Sierra Scott

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE? 
THE FREEDOM!!!! The freedom to be fully and completely myself. The freedom to no longer agonize over what others think of me. I no longer need to seek approval and validation from those outside myself. I spent so much of my life being a people pleaser, sacrificing my needs and wants to be liked and have the biggest group of friends possible. I love the wisdom and experience I have gained through the years. I’ve made so many mistakes, and there can’t be a lot left to make.

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
I absolutely LOVE it!!! You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to my 20s! All the tough decisions in my life have already been made. Now, I have the time to concentrate on what I want to do to leave a positive mark on the planet and make the world a better place. Now, I have the time and money to help others in need. I am no longer using all my time and energy trying to climb the corporate ladder.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
NOW! I’m so much more comfortable in my skin – which is funny because I didn’t get comfortable in my skin until my skin was old, dry, and wrinkled with patches of cellulite. When my skin was perfect, my weight was perfect, and I had a head full of hair, I never felt pretty enough, good enough, smart enough, or powerful enough. I always felt like I was an imposter. Now that I’ve been through so many hardships and overcome so many obstacles, I realize that with God, I can do anything. In truth, I’ve loved every decade of life more than the one before it.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
Helping OTHERS and making others happy. I no longer define success by the things I have accumulated, the titles I earned, or the awards I’ve been given. I used to be so focused on having the biggest, the best, the newest, the most, and now I can’t wait to give things away! I truly get joy in seeing someone get use out of something I really didn’t need in the first place.

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
Connecting people. Through my career in TV, I have gotten to know some of the most incredible people from all walks of life. Although I don’t have all the answers, there’s a good chance I know someone who does, and I love sending people in the right direction to get those answers.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Keeping a soft heart in what can sometimes be a harsh world. There are so many things that happen along our individual journeys that can easily make us bitter, resentful, or angry. I am so grateful that my parents taught me that wisdom served me well.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Taking time for myself. As I said earlier, I spent so much of my life trying to make others happy, it took me a long time to get comfortable just sitting down in a nice, quiet place to read a book. (I still don’t do it often enough.)

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION? 
A photo album my mother spent hours working on that contains pictures and memories that remind me of all the special moments in my life. My mother spent DAYS laying everything out, and it makes me cry every time I look through it. At one time in my career, I lived in St. Petersburg, Florida, and I had 2 hours to pack everything into my car that I wanted to protect from an incoming hurricane. I ran into the house to grab what I thought I would want, but instead, all I took were photos, old letters, and a doll house that was hand-made for me by my grandfather. That’s when I realized that all the things I thought were precious were just “things” and could be replaced.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST? 
This is a tough one to answer because I’ve been blessed to have been able to check so many things off my bucket list. (But I still have 127 things on my list that I have yet to achieve.) I have traveled to all 50 states and 29 different countries and territories. I have gone skydiving, scuba diving, driven a real race car on a real race track, and rappelled down a 14-story building. All these things have been my “favorites.”

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
When everyone around me is happy, healthy, and safe. I find my moments of true bliss are when I look around a room full of the people I love and watch them laughing and having a good time.

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
I have to give all the credit to my mother on this one: she taught me to always look for the positive in EVERY situation and to focus on it. That ability has helped me not only overcome but thrive in what could be considered very dire situations.

WHAT HARDSHIPS HAVE YOU ENDURED THAT YOU FEEL HAVE MADE YOU STRONGER?
There are so many that I honestly don’t know where to start. 1) I lived my entire childhood in a double-wide trailer. We were very poor, and I learned to set goals and work hard for EVERYTHING I achieved. 2) I was in a severe motorcycle accident in junior high, and it took me almost a year to learn to walk correctly again, I still have pain with every step I take to this very day. 3) My father left my mother and me when I was in high school, and my mother had to work 3 jobs to pay the bills, so I didn’t see her much during that time. That taught me to be more self-sufficient. 4) I got fired from one of my TV jobs and had to start from the bottom again. That also taught me patience and humbleness. 5) I recently lost everything on the first floor of my home during Hurricane Helene. This taught me to reset my priorities and increased my appreciation for the safety of my family and friends.

All of these were life-altering events that ultimately changed the trajectory of my life in many ways and my perceptions of it. Although on the surface, all of these may seem like horrible experiences, they all made me the person I am today, and I am grateful for each and every one of them. They not only made me stronger, but they also made me more compassionate, more determined, wiser, and more grateful.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
To chill out! Stop living in such a stressful state. It will all work out! I was constantly striving and fighting to get to the top as fast as possible. Early in my television career, I worked 7 days a week trying to get noticed and get ahead. I spent very little time “enjoying life” and instead spent every waking minute working. I needed a better work/life balance. I missed out on a lot of fun in my 20s and 30s.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN? 
Learn EVERYTHING you can. Learn from EVERYONE you can. Stay after work and learn how to do other jobs in your company. The more you know the more valuable you are. And never say, “That’s not my job” when asked to help out. Jump in and do it!

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Loyalty. I think it’s important to have friends who say good things about you even when you aren’t in the room. Women, in general, tend to be extremely competitive, so it’s important to find a group that supports, encourages, challenges, and makes you better.

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
Where do I start??? I’m not the same person I was in my 20s, 30s, 40s or even 50s. Age teaches you so many things. I’m more compassionate, patient, and wiser, and my perspective has changed. I am more able to determine what a real problem is and which are the little things that won’t matter in a year or two. My priorities are completely different. After the deaths of a few close family and friends, you know what REALLY matters in life. The people you love. The rest is just “icing.”

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
To stop being such a perfectionist. I tend to beat myself up for days whenever I make a mistake. I hold myself to a very high standard, which can be a good thing, or if taken too seriously, it can be really bad.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS? 
That they don’t measure their value by the likes they get on social media. Although being “popular” is nice, there are things that are far more important than that. Taking a stand for “what’s right” may not always be popular, but it’s the most important thing to do.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
Take classes and online courses in anything that interests you for the rest of your life. NEVER STOP SETTING GOALS! I’m 61 years old andI’m still finding ways to challenge myself to try things I’ve never done before. NEVER SAY YOU’RE TOO OLD. I am the oldest winner, the Ms. USA Ambassador Pageant has ever had. I plan to keep breaking barriers until the day I die. IF YOU HAVE A DREAM, DON’T LET ANYTHING STOP YOU!