Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula Swope

Hi Paula, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

“Girl, ye getting’ above ye’ raisin.’” That’s what I was told repeatedly. Anytime I talked about my dreams of being wealthy and successful, I was shot down with that statement. Wanting more was wrong. Wanting more meant I was a stuck-up snob. Being socialized in rural Kentucky has its fair share of disadvantages, especially growing up in the 70s and 80s when belief systems were even more archaic than they are now. Women were perceived as the weaker sex, and I had already adopted that belief as young as the age of probably 6 or 7.

I read a study the other day that said the first critical spurt of brain development occurs between the ages of 2 and 7. During that time, children soak up everything and believe what they see and hear without much questioning. Our experiences during this phase of brain development have lasting effects on our growth. This is when untruths seep into the subconscious mind, and those untruths get really comfy if they aren’t forced to move out. I didn’t force mine out until I became fed up with experiencing more heartbreak than love for the first 30 years of my life.

Although I wasn’t raised in poverty, I was heavily influenced by it. My parents were raised in cruel poverty. People who are raised in poverty develop what I refer to as the Poverty-Invaded Mindset (PIM). So, I unknowingly inherited PIM because I soaked up their beliefs and behaviors, and they were always worried about not having enough of anything. People with PIM share one commonality – They expect defeat. My mindset was rooted in an expectation of defeat at a very young age, and I anticipated the worst-case scenario in every situation.

When I was around 28 or 29, I couldn’t take any more stress. I was sick of constantly losing, never getting what I wanted, and being disrespected and abused. Out of the clear blue sky, Dr. Wayne Dyer showed up. Someone gave me one of his books, and I read it from cover to cover and soaked up everything he said. What I read in that book was the only thing that had ever made any sense to me up until that point, and I had a realization. I was the problem. I was attracting horrible people, places, and things. Right then and there, with that new awareness, my whole life changed, and it changed for the better.

I went full throttle into a self-empowerment transformation that started with a newfound awareness. My awareness led to empathy, which opened the door to forgiveness, gratitude, self-love, and compassion. Meditation replaced madness. Solitude and silence replaced “happy hour,” which was more like a self-destruction hour that never ended. During this time, I learned the true meaning of forgiveness, so I worked very hard to forgive everyone, including myself. People dropped off like flies, and I let them go. For the first time, I paid attention when people showed me who they were.

Up until May of 2021, I worked in fundraising. I was a grant professional and enjoyed the work for many years, but I manifested an opportunity to pursue my lifelong dream of being a successful author. I resigned from my career in fundraising in May 2021 to do what I’m doing now, and in those three short years, I built a business from the ground up with the help of my wonderful husband, Will.

In my previous life, I earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration. When I left my fundraising career, I knew I needed credentialing in my new field of work, which was self-empowerment. My business has several components that live under two umbrellas: Thought Snob and Chopra Life Coaching.

Thought Snob is my cutting-edge trademarked concept and an idea that spawned from what I was told as a child – “Girl, ye’ getting’ above ye’ raisin.’” SNOB is an acronym for See New Objective Beliefs. It is my brainchild, and I developed Thought Snob to help people clean out the garbage in their subconscious minds. My subconscious used to be a landfill. Now, it looks more like the grounds at the Biltmore Estate. I cleaned it up using SNOB. Instead of living by subjective beliefs, which are nothing more than the opinions of others, I looked at the facts. When you look at the facts, you realize that most of your thoughts are not true.

Brief Overview of My Business

• Self-Empowerment Books

My debut book, Thought Snob: The Modern Spiritual Playbook for a Better Life, launches around August 1, 2024. My book
is the first publication from Better Than That Publishing, LLC, a company my husband and I started after I wasted
an inordinate amount of time trying to get a traditional publishing deal.

• Podcast

The “Thought Snob Podcast with Paula Swope” is like one giant life hack. New episodes drop on Tuesdays. My podcast is
a production of Thought Snob Media, another company my husband and I started after “Thought Snob” was
officially trademarked.

• Total Well-Being Coach

Since Dr. Deepak Chopra had been one of my most incredible spiritual mentors, I selected his school to receive my
credentialing. I now have three certifications from the prestigious Chopra Center. Primordial Sound Meditation Instruction,
Life Coaching and Ayurveda Health and Wellness are fundamental pieces of my business. Visit paulaswope.com to learn
more.

• Self-Empowerment Challenges

30-Day Manifestation Challenge and 7-Day Thought Snob Challenge are available for purchase on paulaswope.com.

