Confessions of a Pageant King

I help pageant queens win in pageantry AND in life.
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Pageant coaching and a healthy dose of pageant tea with Adrian Kwan, Founder of The Pageant Project. Over the last decade, Adrian has coached titleholders from every major pageant system including: Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss America, as well as interviewing over 350 pageant contestants from around the world. He is a qualified Tony Robbins life-coach, serial entrepreneur, and an Amazon Best-Selling Author. Adrian is currently based in Sydney, Australia. www.thepageantproject.com

  1. 8h ago

    83 Days Until 2027: Getting Inspired By Silence

    Join our brand new Skool community: https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject It can be difficult trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. If you’re an achiever, you probably think you can block out an hour on your calendar and somehow schedule the inspiration to strike. If you can, good for you. That’s not how it’s worked for me. Let me offer you another option - and remember we’re still in the stages of figuring out our new direction, or at least our new goals, for 2027. Silence. Have you ever noticed that your best ideas often hit when you’re in the shower or on a long drive? Maybe when you’re out on a long walk? In today’s video, you’ll see me out and about in my garden, talking about how hedge-trimming became my happy place (yes I mean that literally). You and I both know we live in a noisy world. There’s always something demanding our attention. And when there’s not, we can fall into the nasty habit of doom-scrolling (a good habit to kick in 2027 btw). There’s nothing wrong with listening to a good tune or podcast when you’re working out at the gym, but you might have done it so often that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to actually sit with your own thoughts. In silence. It’s almost like the silence gives your brain the time it needs to process things behind the scenes. You’re keeping your body busy by doing something mundane such as taking a shower, and then bam, inspiration strikes. This weekend, take some time to sit (or walk) in silence. Let it ponder about your direction and inspiration for 2027. At the very least, you’ll learn to be a little less addicted to your phone. Your task for today: * Sit in silence. * Let inspiration hit. * Let me know the inspiration in our Skool community (https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject). Adrian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    83 Days Until 2027: Getting Inspired By Silence

  2. 1d ago

    84 Days Until 2027: Finding Your Ikigai

    Join our brand new Skool community:https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject In yesterday’s video, we chatted about indulging your obsessions as a way of finding your future direction. But here’s the truth. There’s no magic formula when it comes to working out what to do with your life: * Some people use vision boards. * Others keep journals. * Many have moved to digital systems. So let’s not move forward until we’ve discussed at least one other way of determining your future path - ikigai. Put simply, finding your ikigai means finding the intersection between the following four areas (think of them as four overlapping circles on one of those Venn diagrams): * What you love. * What you are good at. * What the world needs. * What you can get paid for. (Note: in today’s video, I repeatedly reference only three circles - that’s because I combine the final two.) Most of us, if we’re honest, tend to focus too much on one or maybe two of these circles, whilst ignoring the others. That would be a mistake: * You might love basketball, but if you suck at it, it’s going to be tough to succeed. * You might love making horseshoes and be really good at it, but the world probably doesn’t need a ton of horseshoes right now. * You might be really good at sales and even have a high-paying sales position, but if you don’t love it, you’re either going to burn out or someone else is going to outwork you. (Quick note: I highly recommend doing research when it comes to knowing what the world needs and what you can be paid for. I give a couple of examples of why this is important in today’s video, so make sure you give it a watch.) Your task for today: * Find your ikigai! Push yourself to find at least a few different options. * Share your answers in our brand new Skool community (https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject). Adrian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

  3. 2d ago

    85 Days Until 2027: Let’s Talk About Obsession

    Join our brand new Skool community: https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject I spoke briefly about this yesterday, but sometimes the seemingly infinite opportunities available to us in modern-day society can seem more like an overwhelming curse than a gift. Knowing that, how can we set a direction for ourselves in 2027? In today’s video, I’m going to suggest you try one thing - indulging your obsession. Indulging it with the faith that it will lead you where you need to go - you might discover a career you love, learn a key distinction that changes your life, or make an amazing personal connection who can show you how to get further faster. As an example, after leaving my first and only 9 to 5 job, I became obsessed with tennis. I had never shown any particular talent for the sport, but for some reason I became hooked: * That obsession led me to becoming a tennis coach. * Tennis coaching led me to become the head coach at an all-girls high-school. * Coaching at that high-school led to a fascination with life-coaching and women’s empowerment. * That fascination led me to interviewing women from around the world. * Interviewing led me to pageants. I tell you that story because it’s important to see that there was no concrete plan or pre-ordained path. Nobody would think teaching themselves tennis would be a great way to get into pageantry, especially when I don’t even live in the USA. Sometimes you need to take the first step before you can see the next one. So here’s your task for today: * Make a list of your obsessions/passions. Things that keep you up late and get you up early. My guess is you’ll have 1 to 3 max. * Indulge them for the rest of 2026. Go deep. Go far. Do research. Create content. Follow the obsession until you learn the lesson. * Share your answers in our brand new Skool community (https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject). Quick note - if you tell me you don’t have any obsessions or passions… think harder. That might be something worth figuring out before 2027 hits. Adrian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    85 Days Until 2027: Let’s Talk About Obsession

