Breaking Into The Spotlight With CP

Send us a text

Miracle Pelayo Wednesday, October 22, 2025

A Winning Heart: https://awinningheart.weebly.com. A Winning Heart sponsor: https://melodyclouds.com. Please donate to A Winning Heart by going to Payment Venmo Win1195 at https://venmo.com/. Win Kelly Charles’ Books: https://www.amazon.com/Win-Kelly-Charles/e/B009VNJEKE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1. Win Kelly Charles' MONAT: https://wincharles.mymonat.com. Flying Has Become Hell for Passengers with Wheelchairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRntgEiTHIY. PodMatch: https://podmatch.com. Win Charles’ TiTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@a.winning.heart?_t=ZT-8yE9mRvWmz1&_r=1 . Win Charles has given you an exclusive offer of $50 off of delicious chef-prepared meals: https://www.cookunity.com/referral?utm_campaign=wch3003078&utm_source=referral&utm_content=link&promo=wch3003078. How Cdiff changed my life: https://open.substack.com/pub/wcharles622/p/how-cdiff-changed-my-life?r=1baro&utm_medium=ios. A gentle voice: https://blubrry.com/3955765/.

On A Winning Heart today (Wednesday, October 22, 2025), Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Miracle Pelayo. Miracle is an actor, model, and fashion content creator with Cerebral Palsy. She was born and raised in LA. Miracle has been featured on Nickelodeon’s Bella and The Bulldogs, multiple commercials, such as Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, and many more. To learn more about Miracle visit http://miraclepelayo.com/

Support the show

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Welcome to a winning hunt.
You guys, today with me I haveMiyosa Palaeo with me.
And Miyosa also has CP, butshe's lived CP doesn't stop her.
Let's just put it that way.
And she's lives an amazing wifewith CP.

(00:26):
And I'm going to let her shareher story and introduce herself.
So welcome.
Mercal.

SPEAKER_01 (00:34):
Hi everybody.
My name is Mercal Palaeo, andI'm an actress, model, and
fashion content creator atCervaly.
And thank you so much for havingme on the show.

SPEAKER_00 (00:46):
You're welcome.
And so what is your CPE?
And the reason why I'm askingthat everyone is because they
use CPE as an pro term.
There's so many differentversions of CPE out there that
it's not even funny.

SPEAKER_01 (01:08):
Right, right.
So I have spastic diplesia,cerebral palsy.
So it normally affects is maffects my movement,
coordination, and balance.

SPEAKER_00 (01:19):
So spastic ataxia, cerebral palsy here.

SPEAKER_01 (01:24):
Oh it's spastic depletia, cerebral palsy.

SPEAKER_00 (01:29):
I have I have spastic ataxia cerebopalsy
myself.

SPEAKER_01 (01:37):
Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
So what is the depletive part?
I understand the spastic part.
I understand the CP part,obviously, cerebral palsy.
But what is the depletion part?

SPEAKER_01 (01:56):
What makes the different no, I think it's just
like um I think honestly, Ireally don't know the answer to
that, but I just know that Ihave a mild case of cerebral
palsy.
Um it's and it's mostly affectsmy right side of my body.
That's really all that I know.

SPEAKER_00 (02:18):
So what got you into modeling and acting and fashion?

SPEAKER_01 (02:27):
Okay, so growing up, I've always loved um being on
the video on the video camera asa little girl.
My dad would always video tapeme, and um we had those camp
quarters that you could convertinto a VHS tape, and my dad
would say, Um, miracles on TV.

(02:48):
And I literally thought I had myown TV show at four years old.
So I just loved the camera.
And then um, when I was 12, myparents took me to go see the
miracle worker, the play on my12th birthday, and I noticed
that the girl playing HelenKeller was able-bodied, playing
a disabled character, and I justturned to my parents and I said,

(03:10):
you know what?
I found out what I wanted to dofor the rest of my life, and so
I got into theater at 14 and Istarted working professionally
at the age of 20, and it's beena journey ever since then.

SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
And so what has been the most difficult role that you
have played because you'retechnically disabled, but yet
they don't want to give disabledactresses roles, do they?

SPEAKER_01 (03:42):
I think my most difficult part is not just as an
actress, but as a whole ingeneral, is like the lack of
disability of representation inthe media, because we don't
really get that muchopportunities to audition like a
typical actor would.
So I think the most difficultpart for me is is to just the

(04:04):
lack of knowledge that a lot ofthe professionals don't know
about, but that's the wholepurpose of going up and you
know, showing people that youcan do this.
And also going back to youroriginal question of how did I
get into modeling?
Um, I was a part of anorganization called Best
Buddies, and it's anorganization for people with

(04:26):
developmental and intellectualdisability.
And so we would do um photoshoots for different events that
Best Buddies would have.
And I just tried to I juststarted to do photo shoots with
them.
I then did a photo shoot with umAustin Mahone from Radio Disney,

(04:47):
Kevin McHale from Glee.
I then did photo shoots withOlivia Coplow, who's a model,
and so from there it just grewas far as modeling.
Lizzie, I'm so I'm so sorry whenhold on with just one moment.
Lizzie, Lizzie, I'm doing theinterview.
I need I need Abigail out ofhere.
Um Abigail, Money.

