Miss Multiverse 2022, a personality contest and Reality TV program, was held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from 18th October 2022 to 8th November 2022 where Stephanie Ellen Almeida of USA was crowned the new queen. The finale of the pageant was held at the Theater of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on 7th November 2022.
As Stephanie sits to reflect on her amazing journey, she talks about her goals, ambitions and guilty pleasures in an exclusive interview with Angelopedia.
Q. How does it feel to be Miss Multiverse 2022?
A. Becoming Miss Multiverse 2022 was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have been competing in different reality shows, beauty pageants, and talent competitions including Discovery Channels Love in the Jungle and Miss Globe for over 6 years and nothing challenged me like Miss Multiverse. Competing in Miss Multiverse was like taking all the knowledge and experience I had gained in the past several years such as communication skills, physical fitness, poise and manner, performance on stage, runway walking, personal styling, business savvy, intelligence, and putting them to the test. With each year of experience, I learned new strategies and tricks that built me into the person I had always dreamed I could be.
Being crowned Miss Multiverse 2022 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana was such a magical moment because it was more than just winning this one competition. It was seeing all the hard work I had put in through so many years finally paying off. When I was standing on stage waiting for them to announce the winner. I remember the moment they called my name I just let out an uncontrollable scream at the top of my lungs! I had finally achieved a dream I had been working towards for so many years. What made it all even better was that I won Miss Multiverse a reality-style competition show searching for the greatest women on earth testing your knowledge, your strength, your skills, your personality as well as your beauty. This wasn’t your average beauty pageant; it pushes you and tests your limits. So many girls quit or were eliminated along the way. The struggles were mental just as much as physical and I was surprised that I even made it to the end. I feel like a new person after Miss Multiverse. I have a newfound confidence in myself that I didn’t have before. It changed me as a person. When I returned home, I didn’t know how to act or feel. Everyone was seeing me as I was but I wasn’t that person anymore. Miss Multiverse is such a great opportunity for growth and inner learning. I’m so grateful to all the sponsors, organizations, and pageant sisters that built me up to where I am today.
Q. What do you think is the biggest problem facing young people today?
A. I think the biggest problem facing young people today is the false and close-to-impossible expectations they are held to. In today’s age of social media, we lose sight of what is reality and what is well-curated fantasy. Everyone is expected to be the perfect body type, drive a nice car, travel for months of the year, and live in a mansion. The minds of the youth have been forced to focus on money and productivity instead of relationships, community, and mental health. Social media is such a big part of what I do to push my platform and reach out to others. I try to be real by letting people know that even though my life may look glamorous on my feed I still struggle with breakups, losses, bad days, and keeping good mental health. Unfortunately, the mainstream media of today is filled with egocentric and power-hungry producers and CEOs that are only concerned with box office numbers and the bottom line. Every day children, artists, and activists are taken advantage of, ridiculed, and even killed. We have built a habit of being ok with or being desensitized to the horrible things we do in the name of profit and power. Life is so much more than that and could be such a beautiful place if we all just focused on helping others instead of ourselves. It’s that simple. Miss Multiverse has given me a bigger platform to share a not only positive but real story of what it means to be a role model in today's society.
Q. As a woman of today, what is it that you believe in and would like to advocate through your reign?
A. The biggest message I want to spread as Miss Multiverse is mental health awareness. We are now in a time where everything around us is killing us. Though this may not be so literal, we have no idea what the manipulation of our food, medicine, and even air is doing to our health and our nervous system and unfortunately, most people don’t care to find out. Most of us are living on ignorance autopilot. We see that a snack may have 3x our daily intake of sugar, we see that smoking can kill you, and we see and are fully aware that social media cellphones harm us both physically and mentally but we continue in these indulgences every day. It's time that we took charge of our mental and physical health! When we are the best versions of ourselves, we can then be the best for others. We are all failing ourselves and each other by not demanding the best for ourselves and our bodies. Asking yourself how you are feeling, taking time to take care of yourself, eating right, and doing the things that bring you bliss is vital to a full existence. Being in the entertainment and beauty industry I worked hard to build a solid sense of self so that nothing could break my core. I did yoga religiously, meditated with friends, and prayed every morning. I spent one day a week on self-core so I could feel my best during the week. I made sure to cook my favorite dinners (and desserts). I even got a pet mouse during my roughest years and she really got me through some nights. It’s not easy at first but once you begin to feel the benefits of being self-aware you will be hooked. I always loved the study of psychoneuroimmunology which showcases the interactions between the immune and central nervous systems, and particularly how these interactions contribute to psychiatric function and health. Negative effects on our mental health eventually become physical. I even argue most ailments can be cured through mental work. I hope that I can not only spread the message of mental health awareness but also be there as a support system and trusted source of knowledge for people all over the world.
