Jennifer Daly on Showing Up When the Crown Comes Off
After her title run ended, Jennifer Daly, Mrs. USA 2023, kept showing up.
She attended events she wasn’t required to attend. She promoted causes without her name attached. She supported other women stepping into opportunities she had already experienced herself. There were no crowns to chase and no judges to impress. She showed up anyway.
For Daly, that’s the point.
“You don’t need a crown to cheer someone on,” Daly says. “You just need to show up.”
Continuing to Show Up After the Title
A lot of people love the season where the spotlight is bright and the calendar is full. The real test comes after the title is no longer a reason people call, when the invitations slow down, when no one is keeping score.
Daly’s leadership doesn’t depend on being watched.
Getting involved in the community, she says, isn’t something she does because pageantry trained her to. It’s “a life’s calling.” That’s why she continued to volunteer, share resources, and amplify causes long after the required appearances ended.
Using Visibility as Preparation, Not a Destination
Pageantry gave Daly a platform. She entered pageantry during a pivotal moment: in 2020, she realized her life revolved around her children and she “wasn’t choosing to pour into” herself. What shook her wasn’t just personal burnout — it was what she realized she was modeling for her daughters.
That moment didn’t lead to a dramatic reinvention. It led to a decision: Daly would challenge herself to improve “in all areas,” and she would do it in a way her daughters could witness, not just hear about.
Pageantry offered an intentional goal for physical and mental fitness, and it created a structure where growth wasn’t optional. Daly leaned into that stretch, and her success opened doors. But what matters now is what she built with those doors.
Over the years, she has collaborated with more than 50 businesses and nonprofits, using social media and partnerships to connect people with causes that matter. She believes many leaders want to serve, but hesitate because they don’t know where to begin — or they’re simply afraid to ask.
“Business leaders want to be a part of their local community,” Daly explains. “Most people are just afraid to ask.”
That’s the gap she closes: she normalizes action. She teaches women and leaders to step forward anyway.
A Practical Approach to Women’s Leadership
Daly’s platform has always been “two fold.” She names the problem plainly: women comparing themselves to others until they feel like they “just aren’t good enough.” Her answer isn’t performative confidence. It’s unity — practiced.
“Unity in Community,” Daly says, is about empowering women to use their unique skills and talents, and by sharing them, “we can all learn, grow and come together.”
This is women’s empowerment without the fluff. It’s women’s leadership development rooted in real-world decisions: show up, build relationships, use your gifts, stop shrinking, ask for the collaboration, follow through.
Her advice to women starting out in pageantry or building a platform reflects the same backbone:
“Start with the heart,” Daly says. “When your intentions are for positive impact, and not just a shiny new crown, there’s nothing that can stop you.”
Fierce Angels Fashion: More Than a Boutique
Daly didn’t set out to build a fashion brand. The idea came from something she kept hearing during pageants: women complimenting her wardrobe and then reaching out online asking where she found her outfits. The demand wasn’t just for clothing. It was for a feeling: confidence, presence, and the permission to stand out.
That’s where Fierce Angels Fashion began and why it’s never been “just” about selling glam dresses and jumpsuits.
Fierce Angels offers unique, affordable glam. These dresses and jumpsuits are designed for women who want to show up looking like themselves, not like they borrowed someone else’s identity. Daly built it for the woman who’s tired of saving confidence for “someday”, rather the woman who has a reason to be seen now.
But Daly’s deeper commitment is what separates Fierce Angels from a typical online boutique: the brand is built to stand for good.
“To me, the business goes so far beyond selling clothes,” Daly says. “It’s about encouraging women to: Stand Up. Stand Out. Stand for Good.”
That mission is operational, not aspirational. Fierce Angels models are selected for their positive impact in their communities, and the brand donates a portion of sales to nominated nonprofits every quarter. In other words: the purchases don’t just dress women, they support them, and they support the causes they care about.
Fierce Angels becomes a form of purpose-driven entrepreneurship: confidence you can wear, generosity you can measure, and community impact you can trace.
Standing Beside Others, Not in Front of Them
Pageantry strengthened Daly’s confidence and sharpened her voice, but it also taught her something less visible: how to stand beside others without needing to be in front.
Right now, she’s focused on expanding Fierce Angels, continuing her coaching and speaking through Cheering On Moms, and developing new digital resources that will live on her site. As far as pageantry, Daly describes herself as being “in a season of waiting.” She’s accomplished what she wanted through it, and she’s thankful for the roads it helped her travel. She may compete again someday, but she doesn’t need competition to keep contributing.
Because Daly’s leadership doesn’t require a spotlight.
“Leadership,” Daly believes, “is not defined by seasons of visibility, but by consistency when no one is keeping score.”