"Susan Kay's writings are pure gold. I am now inspired to be the best mother possible and to raise my daughter with such joy and hope." – Tracy Balsz - Entertainment Marketing Consultant, Mom of one daughter
“Your book, No Crown Required, is the "mom of daughter manual" every mother should read. What an uplifting breath of fresh air! And your very personal passion to help, to guide, to mentor, shines through on every page.” – Kelly Lester - Actress, Entrepreneur, Mom of three daughters
“Susan Kay Wyatt has a clever way of comparing each part of the pageant to real life. Anyone can relate to the areas she touches on. Especially moms raising daughters. Also – just in regard to self-esteem (which all of us need work on at one time or another in our lives) – we can all relate to this. We want more – because she is such a great story teller." – Leslie Ann McCord - Disney Synergy and Talent Relations, Mom of one daughter
“The pageant delivers more real world life lessons than we give it credit at “face value”, and those are the same lessons Moms want to pass on to daughters. Confidence in life is essential and what our daughters need to succeed. Image and being able to present yourself goes with leadership positions - in business, politics, entertainment - you’ve got to look the part and be sure of yourself or you will never get to share the smart stuff. Do not show up in the board room in sweatpants no matter what your IQ! Miss America as-is is 100% relevant to careers in performance and entertainment (acting, singing, etc.). The interview portion actually makes it more unique from other reality competitions… and those are closer to job interviews in real life." – Patricia Becker - National Director, JLL, Mom of one daughter
“I couldn't and didn't want to put it down - it was a fabulous read! I hope that girls of ALL ages can and will read it! Moms and daughters should read it together too! I look forward to the next book you write! You have such talent SK!” – Kathy Gardner- High School Administrator, Mother of one daughter and one son
“Hits home in so many places. No Crown Required is a must read for any Mom raising a daughter. With wit, intelligence, and awareness, Susan Kay guides us through her insights and perceptions on how to best empower our daughters, whether they want to be pageant girls, or tom boys.” – Andrea Randall - Director of Creative Resources, Mom of one daughter
"Susan Kay's vulnerability is so inspiring.... the way she shared her story in each chapter is what will capture the audience. It is a gift to be able to show your battle scars. Susan Kay invites them in where they can experience her pain while turning it into humor... it is the perfect combination." – Gregg Jackson - Sales and Marketing Director, Father of Miss Indiana 2015
“In a time where pressure continues to grow ten-fold, the relevance, of a book that speaks to courage, compassion, and confidence in raising our children is enormous! Bravo that Susan cracked the code and has known all along where she wanted to go! Beyond her outward beauty, she is smart, talented and witty with a great sense of humor. She challenges others to pursue the best that they can be — a force unto itself! Who she is shines through her words and that force to challenge others, to self-talk and be the best that we ought to be, then challenge those following behind us to do the same is the "take-away" that I see, and I believe this translates beyond our daughters.” - LM Jobson - Business Development Executive, Mom of one daughter and one son
“I loved it. Susan Kay's heart radiates on each page and I felt like she was sitting at my kitchen table, with a glass of wine, telling me a story. I love the openness, the honesty and the smidge of sass she salted her words with.” – Karen Finocchio - CBS Radio Host, Founder of One Tough Muther and The One Tough Muther Show, Mom of one daughter and three sons
“Wow-from the moment I started reading it I couldn’t stop. What a perfect explanation and picture SK painted of her life and experience. I too have many stories to tell from the five years I competed at miss Ohio. I was called beautiful. I was called ugly. I was called smart. I was called dumb. I was called the favorite and then I was also called the cursed-you name it. It was a roller coaster. Thank goodness I had my mother and father at my side the entire time to help me cope with the negativity-but it still hurt. Now that I’m a pageant coach and TV host I wouldn’t trade my experience and Miss Ohio for anything-the good the bad and the ugly. Susan Kay your book is amazing and you have my full support.” – Heather Habura - Pageant Coach, TV Host, Mom of one daughter and two sons
“I loved the honesty, humor and storytelling and especially the ending: Confidence, Courage and Compassion. No Crown required.” – Rebecca Chernack - Project Director, Mom of two daughters
“Susan Kay Wyatt's book No Crown Required is most entertaining and touches on many, many subjects that confuse and confound young people today. I like the fluid, fast pace of her writing that shows on paper just how vibrant she is in person! It appears to me that you learned many valuable lessons in your "pageant days" and you are doing a great job sharing them with your daughter. I think many mothers with daughters would benefit from the points she makes. I know that we often judge others by what we see in front of us and we miss many great opportunities of friendships by using this as our gauge of acceptance. If she helps one mother to help her daughter to see how everyone is beautiful in some way, some part, some thought then she has succeeded.” – Betty Coss- Retired Vascular Ultrasound Technologist, Mom of two sons, three granddaughters and one grandson
“Any mom could benefit from this book in many ways. Thing is, we all have our own journey. Good, bad and ugly, no guarantees so each story is different. This is a beautiful story. It's definitely not over, but I love the way you see and explain it. Now on to living the next book. Looking forward to it. It would be too easy and boring if we had it all figured out and knew the ending. You rock!!" - Barbi Free - Vocal Therapist, Mom of one daughter and one son
“I so loved reading No Crown Required. I don’t get to sit and read for pleasure too often. Honestly, once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. What I loved so much was how Susan Kay intertwined her past and present and how her experiences then shaped who she is now. I was really fascinated with the backstage stories of her amazing accomplishment and what it was really like. Loved the details and hearing how everything played out. I found myself wanting more of that. But I also loved how she described pageantry and how it metaphorically pertains to us and our girls every day. Susan Kay's writing touched me and her openness was eloquent.” – Heather Frey - Founder of SmashFit.com, Mom of two daughters