet you throughout the week, like by seeing your headshot, then by seeing you in that personality interview.
Speaker 1 • 32:09 - 32:55 • 94%
And that's where they really have you know, three minutes each to really understand who you are and what you're about. And so, needless to say, that has to be a very strong, strategic effort in how you plan to convey that in such a short period of time. That's critical. Typically, the contestants, the delegates who do the best, you know, the winners, the first runner ups, they're the ones who really nail that personality interview, who can really settle into that chair for three minutes and be authentic and have answers come to them in the moment that do reflect who they really are. So there is an art to that.
Speaker 1 • 32:55 - 33:42 • 94%
You know, it is a thing to be able to do that effectively. And then, you know, as well throughout the week, you know, you go on little visits, maybe to town hall or to a hospital, that kind of thing. So you're always being observed, you know, in your natural habitat, how you treat people, the kinds of things that you're doing, your speaking ability. And, you know, there's lots of opportunities within the competition where you're doing video shoots and fashion shoots, and they need b roll to be able to play the night of finals on the big screen. So there's all these opportunities where you're being, you know, kind of tested to see how you are able to speak, if you're put on the spot, are you diplomatic?
Speaker 1 • 33:42 - 34:02 • 97%
Are you able to keep things corralled into a professional way? So it's all of those things leading up to the finals night. They've seen you on stage already in preliminaries where you have to walk in your bathing suit. You have to walk in your evening gown. So all of these are points where they see you.
Speaker 1 • 34:02 - 34:15 • 94%
And then, of course, finals night is what the audience sees, which is, again, swimwear, evening gown. You know, as more people get cut, then you start to hear the onstage question, that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 • 34:15 - 34:17 • 94%
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. So interesting.
Speaker 2 • 34:17 - 34:20 • 97%
So how many. How many participants is there this year?
Speaker 1 • 34:20 - 34:28 • 95%
Well, I think 64, but it. But it could change, as I understand. So somewhere between 64 and 70.
Speaker 1 • 34:28 - 34:44 • 93%
Apparently, some, you know, things like maybe people get sick and have to drop out or something else happens, or somebody who was a late registrant but couldn't commit until a certain date, she may come on board. So my understanding is between 64 and 70.
Speaker 2 • 34:44 - 34:47 • 92%
Wow. So much fun. I'm so excited for you.
Speaker 2 • 34:48 - 35:03 • 97%
Okay, my question is, what is the number one tip you would give to business owners who are in that pivotal spot where they need to reinvent or to make some maybe tough decisions around what they're doing in order to stay relevant?
Speaker 1 • 35:03 - 35:23 • 94%
Well, so I've also helped my husband grow a very successful rental business. We're in two cities over the last 30 years, and so the first rule in real estate is when something is going awry is do nothing. The first thing is do nothing.
Speaker 2 • 35:23 - 35:23 • 52%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 35:23 - 35:57 • 97%
You need to not panic. You need to just sit back and observe and really open your mind to having what you thought was right challenged, hearing different opinions, reading different things of what's going on. You know, one of the things that led me to realize that it wasn't just me that was in trouble was, you know, I would run into a lot of teachers, and I would say, like, what are you seeing in the schools? Because that was ground zero for my clientele. Right.
Speaker 1 • 35:58 - 36:32 • 97%
Middle school and high school girls. And they were saying that since COVID and school has resumed, they couldn't even put together a sports team. They had to amalgamate with one or two other schools just to get enough kids. And so I was like, okay, you know, so first thing is do nothing and then get quiet and start listening and gathering information. And then it comes down to that fine balance between listening to your heart and listening to the facts.
Speaker 1 • 36:33 - 36:34 • 90%
That's what I would say.
Speaker 2 • 36:34 - 36:41 • 95%
I love that. I love that. Okay, so in your personal life, let's. This is.
Speaker 2 • 36:41 - 36:57 • 93%
I love. This is like a real dual here. What would be kind of the number one piece of advice you would give to, you know, somebody struggling with wanting to do something but. But not actually being able to pull the trigger or take the plunge? Because I think that's.
Speaker 2 • 36:57 - 37:06 • 97%
That happens a lot. People have these ideas, but they just can't seem to bring themselves to do it. Like you did, but you did it. And so what's your advice for them?
Speaker 1 • 37:06 - 37:10 • 97%
So, you know, it does come down to self confidence.
Speaker 1 • 37:10 - 37:38 • 96%
You know, like, you can be given everything you need as securities before you pull the trigger on something, but there's always the unknown. Nothing is guaranteed. And so at the end of the day, you honestly, you have to have that confidence that says, I don't know what the next step looks like. And when I pull this trigger or I push that go button, who knows? Right?
Speaker 1 • 37:38 - 37:48 • 92%
Free fall. But that's the thing. You have to have the confidence to know that wherever that free fall takes me, then I'll deal with that. I'll deal with that next step. Next.
