Building Confidence from the Inside Out: Prairie Francia Joins Miss Chico Academy as Guest Enrichment Speaker
I recently had the honor of serving as a guest enrichment instructor for the incredible young women participating in the Miss Chico Academy program.
One of the things I admire most about the Miss Chico organization is its commitment to developing young women beyond the stage. While pageantry certainly includes elements like presentation, communication, hair and makeup, interview preparation, and stage presence, the Academy also focuses on leadership, confidence, personal growth, and life skills that extend far beyond competition day.
As part of the enrichment experience, I was invited to teach a workshop titled:
Nervous System Regulation for Confidence, Presence & Success
The purpose of the workshop was to help contestants better understand the connection between the mind and body—and how stress, anxiety, emotions, and self-talk can influence confidence, decision-making, communication, and performance.
One of the key messages we explored was this:
Confidence is not just a mindset. It is also a nervous system state.
Many people believe confidence is something you either naturally have or don’t have. But in reality, even highly capable and talented individuals can struggle to access confidence when their body is in a heightened stress response.
During the session, the girls learned how to recognize physical signs of stress and anxiety within the body, including:
Tightness in the chest
Racing thoughts
Shaky hands
Stomach tension
Overthinking and self-doubt
We also explored the connection between:
Thoughts → Emotions → Behaviors
One of the biggest takeaways from the workshop was understanding that when the body feels unsafe or overwhelmed, it becomes much harder to think clearly, communicate effectively, and make aligned decisions.
The contestants practiced practical nervous system regulation tools they can use before interviews, performances, competitions, presentations, or stressful moments in everyday life, including:
Breathwork for calming performance anxiety
Grounding exercises to return to the present moment
Body posture and somatic awareness techniques
Learning how to pause before reacting emotionally
Building self-trust and emotional resilience
What stood out most to me was how receptive and engaged the girls were throughout the workshop. It was encouraging to see young women so open to learning tools for emotional regulation, confidence, and authentic leadership at this stage in their lives.
These are not just “pageant skills.”These are life skills.
The ability to regulate stress, stay grounded under pressure, communicate with confidence, and lead from a centered state will benefit these young women in school, interviews, relationships, careers, leadership roles, and future opportunities for years to come.
I am grateful to the Miss Chico Academy and its founder Lora Shipley for creating spaces where young women can grow not only outwardly, but internally as well.
About Prairie Francia
Prairie Francia is a Certified Health Coach, Substance Use Disorder Counselor, wellness educator, speaker, and creator of The Empowered Recovery Framework including the The Empowered Reset™. Her work focuses on nervous regulation, emotional resilience, confidence-building, and behavior change through science-informed and holistic approaches.
Prairie teaches individuals and organizations how to better understand the mind-body connection so they can improve communication, confidence, leadership, and emotional well-being.
She is available for:
Guest speaking engagements
Youth leadership workshops
Women’s empowerment events
Wellness and mindset presentations
Recovery and mental wellness education
School and community enrichment programs
Interested in Booking Prairie Francia as a Speaker?
For speaking inquiries, workshops, collaborations, or event opportunities, please contact:
alignmentprairieyana@gmail.com
https://www.alignmentwithprairieyana.com/
@alignment_with_prairieyana