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Pageant Titleholder and Disability-Inclusion Advocate
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Key takeaway
Rica's first pageant became a turning point because she used the stage to identify proudly as a person with disability instead of hiding an identity for which she had been bullied.
From Episode 49: Rica Carries The Crown With Purpose
Key takeaway
She believes pageant Q&A works best when a candidate understands current issues but answers from genuine values rather than memorizing a fixed response.
From Episode 49: Rica Carries The Crown With Purpose
Rica Mae Villasana is a Filipino pageant titleholder, public speaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for persons with disabilities from Camarines Norte. Official provincial PDAO records identify her as Ms. Mercedes and Ms. Mabini 2022, document her sharing lived perspective during a 2023 Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion seminar, and record her service as a judge for PWDs Got Talent.
Rica began earning through a small business at fourteen and entered pageantry as she approached eighteen. Her first competition became personally significant when she stood onstage, identified herself proudly as a person with disability, and challenged the shame created by earlier bullying. Over time, she came to see a crown less as a reward and more as a platform that carries responsibility to a community.
In Episode 49 of Good To Live Podcast, Rica discusses becoming Miss SOLAC 2026, answering pageant questions through both preparation and personal conviction, and learning from competitions that did not end in the main title. She describes confidence as something compatible with nervousness and social anxiety, sustained through preparation, self-talk, and a clear reason for being onstage.
Her advocacy emphasizes action beyond awareness. Rica wants persons with disabilities to be recognized for their abilities, included without pity, and given real opportunities to participate. Beyond pageantry, she remains focused on business, family, gratitude, healthy boundaries, and the grounded life she wants to build when no title is attached to her name.
Miss SOLAC 2026 Rica Mae Villasana joins Kinske to discuss pageantry with purpose, disability inclusion, public speaking, business, resilience, and using every title to help more people be seen and heard.
Discover more incredible guests and their stories on the Good To Live Podcast.