Speaker 1 • 37:48 - 38:16 • 96%
You know, that's one of what I will say is that is a very bad characteristic to have is indecisiveness. When I see indecisiveness in leaders, that is very concerning, because not making a decision is not an option. Making a decision, having the confidence to make a decision, knowing it could be the wrong one, I'm all about that. Because then that leads you to the next thing. That could be the right thing.
Speaker 2 • 38:16 - 38:17 • 52%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 38:17 - 38:37 • 95%
But you're never going to get there if you are afraid to make a decision. And I know all kinds of people that I observe that they are scared to make a decision. I live in a city that is going down the tubes because of the leadership lack of decision that's taking place. And so above all, make a decision.
Speaker 2 • 38:37 - 38:46 • 93%
Yeah. Could be wrong, could be right. But I guess have the confidence in yourself that regardless of the outcome, you can get through it.
Speaker 1 • 38:46 - 38:48 • 99%
That's right. And you know what?
Speaker 1 • 38:48 - 38:54 • 92%
If you're trying to avoid failure, just pack up right now and definitely don't become an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2 • 38:57 - 39:21 • 93%
Like, such a big part of the journey that people don't realize, like, you gotta. And I like, as you know, you know my story, like, I don't like to fail. I. I do have a fear of failure, which I'm getting through, but as soon as you let that go, that's when the world opens up to you. That fear of failure is literally what holds you back from totally, potentially.
Speaker 1 • 39:21 - 39:49 • 93%
So in 2019. So I had won the elite eastern provinces North America title, which meant I go to nationals in Florida for the North America pageant. Well, the girls in the southeast, they come to play, and I encountered all these girls from down South Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina. I took an epic butt whooping at that pageant, and I came in dead last. I didn't even get the fitness award.
Speaker 1 • 39:49 - 39:59 • 93%
I was so positive I was gonna get the fitness award. I was ready to step off the little step and go get my trophy. But no, I didn't even get that. So. But here's the thing.
Speaker 1 • 39:59 - 40:03 • 98%
So that was an. That was such a failure for me.
Speaker 2 • 40:03 - 40:04 • 53%
Yeah.
Speaker 1 • 40:04 - 40:13 • 97%
And it took me about three months after that pageant of licking my wounds. And then it takes a little bit of passage of time after a failure.
Speaker 1 • 40:13 - 40:37 • 97%
I think this is important people to understand. A little bit of time has to pass after you've had a failure or a setback where you can then get a different perspective and open yourself up to really being honest about what was your part in that thing going wrong. That takes time. You're going to make excuses. It was somebody else's fault.
Speaker 1 • 40:37 - 40:47 • 91%
It was rigged. The director didn't like me. You're going to make all of those excuses. It's a net. That's a natural part of going through a failure or a setback.
Speaker 1 • 40:47 - 41:07 • 96%
But I want people to hear me say, at some point, you've got to get to the point where you say, I see this for what it was. I see how I contributed to my failure or setback. What did I learn from that? And how am I going to make that serve me as I go at this again? Because I'm not quitting.
Speaker 1 • 41:07 - 41:23 • 90%
Right? I used to tell my daughters, we can brainstorm any possibility in this situation you're in, but we're taking quitting off the table. Once you take quitting off the table now, the floodgates open, what are the possibilities? Right?
Speaker 2 • 41:23 - 41:24 • 79%
So true.
Speaker 1 • 41:24 - 41:35 • 93%
Take. Take quitting off the table now I can push the pause button. I can say, you know what? I need a little breather here. That one really hurt.
Speaker 1 • 41:35 - 42:11 • 95%
But knowing that you're going to get back in the game, and that was that pageant, that failure, that setback, that disappointment, man, did that set me up for Miss Universe Canada because I had hired a really good coach after that, brushed up on the areas that I thought were weak and caused me to come in last, went on to win three more titles after that and just really fine tune those stress points. And if not for that disappointment in Florida in 2019, there's no way I would be ready for Miss Universe Canada.
Speaker 2 • 42:12 - 42:20 • 94%
Yeah. Like, what if you came in the middle there? Like, because it wouldn't have been as much of a, like, hurt, I guess, in you.
Speaker 2 • 42:20 - 42:24 • 96%
Right. So if you came in the middle, you may not have done all the stuff that you have done.
Speaker 1 • 42:24 - 42:26 • 86%
I wouldn't have, yeah.
Speaker 2 • 42:26 - 42:34 • 97%
Sometimes people have to. I mean, totally not the same topic, but sometimes people have to hit the bottom in order to find their way.
Speaker 1 • 42:35 - 42:59 • 95%
Yeah. But I've also observed people who make the same mistakes over and over again because they're not willing to look back and say, what do I need to own about how that situation went? That goes back to vulnerability, Haley, like, vault, like, raw, open yourself up and say, what do I need to do? It's not out this way. Everybody else, it's in this way.
