Charlotte Shores

Charlotte Shores is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, neurodiversity advocate, community leader, and mother of three whose life and work reflect a commitment to service, connection, and helping others recognize the strength in what makes them different.

At the heart of Charlotte’s year as Mrs. International is her platform, No Two Brains Are the Same: Celebrating Neurodiversity, inspired by both her own journey and her family.  After spending decades believing the challenges associated with her undiagnosed ADHD were personal shortcomings, receiving a diagnosis as an adult transformed the way Charlotte understood herself. As the mother of neurodivergent children, that understanding took on an even greater purpose.  Her message is grounded in a belief that has become central to her advocacy: different does not mean deficient.

Charlotte’s commitment to service extends far beyond her platform. Over the years, she has served children and families as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), coached Girls on the Run and assisted with Afghan refugee resettlement.  Professionally, Charlotte is an entrepreneur and chef and the owner of Charlotte Shores Personal Chef Services and Sugar by Charlotte. Her love of food has also taken her to national television, where she competed on Food Network’s Chopped.

Pageantry has also been woven through Charlotte’s life for more than two decades. Since earning her first title in 2005, she has experienced the industry from nearly every perspective—as a contestant, titleholder, volunteer, director, and judge. What began as an opportunity for personal growth ultimately became a vehicle for service, leadership, and finding her voice. More than twenty years later, being crowned Mrs. International 2026 represents not simply the achievement of a longtime dream, but the opportunity to use that experience and visibility in service of something larger than herself.

Yet among the many titles Charlotte carries, the ones she treasures most are wife and mother. She and her husband, Matt, have built a life together centered around their three children, and motherhood has profoundly shaped the woman and advocate Charlotte has become.

As Mrs. International, Charlotte intends to make her year one defined by purposeful presence and bring No Two Brains Are the Same to audiences both at home and internationally. She sees the Mrs. International crown not simply as something to wear, but as a microphone—an opportunity to draw attention to people, organizations, and causes deserving of a larger audience.

Ultimately, Charlotte hopes her year reminds people—especially children growing up believing they are somehow “too much,” “not enough,” or simply different—that the way their brain works does not determine the limits of what their life can become.  Because 5 5 equals 10—but so do 8 2 and 9 1. The destination may be the same even when the path looks different. No two brains are the same, and our differences are not deficits; they are strengths worthy of understanding, opportunity, and celebration.