Welcome to Obsessed, where Mika, Tia and I challenge the thoughts that limit you, where we provide the tools for transformation, be prepared to be swept away into the raw power of obsession, unlocking secrets and stories behind the insatiable hunger for growth and change. This is more than just a podcast, this is your story. It is a manifesto for those who refuse to settle, who dare to dream and who are relentless in the pursuit of living a great life. Get obsessed with your life. Queen, we have a real queen in the studio. A real queen. Not just a queen like you and I are queens, we have a real queen, a pageant queen who is doing real big things, real big things pushing herself to the maximum. And exciting. It's very exciting and doing huge things every year. I really didn't even know that she was doing these things intentionally. I've known her for 25 years, probably the longest I've known any of our guests. She's impressed me my whole life that I've known her. I mean, I've known her since she was five. She's now 30, just kidding. But knowing Tracy Heisler-Jerost, knowing that she is doing some amazing things, I'm going to let her introduce herself. She is not only my sister-in-law, she's married to my youngest brother, but she's also Mrs. Illinois and she is doing one huge thing every single year to push herself out of her comfort zone. She is taking them as a savvy challenge and we'll talk about that a little bit more in this interview to the maximum. You are going to just follow them on with Tracy. Hi guys. Thanks for having me. I'm Mrs. Illinois America 2025. I have never done a pageant in my life, but here we are. We are leaning into a new challenge and becoming obsessed with helping my community and the people in my state and accepting what my future will hold with all this. So you've never done a pageant. What inspired you? What made you say, I'm going to do it? How did this happen? Right. As the story goes, my oldest daughter was heading off to college and all of my children, I have two sons below her, they're all teenagers and as Julie knows, things kind of change as they grow up. They don't need you quite as much. My role at home was changing. Knowing I was going to be sad to see her go and not wanting to be one of those moms just kind of upset and missing her. I was on the hunt, if you will, to kind of find something else fulfilling besides volunteering because I do that anyway. What would my future be like without her? The boys still need me. I need to be around. I want to be around. I've been a stay at home mom for 20 years, grateful for that role. But what could this next kind of phase of life be for me? I do do some part time, B level modeling work on the side, commercial and print stuff. And just in a passing conversation, one of my agents said, he could always look into the pageants and I scoffed and I said, no way, I am not a pageant girl. I've never even thought about that, never crossed my mind. But as I was packing my daughter up one day and buying all the things on her list for her dorm, I thought, well, I wonder what that's about. All I knew about it was they did do a lot of giving back, a lot of volunteering. And that's something that was important to me always and my kids and my family and how my mom raised me. So I Googled it straight up Google and I found out that at least for this pageant system, the America pageant system in Illinois, it was just an application. And I thought, I can handle an application. Our family word, if you will, like it's try. It's plastered on my kitchen cabinets. It's something we continually push with the kids. You just have to try. That's our word. You try taking my own advice. I filled out this application and I hit send and I didn't tell a soul. And then they called me. Wow. How long did it take for them to call you, Tracy? It was it was it took quite some time. I followed up with an email just to make sure they received it. They did. And then I just kind of waited. And it's something that would just sat in the back of my head. I wasn't hoping and praying and whatever. I was just maybe this is something that could be interesting. And more than anything, I just sent the application like, OK, all right, good for you. Pat yourself on the back. You're looking outward. You're looking what else is there out there for me? And so I checked that box like, well, I tried, right? And they called me and they wanted to meet me for an interview. Wow. And again, I thought I can handle an interview. And so I went for the interview. I did tell my husband at that point because he knew where I was and what I was doing. And he was beyond thrilled and said, you're absolutely going. You're just going to look into this and see what it's all about. Anyway, fast forward a couple of interviews later. And I'm meeting with the state directors. And ultimately, they offered me this title of Mrs. Illinois. Wow. Yeah. So that's how the story unfolds. I remember she called and she was like, sure. If she was taken. Well, yeah. So I take moaning and had to talk to my family. Having teenagers and one of them being a daughter, I was cognizant of how is this going to affect them? How I didn't. What was the impact going to be on them? You know, their mother running around the state in a crown. We're not part of that world, the pageant world. So we definitely had a little bit of discussion with the kids. Is this something you guys are okay with? You may be asked to join at events or volunteer