March 2020 | Vol. 20 Iss. 03
FREE ‘YOUR MAGNIFICENCE IS THE DIFFERENCE’ EDUCATOR, COACH AND VOLUNTEER TAKES ON ONE MORE TITLE:
‘MRS. JORDAN VALLEY’ By Alison Brimley | a.brimley@mycityjournals.com
P
eople sometimes ask Launa Christiansen whether she grew up competing in beauty pageants. It’s a fair question. Besides having the smile and energy of a beauty queen, Christiansen was just named Mrs. Jordan Valley. In March, she’ll compete in the Mrs. Utah pageant, and if she advances, she’ll be eligible for Mrs. America and Mrs. Universe competitions. But this is the first pageant for Christiansen, a local business owner and mother of six. And getting her to the stage took a bit of persuading. Though a friend repeatedly encouraged her to apply, she was not interested. Then she had a change of heart. “I decided to do it to stretch myself to become a better version of myself,” she said. After her application was accepted, Christiansen was allowed to choose the area of the state she wanted to represent. Because her business serves students from West Jordan, South Jordan and surrounding cities, Christiansen dubbed herself “Mrs. Jordan Valley.” “I’m honored to represent our city,” she said. “And I love our state. I think we are a state of people who really do live life with their hearts.” Christiansen is the owner of Little Learners Academy, a school she started more than 20 years ago in her home. Today, Little Learners has its own campus with more than 200 preschool and kindergarten students. The curriculum she writes is used all over the country, and her approach teaches concepts through music, which she said guarantees high levels
of retention. “Even though we’ve gotten big, every child is still educated like I’d like my own children to be educated,” she said. A second passion of hers is health. Years ago, Christiansen found herself 100 pounds overweight, with “severe health issues” that prevented her from doing the things she wanted to do. She found a program that allowed her to transform her health. “I felt released,” Christiansen said. People wanted to know her secret. She became a health coach and has helped hundreds make similar life changes. Christiansen also serves on the Board of Directors for Sheroes United, a volunteer organization that fights human trafficking and domestic violence and supports women in the military. Christiansen oversees the domestic violence efforts, supervising volunteers that help people leaving unsafe relationships get back on their feet. She’s also a member of the Mama Dragons, a group that supports mothers of LGBTQ children. “Everything I do, I do because of my heart,” she said. “If my heart doesn’t call me to it, I don’t do it.” At first, she saw the pageant as a way for her to stretch and challenge herself. During the application process, she learned that contestants must have a platform. She realized it Launa Christiansen will proudly represent West Jordan and surrounding was more than just an opportunity to change herself but to do cities at the Mrs. Utah pageant, to take place March 21 at Ogden High School. (Photo courtesy Launa Christiansen) good for others as well. Christiansen sees all of her professional and volunteer efforts united by a single idea: “Your magnificence is the difContinued page 9 ference.” That became her platform. Her strength is seeing
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