About Maria Montgomery

Maria’s dreams of modeling and hosting began when she was just five years old. Being from a small town in central Kentucky, she knew that pageants were the best way to get close to those dreams. Beginning at age 15, Maria began her run for the title of Miss Boyle County Fair. After several frustrating placements as 1st Runner up, falling just short of her goal, Maria finally captured that treasured title, and took home her hometown crown. However, accomplishing this goal only came after Maria spilt lip gloss all down her dress seconds before interview… although she thought this meant that it was all over and she shouldn’t even compete that year - she pressed through and used the lipgloss to be a conversation started within the interview. This mistake ended up being the best thing that could happen as it taught Maria that her previous goal of perfection wasn’t what brings home the crown… instead it’s all about connection and being real! That moment laid the foundation for the underlying message she tries to teach all her coaching clients to this day.

She took this new mindset with her as she competed for the title of Miss Kentucky County Fair among 93 other incredible young women, each representing different counties throughout the Bluegrass. To this day, she remains the only representative of Boyle County to wear the Miss Kentucky County Fair crown. That November, Maria added to her accolades by winning the title of Miss Kentucky Festivals Grand Surpreme of Amerifest Organization. She took the winnings from that pageant and put them toward competing for the end goal - Miss Kentucky USA that December. This pageant brought a few more reminders of the importance of not aiming for perfection. For example, someone had the exact same color and style fo Maria’s one and only Sherri Hill pageant gown she had fundraiser for, as well as Maria getting delayed backstage and missing her call to come on stage at the correct time! She continued to learn to laugh through the chaos and ended up finalizing her trophy collection for the year, as Maria was captured the coveted title of Miss Kentucky USA 2009.

A few short months later, Maria traveled to Las Vegas at just 19 years old to compete for the title of Miss USA. As the youngest contestant in the competition, Maria faced an uphill battle against more experienced and better trained woman from across the country. For 2 1/2 weeks, Maria wore the Kentucky sash proud across her chest as the 50 representatives from each State made appearances, participated in charity works, and rehearsed for their Las Vegas show. NBC aired the competition live as co-owner Donald Trump looked on when Maria placed in the Top 5 of Miss USA, 2009.

In reflection of her time on stage at Miss USA, Maria realized one of her mistakes was attempting to act older during the preliminary competition due to her younger age. The winner of the 2008 competition, Crystle Stewart, was 26 at the time she was crowned - Crystal went on to take over as President of the Miss USA Organization. Maria makes it a point to convey to all of the clients she mentors that she believes had she not realized this about herself before the final night of competition and made an effort to show the judges her true self, she likely would have never earned her runner-up honor.

She proudly spent the following year serving her home state by using her platform to inspire, give back to her community, and explore her future interests. Although grateful for her success, Maria was not done yet. She went on to earn herself a Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology, while starting her very own coaching business, which has grown into what you know today as Maria Montgomery Mentoring! Maria finds her passion in helping others feel more prepared than she was for the big moment - whether it be for a competition, an interview, or an audition. Her own experiences is where she draws her eagerness to help other young women be the best and most natural versions of THEMSELVES.

After returning home to the Bluegrass and completing her year of service as Miss Kentucky USA, Maria’s new found life experiences pushed her to aim directly for her dream to model. Finally, after years of hard work and dedication, Maria saw that dream become a reality as she signed her first professional contract with FORD Models. She spent the following six years splitting time between Miami & Chicago, as well as traveling between New York, LA, and other major market cities as she worked to gain traction in a cut throat industry. Her career was catapulted after earning reoccurring gigs with companies such as Nike, Express, Jockey, Kohls, Pantene, Victoria’s Secret, Olay, Curel lotion, and the likes, many of which she still shoots for to this day.

As her career expanded into other arenas, she began to earn features in music videos such as Tim McGraw’s “Truck Yeah!”, Josh Groban’s “Hidden Away”, and Matt Stell’s “That Ain’t Me No More” to name a few. She was a trophy model on stage during the Country Music Awards on ABC, as well as several national commercials. As her work spread throughput the United States, she caught the attention of other representation including Wilhelmina (Los Angeles), Block (Nashville, Denver, Austin), Select Models (Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta), Hefner (Seattle), and NV Models (Cincinnati).

Maria’s experiences working in front of the camera fueled her passion for television, and her love for hosting and public speaking began to blossom! In 2015, Maria accepted a dream role as an on-court host for the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball games where she lead the 24,000 patrons of Rupp Arena through sponsored activities and interviews during the Wildcats’ home games! As her brand and marketability continued to rise, and her commercial portfolio grew, she was very blessed to be asked to become a spokesperson for many local brands throughout Kentucky. In recent years, as advertising has become synonymous with social media marketing, the skills she has developed through her extensive career have translated into brand collaborations designed to utilize Maria’s social platforms to feature a clients’ products and services.

Although she continues to live out her own dreams, Maria is passionate about helping others fulfill their’s as well. Her goal as a mentor is always to help her clients succeed in all areas of their lives. To this end, her one-on-one sessions are far from cookie-cutter. Maria truly gets to know her clients like little sisters, and focuses her teachings on how to help them become the best version of themselves, from the inside out. This custom approach is what Maria believes ultimately leads to lasting success in all future endeavors, far beyond pageantry and modeling.

Judging Experience:

Maria knows exactly how to target the connection with the judges from her time judging for various systems such as:

The Miss Universe Organization (including judging Miss Michigan USA, Miss Georgia USA, Miss Tennessee USA, & Miss Tennessee Teen USA); Amerifest; Kentucky County Fair; and more! Maria also has worked behind the scenes with Miss Universe Organization. She was chosen as a counselor for Miss Teen Fantasy camp in the Bahamas - a self confidence camp for girls that coincided with Miss Teen USA. She also worked as a “pageant big sister/supervisor” during Miss Teen USA and Miss USA in Reno, NV in April 2019.

Model, Pageant, Interview, and Public Speaking Coaching:

Maria has coached all ages to help others achieve their dreams in pageantry, modeling, agency interviews, photoshoots, social media success, sorority recruitment, and other personal goals. During her uplifting and fun sessions, girls learn to improve their stage presence, fitness physique, wardrobe choices, photo posing, personal introductions, personal paperwork writing, portfolio development, interpersonal skills, public speaking, interview skills, and more! She also can help girls learn the differences between professional modeling and pageantry in order to make a career of modeling.

Let’s do it!

Ready to take the next step toward achieving your dreams? YAY! Let’s get to the fun! Let’s schedule your one-on-one session with Maria today! Most in-person sessions take place at Miss Priss Gowns or various studios in Lexington, KY. But we can also arrange a Zoom/FaceTime session,

I can’t wait to meet you!

Booking Options and Bundles!

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Maria’s Modeling Agencies & Representation:

Most of Maria’s national and international modeling jobs are booked via one of the following agencies, dependent on location. But Maria can be booked directly under many circumstances and in Kentucky specifically. Contact Maria for more information!