From Stress to Strength
From Fear to Freedom
It started with herbs and books
Hi, I’m Pavla. Guide. Coach. Eternal Student of Life.
I am a certified health coach, breathwork facilitator and founder of My Heroic Wellness.
My journey began not in wellness studios, but in the pine woods of South Bohemia where herb picking & books shaped my childhood.
Years later, witnessing serious illness in my family awakened my passion for prevention, resilience and holistic healing.
Up above and down below
Since discovering the Wim Hof Method, I found myself testing my limits just to see that I can. At almost 50 years young is where I found myself climbing a snowy mountain in Poland in shorts, running a Spartan race in LA and reaching the peak of Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Life is what you make it.
Turning poison into medicine
I wasn’t always this resilient. I know what it’s like to feel burnt out, without purpose, dreading winter… avoiding cold at all costs. Until I met the ice… and myself.
Today, I combine:
- Breathwork (Wim Hof Method, Oxygen Advantage, SOMA Breath, Aria Music meditation)
- Cold exposure & stress training
- Functional health coaching
- Mindset & resilience practices (as a certified Heroic Coach)
All rooted in timeless wisdom, cutting-edge science and real-life experience.
My Heroic Wellness
Healing is not a destination: it’s a way of living. It’s in the breath, the pause, the plunge, and the presence.
I created My Heroic Wellness to help you reconnect with your body, your breath, and your inner strength – one small step, one deep breath, one brave choice at a time.
I work with high performers, busy parents, sensitive souls, and seekers of all kinds, guiding them from stress to strength, from burnout to balance, from fear to freedom.
This is not about perfection. This is about practice.
I weave together everything I’ve learned, from ancient wisdom to modern science, into a holistic, heart-led approach that meets you exactly where you are.
And I’m building a beautiful community I call The Shiny Tribe of Diamonds united by the belief that “No pressure, no diamonds.”
Together, we explore how to breathe deeply, feel fully, and live boldly… in ice, in stress, in life.
This is your invitation to come alive, and stay alive, to what matters most.
“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare.
Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is nothing.“
Muhammad Ali
Up Close & Personal…
Little things that shaped me.
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I learned to read before I started school. Books were my first friends and becoming a teacher was my first calling.
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I used to work as a Forecasting Officer at the Central Bank of Malta and completed my MSc in Quantitative Finance, long before I swapped spreadsheets for ice baths! Back then, I tried to predict the future. Today, I help people change their future from the inside out.
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I used to be “the lady with the blanket” always cold & shivering – until cold exposure and facing it head on changed my life.
- I love maths. Patterns, rhythm, logic – it’s all breathwork in disguise.
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I sang in a choir for years. Music still moves me like nothing else but I don’t sing anymore.
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I played piano for three hours before giving birth to my firstborn. Best painkiller.
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I can’t do small talk. I prefer deep conversations or silence.
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I’m more of a writer than a speaker. Words flow easier from my heart to my hands.
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I struggled with meditation for years… until I found breathwork.
- I don’t like attention.
- I’m ambidextrous so please don’t judge me if I mix up left and right!
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I’m Aries Sun, Pisces Moon, Sagittarius Rising: passionate is my second name.
Family & Roots
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I come from a very old family in South Bohemia – the proud Hroch clan – dating back to 1219.
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My dream is to turn our ancestral land into a healing space.
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My grandmother is my forever guardian angel. She lost a leg but never her smile. I still wear the destiny necklace she chose for me before she died – a heart with a wave rising toward the sun. That’s Malta.
And a little bravery story…
At 21, I entered a crazy radio competition called Beaver of Bravery.
Ten wild tasks. One cash prize.
I won. It paid for my ticket to Malta.
The rest is history.
Love & Life
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My husband asked me to marry him after 27 days. We’ve been married 27 years. He’s also 27 years older. He’s my best friend, my anchor – and guess what: we took our first ice bath together!!!
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I am really not that brave! I hate needles. (Cold exposure is much more fun.)
- I am a master baker. Check MY CAKES from the past!
- I always had a major sweet tooth. My favourite dessert? Cheesecake. And yet… I’ve gone months without sugar.
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5 top VIA Strengths: Love of Learning, Love, Kindness, Fairness, Hope.
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Myers-Briggs: INFP – The Mediator.
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Human Design: 2/4 Manifesting Generator.
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Clifton Strengths: Connectedness, Learner, Intellection, Belief, Developer.
- Gene keys: 3.2 / 50.2 / 56.4 / 60.4
My wildest learning curve?
I signed up for a BSc in Economics & Management with the London School of Economics back when I spoke basic English.
My first textbook? Sociology. My best tools? A dictionary… and stubborn curiosity.
I know how it feels to start from scratch.
To doubt yourself.
To dream of something more.
It taught me something I’ll never forget: You don’t have to feel READY to begin. You just need to start.
We all have stories. This is a little of mine. I’d love to hear yours.