  4. 3d ago

    Making 2027 Your Best Year Ever

    Join our new community: https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject If you’ve been following along over the last few weeks, you’ll know it’s been a pretty tumultuous time - overseas trips, loss of loved ones, and a whole lot of uncertainty as to what the future holds, both for myself and the pageant industry as a whole. If there’s one phrase I’m famous for coining in pageantry, it’s this: “The best way to succeed in pageantry is to create an amazing life outside of it.” The tricky part is that second half - how exactly do we go about creating an amazing life? Should I go to college? Should I start a business? Should I do both? What industry do I want to work in? What sort of content should I create? We’re living in a world with more opportunity than ever before, but sometimes that feels overwhelming rather than liberating. As I sit down to write this, we have roughly ninety days until the end of the year. And I don’t know about you, but if there’s one thing I’m certain about, it’s this: 2027 has to be the best year ever. I wanted a place where I could document the end of this year as I search for a new sense of direction, excitement, and purpose in 2027. I also wanted a place where I could interact with you more - the more I know about you, the more I can help you. So here it is: https://www.skool.com/thepageantproject From now until the end of the year, you and I will work together on (re)discovering our purpose and passions in life. We’ll get clarity on what we want and what we don’t want. Most importantly, we’re going to make sure we enter 2027 with a clear vision that goes way beyond New Year’s resolutions. If that sounds good to you, click to join up and I’ll see you inside. Adrian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    Making 2027 Your Best Year Ever

  5. Sep 29

    Fear is Your Greatest Asset - Use It

    It’s been a tough week. Charli, my sixteen year-old coaching client who was involved in a car accident last week, passed away. In a final act that sums her up better than I ever could, Charli signed up as an organ donor (against her mother’s wishes), giving the gift of life to others. At times like this, we’re compelled to think about life differently. To ponder. To reassess. To reframe what truly matters. And I’ve come to one inescapable conclusion: We’re all living on borrowed time. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. That might not sound particularly positive, but there is a way to use that as motivation to achieve more in this life than you ever thought you possibly could. Stop pretending fear doesn’t exist. Instead, learn to use it. * Learn to fear regret more than failure. * Missed opportunities more than momentary embarassment. * Playing small more than the opinions of small-minded people. Charli’s celebration of life was attended by dozens of people, all wearing yellow, her favorite color. She may have been quietly spoken, but she showed that doesn’t define the impact you have on others. She was strong in her faith, and that inspired others. Make it count. Adrian. Win at pageants. And at life. Start your journey for free: 👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    Fear is Your Greatest Asset - Use It

  6. Sep 22

    What Does ‘Branding’ Actually Mean in Pageantry?

    Branding is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot in pageantry. Branding, branding, branding. You need to know your personal brand. You need to build your brand. You need to make sure everything is “on brand”. Okay. But what does any of that actually mean? I started thinking about this after a coaching session with one of my clients where we’d spent close enough to two hours talking about branding in relation to a business she was launching. At the end of the session, I asked if there was one question she still had, what would it be? She thought for a moment and said: “What is branding?” Not going to lie, my immediate thought was, oh my God, we’ve just spent two hours talking about this. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised it was actually a very good question. Because knowing the definition of something is largely useless if it doesn’t affect what you actually do. And I think that’s where pageantry gets branding wrong. Your brand is not your Canva branding kit. It’s not your fonts. It’s not whether your colour is hot pink. It’s not even your platform, although your platform may form part of it. When it comes to pageantry, I think branding is much simpler (and much more useful) than that. It’s structured, detailed self-awareness. * What do you stand for? * What won’t you put up with? * What do you believe? * What do you value? * What do you love? * What can’t you stand? * Where are you going with your life? And, importantly, are you actually living according to any of it? Because once you know the answers to those questions, they should affect everything else: what you post, what you talk about, how you answer questions, the opportunities you say yes to, the opportunities you say no to, and even whether competing in another pageant makes sense for you at all. One other thought from this week’s video that I think is worth sitting with: if you’re trying to define your brand, be careful choosing things that nobody would ever choose the opposite of. “Hardworking” sounds great. But who is deliberately branding themselves as lazy? If everyone says exactly the same thing, it probably isn’t doing much to differentiate you. Anyway, that’s enough branding, branding, branding for one article. Watch the video. Despite being filmed in a car park with increasingly questionable lighting, I think it’s a useful one. And, as always, let me know what you think. Adrian. Win at pageants. And at life. Start your journey for free: 👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    What Does ‘Branding’ Actually Mean in Pageantry?

