Meet Miracle Laurie May | Mindfulness Consultant for Creatives & Artist Extraordinaire!

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miracle Laurie May and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miracle, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Yes. Do it your way!

Here’s the thing – inspiration and ideas are everywhere, doing for doing’s sake can be kind of addictive for some of us, and there are opinions of all shapes and sizes everywhere you look… this is mine:  It is imperative that we learn how to listen to our OWN inner voice and knowing, and trust that above all else. We need to learn how to let the noise and nonsense swirl around us, ground into our Natural State – and just do our thing.  (While hopefully having as much fun as possible along the way!)

A while ago, my sister and I were discussing these types of distractions, and a big one we uncovered, was the pressure of “shoulds”.  We realized just how LOUD “shoulds” can be in our heads. So we landed on the phrase “you can take your shoulds and shove ’em!”  And now it’s a fun little saying in my signature Mindfulness Program, YOU ARE YOUR OWN MIRACLE (a.k.a. “YAY OM”) that helps people laugh their way thru those sometimes challenging moments of internal conflict.

For example – I knew I wanted to be an actor by the time I was 5 years old.  After cracking up at I LOVE LUCY for the first time – something in me was all lit up and I just knew. I pointed at the TV, told my Mom I was gonna do that one day, and almost 35 years later, I still am! And if decades in this business have taught me anything, it’s that there really is no one right way to do this. Or “do life” for that matter.  I’ve had quite the adventure so far, none of it has gone how I thought it would, and it’s still been awesome!

One of those winding roads I didn’t see coming, was how I somehow fell into creating an entirely new company and working in a completely different field. For the last few years, I’ve taken practices that were once private, and started sharing them with the world. I saw a need, and I wanted to do what I could to help people return to their own inner peace and innate joy.  (My other Course is called, “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: A SHORTCUT TO HAPPINESS” because sometimes it really is that simple!)

As an actor, I’ve always been fascinated with the human condition – and being a perpetual student of life itself, it’s not surprising that the “Self Help” and “Personal Growth” sections of every bookstore were like candy to me growing up! (That, and actor interviews on Bravo, or any autobiography I could get my hands on!)

Then… the longer you’re on this planet, the more LIFE happens to you. (I think life happens FOR us, btw, but we can talk about that another time). I bring this up because somewhere along the way, I lost sight of myself. Of my joy, my peace, my playfulness, my knowing, my creativity, and my courage. I traded it all in for what I thought I was SUPPOSED to be, so desperate to be liked and accepted, and instead – became some version of “Miracle-Lite”.

(For those who are wondering, yes. Miracle IS my real name. #hippieparents)

But after enough things like deep loss, chronic pain, incredible debt, massive career disappointment, a bizarre sense of loneliness, and quite a bit of anger – all took turns punting me around – I realized that what saved me time and time again, in addition to an incredibly loving support system (the importance of which, cannot be overstated), were tools all rooted in practices like Meditation and Mindfulness.

After I saw the pattern within myself, I saw a need for those tools in my community as well, and almost without any effort at all – the path became clear: I was now an Actor AND a Mindfulness Coach!

And now…something has shifted AGAIN, and these two worlds are starting to collide in the most brilliant and unexpected way, and I couldn’t be happier about it!  If I had to guess why, my gut would bring me back to this notion of Authenticity.  I started doubling down on my true self instead of other people’s expectations of me. I started saying “suck it!” to the shoulds, and “HELL YES” to my heart. And magically (but somewhat obvious when I think about it), here we are.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As I briefly touched on before, creating HAVE ZEN – WILL TRAVEL, LLC was one of the easiest, most exhilarating, and most natural and satisfying things I’ve ever done in my life. It’s taught me a lot about myself and my fellow humans, in a way that I never got to explore as an actor.  And more importantly – it’s helped me be of service, and a source of light in this world, in a way that I never even knew was possible.