a little bit more than we normally do. And the boys being boys. Sure, mom, sounds good. My daughter, I think she was uncertain at first, but she is absolutely on board and she understands the intention. And now we're going to go visit her at her college to see a football game. And she's asked if I can bring my crown and sash because her. Yeah, that's amazing. I was blown away. I said, are you embarrassed by this? Are you sure? And she said, no, mom, it's great. Yes, the kids were the kids were okay. They were my first tell. And then, Julie, we decided to talk to the family because they would be impacted also ish. My goodness. First of all, I love the family word that you guys have. Try. Yep. Because it's such a low level enter point to give yourself just that that little bit of action. Like just just this little thing. Instead of making a huge step, a huge leap, a huge commitment, just making it just really small and nominal. Right. I really love that concept. How did you guys come up with that concept? First of all, so that is a gift given by one of the elementary school teachers. My youngest son came home and each of the kids in class, I want to say it's got it. It's literally on my kitchen cabinet, the piece of paper. It's sitting there for maybe five plus years, maybe more eight years. The students in his class were all assigned to choose a word of the year. So like a resolution, maybe. And he came home and I didn't know this was happening, but he came home and was telling me about what this piece of paper was and what they had to do. And I thought it was so interesting that that was the word that he chose because what a reflection on our family in a positive way. I think that that was what he chose was his motivation for that year. And obviously, I think it was so meaningful that it has stuck up there for so long. And it is a constant thing that we're telling the kids and not just our kids, but each other, my husband, too. So if you can just try, get your foot out the door, then see what happens. Amazing. No, I love it. And so you volunteer. So before you became Miss Illinois. You volunteered and you said this was something that your mother instilled in you. How, how does she instill that in you growing up? My mom, I was recently asked if my mom is. What did they say if he. Was like a fighter or something like that. I can't remember the word. And not like enough, but she fights for so many causes and beliefs. And she's always had us involved having three daughters. She always had us doing different things at different organizations for different groups of people. And she still does to this day into her seventies. She's an icon on our hometown because she's so involved doing all this amazing stuff. But yeah, we didn't really have a choice doing that growing up. And sometimes it's hard when you're in it to really want to be there doing that kind of work. But when my, when we had our family, it's something that we intentionally were cognizant about, including in how we raise them. And the story with COVID and Julie probably knows, remembers this is we had a charity of the month. So when COVID hit, we were all at home, three kids at home, my husband working from home. And we, I just, I decided we needed to do something for other people to get out of the house. And so we, we came up with a charity of the month and each kid took turns choosing an organization or nonprofit locally that we could help out. And I had, they had them fill out a form, like a little report, what we were going to do, when we were going to do it, who we were going to include. And anyway, we did this for 12 months. And the kids were sometimes into it, sometimes not super into it. But what it turned into was after the year was up, it turned into the basis of school reports or for my daughter, one of her college essays. And singling out these different organizations month after month and including them in the planning as far as how we're going to help them. I think it really fostered something in me that we could be doing something more and for them too. Maybe again, maybe not in the moment as young kids, but sometimes hard to get on board. But after the fact, everybody always thought it was great and meaningful. And that was the intention there. That's how the volunteering thing has always been. In addition to like helping out at the school and volunteering once a week at the retirement community down the street, those kinds of things at the food pantry. That's just been part of my daily life. But this is this with this title, it's elevated all of that on a grander scale. And it's been a lot, but it's been hugely impactful on me. And I think hopefully what my kids are seeing from my family. Oh, well, and, Gracie, I love that dichotomy of your personality. You're enforcing or teaching the small thing, the tries, the small wins for the kids. Yet you're also pushing yourself to do the big, huge thing. Where is that happy medium? How are you finding that push and pull that yanging, that black, that white between you doing these two things from running for Mrs. Illinois from doing all these things, running marathons to just teaching the kids to do small things from the Miss Abbey to small steps. Where, where, where's that balance? I'm playing it by ear, Julie's. And hopefully I don't really have a plan as far as balance goes. I'm doing the best I can. I said, I've been so fortunate to be home with them for so many years. It really is, it's an