Alexandra Zanela is a psychology scholar, published researcher, and emerging thought leader in leadership and organizational behavior. She is also an entrepreneur, international fashion model, and pageant titleholder, thriving at the intersection of intellect, presence, and influence. Trained in research but enamoured with real-world impact, she has built a career exploring how confidence, leadership, and visibility are shaped, moving between structured academic worlds and instinctive realms. She has traveled the world, built communities from scratch, and followed her passions in art and science. Today, she unites those experiences through a philosophy rooted in self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the conviction that influence is born of understanding.
Alexandra – at its core, what belief drives the work you do today?
I love art and I love science. Together, these two passions shape who I am today and my broader interest in beauty and people. I’ve always believed that beauty, inside and out, is at once structured and intuitive. On the outside, there are biological realities reflecting science: aging, symmetry, proportion. At the same time, beauty is a harmonious set of elements and will always be artful in its own way.
Internally, beauty shows up as awareness: how we understand ourselves, read others, and move through relationships. That’s where psychology lives for me. Leadership, influence, confidence… it all boils down to emotional intelligence. Understanding people is the first step to creating something meaningful with them. This can be studied scientifically, but it is also its own way of being in the world, shaping how we show up and how we fit in.
What was the moment you knew you couldn’t stay on the expected path?
For a long time, I really wanted to be a professor in organizational behavior, where I specialized in psychology and leadership studies. And maybe one day I will return to it, as I always loved teaching and am a lifelong learner. But there came a point where I found myself asking who my work was really reaching, you know? Sitting in what they called an ‘ivory tower’ – what practical impact was I really making? I love data science and theory, and often spend all day exploring ideas, but the broader impact of academic research started to feel distinctly distant from the real decisions real people make every day.
I didn’t want insight to live in theory alone. I wanted it to shape how people think, how they lead. I also wanted to play in the real world and become a leader instead of watching from the sidelines, analyzing leadership behaviors and group dynamics. That disconnect made it clear. I needed to step out from the academic structure. I needed to build something more applied.
What tension have you personally had to reconcile in order to achieve those goals?
Structure versus freedom, definitely. I followed linear paths for a long time: academically, professionally, personally… But my life’s most formative moments have all been those that saw me stray into uncertainty. I made it a purpose in my life at one point to travel to new places and to explore the world on my own, making connections along the way that to this day shaped my values and identity. I wanted to rediscover myself in unfamiliar places and to build without a blueprint in an adventurous way.
That experience, to me, mirrors entrepreneurship. There’s no clear roadmap when you set out to build something new, just your intuition and adaptability, and your trust in yourself. It’s taught me that growth doesn’t always come from knowing the next step. Often, it comes from taking one of those unknown steps anyway.
Who do you hope connects most with your work?
Women who feel there’s more available to them than their current situation allows. You don’t need all the answers to move forward! You just need the courage to question what’s keeping you restrained. Whether that’s fear, expectation, or comfort… Growth begins when you’re willing to step beyond what feels familiar.
That’s what self-actualization is about. I really believe in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (that human motivation begins with survival needs and gradually shifts toward psychological growth and self-fulfillment). My purpose in life is to reach that pinnacle point of potential, then to help others reach that as well. Not perfection, no… but becoming a better version of myself.
Looking ahead, what conversation do you want to lead?
Having gone to business school where I specialized in leadership studies, and running a leadership platform, I truly want psychology to be taken seriously in leadership. Not as a buzzword but as a foundation.
Understanding yourself and understanding others shapes every outcome. When people grasp that, they perform better, and they create better, too.
What does it mean to represent Canada on an international stage?
It’s something I’m genuinely proud of. The Canadian values I see all around me every day include fairness, inclusivity, and social responsibility. These are values I carry with me wherever I go. Representing that perspective internationally feels meaningful and grounding.
What drew you to pageantry after academia?
Pageantry challenged me in a completely different way. It asked me to be visible, to stand behind what I believe in, and to step outside intellectual comfort zones. It wasn’t about changing who I am on a foundational level as a person. For me, it was about integrating all the parts of myself into one space.
How do you feel about winning the ‘Most Beautiful Body’ and ‘Best Interview Award’?
To be honest, I didn’t expect it. Every woman who participated alongside me was incredibly beautiful, inside and out. I’m truly grateful for the awards and blessed to have such wonderful support. Whether I had won, lost or received no awards at all, this experience would still have been a meaningful accomplishment because what I was really seeking was personal growth.
I’m especially grateful to hold this title from such an impactful pageant stage. It gives me a platform where my voice and influence can truly be heard and felt, and that means a lot to me.
And what can the world expect to see next from you?
That’s a great question, and I’m excited to explore it myself. I see life as a journey of self-discovery, and I can’t wait to challenge and improve myself further and see where it leads, and that has always been my philosophy in life. Right now, I’m preparing to compete in Miss Grand International All Stars, and I’m eager to push myself even further in pageantry. I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface. Aside from the glitz and glam, it is self-awareness, charisma, inspiration, national pride, discipline and training; these are things that greatly motivate me.
I also want to expand my impact through my platform EQx, which helps young individuals develop emotional intelligence and leadership skills. Beyond that, as art and beauty have always been at the heart of my life, I hope to build a lasting legacy in those areas as well. I have always seen myself as an intellectual, yes, but also a creator so I’m excited to see what I create. Most importantly, I want to have fun, and I don’t want to live with regrets. I see this long path toward self-actualization as something to cherish, learning from and enjoying both the highlights and the challenges along the way.
Alexandra Zanela bridges and embodies the worlds she travels through. Whether in class or on the stage, she finds herself when navigating newness, showing us the intimacy of intellect as she makes beauty her own.
Model: Alexandra J. Zanela, Miss Global Asian 2026
Photographer: Ahmad Jafaar
Media Production and Videographer: D’Motions Productions
Hair and Make-up Artist: Fazrin Wahid
Retoucher: Anna Bel Dyden
Pageant Production Company: Tiara Management
