* by Paula Michele Boyle (The Love Coach)

I began on a journey of self-discovery over 30 years ago, and still continue to polish my skills. You see, I was not always positive, I spent my first twenty-some years figuring it all out. I mastered doing things the hard way. I felt insecure and alone as I went through tough life experiences, and was great at making things worse by focusing on the problem instead of the solution.I grew up in a close-knit family who worried about me so much that I felt strangled, and began confusing fear with love. I thought if you worried about me, it meant you loved me. I manifested the same types of relationships in an attempt to recreate the world which I was familiar with. I spent countless hours with knots in my stomach, worrying about all that could go wrong, and how tragic it would be.My sister Lana introduced me to the world of self-help, read books, practiced meditation, and other healing modalities.Then my world was rocked in an overwhelming way. I got a real wake-up call, which was a cancer diagnosis. The medical industry wasn’t giving me many options other than the conventional treatment of chemo and radiation, which I went through along with complementary therapies. That led me to a deeper quest for self-healing.I acquired numerous techniques though did not know how to fully apply them until I started helping others figure out their next moves.I was in the cleaning and organizing business incorporating feng shui, in order to create balance and harmony in spaces for eating, reading, playing with the kids, etc. As I would be doing these tasks, customers would share personal information about how they couldn’t stand their boss, and how the job was suffering because of it. Others would tell me that they were in abusive relationships where they felt trapped because they could not afford to live on their own.They were feeling stuck, searching for answers to their problems. I became concerned and wanted to help. They felt my compassion and were open to my guidance. I was intuitively coaching them to find the answers they were searching for.One day a customer asked me “Are you a Life Coach?” I heard the term before though was not really sure what it entailed, so I answered, “Maybe I am.” I went home that day and researched Life Coaching. The more I read, the more I realized that I had been doing it all along naturally.I was genuinely interested and would thrive on helping people get results, which many did. It felt like their victory was my victory.I decided to take my gifts and talents to the next level, created a career by getting certified as a Life Coach, becoming a pioneer in Philadelphia, and founded Envisions4U. Many doors began to open for me and many brilliant teachers and healers entered my life. These included Ken Wallace, A spiritual counselor and wise friend who supported my beliefs and enlightened me to the power of prayer; Dr. Kalind Bakshi, a retired vascular surgeon who partnered with me in coaching, and encouraged me to become a student of energy medicine; and Reverend Mike Wanner, The Reiki Master, who transferred Reiki to me, which awakened my own life force energy.From hard life experiences, I learned how to grow and realized, there are many possibilities available to focus my energy on, in an intentional way.Now I am fully motivated to integrate, and apply these modalities into my life, and teach others who are willing to grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. After years of helping clients advance, and manage their lives, I founded Life Coach Philly International School of Coaching, where I personally coach, train, mentor, and certify each student.Now I know it was the beginning of an awakening that had taken place.All roads were leading there, although I’ve been waking up in stages, this was a feeling of something freeing up within me.My soul was evolving, I felt the unfolding by separation dissolving, and the sense of oneness growing stronger. I became connected, and stretched in a new way, like being recalibrated. I was continually stepping out of my comfort zone, and reaching for a higher purpose. Synchronicities were happening one after another.As my thoughts and perceptions were evolving, I began seeing every aspect of me in everyone and everything. It was like what was happening to you was happening to me. If I saw you in the dark then that was my opportunity, and privilege to shine the light on you.The need to define me in terms of religion, nationality, or political affiliation seemed to dissipate. I understood what equality meant at a deeper level. I depended on my intuition to guide me in every aspect of my life from food recipes to major life decisions.I remain in a totally creative mindset, which impacts all areas of my life, and the people who surround me. I began seeing everyone and everything as a unique expression of God, and have a renewed appreciation for life.Clients and students were achieving success by utilizing the holistic life coaching system. They experienced mental, emotional, and spiritual breakthroughs in my presence. I am always fascinated though never surprised. The challenges of life are still there, though I am operating from the solution part of my brain while coming from the deepest part of my heart. I embrace this newfound freedom by giving back and walking with those on their spiritual path.The beauty of my journey is that I can relate to many scenarios, because I believe I’ve been through the tough ones myself, and grateful to have overcome them.Ultimately, becoming a holistic life coach has helped me live a rewarding, blessed, and meaningful life. After finding her calling, Paula Michele Boyle founded Life Coach Philly to help others find their next moves.