About a year or two ago, I started referring to myself as “Miracle the Joy-Bringer” – mostly in private and just for fun, after a few brainstorming sessions with some of the people who know me best.  But essentially, my vision is to be one of the many way-showers who bring people to the gifts and benefits of Meditation and Mindfulness. My hope, is that we can all lighten up a bit, be more loving, and have some fun in life. Most people think Spirituality and Self-Care have to be heavy and serious. And sometimes they are – but that’s not ALL of it.

Somewhat mainstream now, these practices have been tenets of my life in one way or another since childhood. And I see now, that part of my purpose is to nurture my community as my fiery and goofy self, in more ways than just playing pretend on TV (although I’m definitely still gonna do that!).

In fact – I just finished a little stint on SEAL TEAM and hope to return next Season if the stars align, but either way – it was a blast and taught me a lot. I even got to work with my husband (who’s also an actor) this past Winter because they wanted real couples who had been quarantining together, and it was like the roles were written just for us! It was SO much fun and such a gift. And believe it or not, that marked our first time working together in the nearly 17 years we’ve been a couple. I also have a movie I’ll be shooting this Summer, some writing and producing projects in the works, and overall just feel very very blessed and couldn’t have foreseen any of it.

So again – do it your way.  It won’t always be easy, but you’ll feel like the REAL you as you move thru it all, and I promise, that counts.

The greatest lesson for me in all this, is to just embrace ALL parts of me.  All sides, aspects, passions and quirks.  To bring ALL of me to the table, no matter what I’m doing.  Whether it’s acting, writing, teaching, guiding meditations or just being with loved ones – the more comfortable I am in my fullness, the happier and more relaxed I am, the better work I do, and I have a heck of a lot more fun.

Here’s how I describe myself on my website:

“My name is Miracle Laurie May, and I am a multi-passionate, fellow seeker, excited to introduce you to the benefits of meditation, yoga and mindfulness!

My specialty is guiding people thru the fields of spirituality and personal development with ease, grace, compassion, and massive doses of encouragement. By utilizing the practices of mindfulness and accountability I will help you come home to your true self, and your true purpose.”

In a nutshell, here’s what I want people to know:
Each moment you’re blessed to have in front of you is a great opportunity to do it YOUR way.
It really IS a good day for a good day, and I wish you a beautiful one, always.  Your bliss is just a breath away…closer than you think.  And if you want some ideas on how to get there – I’m here.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay – First of all: Locali and H.O.P.E. are two of my favorite Vegan Restaurants EVER!

Second – You gotta go to Descanso Gardens, the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, Malibu Beach (or go down to Orange County for some other awesome beach towns, and obviously Disneyland!), and pick like ANY museum and go expand your mind and heart a bit!

Third – Go shopping at the Downtown Women’s Center Boutique to support that incredible community and all the amazing work they’re doing.

Fourth – If you’re into this type of thing – take a yoga class at URBAN 728 and/or a fitness class at HERO’S JOURNEY FITNESS LA and let that love and goodness wash all over you and your body.

Lastly – Drive up to the top of a mountain somewhere and take in the expanse of this city. Once during the day and once at night. It really is a magical place.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This Shoutout is dedicated to my beautiful family, and the friends who have become family. Other than struttin’ my stuff on stage or in front of a camera – laughing, talking, playing and being with all of you, is my favorite thing in the world. I am so grateful for each and of every one of my family members and their kindness, love, honesty and support over the years.  My gaggle of friends, spread all over this earth, has become one of the greatest delights and blessings of my life. And my husband is honestly the best partner I could have asked for, in every sense of the word, and he should get a lot of credit for the person I am today. I thank you all and I love you times infinity.

Other than that – to every fan, every C.D., every producer and director, every client, every student, every teacher, mentor, healer and coach, every crew member, stunt person, fellow actor or writer… to anyone who has spent even moments believing in, working with, or supporting me – I thank you, I feel it, I appreciate it, and I wouldn’t be here without you.

Website: https://www.havezenwilltravel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miraclelaurie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/miraclelaurie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/havezenwilltravel/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC79OHowstsMlRmNjEhQenxA?

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2829954/

Image Credits
SMV3 Photography