Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paola Michelle . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paola , appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is not only choosing to start my own business but to also putting myself out there on social media—it’s pretty vulnerable. I started my business slowly, not like most people and I am still not ideally where I would like to be. However, a lot of wonderful things have happened that have allowed me to grow immensely. I started my business back in 2020 when the pandemic was a thing and many of us were at home. I remember hosting my first class ever on zoom, at my old house in the living room. I thought I was crazy because at the time I had little to no experiencing teacher or even doing mentoring sessions for people. It was a BIG responsibility and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. The crazy thing is that eventually it grew and I started to gain more confidence being on camera and helping others heal through movement, speaking and helping them align with who they’re meant to be. After a while I then decided to take things up a notch and out of pure fun decided to get on TikTok and “hop” on the trend— I was TERRIFIED. The thought of putting myself out there and the fear of being judged gave me crippling anxiety but I also realized I needed to step outside my comfort zone and help people. This wasn’t about me, it was much bigger than that. Before I knew it many of my videos reached a good amount of people and I found myself transitioning to another side of my business—mentoring, doing readings and healings. It was truly beautiful to see so many wonderful people come together and build a community. My business grew a lot and I learned many wonderful things that I would have never learned if I didn’t take the risk. I now find myself stepping more outside my comfort zone and wanting to expand my business even further and making it all inclusive. One of my main goals is to inspire people, break the mold and help others accomplish their dreams! After all, if one of us shines essentially we all do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well my name is Paola, I am a yoga teacher, healer and intuitive. I am known to help people physically, emotionally, mentally and of course, spiritually. I am very passionate about helping others which is why I’ve created a business where I offer personal services such as: mentoring sessions, personal readings, yoga classes and also products. I have also dedicated a portion of my business to creating valuable content on social media: TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. I love showing people the real parts of life and where I too struggle with certain things like most people do. I love embracing the concept that perfection is something that is simply unattainable and when we set such expectations we add unnecessary stress; which can then cause us to lose sight of what we truly came here to do, so that’s what I share with everything I do. It all goes back to that for me. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience and we can’t forget that part of that is all inclusive. I love being fun, educational but also silly because life sometimes needs that. We need that. I love helping people, inspiring and helping as much as I can. It’s the biggest gift I can give to this beautiful world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A very hard lesson I had to unlearn would be that in order to be successful and abundant you have to have it all figured out and well planned. The truth is no matter how hard you try in life, business, relationships, things won’t go as you plan 95% of the time. Sometimes having said expectations can bring us to a very deep state of disappointment and failure because we put this excess pressure. It takes time and sometimes you’re not going to get what you want when you want it and how you planned it. Most often than not, you won’t get it how you planned it at all but you will absolutely get and be where you need to be at that moment in time. And this was hard for me coming from someone who used to have a need for control and security. But the truth is that there’s no security but what you can do is be the best you can be, have the best hope and trust that all will workout at its own time… you don’t have to have it all figured out right now to start or to continue on your journey. You just have to keep going!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My mom, dad, and I moved to the U.S when I was 11 yrs old from Puerto Rico. They wanted to give me a better life and room for a bright future without knowing whether we would make it or if I would even get a chance at this “future” they wanted for me. Part of that reason is why I decided to build my own business. Building a business hasn’t come easy, I still struggle at times but I am also learning so much from it— nothing has been handed down. Sometimes I would think I wasn’t cut out to do this; the lessons, the failures, all of it teaches you so much. And let me tell you there’s been many failures. Half of my family didn’t believe and still doesn’t believe I can do it. They don’t believe I can have my own business, do what I love, help people and that’s okay; specially since my business is about mindfulness and spirituality. This journey has given me all the more courage to believe in my mission and impact that I want to make on this world, no matter how big or small because the truth is I am the only one that can make my dreams come true. I am responsible for my own growth, success and healing, regardless of what others may tell me. What matters is whether I believe in myself and in my vision to support this world. So even in the hardest of times when I don’t feel like I am doing enough, I remind myself how much I am trying and that’s more than enough. Like my mom and dad always tell me in Spanish: “Lo último que se pierde es la esperanza… sigue adelante porque tú puedes!” (The last thing you lose is faith, keep going, you can do this!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paolamichelle.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paolllamichellle/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCxtZpbK-7VOOQEwqqUhOKdg
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paolllamichellle?_t=8UW3ZrohyWJ&_r=1

Image Credits
Aida Velez