Beyond Miss Universe: Overcoming Adversity and Finding True Identity with Demi-Leigh Tebow

This week, I was joined by Demi-Leigh Tebow , who shared how she uncovered her true identity, built unshakable faith and overcame profound adversities.

Demi is no stranger to the spotlight. She was crowned Miss Universe in 2017, married famous NFL quarterback Tim Tebow in 2020 and recently released her best-selling book, A Crown That Lasts: You Are Not Your Label. Alongside her personal achievements, she’s deeply committed to charity work through the Tim Tebow Foundation.

But behind the success, Demi’s journey has been marked by significant challenges. Whether it was redefining herself beyond her career, coping with her sister’s severe special needs and subsequent loss, or escaping a brutal carjacking in South Africa, Demi has faced major trials that tested her resilience and faith.

In this episode, Demi shares powerful insights on overcoming adversity, finding your true identity, and becoming the best version of yourself, both professionally and personally.

My Key Takeaways:

Stop Letting Your Success Define You

• Demi opened up about how empty she felt after handing over her Miss Universe crown, realizing that when we tie our identity to achievements, we’re left searching for something more when they're gone. It’s a powerful reminder that success alone doesn’t define us.

“When we root our worth and value in our life circumstances, it can so quickly send us on a roller coaster of emotions, a roller coaster of feeling like we’re not enough.”  – Demi-Leigh Tebow

The Power of a Strong Community  

• Demi highlighted how essential it is to have a close circle of people who really get you—your “pit crew.” They’re the ones you can count on during your hardest moments, offering support, guidance and sometimes just being there when you need it most.

“I just think of that pit crew of people, everyone has their role that they play. And when push comes to shove, you need your pit crew of people. Who are those people and what's their role in your life?”  – Demi-Leigh Tebow

Turning Adversity into Purpose

• After surviving a carjacking, Demi-Leigh didn’t let fear control her. Instead, she turned that terrifying experience into a mission to help others through her “Unbreakable” workshops, showing that we can take our most painful moments and use them to lift others up.

“I realized I can spend the rest of my life questioning God or I can choose to spend the rest of my life trusting God.”  – Demi-Leigh Tebow

We’ve got a bunch of copies of Demi’s book, A Crown that Lasts: You Are Not Your Label, and we’ll be giving them away until they’re all gone. Here’s what to do next if you’d like your free copy:  

• First, text the number 82 to 785-800-3235
• We’ll reply back asking you to leave an honest rating and review of the show.
• Once completed, we’ll grab your mailing address and ship you the book. That’s it!  

Please note, text message and data rates may apply, you can opt-out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive.

More on Doing Business and Doing Life.

This week’s episode with former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow really made me think about the goals and achievements we chase in life.

During our conversation, she shared how, after winning Miss Universe and wearing the crown for that short year, she had to come to terms with who she was without it. She had to ask herself what truly mattered in life, what her identity was beyond the title and how to find meaning in that.

It got me reflecting on how often we define ourselves by our successes, rather than who we are at our core.

This week Ryan, one of our coaches, sent me a video that echoed much of what Demi-Leigh shared. It was a two-minute clip where Andre Agassi—the former tennis star—shares that “failure and success are just an illusion” and drops some profound wisdom in a short amount of time.

Agassi knows plenty about both success and failure. In his career, Agassi was ranked number one in the world only to fall to 140th and then climbing back up.

One of my favorite parts is his analogy about why the windshield of a car is bigger than the rearview mirror—and how that reflects life. If you want to dig deeper into Agassi’s philosophy, I highly recommend his autobiography Open.

It’s packed with life lessons that resonate, especially when it comes to understanding the why behind what we’re all chasing.