interesting challenge to now try to be planning all these ways I can give back in my community and events and appearances, as well as being there for my family the way I have been. Yes, I am down one child, her being away at school. But that doesn't mean her needs have decreased any. It's just, she's further away. So as far as balancing it, I'm not sure I'm doing the best that I can. I definitely have a soft spot now for, and not that I haven't before, but even more so for working mothers and how they manage all of that. I feel like, wow, the challenge is real. Trying to be there for everyone and everything. It's difficult. And just trying to do the best that I can. Yes, in the background, though, the big challenges, this was a big challenge for me. I didn't, I didn't expect it at this point in my life. It was something some of these women really hope and work towards. And I'm so grateful for the opportunity. But as Julie said, looking back at my life, I have been choosing, pushing myself for one big challenge annually. And I think it's really for internally to focus on something greater than just the day to day, my new details, to give myself something to work towards and really push myself at the end of the day. When I know this year is over, I'm going to be so grateful and have learned so much. So even if tomorrow is hard because of X, Y and Z, how amazing is it that I even get to learn those lessons that why this was hard and how I overcame it? I just, so that's kind of been an annual, like grandiose thing of just picking something. Yes, the marathon, my century ride, some other things that haven't been out there. Dancing on stage in a swimsuit. Come on. That's like the, yeah. So Mika, we just, I just got back from Mrs. America in Las Vegas, right? So that was. Wow. Yes. Super grateful to be representing our state of Illinois, but very intimidating. Never having, I've never been to a pageant, let alone been in a pageant. And because for this particular system in the state of Illinois, because it was an appointed position and not like a statewide pageant, like a lot of the southern states have, I didn't have that like practice round. I went from zero to hero pretty quick. And I, wow, on stage in this national pageant, just really hoping to do my state proud and make my family happy that they traveled so far to see me out there, not trip. But what an empowering experience to push myself like that. We were out there for 10 days and be with these women. And I just knew at the end of every day, if I could get through the next day, how incredible this experience would be on the back end. So that's what could be going. Which is very empowering and it shows a lot of your strength. I know that you had some challenges, some personal family challenges during that time. Do you want to share that with the audience with being in Las Vegas and running for Miss USA pageant, some of the challenges like the family related challenges that you experience? Sure. So first of all, Mrs. America, because they're two different systems, not USA. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm learning to sit over here. We're about it. Those how much I know. Hey, this is all new to me, but they're very different from what I have come to understand. Anyway, so for Mrs. America is way better. The oldest, it's very, it's very like the classic pageant. I don't know. Anyway, so yes, I was in Las Vegas for 10 days, three days prior to that, I had dropped my oldest off at college, which was tough. You know? She's doing great. And so I'm happy with that. And that makes it easier. But that's, that's a tough one, especially me. I'm, I'm hypersensitive sometimes, they will say. So I get to Vegas, homesick for my family, missing my daughter. And a couple days in, I get a phone call that my uncle has passed away. This is the youngest of my dad's brothers. There's four brothers on that side of the family and just totally out of the blue. So that was another curveball. And it was tough. Of course, they debated on even telling me, which is another story, because they didn't want me upset or worried or what have you. But yeah, to get through the days, knowing my family is upset, particularly my dad, his brother, that was tough. I'm, I'm, I'm up early in hair and makeup two times a day. And then I'm in outfit changes three times a day. All these women are doing all this content creation. And here I am trying to just keep my chin up and not miss my family or my daughter or worry about worry about my dad. But again, I just, I took solace in knowing that if I could get through, I would be proud of myself at the end of the day. And then same with the physical challenges, like the marathon at 18 mile runs, they suck. But at the end of the day, when you get through that and you finish that long run, how proud of yourself do you feel? This is true. This is really, really true. But that was the drive for me. So yeah, but that was personal challenges, right? It was, it was tough. And knowing my family would be there at the end of the week, they would be there to, to watch and support and work towards that. So there's something about coming out on the other side. Of something like a challenge, like a big resistance. There's something, and I can't really think of a, of an adjective for it, but there's something that it's, there's a relief, but not just a relief. It's like a deposit that gets placed in you when you've completed something so hard, something