• Social Media Content Creator and Influencer

• Partnership with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN)

IIN teamed up with the Chopra Center in 2023, and it offers partnerships to Chopra Center alums. Any certification a
person is interested in, they can use my code and receive a hefty discount on their tuition costs. Just in case someone
reads this article and wants to enroll, use my link and special discount code.

Link: https://sldr.page.link/YoSE

Discount Code: PAULASWOPE20

With all of this said, if my life story were a headline, it would read: An Unruly Rural Woman Who Figured It All Out.

Wait a minute… that sounds like my next book!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

I nearly spit out my Pellegrino when I read this question. Smooth road? Um, not quite.

My life pre-enlightenment was like roller skating across a gravel road. Once I started the inner work, there was a ten-year period that I will compare to walking barefoot across a gravel driveway. When I successfully moved out of havoc and into happiness, BAM! Menopause took me like a thief in the night. But I now have a handle on menopause, and this time in my life is probably the smoothest road I’ve been on so far.

I’m 47 years old and have a different perspective about ageism. George Bernard Shaw once said, “Youth is wasted on the young.” That resonates so much because when we are young, we are too stupid to appreciate our youthfulness. So, it’s wasted. Mine was wasted on toxic people, bad habits, worry, living in the past, living in the future, and being debilitated by the opinions of others.

When asked about my struggles along the way, my mind immediately goes to my younger self. Any struggles I have had sprung from those years. Dedicating my whole existence to toxic people caused much emotional damage, and I developed trauma that put a cloud of dark smoke over how I perceived myself—those years of accepting and enduring abuse resulted in insecurity and physical sicknesses. I didn’t feel well, and to attract the life I wanted, I had to clean out a lot of head trash to feel good. It took years, but you cannot put a price tag on wisdom. I feel like my strength and unwavering resilience compensate for my past vulnerabilities.

So, my toughest struggles were internal, but they bled over into the external. How I felt about myself was undoubtedly my biggest struggle, and it can be traced back to my socialization. I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t become aware of my power. I can assure you I wouldn’t be doing an interview for Canvas Rebel Magazine. I wouldn’t have over 250K followers on social media. There would be no book, no podcast, no dream home, no supportive husband, no happiness, and I would probably be sick or not here at all.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

If there is a “secret” to living the best life possible, I figured that out and built a business model to make it accessible to anyone. And there is no secret, by the way. All you need to know is this.

You have the power to think and to feel, so you can create WHATEVER you want.

Read that sentence again.

Now, reread it.

You also have the power to create what you don’t want, and that’s why my expertise and services are invaluable. Manifestation is something every human being on this earth does naturally, but most people must be taught how to make it work for them instead of against them. That’s where I come in.

My work has several components and many moving parts. At the core of it all is a book debuting on August 12, 2024 – Thought SNOB: The Modern Spiritual Playbook for a Better Life. The Kindle and paperback formats will be available for purchase on Amazon on August 12, 2024. A few days later, the audiobook will also be available for purchase on Amazon.
It is based on my cutting-edge trademark concept, Thought Snob. SNOB is an acronym for See New Objective Beliefs. Most of us develop our beliefs about the world and our role in it based on the opinions of others (aka subjective beliefs). An opinion is an opinion, nothing more. It isn’t right or wrong but doesn’t hold any real value. Facts (aka Objective Beliefs) have value, and when we pay attention to the truth, we find our life purpose. We will never find our life purpose buried in a lie.

Several revenue streams are byproducts of my book, and those include:

• The “Thought Snob Podcast with Paula Swope”

• Manifestation Challenges: 30-Day Manifestation Challenge and 7-Day Thought Snob Challenge

• Chopra-Certified Total Well-Being Coach: Primordial Sound Meditation Instruction, Ayurveda Health Coaching and Life
Coaching

My program is based on the four cornerstones of the Chopra Coaching Model – Purpose, Intention, Meaning and
Shadow.

• Guest Speaking, Self-Empowerment Workshops and Virtual Summits

• Social Media Content Creator and Influencer: Over 250K followers across all platforms

I am known for being the most relatable self-empowerment spiritualist on social media. My point of view sets me apart from others in my field. It is unique and different because of my voice and where I was raised. Appalachia isn’t flooded with spiritual leaders because it’s a backward place compared to other geographical regions in America. That alone helps me bring a relatability to the spiritual space that was absent until I showed up. I am most proud of this accomplishment because I have reached people other spiritual leaders haven’t been able to reach. Each person who adopts an empowering mindset raises the collective consciousness, which trickles down to benefit the entire population.

I am a regular, genuine person who happens to know exactly what to do to escape havoc and live in happiness. I’m not saying anything new, but how I say it is new. I cause people to rethink the meaning of things.