  7. Sep 18

    Does Everything Really Happen For a Reason?

    Win at pageants. And at life. Start your journey for free: 👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe I’ve had some pretty severe mental health struggles. I detailed them in my first book which hit #1 on Amazon (in its category) for a short time in the US, UK, and Australia. It’s one of the reasons I detest most mental health advocacies - they’re so overdone that the very term ‘mental health’ no longer cuts through the noise. That, and the fact that most people seem to confuse being bullied once or being sad once for ‘being depressed’. All that aside, I received some tragic news in the last 24 hours about a private client I have been doing some work with. She had been in a horrific car crash, requiring her to be air-lifted to a nearby hospital. She was 16. Thankfully her vitals are stable for the moment, and all we can do is send good wishes and prayers her way. But it reminded me of a conversation I’d had with another one of my private clients earlier on in the week: Does everything really happen for a reason? Speaking honestly, I will tell you I’m not sure. I think it’s one of life’s toughest questions, up there with “are humans inherently good or evil?”, but it did remind me of the most important power us humans have: We get to decide what events mean. * Lost a pageant? You get to decide what that means. * Lost a job? You get to decide what that means. * Got dumped? You get to decide what that means. I know that might not seem like much, but think about it for just a second. We don’t experience events. We experience the meaning we make up for those events. Ever noticed that two people can go to the exact same party and have radically different experiences? One thought it was the best party of her life, the other thinks it was a complete waste of time and swears to never go to another party like that again. Who was right? Both of them. Because they weren’t responding to the objective reality of the party. They were responding to the meaning they’d made up about the party in their heads. And here’s the kicker. That power to decide what events mean? It’s just about the only true power you and I have in this world. The only thing we can truly control. We can’t control events. But we can control the meaning we make up for those events. Make sure you’re using that power - for good. Adrian. The Beginner’s Guide to Pageantry - Everything You Need to Compete in Your First Pageant With Confidence... Even If You’re Starting From Zero: 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645070327 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    Does Everything Really Happen For a Reason?

  8. Sep 15

    7 Things Pageantry Needs to Change in 2027

    Win at pageants. And at life. Start your journey for free: 👉 https://thepageantproject.com/subscribe It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these lists and now feels like a good time to rectify that what with the big US pageants having crowned their winners and the end of the year creeping up on us quickly. What was interesting for me putting this list together was how it’s changed over the years. Yes, the call for greater transparency has always been there, but there were also a few inclusions that might surprise some of you. I mentioned this in the video but it bears restating here, I create this list as someone who wants to see the industry thrive and succeed, especially the young women who compete in it. I’m not a blind pageant fanatic, nor am I a hater. I’m an observer, a realist, and a pragmatist at heart. I think our society is too keen to look for reasons to be angry, to divide along tribal lines, and to yell at one another for completely trivial reasons. We don’t need more angry talking heads, loyalists, haters, or pageant ‘experts’. What we need are people who know what they’re doing, have both the proven experience and the skill, and are happy to keep their heads down doing the work without needing to constantly be the center of attention. But that’s enough from me. Watch the video. It’s a good one (all 59 minutes of it). And, as always, I’d love to know your thoughts - even if I’m unable to get back to each one of you personally, know that I appreciate it. Adrian. The Beginner’s Guide to Pageantry - Everything You Need to Compete in Your First Pageant With Confidence... Even If You’re Starting From Zero: 👉 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645070327 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thepageantproject.com/subscribe

    7 Things Pageantry Needs to Change in 2027
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About

Pageant coaching and a healthy dose of pageant tea with Adrian Kwan, Founder of The Pageant Project. Over the last decade, Adrian has coached titleholders from every major pageant system including: Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss America, as well as interviewing over 350 pageant contestants from around the world. He is a qualified Tony Robbins life-coach, serial entrepreneur, and an Amazon Best-Selling Author. Adrian is currently based in Sydney, Australia. www.thepageantproject.com

Information

  • Creator
    I help pageant queens win in pageantry AND in life.
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    600
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Pageant Project
  • Show Website
    Confessions of a Pageant King

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