High-performance pageant coaching, shared weekly. Trusted by 350+ titleholders in Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss America, and beyond. This isn’t theory. It’s what works. Start your journey for free by clicking the button below:
One of the most dreaded questions in pageant interview is some version of:
“What makes you unique?”
Or its slightly more terrifying cousin:
“Why should we pick you?”
And the reason it feels so uncomfortable is because, deep down, you know the obvious answers probably aren’t enough.
“I’ve worked really hard.”
“I care deeply about my community.”
“I’ve been preparing for this role all year.”
“I have a unique story.”
None of those answers are necessarily wrong.
The problem is that most of the other contestants could say something very similar.
That’s where I think a lot of contestants get stuck. They assume the answer must be found in their story. Their background. Their hardship. Their platform. Their life experience.
And yes, your story matters.
But your story alone is not what makes you unique.
Because everyone has a story.
What matters is what your story created in you.
That is the part judges are actually trying to understand.
Not just what happened to you.
Not just what you’ve been through.
Not just what you care about.
But what those experiences shaped in you that would make you the right person for the job.
In today’s video, I talk through a framework I’m still refining, but I think it’s a very useful starting point for contestants heading into pageant season.
I believe your uniqueness sits at the intersection of three things:
Your beliefs.
Your gifts.
Your values.
Your beliefs are the things you hold so deeply that you almost don’t question them.
Not vision-board beliefs. Not cute affirmations. Not things you wish were true.
I mean the things you genuinely assume about yourself because life has proven them to you again and again.
Maybe you believe you can find a way through anything.
Maybe you believe you are at your best under pressure.
Maybe you believe that if someone else has achieved something, you can learn from them, model them, and grow faster because of it.
Those kinds of beliefs matter, because they shape how you show up when things are difficult.
Then there are your gifts.
These may be natural talents, learned skills, or some combination of both.
Maybe you read people well.
Maybe you learn quickly.
Maybe you make people feel safe.
Maybe you are unusually good at simplifying complex ideas.
Maybe you are the person who can walk into chaos and immediately see what needs to happen next.
Again, the point is not just to list something impressive.
The point is to understand how that gift would actually make you a stronger titleholder.
Then there are your values.
And this is where things get interesting.
Because two people can have similar stories, similar skills, and even similar goals, but if their values are different, they will not lead the same way.
What do you prioritize when there is a cost?
What would you refuse to compromise?
What do you want people to feel after they spend time with you?
What do you want to be remembered for?
Those questions go much deeper than, “Tell us something interesting about yourself.”
They start to reveal who you actually are.
And that is why “I have a unique story” is not enough.
A story is only powerful when you can explain what it taught you, what it changed in you, what it strengthened in you, and how it now shapes the way you would serve.
That is the difference between an answer that sounds like a biography and an answer that sounds like a titleholder.
So before your next pageant interview, don’t just ask:
“What makes my story different?”
Ask:
“What did my story create in me?”
What belief did it give you?
What gift did it reveal or develop?
What value did it make non-negotiable?
That is where your answer starts to become much stronger.
In the full video, I talk through this using examples from my own coaching journey, including why I don’t believe uniqueness is simply about having a story no one else has heard before.
Because honestly, after hundreds of pageant interviews, I can tell you: even a powerful story can fall flat if the contestant has not done the deeper work of understanding what that story means.
But when you can connect your lived experience to your beliefs, gifts, and values?
That’s when your answer stops sounding rehearsed.
That’s when it starts sounding like you.
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:
