Hi! My name is Paola.

Fun fact: In English, I pronounce my name “Paula”–with u, even though it's written with an o, Paola. Weird, I know. But it’s the closest to the Spanish pronunciation I can get from my beloved English speakers!

I trade in syllables and sentences. Words are like bricks. I like to use mine to make meaning and build understanding. I'm a writer. While essays and poetry are my favourite ways to write words, speaking and teaching are my comfort zone. Occasionally I will also take on ad-hoc copywriting projects. A born communicator, I love to live in the world of words.

I was born in Venezuela and raised and educated between Europe and the US. I returned to my birth country in my mid-20s. For the next decade, I re-adjusted to living in Venezuela, met my husband, and completed a graduate degree. As the situation became more critical we pursued alternatives. A Third Culture Kid for the first half of my life, I became an immigrant in the second half. Canadian through the gift of immigration, we have called Montreal home since 2012. Yes, we love Canadian winter!

What I do

Every day, we all put our faith in something. That choice determines much of what we think, do, and feel. For a long time, I put mine on my achievements. Until those didn't hold the weight of my own expectations. I was living in the right now as if this is all there is, setting all my hopes on tangible things that perish in time.

The narratives we feed our minds matter. In my writing and speaking, I explore how faith and life intersect. I aim to engage the mind as much as the heart and learn to think biblically about all of life, not just the “spiritual” parts.

Words have power. I use mine to build up what is true and beautiful and only found in Jesus. In light of that, everything else takes new meaning.

Where to find me

My newsletter Food for Thought is where I write to share life in process and faith in context. Read here if you’re curious about what I write there and why.