TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – Paola Guthrie is a leadership trainer, neuroencoding specialist, motivational speaker, and educator who is working to help others realize their own goals and aspirations.

Guthrie is an immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for 18 years, for the first five undocumented. She has persevered through her own trials, and now she is focused on helping others remove obstacles.

On March 8, she presented her story at the Tahlequah Public Library for International Women’s Day in cooperation with the Tahlequah Area Habitat for Humanity.

“We talked about building confidence. We had a good time sharing information, and we got some good feedback,” said Guthrie.

After Guthrie gained permanent residency, she enrolled at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, where she earned a bachelor’s of science, and then, she taught as a local science teacher after being hired through emergency certification. While she aced the science certification test, she was let go after two years because she could not pass the English language component.

“I felt like I wasn’t good enough or smart enough. That’s what got me into reading,” she said.

Guthrie immersed herself in self-education books, partly because she enjoyed reading, and partly to improve her language skills. She also qualified for a job as a parent educator for Parents as Teachers through the Oklahoma State Department of Health, for which she made home visits to provide resources and strategies for mothers.

“My mission was to transform lives,” she said.

Guthrie left Parents as Teachers to start her own business as a life coach, and now with her new business, she is helping to work more effectively.

She is now licensed as a neoroencoding specialist under Joseph McClendon III, which allows her to help others to use the neuroplastic nature of the brain to create new patterns and connections. She is also a licensed brain health trainer under Dr. Daniel Amen, who works with high-profile cases, such as Justin Bieber.

“I know a lot of people are suffering, as many don’t have purpose in life; they are living day-to-day. Self-improvement gave me purpose in life. I am here to heal people, not through medicine, but through self-improvement,” she said.

As an immigrant whose family lives out of the country, she has struggled with loneliness, but she has also found the balance can be achieved through self-realization.

“I’ve put up a lot of walls in life for not being perfect, like not speaking English perfectly. I have also had to learn to remove these walls,” said Guthrie.

She explained that loneliness is a symptom of a post-pandemic world, and that it has affected overall health. By helping others take simple steps, she is continuing to allow others to live more fulfilling lives.