Challenges of being a Mrs. Contestant

Lets be honest, being a Mrs. contestant is often a little more complicated. Youre juggling multiple roles and responsibilities and probably working on a limited budget and timeline. So whats the secret to being a successful Mrs. Contestant? Darlene Deeben, Mrs. Galaxy 2008 , is one Mrs. contestant who has definitely been a success! As a busy titleholder, small business owner, and community volunteer she somehow manages to do it all! Join us as she shares all of her best secrets to successfully competing as a Mrs. contestant!

Episode Segments:

Mrs. Galaxy 2008 Darlene Deeben Darlene gives Valerie her pageant background, and stresses why she believes persistence is key. Darlene also talks about juggling her busy schedule, how she handles stress, and how her family has supported her during her reign as Mrs. Galaxy 2008.
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Darlene Deeben - Part Two Darlene discusses the two biggest challenges of being a Mrs. contestant - managing your time and your budget. She also shares some advice for first time Mrs. contestants, working within a budget, and simple ways to get sponsor money.
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Ask Valerie! Need to know how to turn your hair from fab into Pageant Fab? Valerie answers that question, along with questions on Mrs. Pageant prep, getting your scores, when you need to consider getting a coach, and more. Plus why the story of Ms. Texas USAs Brooke Daniels should inspire us all.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Darlene Deeben Darlene is Vice President and co-owner of a contracting firm. She is also employed as an accountant for a CPA firm. She enjoys working as an actress, model and voice-over artist and is represented by one of the top management firms in the Washington, D.C. area and KA Management in Orlando, Florida. She has done work for: The Washington Post, PAX Television, Hallmark’s “Hall of Fame” and the “West Wing”, to name just a few. Darlene has a passion for giving back, and serves her community by volunteering for Sidelines (which supports women with high-risk pregnancies), Special Olympics, INOVA Blood Donor Services and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Darlene and her family serve as an Ambassador Family for the National Capital Area Chapter of the March of Dimes. Darlene was recently awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her efforts. Darlene’s pageant experience is very extensive as a contestant, titleholder, co-director, judge, emcee, Judges’ Chair for the Miss Frederick (Maryland – America) Program and owner of “It’s Good to be Queen” Pageant Consulting. Darlene holds the titles of Mrs. Virginia - America 1998, Ms. American United States Woman 2002, and Mrs. North America 2007. Currently she is the reigning Mrs. Galaxy International 2008. She is a certified Miss America preliminary judge, and is also certified as a Miss Universe preliminary judge. In November 2001, Darlene judged the Miss DC USA pageant and the winner, Shauntay Hinton, went on to be crowned Miss USA 2002. Darlene and her husband, Kent, have been married since 1985. They have three children: a daughter who is 21, and two sons who are 19 and 14. They reside in Northern Virginia. Click Here to visit her website