There is a moment when Annastasia Mason enters a room that everything seems to still. Not because of her crown, not even because of the aura of elegance that surrounds her, but because she carries a presence that feels both regal and real. She is the reigning Ms. Universe®️2025, but titles have never been her greatest triumph. She hasn’t always felt like the beautiful girl/woman, she states. What defines her is the way she turns experience into empathy, purpose into power and has a sense of perseverance that is unparalleled by most.
Annastasia is a woman who has lived a thousand lives in one. A mother of three, an advocate for survivors of domestic violence, a model, an artist, and a budding Psychologist/Art Therapist seeking knowledge, she moves between worlds with the ease of someone who has seen both darkness and dawn. Her story is not one of overnight success but of an enduring kind heart. Every chapter, every lesson, every heartbreak, every bad decision (and good) has shaped the woman who now stands before the world as a symbol of rebirth, and resilience.
The Making of a Modern Queen
Born with a natural curiosity for what makes all people tick and beauty on many levels, in her younger years, Annastasia pursued her studies in Psychology and Art Education, weaving together two disciplines that would come to define her worldview. Psychology gave her a profound understanding of human condition, profound empathy and emotion, while art taught her the language of self-expression and just what “Beauty is Universal™️” would truly come to mean in her later life . Together, they created a bridge between intellect and intuition, between healing and creation.
Her journey into modeling began decades ago, not as a quest for fame, she was a child. However, it became a search for voice and would later become a way to empower others. The camera, she says, never lies. It can show us a side of “self” that maybe we hadn’t seen before. In a seemingly full of awe and wonder sort of way, she states, “Every photographer finds something to show that maybe didn’t cross another’s mind. It’s a blessing. It captures energy, emotion, and even a hidden essence.”And for Annastasia, modeling became a form of storytelling — a way to celebrate individuality in a world that often demands conformity. She boldly quotes Dolly Parton, “It’s hard to be (or try to be) a diamond in a rhinestone world.” Celebrating our differences should be a beautiful thing but being unique/different and celebrating that can be a hard, bumpy journey within our own minds due to that exact conformity rule society tends to embrace.
30 plus years later(heading toward 40), she remains one of the few women who have managed to evolve through every era of the beauty industry while staying entirely authentic. She has seen trends come and go, but her belief has never changed. Beauty, she insists, is not about perfection. It is about presence. It is the art of being fully yourself in a world that constantly tells you to be someone else and remembering that you still deserve to be celebrated when you aren’t a typical cut out or seen as the conventional beauty standard. She remembers being the skinny nerd wanting to fit in, in her very early life. Being called “skinny” and being hurt by the words sat with her for a long time. “That story is an entirely other can of worms”, she states and smirks while saying it.
The Queen Bee of Positivity™️
In the circles that orbit around her, she is lovingly called “the Queen Bee of Positivity™️”. It is not a nickname she gave herself but one earned through her work and her spirit. Annastasia’s energy radiates warmth. She speaks in affirmations that sound less like rehearsed quotes and more like truths she has lived.
“Positivity is not pretending that pain doesn’t exist,” she says. “It is remembering that you are greater than what tried to break you.”
That philosophy became the foundation for everything she has been building. Her Positively You™️ Empowerment Studio serves as a sanctuary for those who have lost their sense of self. Within its walls, women are encouraged to rediscover their confidence, their creativity, and their courage. The studio is not about makeovers or mirrors; it is about a total transformation from the inside out.
From this vision grew Warrior Women International™️, a global sisterhood that champions women’s rights, mental health awareness, domestic violence awareness and advocacy and total wellbeing . It is a community where stories of pain can be shared and empathy given. It’s a place where stories are rewritten into stories of power, where women learn that healing is not a destination but a daily practice.
Beauty from the Ashes©️
Annastasia created her signature mentorship course and mentorship program, Beauty From Ashes©️, for women who have endured hardship and are ready to reclaim their lives. The title, she explains, came to her during a quiet moment of reflection when our creator. She envisioned the phoenix — the mythical creature that rises from its own ashes — and saw in it a mirror of her own journey.
The program is less about outer transformation and more about spiritual restoration. It guides women and girls through self-forgiveness, emotional renewal, and rediscovery of purpose. Each module blends self awareness, mental heath care, mindfulness, embracing individual creativity, and self worth affirmation , allowing participants to rebuild their sense of identity with compassion, tolerance and intention.
When Annastasia speaks about the women she mentors, her eyes soften. “Every woman has a story she’s shields the world from,” she says. “But when she finds the courage to speak it, she begins to heal not just herself but others listening. It can be a very humbling and vulnerable place but it has immense purpose and results.”
Her vision is not to create followers but leaders — women who can stand tall in their truth, knowing that the cracks in their past are what let the light in and have made them have a stronger foundation.
The Crown as a Calling
For most people, receiving the title of Ms. Universe®️ would be the culmination of a lifelong dream. For Annastasia, it is simply another chapter in her ongoing mission to elevate others. Her reign is not defined by appearances on red carpets or glittering stages but by her commitment to advocacy, tolerance, empathy, unity and education.
She collaborates with organizations around the world to promote Domestic Violence Awareness and to create safe spaces for survivors and strives to help any advances in legislation in this arena. Her work has taken her from community shelters to international summits, where she speaks with the eloquence of someone who has not only studied trauma but transcended it.
In recognition of her influence, New York Weekly named her among the Top 30 Most Influential Women of 2025. Yet she speaks of the honor with humility, calling it a reminder that influence is not measured by how many people know your name, but by how many lives you touch.
Beauty as a Universal Language- Beauty is Universal™️
Annastasia’s personal mantra, Beauty is Universal™️, reflects her belief that beauty has no boundaries. It exists in every culture, every age, every experience. It is not something to be owned or compared but something to be shared.
In her world, beauty is activism. It is inclusion. It is empathy. Whether she is mentoring a young woman struggling with self-esteem or standing on an international stage, she sees beauty as a way to build bridges where walls once stood.
Her message resonates with generations of women who are tired of being told what to be. She reminds them that femininity is not fragility. It is a force. It is the energy that heals, nurtures, and creates.
The Legacy of Light
Annastasia’s life is a tapestry woven with love, loss, hard knocks, learning, and leadership. Her greatest pride, she says, is not her titles but her children. They are her daily reminder of purpose and the reason she continues to push for a kinder world and make them as proud of her as she is of them.
She dreams of her empowerment studio’s reach crossing continents, offering access to emotional healing courses and creative education for women and youth. She envisions partnerships between visionaries, artists, and educators and more who can carry her mission forward long after the spotlight fades.
In conversation, she is as grounded as she is graceful. There is no sense of separation between the woman and the queen. Both exist in harmony. Her power lies in her authenticity, her elegance in her empathy.
As the interview ends, she reflects quietly. “We are all connected and walking a long journey home,” she says. “If I can make that journey a little brighter for someone, then my crown has served its purpose. Let your blessings bless others.”
Credits:
Photo: MM Photography and BTA Productions
Hair and Makeup: Positively You™️
Stylist: Positively You™️Empowerment Studio
