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Like so many of my guests, Paola Royal has long been interested in health and well-being. She has worked as a physiotherapist, studied Emotional Freedom Technique, among other modalities, but knew that there was a piece missing when it came to helping others heal.

Then, her mentor Ann Ross introduced her to the Three Principles. Now she is an author, podcaster and coach who leads the Living Lighter holistic weight loss programme.

Paola Royal worked in the medical sector from the age of 18. Her fascination with our human – being, and the interconnectivity of the physical body and universal mind led her to the work she is doing today.

She continued her studies training for 3 years in the scientific approach of nutrition with the BSY. She studied as a teacher for the Emotional Freedom Technique before she started an extensive training in the Three Principles as a paradigm, which is a pre-existing logic that describes and points to how our moment-to-moment experience of life is created. She has been a facilitator for 8 years and brings a wealth of experience to her work with clients. 

Paola is the author of The Inner Game of Food & Diet.  

You can find Paola Royal at healthylivingwithpaolaroyal.co.uk.

You can listen above, on your favorite podcast app, or watch on YouTube. Notes, links, resources and a full transcript are below. 

Show Notes

• On the innate intelligence of the body
• Where to begin when trying to change an unwanted habit
• Integrating our bodies and minds on the path of healing
• What is autophagy and how does it affect our health?

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Paola’s podcast, The Inner Game of Food, Diet, and Life
• The Living Lighter holistic weight loss programme
• Elsie Spittle
• Keith Blevens
• An explanation of Autophagy
• Dr. Bill Pettit

Transcript of Interview with Paola Royal

Alexandra: Paola Royal welcome to Unbroken.

Paola: Thank you so much for inviting me, Alexandra.

Alexandra: My pleasure.

Why don’t you let us tell us a bit about your background and how you got interested in the three principles?

Paola: I love that question. My background is working with clients since the age of 18. I worked as a physiotherapist I started to work more and more holistic. I was running my own practice in Switzerland before I came the third time to the UK, in 2010, to study there in the scientific approach of nutrition for three years. 

And afterward, there was one piece of the puzzle to the human, to support my clients in the best way, the mind was still missing. And so I trained in EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique. And just when I finished I came to the three principles understanding because my mentor, Ann Ross, she started to train in the three principles. 

I don’t know if you came across her. And she trained with, with various teachers, and so I thought, What the heck is the three principles? So I went online, and I came across some YouTube videos of Rudy and Jenny when they were still a couple, that was in I think, 2015- 2014, something like that. I get caught up with time quite a while ago. 

And I immediately heard truth, it really hit home. And I thought, Oh, my goodness, I want to find out more about that. And so I joined and was running some meetups here in Exeter, and Devon, where I live. And so I did that. And there were different teachers coming down like Elsie Spittle, and Keith Blevins, and Rudy Kennard, and so on. 

I did different courses went to London as well to give different courses. And I really wanted to be able to share to facilitate that. Because, for me, there was just nothing else anymore. It is really, since then, I don’t find the need to go anywhere else to look anywhere else. Because for me, every everything feeds into that. 

And it’s a fundamental logic of how our moment is created. We have these three principles of mind, thought and consciousness, and depending how we use these principles that is creating the reality we live in.

Alexandra: Very simple.

Paola: Very simple. And it fits for me into absolutely everything. So like I said, I used to be a body worker with energy, psychology, and so on, and so on. And for me, that felt fed really nicely into that too. And to support people to live a healthier lifestyle. It was a much easier approach in a much more plausible approach in with my clients.

And since then, I support people to improve the health to lose weight. People with overwhelm anxiety and people who have problems with sleep issues, and pain management.

Alexandra: When did you start folding that into the work you were doing with clients? And how did you find that?

Paola: I straightaway started to feed it in with my clients. I run groups and I work with people all over the world, one to one, and I wrote a book as well later on, but it took me one other step and that was when I heard then about autophagy I’d

Have you ever heard about autophagy? It is our self-healing mechanism on a physical level.

