About Paula Jilanis and Willow Creek Coaching

I know this territory well — because I have lived it.

I grew up in a world where I didn’t have a say. I wasn’t able to offer my thoughts or my opinions, and over time I learned to stay quiet even when I had something important to say. I carried the deep, quiet belief that I wasn’t enough — that I didn’t have anything worth saying, and that even if I did, no one would want to listen.

For a long time, I moved through life that way. And there were seasons where I felt completely lost — untethered, uncertain, with no clear sense of direction. What I have come to understand now is that those seasons of feeling lost were not signs that something was wrong with me. More often than not, they were signs that something was shifting — that a change was on the horizon, even when I couldn’t yet see it.

Learning to be patient in those in-between spaces — when you can’t feel the ground beneath you and can’t yet see where you are headed — is one of the hardest and most important parts of the journey.

Through many years of talk therapy, bodywork, and spiritual searching, I found my way back to myself. I found my voice. And that journey — every difficult, disorienting, beautiful part of it — is what called me to this work.

“You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”

– Brené Brown

Through a journey of self-discovery, various choices and opportunities, I’ve come to understand that my life and choices are mine. The opinions of others are just that – opinions. Rather than allowing let them dictate my path, I now determine my direction and choices. Do you sometimes struggle with speaking up for yourself or question whether what you are doing is truly what you want to do?

Today, through transformative experiences and sessions with talk therapists and bodyworkers, I’ve gained a clearer sense of who I am and the contributions I have to make to the world. I am doing the work. I have firsthand experience of having others walk with me for a while to offer support and guidance. If you are or want to start on a new path, feel stuck, or just feel like you want to get some perspective, I invite you to join me for a conversation to explore the possibility of embarking on a journey together.

Meet Paula Jilanis – Life Coach and Holistic Practitioner

My path to coaching has been anything but a straight line — and I think that is exactly what makes it meaningful.

For thirty years I worked as a massage therapist and bodyworker, and in that time I have come to deeply understand the connection between what we carry in our bodies and what we carry in our hearts. That understanding has been at the core of everything I do.

I hold a master’s degree in Applied Healing Arts and bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Religious Studies — three disciplines that, together, reflect my belief that healing is never just one thing. It is physical, emotional, and spiritual all at once.

Over the years, my work has grown and expanded in ways I never could have predicted. I developed and directed a degree program in massage therapy for sixteen years, training and shaping the next generation of practitioners. For the past fifteen years I have facilitated workshops both locally and nationally — creating spaces where people could come together, go deeper, and begin to reconnect with themselves.

All of it — the study, the teaching, the decades of sitting with people in their most vulnerable moments — has brought me here. To this work. To you.

I also am the author of the book “A Guide to Creating Your Wellness Center”, which also aligns with my commitment to creating spaces that nurture healing. Focusing on a heart-centered approach, I help clients navigate challenges, gain clarity, and embrace change.

“Perfectionism is a lost cause. Focus your energy on being the best you can be.”

– Domonique Bertolucci

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