Rising Stars: Meet Maggie Marshall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Marshall.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up I always knew I would do big things in this world! I always had the feeling that I was meant to inspire and lead! Then life got chaotic and that vision slowly started to fade… I was stuck in survival mode just worrying about where I would be living or how I was going to buy groceries that day. It was a never-ending cycle. Then we finally went off to college at Penn State, spent one semester there, and realized that I had been chasing a lost dream, I just wanted to escape the environment I was in. I had no desire to go into the criminal justice field anymore. So I moved back home, got two jobs, and spent my days trying to figure out myself and my goals. 7 months later and I’m now across the country in Arizona chasing my new dream of modeling and being in the creative industry! I found an audition two weeks after moving out here and the journey officially started. Since that day I went hardcore on building up my self-confidence and health.

I completely changed my diet and started going to the gym every day, reading books, and journaling. I knew that I had to be the best version of myself to make it in this industry! 6 months later I’m in Vegas at a national competition for modeling and acting! I got to meet with top agencies and received 8 callbacks! One of them signed me, but the majority told me to go get more experience because I had none. So I did just that. As soon as I got back home I got to work on finding castings and local opportunities in AZ! Since then, I got cast for AZFW, my first fashion show, walked in 4 other shows, starred in a commercial, featured as an extra in a movie, worked multiple promo events, and just recently walked in the Barrett Jackson x AZFW show! It was incredible!!! It has been a wild journey and I’ve accomplished so much in the first 6 months of my modeling career! That passion and drive came back and people started to recognize my potential. Now I’m unstoppable! 2023 is going to be an exciting year of growth and new opportunities!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth is the opposite of the road I’ve traveled down. My life has always been constant change. Growing up I went to multiple middle schools, moved to many different houses, and went to 4 different high schools. I’ve never really known stability or what it felt like to live in a place for many years. I’ve moved almost every year for the last 6 years. But that has made me very good at adapting to new environments, which is a plus for the entertainment industry! Throughout all the moving my mom has been fighting for her life. Despite the constant moving, my life was going really well! Up until my junior year of high school when my mom got into a major car accident and almost lost her life. That was the day my world completely flipped upside down. I was 16, going to school, working part-time at Applebees, having an amazing boyfriend, and living my best life. And it felt like that all got ripped away in a second. Now the only thing on my mind was making sure my mom was okay. I ended up leaving my boyfriend at the time because it was just too much to handle. I felt like I had to give all my energy and love to my mom. The doctors told us that she was most likely not going to make it and if she did she wouldn’t be able to walk or talk again. But they didn’t know my mom. I had no doubt in my mind that she would be okay. She ended up with a traumatic brain injury but was out of the hospital walking and cracking jokes within 5 weeks! She is the definition of a fighter. The strongest woman I know. But she wasn’t the same after that.. she had damage to her frontal lobe so she was unable to control her emotions and struggled with memory loss as well.

That was probably the hardest part of it all. I’m forever grateful she survived but a part of her was lost forever. She was unable to take care of me because she had to take care of herself. That forced me to grow up really fast and start worrying about things a 16-year-old should never have to worry about. But that was my new reality. Instead of playing sports, I was going to a doctor’s appointments. It took a huge toll on me mentally and I fell into the wrong crowd. I had just moved to a new school within the midst of all this and I got introduced to marijuana. It was the greatest thing in my life because it was my escape. I didn’t have to feel my emotions anymore because I could just get high. Then we started experimenting with more drugs and eventually, that became the routine. I would meet up with my friend, we would get high and go party. It was a true escape. That lasted my whole senior year of high school until we took things too far. I ended up getting arrested for possession at 17 and got put on probation for a year. That was a huge wake-up call. By this time I had moved out and was living with a friend because my mom needed more care. So I was basically on my own making all my own decisions. I’m very thankful for the wake-up call I got because who knows what would’ve happened if I stayed on that path. After I got arrested I decided I needed to get myself together before I ended up in a worse situation. So I quit doing drugs and decided to only smoke weed. Because I still had a whole lot of life to escape from. But ironically, the same night I got arrested was the same night I received my acceptance letter to Penn State. It was like life was laying out two paths for me and I had to make the decision of which life I wanted. Thankfully I was smart enough to choose the right path. 8 months later I was off to college 12 hours away from home in Illinois. I told myself it was going to be the chance for me to finally get myself together! I moved there with a completely open mind. I didn’t know anyone or anything about Pennsylvania, but I knew I was going to try to make the best out of it! And I did my best. Unfortunately, it was right during covid so I didn’t get the real experience. Everything was shut down and we weren’t even supposed to have guests. Which obviously wasn’t an issue for me haha. But I ended up meeting some of the most amazing people which I’m still friends with today! That was the best thing I got out of that experience! I lasted 6 months and moved back home. I ended up getting an apartment in Illinois with my best friend of 5 years. We both got the same jobs and life was great. That lasted about two months. We ended up getting into a huge fight, she moved out, and we haven’t talked since. It felt like it was all going downhill again. But I wasn’t going to let it.