So when our insulin levels have really, really low for a long period of time, then our cells can start to regenerate. So they clean themselves up of all unwanted protein, virus, bacteria, funguses. And knowing from the principles that when I can see what’s going on for me and I can get out of my own way, then my mind gets quiet.

And I feel well and the same was also on a pure physical level, I mean, we say in the three principles, we experienced the body over the power of thought. But when we look we still are human beings, and we still have the physical being, which supports us day in and day out. And there is also the self-healing mechanism, which is, we are part of that oneness part of nature parts part of the intelligence behind life. 

And nature, when you look out into nature, it is always recovering, constantly recovering. So for example, when you look at old factories, disguised factories, after a while, nature is taking over again and the birds start nesting in the ruins of the building, it’s beautiful to watch. And that is with our physical body the same way when we are able to get out of our own way, so to speak, when our insulin levels can really low for a longer period of time. 

So that means every time when we eat, it doesn’t matter if it’s healthy or unhealthy. Every time when you eat, your insulin levels are slightly rising. So it always goes up and down, up and down and up and down. And when we can get out of our own way, then our cell system starts to recover as well and starts to heal itself to.

Alexandra: Interesting. And one of the questions that I wanted to ask you today does tie into that.

Where do you think our unwanted eating habits come from?

Paola: Well, it is all about habits recreated since when we look back since the day you’re born, you’re living in the neutral power or life is guiding you through the neutral power. And then we take on board what our parents said, our relative said or teacher said, and we believe that to be true, and through that we creating also our habits, our eating habits. 

So, a certain way our family used to eat. And then when we grow up the lifestyle we having what fits into our lifestyle and that is innocently creating the habits and that we carry through life. But all this happens when I can see I am the one who is innocently creating this constructs about my life, my habits, the beliefs about my life, when I can see it for what it is that it is God created innocently very innocently. When I understand that, then I’m able for I’m open for change.

Alexandra: Insight.

Paola: Absolutely, it only works over insight. Because if I don’t have the insight that believe is a belief which are innocently created over time and space then when I don’t see that I keep judging myself that I don’t do what I want to do. I’m not treating myself with love and kindness.

And then it’s difficult. But when I can see that it’s all really innocently created. I see it’s all the innocence and I can see that and I’m more open I’m no how shall I say, then I can feel the love for my innocence. And then I can let it go. Only that I’m able to change and grow out of my limiting beliefs into something new.

Alexandra: That’s so beautiful. The love for my innocence. That’s gorgeous. I love that.

Do your clients, I guess sometimes, struggle with their eating. Is that correct?

Paola: Yes.

Alexandra: When you begin exploring this understanding, like if someone listening was struggling with that, where would you begin with them?

Paola: I run a six months’ program. I first of all work really, really practically. Because what I find is a lot of clients of mine, they have been on all kinds of weight loss programs. Already everything to change the eating habits, but then never succeed. And what I find is, it is very much down to education, as your patient fundamental understanding of the food you’re eating, and the effect it has on your physical wellbeing. 

And then it all goes into the mindset side of things. That’s where we start then talking about the understanding, and it goes very quickly into that, but I first start really with very practical advice. The first two, three times, and then we see it automatically feeds into the mindset side of things.

Alexandra: And the understanding of how thought works.

Paola: Straightaway mean, yes. So, it’s for my clients, I like them to see that their physical body is not something separate. It’s all one. And that is really important for me that they see that because the clients who come to me they see themselves somehow or their physical being somehow separate. 

And when they understand that, actually, the food they are eating is affecting them on a cellular level. And they start to see that insightful that they’re actually innocently not supporting themselves. That’s already the start. And then it all goes into the principles after. Okay. No problem.

Alexandra: It’s such a good point about our body being such a big part of our lives. I say we’re walking around like we’re just a head, completely disconnected from our bodies and how wise they are, and how they’re always on our side, even with our cravings, trying to get our attention and wake us up to the brilliance of our bodies and of the way that we work. So, I completely understand.

That’s a great place to start.

Paola: What I found is when what I see with my clients and people around me, in the understanding is when my mind is quiet and I have a better understanding about my life. And the life I’m living and the thought created reality I’m living in moment to moment to moment, I start to be more loving and kind with myself start to be more loving and kind with myself. I am getting less and less interested in to feed myself in a non-supportive way.