Q. What is the one thing that keeps you going and inspires you to be the best version of yourself?
What keeps me going the most is seeing my younger siblings and the world I’m leaving behind for them and my future generations. I wake up often thinking “well I didn’t ask for this” when we are born, we don’t select the circumstances we just do the best with what we have been given. Now just imagine if we were all born given the best and how much further we could all go as a civilization. I am the oldest of 6 children in my family. From a young age, I always felt a responsibility to be a good role model for them. Now as I look back at myself on the stage of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana winning the title of Miss Multiverse, I see that this need to be a good role model has carried into all aspects of my life. During our stay at the Cabarete Eco lodge and the Taino Beach Lofts in the Dominican Republic, I was pushed to do things I’d never done before like survive in the wilderness or catch a wave for the first time surfing. During these challenges, all I could think about was being an example for my friend and family at home. I wanted them to know that if could do something this crazy and succeed they could too.
Q. What is the one thing you can label as your guilty pleasure?
I would say my guilty pleasure is sitting in the bathtub for hours listening to Broadway music. I’ve loved performing and singing ever since I was a kid. It was such a dream to be able to sing during our finals at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana. I love to listen to old Broadway tunes and sing them all afternoon. Singing is my outlet. It helps me to relax and forget about my problems. I have learned how to play all my favorite songs on the piano so I can sing my versions of them. My sister makes fun of me because I will randomly start singing opera as I’m cooking or cleaning but she loves it.
Q. If you could be invisible for a day, how would you like to spend it?
If I could be invisible for a day, I would probably spend it sneaking behind the scenes of a CIA training boot camp. One of my favorite shows is Quantico starring Priyanka Chopra who was the Miss World winner in 2000. This show showcases all of the tests and training that have to be done to work in the CIA. I learn so much from that show like how to tell if people lie, or different combat strategies. I’d love to see the behind-the-scenes of how it’s done. I like to think I could be in the CIA and Miss Multiverse showed me I could do anything I set my mind to.
Q. If you are granted three wishes right now, what would you ask for?
A. If I had three wishes right now the first would definitely be perfect health. I know that diet and exercise have been such a big part of my success in my years of competing so to have that without the hours in the gym and green smoothies would be great! My second wish would be to become a philanthropist and make it my daily profession to help people and give back to my community. Nothing feels better than giving back and I honestly wish more people knew and acted on that. My last wish would be for a private star chef to cook for me at all hours of the day. I love fine dining and Michelin-star meals. My dream would be to have a high-quality chef to cook me whatever healthy, indulgent, and delicious meal I want whenever I want.
Q. Who is your role model, if any, and what values of his or her do you wish you could inculcate in your own life, and teach the next generation?
A. I have several role models I would say some of my biggest are Oprah Winfrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger. They are two people that have come from nothing and have accomplished so much. Aside from their success in entertainment and media, they have become prominent forces in many other fields. Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to become a governed. Oprah created a foundation that has changed the world and has her own television network. These are people that have shown and proven how much we can do with the time we are given regardless of our circumstances. I work a lot on my self-discipline and mindset and they both have taught me so many mental life hacks that help me get ahead of the game. What I would really love to emulate about them is their ability to think outside of social Norms and to go against the crowd. I want to show others how going out of the box and out of your comfort zone will change your life more than any amount of money or education. One of the best habits I learned was doing something, even something small that is outside of my comfort zone every day. Whether it is taking a cold shower or speaking to someone new I have tried to do something that makes me feel uncomfortable as often as I can. During the Miss Multiverse competition, it came in very handy because every day I was thrown outside my comfort zone. The growth was just astronomical compared to any other competition I had ever done.
Q. What are your plans in pageantry?
A. I have been in pageants for almost 7 years now. My next step in pageantry is to bring Miss Multiverse USA to the United States. I think it is such an amazing opportunity for women and I want to share that opportunity with as many women as I can. I also hope to get into coaching. I would like to help women find their voice, find their confidence, and find themselves. With so many successful years in the industry, I think it’s finally my time to pass down my knowledge and experience to others.
Q. There are so many people who are inspired by your journey and take a keen interest in your life. What would you like to say to them?
A. What I’d like to say to all those who have followed my journey all of these years is thank you for allowing me to inspire you. I feel like I have been very fortunate in my life and I feel a tremendous responsibility to give back for all I have been given. I would want them to know that you will never know the outcome if you don’t try. One of my favorite quotes is “But what if I fail? … oh, but what if you fly”. We tend to always think of the worst outcome when it comes to thoughts about our goals and dreams. The truth is you have a 50/50 chance of success every time you take on a new challenge. You’ll see in our surf challenge episode on YouTube at the Cabarete Eco Lodge that I didn’t believe in myself at first and I ended up succeeding and surpassing my expectations. I also learned a great lesson while I was competing in Cambodia. I had heard some girls whispering about me backstage during finals. Immediately I got upset and thought to myself “these girls must not like me, haters” as I listened closer, I realized they were saying “I wish I had as much confidence as Miss USA” Start thinking of the best-case scenario and see how much confidence you gain. Confidence in yourself is a major key to success. That confident energy radiates off of you. Try to visualize your perfect day when you wake up in the morning. You can find my eBook on Amazon “How to Create the Most Effective Vision Board” for tips and tricks for positive and effective visualization. For those who follow me on Instagram @missmultiverseusa you’ll get a chance to see exclusive photos, behind the scenes, and more.