The Germany Expat Business Show – Episode with Paulina Burzynska
I had the pleasure of speaking with Paulina Burzynska, an emotional exploration & somatic wellbeing guide, retreat host, and community builder based in Munich. As always we discussed the trials and tribulations (and joys!) of starting a business in Germany as an expat along with her journey to health. Originally from Poland, she moved to Germany in her early 20s while navigating the complexities of chronic illness and quickly discovered how isolating and transactional both the healthcare system and social scene could feel for expats.
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Meet Paula
Paulina Burzynska is an emotional exploration & somatic wellbeing guide, retreat host, and community builder based in Munich. Originally from Poland, she moved to Germany in her early 20s while navigating the complexities of chronic illness and quickly discovered how isolating and transactional both the healthcare system and social scene could feel for expats. What began as a personal search for healing turned into a mission: to create spaces that feel honest, embodied, and deeply human. Through her work, ranging from retreats to Somatic coaching and her Self-Led Sisterhood community, Paulina supports women who are always there for others to finally come home to themselves. Her approach blends neuroscience with spirituality, grounded emotional work with real-world practicality. Having been excluded from many ‘spiritual’ circles in Munich due to competition fears, Paulina now leads by example in showing how community can be built through transparency, integrity, and depth over popularity.
What began as a personal search for healing turned into a mission: to create spaces that feel honest, embodied, and deeply human. Through her work, ranging from retreats to somatic coaching and her Self-Led Sisterhood community, Paulina supports women who are always there for others to finally come home to themselves. Her approach blends neuroscience with spirituality, grounded emotional work with real-world practicality. Having been excluded from many ‘spiritual’ circles in Munich due to competition fears, Paulina now leads by example in showing how community can be built through transparency, integrity, and depth over popularity.
From Poland to Munich: The Journey to Germany
Paulina’s path to Munich began nearly eight years ago, primarily for love. She was working in corporate as a strategic efficiency analyst at a startup when 2020 hit. When her position was eliminated due to the pandemic, she found herself with both time and a severance package that allowed her to pursue something she’d been wanting to do: become a yoga teacher.
The motivation wasn’t originally to teach yoga professionally. At 18, Paulina was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and back in England where she previously lived, she had found an incredible yoga teacher who helped her modify her practice around her daily limitations. When she moved to Germany, she couldn’t find anyone with similar knowledge about working with chronic conditions. True to her nature, she decided to solve the problem herself.
The Transition from Corporate to Yoga Teaching
Paulina enrolled in a yoga teacher training that specialized in therapeutics and trauma to really understand the body beyond just yoga as tradition and lifestyle. What started as personal necessity evolved into something more when she realized she was actually quite good at teaching and enjoyed it.
Initially, she focused on the chronic illness community, offering yoga classes specifically for people with rheumatoid arthritis. When the world started opening up again, she transitioned to accessible yoga classes in Munich’s parks – a strategy that involved fewer contracts and expenses, which is crucial when you’re starting a business.
Building community became central to everything she did. As Paulina puts it: “Community is the thing that drives all of my decisions, all of my goals and my focus.”
Evolution into Somatic Wellness Coaching
By early 2025, Paulina made the difficult decision to stop teaching yoga as her main offering. The Munich yoga scene, she found, was very sports-focused and competitive, which didn’t align with her more therapeutic, mindful approach that incorporated breathwork and meditation.
Her transition into somatic wellness work represents her personal journey from yoga into deeper emotional and physical exploration. Somatic coaching takes a “down up approach” – working with the body, emotions, and sensations rather than the traditional “up down” talking therapy approach that starts with thoughts and behaviors.
Paulina primarily works with women who wear what she calls the “I am strong mask” – those who present as having everything together while struggling internally. These are often women who have done traditional therapy and read self-help books but still find themselves snapping in arguments or feeling overwhelmed by emotional intensity.
“Release it for me started to have this connotation that we’re trying to get rid of it, but we’re not trying to get rid of emotions. We want to feel grief, joy, anger, happiness.”
Building Community online and in Munich as a Business Strategy
From the very beginning, community has been Paulina’s primary growth strategy. Her initial clients came from chronic illness Facebook groups and Instagram communities she’d been part of since her diagnosis. When she needed practice hours for her yoga certification, she simply reached out to people she already knew and connected with.
