Paige Ewing of Buford wears many hats as well as a crown. She is the co-owner of a 78-year-old cricket farm, she is a grief coach and in August she was named Mrs. America 2025.
She has always been a high achiever. The oldest of three children, leadership skills came easy, as did a shine for the spotlight. In school, she made straight A’s, danced, played softball, was a cheerleader and president of the 4H club.
“If there was something to compete in or be elected for, I went for it,” said Ewing, 42. “It’s who I’ve always been.”
Originally from Louisiana, where her grandfather started Armstrong’s Cricket Farm in 1947, Ewing moved with her family to Glennville, 60 miles west of Savannah. It was simple, small-town living for the Armstrongs, where Ewing went by the nickname Boogie.
Ewing was 11 when she competed in her first pageant, and she won. Bitten by the bug, she continued to compete and win: Junior Miss Tattnall County, Miss Pinewood Christian Academy, Miss Tattnall County, Miss Georgia Sweet Onion.
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
“The pageants with talent and interview components were my favorite,” said Ewing. “I liked being able to express myself.”
At Georgia College and State University, she studied mass communications and was a cheerleader. She dreamed of becoming an entertainment news anchor like her idol Katie Couric. She got accepted for an internship with E! News, but decided to pass on the opportunity.
“It was a non-paying internship,” said Ewing. “My parents were proud and loved my ambition, but they were also practical and unable to financially support me across the country for an entire summer. They asked where I was going to live and how I’d pay for it. They had good points.”
Instead she interned at a news station in Macon, but ultimately decided it wasn’t the career for her. Marriage to her college boyfriend, Michael Ewing, followed.
“I had career goals, yes, but being an anchor didn’t look as desirable as I’d thought, and my future family goals were my priority,” said Ewing.
In 2006, a year after saying “I do,” Ewing placed first runner-up in the Mrs. Georgia pageant. She worked as a teacher and a photographer before welcoming the arrival of her daughters Avery and Charlotte, in 2009 and 2013, respectively.
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Learning to process loss
In 2016, Ewing’s father, Jeff Armstrong, died shortly after a cancer diagnosis. The day before he died, she learned that she and her younger sister, Jessica, would inherit the Armstrong Cricket Farm.
“I didn’t want it initially. I didn’t feel equipped,” said Ewing. “It has become such a blessing for my family, yes, but learning how to run a business while experiencing deep grief for the first time was awful. When my dad died, I felt like the walls of my house fell, and I was completely exposed. My family dynamics changed, and I felt like the caregiver for my mom and siblings.”
Tragically, her grief would only multiply. Two years later, Ewing lost her younger brother, Jacob, and four years later, her mom died.
“I went to counseling after dad died, then again after Jacob, hoping it would make me feel better, but it didn’t, and I got tired of crying,” said Ewing. “I went to therapy after I lost mom and it was great, but it focused on the past and not how to move forward. I needed someone to show me how to live my daily life while carrying my grief.”
Recognizing this gap in grief care, Ewing registered to become a Christian life coach. Then she took it a step further and became a trauma-informed grief coach earlier this year, learning how to help clients integrate an understanding of trauma into their grieving process.
“My goal is to help people shape a new perspective on life and identity after grief,” said Ewing. “I want to coach people on how to move forward and not stay stuck in the past.”
In 2019, Ewing’s daughters expressed interest in competing in pageants, and she didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“There are misconceptions that pageants will negatively affect a girl’s self-image, but it’s the opposite,” said Ewing. “They learn what they’re made of, how they want to carry themselves and discover their voices and opinions.
“Sometimes it goes great and sometimes it doesn’t, just like life,” she said. “We don’t push toxic positivity. It’s OK to be disappointed if you mess up or don’t win, but you hold your chin up and work through the negative emotions. You’re not always going to be chosen in life, and pageants are a great place to learn how to respond.”
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
A return to competition
Last year, Ewing realized she wasn’t done with pageants and decided to compete in Mrs. Georgia again. She thought the platform could elevate her work as a grief coach and help mourners heal with hope.
“It was weird at first, not embarrassing, just weird,” said Avery, 16. “But I also knew the opportunity to help people on a bigger scale as a grief coach meant a lot to her and, as much as my mom has supported me and my sister, I felt like it would be cool to get the chance to support her.”
Ewing’s husband Michael, owner of Ewing Motor Co., initially expressed concern.
“It’s a busy season of life for us and I worried she might be taking on too much,” he said, noting that their girls are involved in sports and activities that fill up the calendar.
“However, I knew she had the right reasons for doing it,” he said with a catch in his voice. “Paige has a pure heart. She doesn’t do things for clout and glory. Yeah, she likes to look pretty and put together, but she’ll wear baggy clothes, hop on a tractor to cut the grass and stick her hand in a big batch of crickets without thinking twice. She’s still an ol’ country girl.”
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Credit: (Contributed by Paige Ewing)
Ewing spent 10 months preparing for Mrs. Georgia. She worked with a nutritionist to refine her diet and a trainer to intensify her workouts. She hired a walking coach to help with poise and posture and hired an interview coach to help her define what she represents. There was not a talent competition to prepare for, but the interview portion accounts for 50% of contestants’ overall score.
“The score sheet is set up to crown a wise, intelligent woman, not just someone with a pretty smile,” said Ewing. “Beauty is part of it, yes, but that’s a reflection of what’s inside. They’re looking for a human being with drive and compassion. That’s the reason pageants have platforms.”
Ewing was crowned Mrs. Georgia in June, and two months later she was crowned Mrs. America in Las Vegas.
When Ewing’s name was announced the winner, she recalled feeling calm, grounded and present. As the sash and crown were placed on her, her eyes were locked on her family in the front row.
“Family over everything, and that moment was proof,” said Ewing. “Even in all the excitement, that moment felt intimate to me. I felt so close to my daughters and proud that I was showing them they can chase a dream at any age. I felt proud to represent my husband and our 20 years of marriage. And I felt proud of my sister and I for living our lives with hope after losing our father, mother and brother. That moment belonged to all of them as much as it belonged to me.”
Paige will compete for Mrs. World in January. Her family will be there, cheering in the audience.
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