We recently connected with Silja Paulus and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Silja thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

My current business direction came to me quite suddenly but in fact, it was secretly cooking under the hood for a while. I am interested in so many things and learn new skills super quickly. That’s why my skillset is an eclectic mix of translation, creative writing, Thai massage, dance therapy, health-fitness-business coaching, technical writing for IT, and online course creation. I set the intention to get some clarity and figure out how to combine all these things. I was reluctant to let go of any of these. At the same time, their combined weight was weighing me down and causing loads of confusion.

My breakthrough came in the first weekend of 2025 when I flew to Miami to attend Adam Roa’s workshop “The Art of Being You”. We worked through authentic self-expression, faced our judgmental parts, wrote poetry, became truly vulnerable, and formed a deeper connection with ourselves. I was already primed to do all this work because I’d been in his 2-hour workshop already in July – that happened quite accidentally, in fact. I also joined Adam’s 2-month creative challenge in November-December 2024 during which all the participants were finishing their creative projects before the end of the year. I finished a manuscript for my book about a very specific human design energy type – the manifestor. This is my type, so the whole writing process turned out to be supercharging for me. I grew so much as a person and became so much more me. I was primed to have that breakthrough and the in-person workshop clicked things in place for me.

Once I knew my direction – becoming the clarity catalyst coach -, everything was clear and I’ve been building my new service. I am redoing my messaging, creating a new website, launching a new podcast, and also getting ready to submit a guest episode for a big podcast and publish my book. I know that very soon, I will be seen by so many people thanks to the guest episode and this gives me a specific deadline. My creativity works best within frames and structures. The water needs a bottle to be contained. Otherwise, you can’t drink it.

Everything is super fresh. Yet, in just 2 weeks, I have recorded the first podcast episodes, redefined my business, and almost completed the website. My secret? I had it all inside me already and just needed clarity. That’s exactly what I am offering to my clients now – clarity. In just 3 sessions, I initiate change in people who are ready for massive shifts but need a little or a big push. First, I help them get very clear on what they want and why (deep core reason), and then we work with the limiting beliefs and blocks on the way and finally figure out the first steps.

Silja, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For me, starting big changes, such as moving to another country, pivoting in my career or even getting a divorce, has always felt very natural. I yearn for change. I love experimenting and getting into new things. This is also why I have studied so many different disciplines: I simply get excited and then want to dive deep. I realised that most people don’t think the same way and change might often feel scary. That’s exactly why I love talking about what I do (even if people often don’t understand where all that came from and I don’t either) and inspiring others. Once I started opening up about my experiences and sharing with the world, I couldn’t stop talking. I have discovered speaking on stages and podcasts as well as teaching people through online courses (Udemy and MyNutriPro – a nutritionist platform for which I am the face and consultant).

I combine my expertise from different walks of life with my athletic experience. What does it mean? It means that such random things as running marathons, posing on stage in a shiny bikini and heavy makeup, learning self-expression through dance therapy, ghostwriting self-help books, translating websites for online casinos, and prepping your weekly meals come together in my coaching. I am the face and business consultant of MyNutriPro – an all-in-one solution for nutritionists who are starting their businesses. I write my own books on topics that excite me – the most recent one being about the manifestor energy type in human design and how to optimise your life if you are one -, and ghostwrite and coach my clients through writing down their stories. Yet, this is all in the background. My main service is Clarity Catalyst coaching. With just 3 quick sessions, I help people who know that they are meant for greatness to get through their stuckness to live out their dreams – be it either drawing cats as a hobby, skydiving in bucket list destinations, or writing your autobiography. I don’t hold your hand for a long time. I am the catalyst, the initiator, the activator. That’s why it’s 3 sessions that are done over 3 weeks. I want to see you succeed and do it quickly. The right time is always now.

