In just a few days, the bright lights of Crown Perth will shine on the 30 finalists of Miss Universe Australia 2025.

Among them stands Bianca Black, a striking 28-year-old model, actress, and content creator from the Gold Coast. She joins fellow proud Greek Australians Dana Diamataris and Nasia Delis in taking the national stage.

Bianca Black has been in the public eye of social media for quite some time. It would seem that she has it all figured out. Yet she’s not one to hold on illusions.

With her best friend Olivia Mathers, they host Liv and Let B, a podcast in navigating the chaos of their late twenties with candor, humour, and the occasional messy truth.

Young women today are looking for self-assurance, Bianca tells Neos Kosmos. “Many feel lost and are unsure with where they’re going in life, or they feel that they need to have everything figured out by now.”

Bianca says she can relate to that. “It’s a common theme and we can all relate to it. It’s nice that they can tune into the podcast, listen to us, share stories, and realise that we’re all just dealing with similar issues and trying to figure it out too.”

Young women especially, are under a lot of pressure, she admits. “It’s the images we are seeing all the time online of a perfect life, and many wonder why they are not there yet.”

The podcast gives her the opportunity to be herself, keep things real, providing a candid, unfiltered view of the challenges and uncertainties in young adulthood.

“When they reach out, I want them to feel a little lighter after our interaction. The biggest thing about this platform for me, is being open, keeping it real and showing that there’s no such thing as perfect.”

Summers in Greece

Though she grew up in Queensland, Bianca’s roots stretch to the small town of Molaoi, between Laconia and Monemvasia in the southern Peloponnese. Her mother emigrated with her parents from Greece as a child, but the bond with the homeland has remained constant.

“We go back every year,” Bianca says. “I still have an uncle there, and other relatives of the older generations. It’s my favorite place in the world to visit.”

When Bianca was four, her mum took her and her brother to Greece, where they spent eight months in the village.

Climbing olive trees and stealing donkeys, are her fun memories from that happy time. “My brother and I, we were known in the town, as the Aussie kids. We were blonde, blue eyed, and our hair turned white in the sun. We used to run around the town and go into the yards to steal the donkeys. We’d ride all the donkeys around town. Mum would always get a call about ‘the Aussie kids’ that have taken the donkeys again! My yiayia was very cheeky too, because though she knew what we were up to, she would let us go.”

“I spoke fluent Greek when I was four,” she recalls. “Now I understand more than I speak, but my brother and I want to become fluent again.”

There’s a shift, she says, as you get older, a longing to understand more about your roots, and connect with your heritage.

More than the crown

When people think of Miss Universe Australia, they picture gowns, and glamour. But for Bianca, the process is more spiritual.

“It’s not just about winning a crown and having that moment on stage. It’s a deeper journey,” she explains. “Miss Universe Australia is a program that tries to shape you into the best version of yourself, connecting you back to your values, your purpose and your ‘why’. Being intentional that is, about everything that you do.”

When she applied, Miss Universe Australia felt like a natural next step in her journey. “I feel now as I get older, that it aligns closely with what I’m striving toward, which is personal growth and using my voice and platform with purpose.”

It’s hard to pinpoint one moment that stands out from experience with Miss Universe Australia, because it’s all been so amazing, she says. But one of the highlights was visiting Hearing and Beyond, a school in Vietnam supported by the Miss Universe Australia organisation. “It was a powerful reminder of why we’re all on this journey and what’s important.”

And then there’s the sisterhood. “When I was in Melbourne a couple months ago I caught up with the other contestants, for dinner -about nine of us!” she says. “Even though I don’t see the Queensland girls as much since most of them are in Brisbane, we’re in a group chat and we talk all the time.”

To Bianca a ‘beautiful’ person is aligned with their values. They are confident in who they are, and what they believe in. Their assurance draws you in.

“Confidence doesn’t come from your looks,” she adds. “It comes from trusting yourself. Knowing your values. Doing the inner work. That’s what’s changed for me in the last five years.”

With the finals just around the corner, Bianca says that she is staying grounded and trying not to get too caught up in her head.

“I’m feeling good. I’m excited. It should be fun. Whatever’s meant to be.”

If anything this journey has shown her that she can stay grounded and focused in high pressure situations.

Bianca credits her tight-knit circle—her mum, her brother, her best friends—with holding her up. “They get why I am doing this and why it means a lot to me. All my friends are successful women, and they understand. We’re all chasing the same thing. Purpose, growth, connection.”

Asked to describe herself, Bianca laughs: “Fiery, passionate, and a little bit cheeky. That’s definitely my Greek side.”