It’s hard to stop Katie Winchenbach. After winning the title of United States of America’s Mrs. Maine for 2024, the Windham resident was crowned National United States Mrs. 2025 at the National United States Pageant, held in Hershey, Pennsylvania from July 28 to Aug. 1.
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| Windham resident Katie Winchenbach, a corporate attorney, has won the National United States Mrs. 2025 Pageant and was honored with the pageant's 'Diamond Crowns Making An Impact ™ Award' for outstanding community service work. |
“In 2024 I competed for the United States of America (USOA) pageant system. This time I competed in the National United States pageant,” Winchenbach said. “I chose to switch to National United States because the pageant has a significant community service focus through the ‘Crowns Making an Impact’ initiative and I felt that it was more closely aligned with my personal values and goals.”
Beside winning the national title, Winchenbach was honored at the pageant with the Diamond Crowns Making an Impact ™ Award for her dedication to volunteering and community service. She is passionate about advancing women’s leadership, breaking barriers, and inspiring confidence in women of all ages.
Winchenbach is the founder of Lead Fearlessly, a movement and podcast dedicated to elevating women’s voices, sharing stories of resilience, and providing actionable strategies for personal and professional growth. She is also the designer behind a new clothing line created to inspire confidence through bold, empowering designs.
Beyond her professional achievements, Winchenbach is deeply involved in numerous community organizations. She actively volunteers her time and expertise to initiatives that promote leadership development, mentorship, and education for women and girls. As National United States Mrs. 2025, she said that she looks forward to traveling nationwide to speak, mentor, and collaborate with organizations committed to empowering women.
“This title means more than a crown and sash. To me, it’s a platform to encourage women to embrace their full potential, trust their intuition, and step boldly into leadership,” Winchenbach said. “I’m honored to represent the National United States Pageant system and to connect with women across the country who are ready to lead fearlessly.”
She says that deciding to compete for the National United States Mrs. title gave her the opportunity to evaluate the impact I was making on my community and challenged her to find new ways to tap into my passion for supporting rising women leaders.
“As a result, I created a podcast titled Lead Fearlessly in which I invite women leaders from all over the world to share their stories, their struggles, and their tips,” Winchenbach said. “My goal is to give women all over the world the leadership support that I once needed. This podcast has opened so many doors for me including giving me the opportunity to present my first TEDx talk on leadership and confidence next year and partnering with Supermodels Unlimited for New York Fashion Week and Miami Swim Week events and a clothing line titled Fearless by Katie Winchenbach.”
Along with her husband Jared, she moved to Windham in 2021. She was born in Maine and grew up in the small town of Milford, near the University of Maine Orono. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maine, a Juris Doctorate law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University.
According to Winchenbach, she is humbled to have the support of her family, friends, and community and she loves to stay busy, so she doesn't have a lot of downtime.
“When I do get down time, I love being out on the water on my paddleboard,” she said. “My husband got me an inflatable one a couple of years ago and I love it. I try to get out on the Presumpscot River on the weekends, do paddle board yoga in Casco Bay, and every once and a while bring my rescue pup out for a ride. My family and friends have been incredibly supportive of my pageant journey.”
By competing in pageants such as the National United States Mrs. 2025, Winchenbach is following the footsteps of her late mother.
“My mom competed in a Mrs. pageant when she and my dad were just married,” she said. “She passed away from cancer in November 2022, so this is a really nice way for my family to be able to come together again. They cheered her on over 30 years ago and now they get to cheer me on.”
Her husband has been so incredibly supportive, not just of her pageant participation, but of all the things that have stemmed from that.
“He was front row in Miami when I launched my clothing line, he holds down the fort at home when I travel for appearances and events, and of course, he was right there in the audience when I won this national title,” she said. “I've poured a lot of time and effort into my podcast, my service work, and my pageant preparation. I wouldn't be able to do that without knowing he has my back.”
Winchenbach is optimistic about the future and where it will take her.
“This is a really difficult question because if you asked me even 5 years ago if I thought I would be a national titleholder I would've said no. I just wasn't thinking boldly enough,” she said. “I do know that I want to keep supporting inspiring women leaders. I was fortunate enough to be the keynote speaker for the Maine Department of Corrections Women's Summit and I'm looking forward to more speaking engagements and leading more workshops. I'm also excited to continue serving as President of Women Standing Together Maine and to grow our flagship event, the Leadership Intensive. My goal is to launch a second Leadership Intensive in the central Maine area and to expand the reach of Women Standing Together to all of New England and maybe even the whole United States. And I definitely plan to continue growing my podcast. I know there are so many inspirational women out there who want to share their story and even more women who will benefit from hearing those stories.”
As far as what she’s learned about herself by competing in pageants, Winchenbach says that she feels empowered.
“I didn't realize that I had put myself in a box. I think when you are in a male-dominated field like the legal profession it's easy to get caught up with trying to fit in and I definitely did that,” she said. “It wasn't until I started competing in pageants that I realized I wasn't being my full, authentic self. I have always loved fashion, modeling, and design. I actually went to undergrad with the goal of becoming a fashion writer. When I joined the legal profession, I felt like I had to leave that part of me behind, but pageantry made me see that wasn't the case. I finally found the confidence to show up as who I was meant to be. Now I'm proud to be a successful attorney and a podcast host, model, designer, and advocate for women.”
The National United States Mrs. Pageant celebrates women of all ages for their achievements, leadership, and contributions to their communities, providing a platform for personal growth and public service and Winchenbach said she admires the qualities that the pageant stands for.
“I am honored to hold the title of National United States Mrs. 2025, using my platform to advocate for women leaders, raise awareness of my podcast, and share the knowledge I have learned throughout my career,” she said. “Every woman has the potential to achieve great things, and my mission is to help them unlock it.” <