Alexandra: Right. When we connect with that innate well-being.

Paola: Because what we do a lot is or what people do a lot is compensating as well. In the moment when they don’t see that they experience is coming from thought, but they’re thinking it is coming from people, circumstances, events, then there is for me something to do to change my experience, right?

And then I want to compensate, I need to have a glass of wine to make me feel better. I need that chocolate to feel better. When I have a takeaway on the weekend, then that’s really satisfying for me. All of that feeds into that.

Alexandra: Exactly. I totally get it. One of the questions that I had sent you in advance was, was connected to this to the miraculous nature of the body and how it can help us when we’re trying to eat better. 

So I’m glad that we came to that organically, that was really nice.

What changes do you see with your clients once they begin to put the pieces of this all together? The elements of thought and the body?

Paola: It’s very interesting. So they come to me because of weight loss, for example. They’re normally in their 40s, 50s, 60s and they want to live a healthier lifestyle. And, first of all, for me, it’s not really about weight loss, but it is living a healthier lifestyle. 

And then weight loss is actually just falling in effortlessly. And what I find it really quickly, it leads us into the understanding into the three principles. And then it goes into completely different areas of their life. So, for example, one client of mine I’m having at the moment, we talked about her husband. 

He is quite supportive, very active. And he does intermittent fasting, and she could never get it done for herself. She had all these beliefs about herself, and she cannot do it. And she’s just not good enough, everyone else can do it. And I’m obese, and I just cannot do that, right? And then we started to talk about the, for her to understand her true nature. And through that, it’s folded into all different kinds of different parts of her life. 

So, for example, she texted me one Sunday and said, you wouldn’t believe what I just did. I just drove with my son 105 miles to a theme park, which I never would have done before. Because I never trusted myself to drive alone to somewhere where I never have been before. So you see something completely different, but it all interlinked. It all comes together. 

And so that’s one example. And then coming into the part just about the eating. I had one client, she came in our second meeting. She came to me and said, Oh, my God. I always thought when I have a packet of biscuits, I need to eat them all. I can’t just have one or two and then put the packet to the side. But she said I bought a packet of biscuits for my class. She was running a course herself, and she always gives us biscuits. 

And she said I only had one and I didn’t have the feeling I needed to have more because she could see that her graving was also thought created. And when I can see II passing thought for what it is, I don’t need to bite into it anymore. I don’t need to act on passing thought, then I can sit there and say, okay. And it’s going to pass, I don’t need to act. 

It’s like when you sit on the sofa in the evening and you thinking, oh, I need some chocolate. Now, when you watch something. And sometimes, well, sometimes, it works. Sometimes it doesn’t work. But also when it doesn’t work. You don’t beat yourself up for it anymore.

And that’s a big a biggie, as well, when, because a lot of people who have ongoing issues with losing weight or living a healthier lifestyle, they have loads of expectations on themselves, and then they don’t add up to the expectations. And then there’s a lot, a lot of judgment. And then they stop it and say, right, you see, I’m the one who cannot do this. 

Everyone else can do that. And why are they so great in doing this, but I cannot succeed that you see, and there’s a lot of thinking going on. But when they can see thought for what it is, then there’s no need any more to act on it.

Alexandra: And stop adding more and more layers of thinking to what’s already there.

Paola: Exactly. And then their mind gets quiet. There is no judgment. They start to be more loving and kind with themselves, more understanding. And then they continue again with the next meal. They may be pigged out, but then they say, Okay, fine. I did pig out. That’s okay. And then they continue again with the next man.

Alexandra: You have written a book called The Inner Game of Food and Diet about this exact subject.

What motivated you to write that book?

Paola: When I came to the understanding, and then heard about our physical being, how we innocently get in our own way. And that everything is interconnected that we are nature, we are part of nature, we are part of this. intelligence behind life, whatever you want to call it, we are it. 

And when I saw that, I thought there is no book out there which is really talking about that. I hadn’t seen your books in that time. I didn’t see any book really talking about that. And so I was interested, I was curious. 