Speaker 1 • 42:59 - 43:13 • 94%
What is it about me that caused that to happen? And until you can do that, you really can't get to the upper echelon of success you want in whatever area you're trying to do it in.
Speaker 2 • 43:13 - 43:22 • 94%
Yeah, I do think self awareness, self improvement, self development, all of that is part of life, but a huge part of entrepreneurship, as well.
Speaker 1 • 43:22 - 43:29 • 93%
Right. When you look at very, very successful people across any discipline, they really know themselves.
Speaker 1 • 43:29 - 43:50 • 92%
You're not going to stump them when you ask them something that requires a deep dive on who they are or what they do or what they stand for. You know, what they know, because they've been alone. They've been at the bottom of failure. They have felt like a loser. And that's where that conversation takes place.
Speaker 1 • 43:50 - 43:52 • 95%
You learn nothing from successes.
Speaker 2 • 43:52 - 44:04 • 93%
No. And it's so fleeting. Like, it's so fleeting because even so, last year, as you know, I ticked off a couple of things off my bucket list, so I became an author. Last year.
Speaker 2 • 44:04 - 44:12 • 96%
The journey. Thank you. The journey was good. There was ups and downs in the journey. There was a lot of self doubt.
Speaker 2 • 44:12 - 44:26 • 95%
There was a lot of who's going to want to read this kind of thing? And then I got the book out and I had my lunch party, and it was, like, the best ever. But then it was, like, done. And I'm like, okay, now what? Like, it was so, like, it was.
Speaker 2 • 44:26 - 44:41 • 91%
The journey was the. The journey was what I remember, the moment that it finished. The success. That's fleeting. And so that's, I think, why we keep, like, pushing ourselves to the next success.
Speaker 2 • 44:41 - 45:00 • 93%
And it was the same when I hiked that mountain, right? Like, the journey to prepare, the hard work I put in to prepare to hike on that four day hike. That's what I remember. The going hiking in the rain by myself, the sweat, the, like, changing my clothes five times a day because I kept working out. That's what I remember.
Speaker 2 • 45:00 - 45:03 • 80%
The hike was beautiful, but fleeting.
Speaker 1 • 45:03 - 45:35 • 95%
Absolutely. You know, many years ago, I did a keynote speech for the New Brunswick breast cancer survivors. They used to have a large weekend retreat where they would come from all over the province to stay for three days. And so I was the keynote one year, and I knew that the women would be across a variety of stages of where they're at with breast cancer, some of them actively fighting it, some of them many years since, and somewhere in the middle.
Speaker 1 • 45:35 - 46:10 • 96%
And so I knew it was a very, very delicate thing that I was walking into, and I wanted to do it justice. So I thought I was going to talk about happiness. And so I started researching happiness, and I got onto this tibetan monk that talked about the various levels of happiness, and he talked about, you know, the first level is situational, and something is reliant on happiness taking place, like writing a book, a wedding, a graduation, a birthday party. Right? You're happy, but it's here and it's gone.
Speaker 1 • 46:10 - 46:36 • 97%
It's very fleeting, as you said. And then I'll fast forward to the highest level of happiness for a human being is when you are doing what you love to do and you're able to make a living at it, and it's in service of other people. That is the highest form of happiness. Wow. And so it explains why people like me and you and many others do what we do.
Speaker 1 • 46:37 - 46:46 • 97%
We're not driven by the money from it. We're driven by the truest form of happiness, which is we're doing what we like to do and we're serving other people.
Speaker 2 • 46:47 - 46:53 • 84%
Oh, I love that. Yeah, that's interesting. Okay, cool.
Speaker 2 • 46:53 - 47:09 • 94%
That's awesome. Okay, well, we're up on our hour, so thank you so much. I know that went by so fast. We'll have to have you back after the pageant and, like, kind of how did it go? And, you know, I'm sure people are going to want an update.
Speaker 2 • 47:09 - 47:23 • 94%
They'll probably start following you anyways. But how can people. Let's talk about first. Well, actually, how can people reach you? And if they are a newcomer to Canada, how can they reach your business?
Speaker 1 • 47:23 - 47:40 • 88%
So business. I'm on LinkedIn, Lorraine Peters. And it will come up the development academy and on Instagram to follow just me. It's Lorraine e underscore Peters. But if you just put in Lorraine Peters, you're going to find me.
Speaker 1 • 47:41 - 47:43 • 93%
And the same on Facebook. Lorraine Peters.
Speaker 2 • 47:43 - 47:50 • 92%
Perfect. Okay, so I'm going to put all your stuff in the show notes so people can, can find you and reach out to you. I wish you the best.
Speaker 2 • 47:50 - 48:04 • 98%
I know you're going to do amazing and you're going to learn lots and you'll make lots of friends. And so, yeah, I can't wait to follow you, follow this journey, and thank you for inspiring us and showing us that no matter how old you get, you can still follow your dreams.
