Before everything starts

Something felt off with my body, but I didn’t know what it was. I had been on birth control for 12 years because I was told I had ovarian cysts and that the pills would help regulate my cycle. That was the “truth” I was given since my first visit to the gynecologist at 13 years old, and now I’m 28. My body was screaming, “Stop,” but I wasn’t listening. I was completely deaf to what it was trying to tell me. Something felt wrong, but life went on.

I studied nutrition and began to understand the world of food—the science behind how it interacts with our bodies and, most importantly, the impact it has on our daily lives. I wanted to teach people how fascinating it all is, how food can transform their health. That’s how Right Balance was born—a space created to help others find equilibrium. It sounded easy, right? Find your balance. Everything I read in books made it seem so simple. But life taught me otherwise.

I grew up believing that my body wasn’t enough—that I didn’t have the curves I was “supposed” to have, that my waist wasn’t thin enough, that my hair wasn’t straight enough. These thoughts were ingrained deep within me, and for years, I rejected my own body. I became obsessed with achieving the "ideal" figure, pushing myself through intense workouts every day without rest, restricting my food throughout the week, only to lose control on weekends. When I allowed myself to eat outside my strict diet, I couldn’t stop. I felt the need to eat everything I wouldn’t be able to have once Monday came around. My mind kept repeating: Paola, you’ve already ruined everything. You’ll never make progress. Look at how others do it, but you’re just not capable.

This cycle of restriction and guilt consumed me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I struggled to find anything beautiful in my reflection. If a guy didn’t talk to me but talked to my friends, I convinced myself it was because of my body. My self-worth was entirely based on how I looked.

And yet, I kept pretending to be the perfect coach: Find your balance. If you eat poorly one day, it’s okay. It’s all about the 80-20 rule, I would tell others. But the truth was, I wasn’t living by my own words. There was a deep disconnect, and no one was listening to me. The few clients I had would come and go. I started questioning myself—What am I doing wrong?

I asked life for answers, and it showed me the truth: before I could help others, I needed to help myself first. I had to heal, to find my own balance, to love myself. And, as always, God was guiding me. Somehow, I started learning about hormones, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and how to truly understand my cycle. That’s when I discovered the feminine power that lives within each of us—the deep, internal force of our soul, our cycles, and the unique role that each phase plays in our lives. And from that moment on, everything started to make sense…