And because of this autophagy effect in our cells, I got curious about fasting and fasting triggers autophagy. And through that, I was really interested in feeding that all together, and that’s why I wrote my book.

Alexandra: Okay, so combining the principles with autophagy.

Paola: So it is talking about what we have going for us, and it’s all researched. It’s scientifically proven, then coming in from the three principles. And then I also got plant-based recipes in the end. So I also got some effects, what I see very practically about proteins, carbohydrates, and so and so on. 

I wanted to write a very simplistic book for people to have a guide to live a healthier lifestyle. And for me, without the principles that’s just simply not possible. It’s all thought created. And to see that makes it far easier for us.

Alexandra: Wow. Absolutely, for sure.

I wrote a memoir about an experience I had occult in the 1990s, and one of the things that was great about writing that book was that I learned a lot because having to explain it to somebody else, explain it to the reader in a logical way, and make it make sense and all that stuff brought to light some things for me.

Was there anything that you learned while you were writing your book?

Paola: When I was writing my book, I was constantly learning, but when I wrote my book, not like you, I will say that I learned a lot when I researched what was going in the book, but it is mainly things I didn’t know beforehand which I wanted to put into paper and pass on the knowledge to people to live a healthier life so to be able to do that in an easier way.

Alexandra: That’s great. When you were working earlier within bodywork and EFT and those kinds of things, and you said that it felt like there was something missing.

It must be so much more satisfying now to have all the pieces in place, essentially.

Paola: Oh, god. But it starts with yourself. So it starts with me because my life changed, and my life is so much more quiet these days and more loving and kind. I’m more interested with the essence to connect with the essence of people than the constructs they’re holding. And through that, oh, my relationship changed, and I have a completely different relationship to my clients today. 

And it’s like you’re very different, like 3P classes. When you see the client so you see what’s going on for them I very quickly see what is holding them back to live the life they want to live

It’s a very interesting one. It’s feeding into it because the thing is thought manifests itself. It can manifest itself in our physical being. It’s an information so our brain is an organ and thought is coming in and gives us some info can give us some information. 

I think Bill Pettit said once every pain you’re holding is a love letter from your body letting us know where we are. It’s really beautiful. That’s exactly what is happening. And when I can see it, then I have a very quick and easy way to unravel it all.

Alexandra: With your clients. Exactly. Oh, that’s so great. Well, it’s been lovely chatting with you today.

Is there anything we haven’t touched on that you’d like to share with the listeners?

Paola: No not really, I just would like to share one thing which I find always important is what I said in the beginning as well, your body is not separate from you. Your cells, they have one main function, and that is to constantly support your healing journey.

And whatever food we are putting in it can help this amazing system to do its work in the best way. Or it can start to create problems. And when you see that as more nutrients there are in the Earth is healthier plants. They’re growing. And we have receptors in us to take up all these nutrients from these plants, so it’s like a natural circle we are part of. 

So when I understand how my moment experience is created, and I’m able to get out of my own way, my mind starts to be more quiet, then I want to be more loving and kind with myself, and I can feed myself better. And I want to look out at what food I’m actually consuming. That’s it. That is a start for everyone who’s listening.

Alexandra: Nice That’s a beautiful start. Thank you.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

Paola: My website is called HealthyLivingwithPaolaRoyal.co.uk. You find my book, The Inner Game of Food and Diet on Amazon. And I also have a podcast, The Inner Game of Food, Diet, and Life on Spotify. You can also find it on my website, on Apple and Google.

And, I have my own radio show as well in Exeter, and that’s on Mix cloud as well. I look forward to hear from each and every one.

Alexandra: Well, that’s a lot. That’s great. Thank you so much. So I will, as ever, put links in the show notes at UnbrokenPodcast.com so people can find out more about that and follow you on in all the all the places that they can do so.

Thank you, Paula. It’s been just lovely talking to you.

Paola: It was really lovely talking to you. Thank you for writing me.

Alexandra: You’re more than welcome. Take care. Bye.

Featured image photo by Peter Conlan on Unsplash