so difficult. It's so difficult. Whether it's crossing that finish line for a marathon or I remember this one woman, I can't remember what it was. She walked for seven hours in Mexico, like one city from her village with no shoes, just to be able to run into this marathon. And I can't remember. I wish I remembered the name of that, the marathon. And she was from a very small village in Mexico and she actually came in the first place. Oh my gosh. She walked for seven hours before beginning this race, this race that, and she was in, if memory serves me right, she was in a long skirt and she had her running shoes on. And she just, she looked very domesticated, like very just someone's housewife, but she was running this marathon. And she was like five foot, five foot tall. And she did what was like, what I would see, what I would believe as impossible. Right. And she was exhausted and she came in the first place. There is something about doing something so difficult that there's a reward in it. Something gets deposited in you. And I kind of feel like that's what happened with you, was doing the marathon. And then getting through this, this patent in Las Vegas and it's like, I did it. Right. You felt that? Yes. For sure. And I think even, and I was talking to Julie before we went on here a little bit, even the day to day, because I don't have a huge team or anything to help me. I don't have PR or supports in that way. There's a lot of back end work, right? For appearances and events and stuff like that. I don't have a PR person. Has Gerald has PR. Yeah. I'm here with her. She has been helping me for sure. But what I mean is like, you know, at the end of the year, yes, that this box will be checked and no one can take that away from me. And I know I'll be proud of myself and I'll look back and hopefully take time at all the good I've been able to be involved with. Right. But even besides that, it's the day to day, every week, every month, there's like these many challenges within this role that I didn't even think about when I accepted it. It's doing a podcast. I've never done that before. Being on live TV. Yes. Of course, the pageant. That was huge. And even then that week, there was daily dance routine. Like what? When was the last time you were in a dance routine on a stage? In a swimsuit on a stage, you know, walking into some of these 800 people galas not knowing a soul. There's these many challenges where I'm pushing myself and again, working towards, okay, just you can get through this. It's worth it. And especially for that feeling on the other side. So yes. The year is one thing, my reign, but also throughout, I'm working towards these different like little mini challenges, at least to me, at least in my experience, because it's all new. All of it. Wow. Challenging yourself, I think it's the key to happiness. It's the key to grow. It's the key to building that inner wisdom, inner beauty. Tracy, obviously, is beautiful inside and out. And everyone listening, I want you to check out the show notes. We'll have links to follow her on Instagram, Facebook. She is changing the world. She is teaching our youth how to give back the power of philanthropy and the power of challenging ourselves as human beings. Because otherwise, we're just just living life through what's the point of it. Right. And, and honestly, like as a gift for being on, we don't normally do this, but as a gift for being on our show. One of our favorite products is the organic skincare company. And we love this. We are obsessed. They are a sponsor of this podcast obsessed. We love Megan Dunbrush. They have the most luxury line. I will set you up with the products. Guys, check out the organic skincare company. Mika, you love it too. You take it whenever you travel. I use it every day. Every success. So we'll set you up. Queen's Slate. Drop it off at your house. Thank you. Get obsessed with Tracy. Place your droves. Get obsessed with your life. Take it over, Mika. Thank you so much for being on our show, Tracy. It's always wonderful having my co-host, my wing. Woman, queen, dual, so honored. And everyone see what other adventures Miss Illinois is going to be on next. Yes. Thanks, you guys, so much for having me. Maybe you'll be Miss Iowa next year. I'm too high. Miss was I. I met Mrs. Iowa. She's great. They're all great. Side note, at nationals, all of the women were phenomenal. So accomplished. So, for sure. And just the was it almost a shock. I didn't know what to expect going in, but they were so good to me. And I feel like I've made lifelong friends. It's so cheesy. But 45 new friends, right? Yeah, at 45. Who would have ever thought I was something I was just not expecting. And the women there, and I think they all feel it. We were just so grateful to be around each other for those 10 days. It was something totally unexpected and awesome. You know, women inside and out and so accomplished. I love that. Yeah. That is power, woman power on the highest level. So thank you, Mrs. Dross, if you will. And I'm Charlottes R. Q. So thanks for your time and get obsessed with your life. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Have a good one. I'm sort of obsessed. We're obsessed with you. Show your love by rating, reviewing, subscribing and sharing with your friends. Every time you share, you are changing someone else's life. Until we meet again, get obsessed with your life. If you liked the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.