People who follow my work get answers to their problems, and the answers are simplified and easy to understand. I break down complex concepts so no one is intimidated to learn and try. People develop a bond with me through my writing and my voice, and the bond is unlike any relationship they have with some doctor in a white coat. My stories are their stories.

My cutting-edge, trademarked Thought Snob method makes the transformation experience fun and demystifies life and how it works. A Thought Snob is an archetype—a personality that a person takes on to be better. It’s like the concept of the Pioneer Woman because it’s a lifestyle and a way of thinking. A Thought Snob is like a Superwoman because Thought Snobs tap into their special qualities that serve as a Superpower. I help people identify, learn, and cultivate their innate special powers.

I look and sound different than any other thought leader in the spiritual space. That’s the commonality with all of the most popular self-help influencers. There’s one Deepak Chopra. There’s one Wayne Dyer. There’s one Louise Hay. They have a distinctive style that no one has been able to replicate. I am in that standalone category, as well.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?

The self-help industry has grown exponentially over the past few years and will continue to grow. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, COVID changed life as we knew it. In my opinion, the pandemic set many people free because, for the first time, they didn’t have to punch a time clock. They got a taste of what it was like not to fight traffic in a frantic morning commute and to sit in a cubicle for eight hours when that was the last thing they wanted to do with their time. Their newfound freedom brought clarity, and they were able to reevaluate their relationships with people and the world in general.

Put me behind a desk and tell me to sit there from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and I will have the motivation of a person on death row. Some people are made to conform, but those who aren’t silently die in an environment that forces conformity. The luxury of working from home delivered an unexpected benefit for many people: self-care.

Not everyone is meant to be around people all day. If you’re like me, people drain my energy. I do not get my energy from others. My energy comes from silence and solitude. Throw me in a busy work environment for eight to nine hours each day, and my health will go from excellent to poor within one month.

People are individuals with varying needs, wants, and personality traits. Those qualities need to be considered and honored in every environment. I believe COVID exposed that, and there was no turning back for some people. Developing that self-awareness caused people to start taking better care of themselves.

Second, social media has brought the importance of self-care into the limelight. Social media has its pitfalls, no doubt about that, but this is one of its most profound benefits. Unfortunately, there are tons of scammers in the self-help space, and they give people like me a bad reputation; however, if you listen to the right people, the authentic ones like myself, you can get the information you need to improve your life without spending one penny.

I intend to help people ditch scarcity and attract abundance. You can learn how to do that by watching my videos on social media, which doesn’t cost any money. You can binge-watch my videos and retrieve all the necessary information to do the inner work. Doing the inner work is a step in the process that cannot be ignored, and this involves learning how to do the following:

• Developing Self-Awareness
• Living with Mindful Awareness
• Living On Purpose
• Learning to Forgive
• Being Grateful
• Using Gratitude to Manifest
• Releasing Emotional Trauma
• Facing Your Shadow
• Finding Your Purpose
• Setting Intentions
• Seeing New Objective Beliefs
• Unlearning What You Were Taught
• Reversing Old Beliefs
• Cleaning Out the Head Trash
• Replacing Disempowering Subconscious Beliefs with Beliefs that Serve You
• Strengthening Emotional Intelligence
• Communicating with the Universe Effectively
• Speaking Things Into Existence
• Embracing Synchronicity

So, from my perspective as a content creator and influencer, self-help videos are trending because they are free and beneficial as long as they come from authentic people with legitimate credentials. This trend will continue to grow, but full disclosure. I wouldn’t say I like the fact that concepts such as manifestation are trendy. There is nothing trendy about manifestation; the word is overused and misused.

Authentic self-help and spiritual concepts are timeless, but much of the content on social media comes from people who don’t necessarily know what they’re talking about. Plus, they don’t have the proper credentialing to coach people, which can be dangerous. Inauthenticity is one of the pitfalls of social media, and it is a trend that needs to end.

Self-help books changed my life. They are powerful and should not be underestimated or taken for granted. When you’re ready to change because your way isn’t working, the teacher shows up. The teacher is usually a self-empowerment author. If the author is in this business for the right reasons, you and that author will develop an everlasting bond, and your life will never be the same. Hopefully.

Pricing:

• 30-Day Manifestation Challenge – $37
• 7-Day Thought Snob Challenge – $27
• Primordial Sound Meditation – Pricing Varies
• Life Coaching – Pricing Varies
• Guest Speaking & Self-Empowerment Workshops – Pricing Varies

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paulaswope.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepaulaswope/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PBSwope/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulaswope
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvNw2h6d_24

Image Credits

Elizabeth Eblen
Will Swope
Wonkybot Entertainment