For the 21st time a Don Baker client has won the title of Miss America, Miss USA, Miss America's Outstanding Teen or Miss Teen USA.

Stormi Henley, Miss Tennessee Teen USA, won the title of Miss Teen USA 2010 in the Bahamas this past July 31. In fact 10 of the Top 15 and the entire Top Five were clients of Don Baker. Here's a rundown on the Top Five:

• Stormi Henley (Miss Tennessee) - Miss Teen USA.
• Brooke Fletcher (Miss Georgia) - 1st Runner-up.
• Chelsea Gilligan (Miss California) - 2nd Runner-up.
• Kasey Staniszewski (Miss Maryland) - 3rd Runner-up.
• Brittany Guidry (Miss Louisiana) - 4th Runner-up.

Here is updated information on Don Baker's upcoming seminar schedule:

Aug. 23 (Sun.) - Clarksville, TN (Exclusive to Miss Tennessee USA contestants.)

Aug. 30 (Sun.) - Baton Rouge (Exclusive to Miss Louisiana USA contestants.).

Sept. 12 (Sat.) - Columbia, SC (Exclusive to Miss South Carolina USA contestants.).

Sept. 13 (Sun.) - High Poi8nt, NC (Exclusive to Miss North Carolina USA contestants.).

# Sept. 19 (Sat.) - Indianapolis (See details below.).

Nov. 8 (Sun.) - Philadelphia (Exclusive to Miss Pennsylvania America contestants; Contact Autumn Maris - 724 984-3010.).

March 27 (Sat.) - North Platte, NE (Exclusive to Miss Nebraska America contestants.).

# Here are the details for the Sept. 19 Indianapolis event:

Location: Embassy Suites North (3912 Vincennes Rd. / 317 872-7700).

Seminar Fee: $50 (cash, check, Mastercard, Visa, American Express); payable at the door.

Guests: Each seminar attendee is invited to bring up to two people (parents, local directors) who are not contestants. These guests are complimentary.

Eligible: All Miss America and Miss USA contestants are invited plus contestants from any other legitimate pageant system (Mrs., Miss and Teen).

Start Time: Registration will begin at 10 a.m.; the actual seminar will start at 10:30 a.m.

Pre-Registration: Attendees must pre-register by calling Don Baker (404 434-6452). Pre-registration closes at Noon (Central Time) on Sept. 18.

Individual Appointments: Individual appointments with Don Baker are available on a first-come, first served basis. Note he will be taking these Friday (Sept. 18) afternoon and evening, Saturday (Sept. 19) afternoon and evening, and Monday (Sept. 21) afternoon and evening. Note Don Baker must go to Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 20. Call Don Baker (404 434-6452) for details.

Recently a contestant asked me, "How do I sustain the big picture throughout the pageant itself; how do I keep my focus on it?" Good question! The fact is two, three perhaps four or five contestants go to Las Vegas each year for the Miss America Pageant or the Miss USA Pageant in the frame of mind consistent with winning the pageant itself and thus becoming Miss America or Miss USA. That's a fact; a sad fact but a fact!

Those who can sustain it because they understand what we're talking about are among the two, three, four or five. The rest each year leave Las Vegas with regrets; regrets they'll live with the rest of their lives. The July Newsletter (Materials and Products) covers this.

Words of the Month:

coalesce - to grow together; to fuse.

The House speaker was desperately trying to coalesce conservative Democrats with the liberal members of her party to save President Obama's health care plan.

innocuous - having no adverse affect; harmless.

The new government regulations seemed to be innocuous in terms of the country emerging from the recession.

complicit - associated with or participating in a questionable act or crime.

The "Blue Dog" Democrats said they would not be a complicit with liberals who were sponsoring a bill that would not help health care but, at the same time, would drastically raise taxes.

Factoid:

"Presence" is defined by an accumulation of your non-verbal communication skills complemented - not dominated - by parts one (hair, clothes, makeup and physical fitness) and two (posture, stature, walk and carriage) of the preparation.