We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Trevilia Hodge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Trevilia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I took a risk that didn’t look like a leap — it looked like a highway.

It was a quiet decision, but it roared in my spirit: packing up what little I had less than $1000.00 tucked in my pocket, and driving down I-95 from New Jersey to Texas, alone. No job lined up. No roadmap. Just the faded memory of my uncle’s ex-wife who offered me a temporary place to land. We hadn’t seen each other in decades, and I had no friends waiting for me on the other side. What I did have was the ache of losing both my parents, my child, my child’s father and a marriage before I was 40, and the undeniable feeling that everything I knew could no longer hold who I was becoming.

I didn’t know it then, but every mile I drove was a shedding — of grief, of limitation, of the belief that my best days were behind me. That lonely highway became my baptism. Texas became my rebirth. And what started as a whispered “What if?” became a triumphant becoming.

Over a decade later, I’ve not only found my footing — I’ve found my voice. I am an award-winning filmmaker, a certified grief educator, a two-time national pageant titleholder, and an author who teaches others how to take the ashes of their past and build a life that glows. That risk? It wasn’t just worth it — it was necessary.

Sometimes the biggest leap you’ll take won’t be from a stage, but from the driver’s seat — headed toward a version of yourself you’ve never met, but always deserved to become.

Trevilia , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Trevilia Hodge—a multi-hyphenate woman with a heart for healing, a voice for the unheard, and a crown that represents so much more than pageantry. I’m a certified grief educator, award-winning filmmaker, author, playwright, entrepreneur, and the current Miss Plus America Elite and Ultimate Woman Plus America 2025. But none of those titles would exist if I hadn’t chosen to reclaim my voice after decades of silence and self-doubt.

While I have many accomplishments, I’m most proud of the moment I turned my private pain into public purpose. After years of carrying the shame and silence of losing a child, I found the courage to write The Baby Elephant with the Blue Balloon. It’s a tender story for the entire family, created to gently open the door to conversations about child and infant loss—topics that are often too heavy to hold. I used my favorite animal, the elephant, to symbolize memory, love, and grief. Writing this book gave me peace, and it has helped others begin their own healing. The booked was featured on Tabitha Brown’s Very Good Mondays.

My journey hasn’t been traditional. I went back to college as a non-traditional student, graduating from both Mercer County Community College and Rutgers University. After losing both of my parents before age 40. I moved to Dallas, Texas, with less than $1,000 and a dream to start over—and I did. Today, I’m also proud to serve on nonprofit boards, including two years on the American Heart Association’s Community Board, and I was recently named Woman of the Year by S.I.T.I Girl Dallas.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just lead with polish; I lead with truth. I’ve lived every word I share. I’ve walked through seasons where I had to parent myself, rebuild my self-worth, and move across the country with a dream and a borrowed roof, only to find my voice, my tribe, and my divine purpose. My brand is rooted in legacy—whether it’s through my writing, my public speaking, my pageant reign, or my grief work, I am committed to helping others remove the limits placed on them by pain, fear, or society, and live boldly in their calling.

If there’s one thing I want readers to know, it’s this: I am not here by accident, and neither are you. Your voice, your dreams, your story—no matter how broken or buried—deserve to take up space. And sometimes, the thing you’re most afraid to share becomes the very key that unlocks freedom for others.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the cruel, heavy names I once believed were mine—names like “fat pig,” whispered and shouted by people who should have loved or protected me. For years, I internalized those words, shrinking my voice and presence to fit a mold someone else built. I also had to unlearn the quiet wound of growing up with an absentee father, a man who never once called me beautiful. That silence shaped the way I saw myself for far too long.

But this year, as I led the Starlight Parade in the coronation carriage during the Red River Classic weekend at the Texas State Fair, something inside me clicked. In this moment I was honoring my healing. The cheers I was hearing weren’t for a title. They were for me. I looked into the eyes of children who saw a queen, not a caricature. I waved to women who clapped and called out, “You are stunning!” — and I believed them. Even the men who stopped to compliment me spoke with a kindness I didn’t know how to receive as a little girl, but that night, I let their words resonate.

In that moment, I embraced the truth I had been unlearning all along—I am not the insults of my past. I am worthy, regal, radiant. That night, I didn’t just carry myself like a queen… I knew I was one.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Katrina Beasley in 2017 during the Texas Plus America pageant. We were sitting in a quiet room waiting to be called for our interviews—contestants weren’t allowed to speak, even though it was clear we were both eager to connect. So instead, we shared a single pair of headphones, bonding silently over Beyoncé’s music. That moment of unspoken sisterhood laid the foundation for a rhythm we’ve kept ever since.

Now, Katrina and I are cofounders of You Are the Crown, an enrichment program created for women in pageantry. But we aren’t traditional pageant coaches—our mission is deeper. We help delegates realize they are the crown, with or without the win. Too often, contestants leave the stage feeling defeated if they don’t take home the title, but we remind them to honor the journey: the growth, preparation, and self-discovery that happened along the way. Our work is rooted in empowerment, authenticity, and legacy. We want every woman to know that her worth is not defined by one night or one crown—but by who she is becoming.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.treviliahodge.com or www.replacelosswithlove.com
• Instagram: treviliahodge
• Facebook: treviliahodge
• Linkedin: treviliahodge
• Youtube: replacelosswithlove

Image Credits

Laura McCullough, photo credit for picture in blue gown with my hands up.