Hi! I’m Maria Paula, but you can call me MP.
I am an internationally licensed Mental Health Coach and the creator of Camino Pura Vida.
I grew up in the states, and I am currently living in Santa Barbara, California.
I have a huge heart and I live for the little things in life: be it film photos, surf sessions with friends, Pacific sunsets, and handwritten letters.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Its good to be loved, but its profound to be understood”. Although our first instinct might be to apply this quote to someone who we love, we have the privilege to apply it to ourselves. In the same way that we push forward to love and know others, we have the opportunity do the same for ourselves. It’s these journeys of self exploration in which we find our quirks, our passions, and the bits of ourselves that make us absolutely extraordinary. My hope is to be the person who sits beside you as you explore these bits in your journey to understand and love yourself.
You are probably wondering how I became a coach. It was my intuition that led me down the path to becoming an internationally licensed coach as a result of my desire to find alternative and holistic methods to work with others as they navigate their lives. In my heart I knew that I wanted to interact with people one on one, learning about them, and hearing about the things that make them who they are. I love holistic mental health coaching because it reinforces the things that I knew about people- that they are whole and complete and resilient. My desire is to help bring light to everyone’s strengths and help my clients become unstuck.
I’m so glad that you found my page, and happy that you’re getting to know me. After all, everything happens for a reason and I’m so lucky that you’re here.
The Meaning behind
‘Camino Pura VIda’
The phrase means ‘The Path to Pure Life’. If you have ever been to Costa Rica you know that Pura Vida is the mantra of the people who live there. As a Tica, it has been ingrained into my life from an early age and its my privilege to share this special mantra with others. I truly believe that it is important to highlight that everyone is beautifully unique, and because of that our paths are a reflection of who we are. A pure life can mean different things to every one. Our beliefs, our passions, and our special quirks make our paths to our ideal life unique. Sometimes our paths can cross the paths of others but at the end of the day, they are uniquely ours. I love the visualization of it being a literal path to pure life, and that is why I thought it would be a perfect name for this organization. Imagine that this path to pure life is one that takes many detours, many highs and lows, and never really comes to an end. This notion of our work never really being done can sound daunting, but it is meant to portray the beauty of the power behind our choices. We are never really stuck, we are just slowly making our way down our path.