I am different from others because my energy is not meant for long-term containers. Just 3 sessions and then off you go to build your dream life. Of course, if you need to initiate multiple changes in your life, you can always come back to me and we will start all over again with a new topic. I feel that my power lies in being the catalyst. This is what I was meant to do and I already have. I noticed that I can create life. I have connected the dots who have later become parents. In a way, I am a matchmaker even if I am not trying to be one. If anything in your life needs a powerful kickstart, I am your girl.

I am proud of all the crazy things that I have done. I have had to remind myself of my greatness because often these things seem normal to me. My ordinary is most people’s extraordinary. I choose to live a bold life where I don’t waste any time on regrets and “what-ifs”. Instead, I go full in and see what happens. If I don’t try, I will always fail. If I try, I give myself a 50-50 chance to succeed. Some of the experiences from my list include: organising a burlesque show for 200 people, finishing 20 marathons, getting on the bikini fitness stage in spray tan, heavy makeup, and shiny bikini, 50 hours of yin yoga teacher training, selling my home in Estonia and moving to Barcelona, flying from Europe to America just for a workshop, writing my relationship story into my MA thesis, ghostwriting a book about love for very rich people, hiking alone in Estonian forests…. and the list goes on.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My super power is that I process all kinds of information quickly. This also goes to negative experiences and strong emotions. When my father died at the age of 46, I broke down for a day, cried my heart out and scared my cat doing so, slept 12 hours, and woke up the next morning, capable of functioning. I wasn’t completely well but I managed to do some work. Losing my father has come up in many shapes and forms. It’s a trauma that I am still processing. Yet, I have the resilience to face all of its layers and even go deeper. It was just a few months ago in the Moroccan desert where something in me snapped when I realised it was Father’s Day in Estonia and cried for 45 minutes non-stop. I feel that there’s still so much to unpack. As someone who is much into self-development, I keep unpacking and revealing the hidden gifts, secrets, and even the ugly truths. I have the resilience to handle it.

Have you ever had to pivot?

At the end of 2020, I felt the urge to pivot in my athletic career. I’d been a long-distance runner for a decade. It felt as if I’d done it all – 5K, 10K, half-marathons, marathons… I’d even challenged myself to run on the track. 800 metres on the track is so much worse than pushing yourself through a full marathon because the intensity level is high. I was running in the national championships in Estonia but never got on the podium. The races that I did win were small local ones. I felt that the joy of running was starting to wear off. I was also getting more and more annoyed by the way many runners eat. The mindset of “I’ll just eat all the candies because I’ll run them off” bothered me. OK, it’s possible to burn the calories but what about stable blood sugar? What about maximising your potential? What about optimal brain health and productivity? I didn’t want to settle for less. As a nutritionist, I knew how big of a role food plays in our overall well-being. It’s not about whether you need to release some weight or not. It’s about every single action you do.

That’s why I got into bodybuilding.

I wanted to be serious about my nutrition. I wanted to see what’s possible for my body. I wanted the hard process, knowing that I would grow massively on this journey. Yes, I have always loved the stage and having a moment to shine but I never did it just for those 3 minutes of glamour. I pivoted into bikini fitness to put myself through some massive growth. I cried when the scales didn’t correlate with the desired weight number in the Excel. I felt lonely as I sat on the sofa at night, alone and body in deficit, unable to lift my arms. I promised my body to treat it with more love and nourish it with nutrients while looking at my own reflection. I wanted all this. Even the pain.

I had to pivot because running was no longer serving me. I had stopped to grow. My marathon records had reached a plateau and the fulfilment was gone. I believe that when we no longer feel satisfied, it’s time to get ourselves bigger problems. If you are on a mission to solve big problems, you won’t have any time to mope around about something as ridiculous as “he didn’t text me back”. What used to feel like the end of the world will become small if you have a mission, a purpose. That’s why I switched.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silja_ps/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silja-paulus/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@athleticmindcoach/videos
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3TsGxhsffX2TyiqhuSRG6k?si=7345237fb0d84139