We were lucky to catch up with Misti Nordstrom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Misti thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah last July and won the international title of Ms. Continental Worldwide. As Ms. Continental Worldwide, I have been very active in my community, as well as, in remote places across the globe. Currently, I work as an educator in the City of New Bedford. I teach middle school math and science and am proud to say that I am entering my 24th year as a teacher. I volunteer with New England Donor Services as an advocate and spokesperson with the goal of helping people learn about the facts related to organ donation. I use my personal story to inspire others with the hopes that our national registration rate will increase. I am a volunteer with The American Red Cross and serve as an ambassador for regional blood drives. Internationally, I have supported two powerful campaigns. In Bizana, South Africa, I have partnered with Sean B Productions to secure hospital supplies for St. Patrick’s Hospital in a remote village. I personally collected hundreds of stuffed animals and toys for the children who visit the hospital. These toys help provide comfort and distractions for the children who often spend days waiting for care. In Uganda, I am working to collect laptops for children at St. Mary’s Primary School. Recently, I held a supply drive and was able to send clothing, sunscreen, and other needed essentials that the director of the school prioritized. The current drive for laptops will become housed in a computer lab, which the children have set as a goal that will provide them with access to educational platforms that are really a necessity in the digital works that students need to connect to for global access and learning.

Misti, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I became involved in pageantry to initially earn scholarship money for college and develop confidence and stage presence. Over the years, my reasons for rejoining the pageant world changed. As a married woman nearing 50, and a mother to two daughters, my “why” has evolved into serving others, especially regarding my work with New England Donor Services and Donate Life America. It is my life-long mission to make an impact in the area of increasing organ donation registration rates across the country. Specifically, I want to see the current rate of 58% increase to 75%! I am an ambassador for New England Donor Services and share my story as a donor family member. My 23 year old brother died in a motorcycle accident and was an organ donor. This tragedy is what fueled my mission to turn grief into a powerful mission to save lives in his memory. I donate my time as a speaker, a trained vocalist, and a registered donor myself, to inspire people to learn the facts about organ donation and register on www.registerme.org to become a hero and save/heal up to 70 lives one day! What sets me apart from other titleholders or contestants is that I have chosen pageants as a means to spread the message about the importance and the power that organ donation has. I am also a competitor that does not have a stylist or hair and makeup team. I do not have a coach, and I am proud to say that at 49 years old, age does not define who a woman is or what she can achieve! With age comes wisdom, and I think that wisdom makes a woman beautiful and powerful. I am most proud of my family. From my parents who sacrificed so much to teach me the values that helped shape me into who I am, to my husband who supports me and my dreams with love and admiration, to my daughters who inspire me to be the best I can be as they have grown to become women I admire. My family is everything and the greatest source of motivation in my life. I want people to know that I am a woman of her word. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. When I tell you that I care about you, that means I truly care. Humanitarian work is at the core of my identity. I can’t enjoy life when I know that innocent people are in need or suffering. It weighs on my heart and until I know people are ok, I can’t stop thinking about what we can do to find solutions.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I’ve had so many people that I respect and appreciate ask me why I compete in pageants. They point out that it’s so much work and the diamonds in the crown aren’t real. This honestly makes me smile. The rewards that come from pageantry can’t really be measured with any monetary amount. It’s true. Pageants are a lot of work and they require lots of sacrifice. Many queens will say that pageants have provided them with many opportunities for personal growth. I agree! Pageants have helped me in so many ways develop skills that I would have never attained otherwise. But, it’s deeper than that. So much deeper! For me, pageants have allowed me opportunities to serve others on a grand scale, and work in communities around the world. These experiences are my ‘rewards’. These moments have filled my soul and deepened my perspectives about humanity and the personal power and responsibility we each have in this world. The crown symbolizes hope for me that beauty exists in each and every one of us. We have to seize opportunities, take risks, and share our talents and ideas with the world if we truly want it to become a better place.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I first competed in Mrs Pageants, I followed all of the unspoken rules. I wore long hair with extra hair extensions for volume. I wore sequin everything, I practiced for interview- memorizing things to say, I went on crazy diets and equated smaller size to beauty, I tried to imagine what judges were looking for, I compared myself to every contestant in the pageant, I spent lots of money on expensive clothing and accessories. I. Didn’t. Win.
Fast forward to now and what I’ve learned.
I took time to figure out why I was competing and focused more about my service to others. I cut my hair and started to discover my own personal style- on a budget. I took up working out and building strength and muscle and threw the scale away. I stopped looking at the other contestants as ‘threats’ or ‘competition’ and began seeing them as ‘sisters’’ and ‘inspiration’. Believe it or not, I started to enjoy each moment and stop thinking about placement or scores. This was a pivotal moment and total game changer. Comparison is the thief of joy, and I wasn’t going to let that rob me of joyous moments any longer.         

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mscontinentalworldwide2023

Image Credits
Marc Reynolds/Reynolds Photography Group