Paola Mendez

GABLES INFLUENCER, HYPNOTHERAPIST

Coral Gables resident Paola Mendez did not start out to become a blogger and influencer. She studied computer science and mathematics at UM and then went to work as a programmer for UBS in New York City. But she came back to Miami when her mother became ill with cancer and started a designer toy store with her sister while continuing to work as a software programmer. At her Pinkghost toy store she learned to market via blogging, which led her to launch the CoralGablesLove.com in January 2015. Soon afterward she started South Florida Bloggers, which began with five local members who banded together to help each other learn and solve problems.

“That snowballed into having thousands of members, and then some members moved to other cities and started their communities. And so, we rebranded to the Blogger Union,” she says. At its peak, The Blogger Union had 20,000 members; her own Coral- GablesLove.com blog reached 27,000 followers, with its food tours, workout tours (to gyms), reading tours (sharing books), etc.

“I WAS PUTTING THE CELEBRATION OF EVERYONE AHEAD OF MYSELF AND AHEAD OF MY OWN HEALTH…”

THE LATEST

About four years ago Mendez heard about hypnotic yoga flow, which she says was transformational for her. Already training to become a yoga instructor, Mendez then trained to become a hypnotherapist, a requirement to becoming an instructor in hypnotic yoga. “Because I wanted to teach the yoga flow I signed up for it, and started learning the tools and the process,” she says. “I still teach yoga every Sunday, but I was like, “No, this is it. I finally found what I love, my passion, this is what I was meant to do.” Mendez now practices as a hypnotherapist, helping patients with pain management, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence. “

WHAT SHE SAYS

“The first blog I ever tried was about cool gifting ideas, but the problem was that there was no reason for me to leave the house with a blog like that,” she says. “So, I said, ‘Well, if I make a blog about the city I live in, that’s going to force me out into the world to go meet people and help people grow their businesses and share their stories.’ Then she realized that “I was putting the celebration of everyone ahead of myself and ahead of my own health… I realized that I had chosen computer science to make my parents happy. I had to keep myself in mind and figure out what it was that I actually wanted to do and not always compromise for someone else.” Now, she says, “We [my clients and I] work together to get their subconscious and conscious minds on the same page.”