In today’s podcast we are going to be talking about a woman well known in the Miss America, Miss USA, and Mrs America organizations, Mekayla Eppers.Mekayla began her pageant journey at 12 years old and has captured seven pageant titles in her life, including the titles of Miss Indiana USA 2016 and Mrs. America 2018.While some people know Mekayla for her success in the pageant industry, she is more than just a beauty queen. Mekayla is a model and has been featured in TV commercials, in movies, and in fashion magazines. From her experience in modeling and in pageants she knew she wanted to make a mindset shift in the industry from focusing on ‘size’ and ‘shape’ towards adapting a healthy lifestyle. Mekayla Diehl (her maiden name) was born in 1988 in Elkhart, Indiana. Now Mekayla describes herself as a ‘Michiana’ since the town is on the Michigan and Indiana state line.Mekayla is a descendent from the Ojibwe tribe, a member of the Ontario-based Zhiibaahaasing First Nation through her mother.For the most part, a child’s life is known as an innocent and youthful experience where the child can live, learn and play. This was not the case for Mekayla. She was sexually abused by a family friend which led to her grandmother adopting and raising her.However, what can be described as the unthinkable is not what Mekayla’s childhood is known for. She began her modeling career at just 5 years old, which gave her the opportunity to walk in various local and state fashion shows, model for swimsuit brands and clothing lines, and also appear on TV commercials. She has modeled from some pretty well-known brands including Toyota, Subway, Cadillac, Nissan, and Chevrolet.Aside from modeling, Mekayla is also a very talented dancer. She began dancing at the age of 12 up until her college years. She performed tap, jazz, ballet on pointe, hip hop, modern, and is currently dabbling in ballroom.Her talents do not stop there. Mekayla also did 8 years of concert flute and 4 years of color guard. Mekayla’s pageant journey began when she was 12 years old placing as the first runner-up at Miss Sunburst, a local Indiana pageant in 2001.Listen to today’s episode to learn more.This week’s featured spotlights are: Chelsea Hardin of Miss Fit Transformation ProgramLead Fitness