I decided I was going to make it work. I made the best decision of keeping that place for myself. So for the first time in my life, I had complete control of everything. I was 18, living alone, paying all my bills, and enjoying the freedom to discover myself. It was some of the best months of my life. Then I ended up moving to Arizona with my mom 6 months later in November! She was back to work, driving and thriving! She got an opportunity to work out here so we packed up our car with whatever could fit. No furniture, just our clothes, my cat, her dog, and a lot of faith! It was the best decision in my opinion! We got our own apartment and things were really starting to get good for me! My modeling career was taking off, I was enjoying the amazing weather, and I met a new boy. We dated for 6 months until he cheated on me. That didn’t end well. Around the same time, my mom got into another car accident and broke her back. It was another miracle. This woman really is a fighter. Then a few months later in September, she got diagnosed with Cancer and Parkinson’s disease within the same two weeks. We were devastated. My mom really couldn’t catch a break. It broke my heart all over again. But I knew she would make it through! At this point, I was fighting for her. She was ready to give up but obviously, I’m not giving her that option. Despite all of that my modeling career was thriving. It was like I was living two separate lives. I started to get really busy and my mom started to get super busy with doctor’s visits again.

It was just us out here and I didn’t have much time to spare. So we made the decision that she was going to move back to Tennessee to live next to my family so she could have more support. I had to decide between moving with her to be by her side or staying out here to chase my dreams. A terrible choice to have to make. But I feel like I made the right choice of staying out here. So one year later, in November she moved back and I moved into a room that I rented out. I was back on my own and at this point, I didn’t have a choice but to succeed. I knew my mom would be okay and I felt like if I stayed chasing my dreams it would give her a reason to keep fighting. And I was right! Her cancer is gone and she’s now in treatment to prevent it from coming back! Everything seems to be working itself out. I’m out here on my own living my dream and my mom is starting to thrive again. I’m not thankful to say it’s a happy struggle. Every obstacle I’m facing is pushing me to grow and find new opportunities. And for that I am grateful.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Besides my two serving jobs, I am experimenting in the modeling and acting industry! I recently started about 7 months ago! For modeling, I do a lot of runway shows and promotional events! A big goal for this year is to start collaborating with well-known brands! I really want to book a brand deal with a plant-based hair company and my dream is to work with Rihanna’s savage Fenty! Her beauty line and clothing line! She is an icon and it would be an honor to collaborate with her! That is definitely happening soon! As for acting, I just submitted an audition for a main character role in a horror film! Still building my experience with that!

I’m most proud of my drive to succeed despite all of the obstacles that are thrown at me! I think that is one thing that sets me apart from others. No matter what I show up to every event with a smile on my face and good energy because I know that the universe is on my side!

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I absolutely love Arizona! The weather is phenomenal, the food is amazing, and the people are such a vibe! I also love all of the opportunities out here! I’ve met so many people that are on the same journey as me. It’s nice to be involved in a growing community!

The only thing I’m not fond of is the terrible drivers! I’ve lived in a lot of places and these are by far the worst drivers I’ve seen.

Pricing:

• $75/ hr for two hours minimum for photoshoots!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn0ZNrHPcXO/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggie.marshall.142?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Rodrigo Photography and Erika Chin