(05:09):
Can you I'm so sorry about thatwhen my my niece is that's okay.
Yeah, I'm so sorry about that.
Um, but yeah, that's that'sbasically how it all started for
me.

SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
So who's been your favorite shoot so far?

SPEAKER_01 (05:28):
I think they're all they're all definitely my
favorites, but I think the onethat I recently did, um it's
called Golden Beauty Project,and it's basically women
empowerment with disability.
And um, so I just got the finalphotos back today and I cannot
wait to share them witheverybody.
And then the and then the finalproduct is gonna be um in an

(05:52):
exposition.
So I think that's my mostfavorite um project I've worked
on as far as photo shoots go.

SPEAKER_00 (06:00):
And I understand you worked uh were in a commercial
with Nickelodeon.

SPEAKER_01 (06:11):
Um yes, I well, it wasn't actually a commercial, it
was a co-star role that I didfor Nickelodeon's Bella and the
Bulldogs, and I became the firstactress in the wheelchair to be
on a kids' television network in2016.

SPEAKER_00 (06:25):
How cool was that?
Thank you so much.
How cool is that?
So how did they find you andwhat made them choose you of all
people?

SPEAKER_01 (06:38):
So thank you.
Um, so the reps that I had atthe time would submit me for
auditions, and that was just oneof the auditions that came up,
and so I went in, did theaudition, and I I got the call
back, and then about a weeklater I booked the job.
So it just depends on the rolethat I get submitted from for my

(07:01):
my team, and then we just haveto wait and see if if I book the
job or not.
So, but thankfully Nickelodeon,I did I did book the job.

SPEAKER_00 (07:10):
So um, so what would you say to people that are in
general trying to get intomodeling and acting?

SPEAKER_01 (07:25):
I would say I would say to you guys um don't give
up, you know, and also work onyour craft.
Um, I cannot recommend thisenough, but getting into acting
classes has really, reallyshaped me and build up my
confidence to be in front of thecamera and to be networking.
Like I'm in acting classes everysingle Sunday with my acting

(07:48):
coach Danielle Vermengo, andshe's incredible.
And um just really work on yourcraft and really just be
disciplined and make sure thatthis is something that you
really want to do because youhave to be um kind to everybody
in this business.
You know, not everybody is gonnaget the next job.
There's a lot of competition.
So I would definitely make surethat this is what you love to do

(08:12):
and just make sure that youdiscipline yourself enough to
make sure that this is somethingthat you really want.

SPEAKER_00 (08:19):
And so I know um for act well for everyone in
general, COVID took a huge tollon everyone in the community.

SPEAKER_01 (08:35):
Yes.

SPEAKER_00 (08:38):
So what how has that shaped you since coming out of
COVID?
Are you getting less jobs ormore jobs or equally uh about
the same?

SPEAKER_01 (08:53):
Well, when the pandemic happened, we actually
went through um a lot ofself-tapes, which means like
you're you're you do theauditions at home.
Um, you actually no longer gointo a casting office.
Um so that was a big change.
So thankfully I have a setup oflike backdrops or ring light,

(09:15):
and I can just get in the tapefrom home and send it to my
agents right then and there.
And um, but you know, itdefinitely changed our world in
many, many different ways.
But I'm just grateful that I'mstill doing what I love to do
despite the pandemic, and it'sreally made me appreciate the

(09:36):
in-person auditions when I doget them on occasion.
So um it just during that timeit's it was rough, but I learned
to be more grateful for what Ihave now.

SPEAKER_00 (09:49):
Now, do you have a degree in any of this, or is
this something you just enjoywithout the degree?

SPEAKER_01 (10:03):
It's I didn't have a I don't have a group a degree
with acting.
I just took acting classes asmuch as I could.
Um, I did go to Long Beach CityCollege for one semester.
I took acting classes there, butthis is just something that I
wanted to do for the rest of mylife and that I thoroughly and
truly enjoy.

SPEAKER_00 (10:22):
Well, isn't that amazing?
And how can people find you?
How can people get a hold of youif they want to get a hold of
you?

SPEAKER_01 (10:34):
Um, well, my my website is miraclepalao.com,
M-I-R-A-C-L-E, C-E-L-A-Y-O.com.
My social media is um, myInstagram is miraclepalaio
official, my Twitter ismiraclepal23, my Twitter, my
Snapchat, no, I'm sorry, myTwitter account is Miracle

(10:58):
Palaio 20, my Snapchat isMiracle Palaio 23, and my
Facebook page is Miracle Palaio.

SPEAKER_00 (11:07):
So you're all over the place on social media, and
what's the best way for peopleto contact you as for interviews
and all that good stuff?

SPEAKER_01 (11:24):
As far as like business inquiries, please reach
out to my agents at DDO ArtistsAgency and my manager Al
Patrice.

SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Yeah.
So we've got all that.
And Mir Miracle, do you have anyquestions for me?

SPEAKER_01 (11:42):
No, I'm totally good.
Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 (11:45):
Thank you so much.
And you guys, I hope you enjoyedanother fabulous episode.
I certainly did, and I hope thatyou turn tune in next week.
Bye you guys.
Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 (12:02):
Thank you.