For building her local Munich community, Facebook groups proved invaluable. She was strategic about which groups to join, avoiding those with questionable members, and would post about donation-based yoga classes in parks. This organic, non-strategic approach worked because she wasn’t thinking competitively about other yoga teachers or business owners.
The approach has evolved but remained community-focused. Paulina now uses a combination of Facebook groups, Instagram, and WhatsApp communities, though she’s hired help with social media content creation to free up time for other aspects of her business.
The Membership Model: Building Sustainable Revenue
Paulina’s membership, called the Self-Led Sisterhood, has become the core focus of her business model. Using the platform Podia, she offers five to six live sessions monthly with various focuses including meditation, journaling, movement, and community connection. All sessions are recorded and uploaded for members to access later.
The community aspect remains crucial – members connect through a dedicated Facebook group where they set intentions, celebrate achievements, and build genuine connections. While this international membership includes people from England, New Zealand, Belgium, and Germany, about half are Munich-based locals who know her from in-person work.
Her approach to platform overwhelm is practical. Despite Podia offering its own community features, she sticks with Facebook because most people already have accounts there. For those who don’t want to join Facebook, her position is clear: either open an account to participate fully or the membership isn’t the right fit.
The Challenge and Reward of In-Person Events in Munich
Paulina hosts regular in-person gatherings in Munich, including free casual meetups and paid monthly circles. Her most popular offerings are “Sacred Rage” circles, where participants explore anger through loud expression, screaming, punching, and pushing, and more gentle cacao and sound ceremony circles.
Finding affordable venues in Munich remains challenging. She rents yoga studios or community spaces on an ad-hoc basis, though the high costs mean these events don’t generate much profit. However, they serve as crucial community-building and client connection opportunities.
Retreat Success Through Community Building
Paulina’s February retreats have sold out for the past three to four years, and the success comes directly from the strong community she’s built through other offerings. About 50% of retreat participants are returning students, while the other half includes complete strangers who connected with her work through Instagram.
Her advice for others considering retreats: don’t jump straight into retreat offerings without first building regular services and in-person connections. The commitment level required for retreats means people need to know and trust you first.
Marketing: From Organic Growth to Strategic Planning
Currently, all of Paulina’s marketing is organic, primarily through Instagram. However, she’s working on developing a funnel system with ads, including a freebie, mid-tier offering, and pathway to her membership. The goal is to reduce her reliance on constant social media presence for lead generation.
Her email newsletter has evolved from purely logistical updates to more personal, conversational content. She recently started sending weekly “love letters” written as if she’s talking to a friend in a coffee shop, sharing life experiences and lessons.
Three Key Pieces of Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
When I asked what she’d change if starting over, Paulina offered three crucial insights:
Stop seeking more certifications and just start. She spent too much time in the beginning thinking she needed more training instead of trusting herself and beginning to work with people.
Hire a coach. After three years of working completely alone, hiring a business coach changed everything for her mentally. Having someone to bounce ideas off who understood her business inside and out, plus connecting with other solo entrepreneurs in a paid container, was transformative.
Define your values early. Getting clear on who you are and what you stand for makes it easier to lead with integrity. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone (which she did initially), knowing your values helps attract the right clients and avoid resentment from working with people who aren’t a good fit.
As Paulina reflected: “Every emotion that we have, it’s not about finding the reason for it that’s going to make it worthy. It’s no, this is what I’m feeling. My body’s telling me something, my nervous system’s telling me something, and I just need to listen to it.”
Key Takeaways
🎯 Community over competition – Building genuine relationships drives sustainable business growth
💪 Trust your experience – You don’t need endless certifications to start helping people
🧠 Listen to your body signals – Resentment and discomfort are valuable business guidance tools
👥 Invest in coaching – Working with a mentor accelerates growth and reduces isolation
🎭 Define your values early – Clear principles help attract right-fit clients and avoid burnout
🌱 Start before you’re ready – Organic, imperfect action beats perfect planning
💻 Choose platforms wisely – Pick tools your audience already uses rather than adding complexity
🏠 Local + global works – Combine in-person community building with online scalability
🎪 Events don’t need profit – In-person gatherings can be worth it for relationship building alone
✨ Evolution is natural – Allow your business to grow with your personal journey
Connect with Paulina
🌐 Website: With Paulina
📷 Instagram: @with.paulina