From a young age, Stephanie M. Bjarnson already admired life coaches. A counselor taught her self-hypnosis techniques, which she then used to bring herself out of a severe depression during her youth. Her hometown wasn’t the most accepting of her approach to holistic healing, as she shared with me.
I grew up in east Idaho where holistic talk or natural healing was far-fetched, and in some minds I am sure still falls under crazy and witchcraft. Trying to convince people that they have the power, even the mere degree of strength to heal themselves, [begets] an eye roll. The thing that is frightening is that most of them believe in it, but will not try it
.
~Stephanie Bjarnson
Stephanie feels that this fear is due to the mainstream medical establishment that pushes pills, therapy, and rehab on to people, rather than promoting self-love, meditation, and holistic methods of healing. Stephanie sums up healing and wellness succinctly, saying, “It all starts with the self - that is where we truly evolve.”
Though the fields of life coaching and hypnosis may differ in their approach to healing, these were the two areas that Stephanie desired to learn about the most, dating back to her highly beneficial childhood experiences with them. It comes as no surprise that Stephanie eventually enrolled in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner ONLINE program, where she specialized in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching.
She went on to share her joy in finding the exact programs she desired, here at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, along with her love of the tight-knit community it fosters. Even though she wasn’t physically on campus, she was still able to experience meaningful relationships with her classmates and teachers—she is still very close with several students to this day.
Getting certified as both a Life Coach (or as I call myself, a Motivational Dream Coach) and a Clinical Hypnotherapist, was pure fate. I was beyond thrilled to find the exact program and areas of study that I had longed for. SWIHA brought me to a community of like-minded individuals that were like me in so many ways!
Stephanie currently owns and operates her own hypnotherapy and coaching company, based out of Wilsonville, Oregon. It’s called Holistic Alleviation: Elevate Your Mind, Elevate Your Life. She mainly works with clients via email, phone, and virtually (online).
So, what exactly drove her to create her business? Several things! She cited her lifelong attraction to becoming an entrepreneur as one motivating factor, sharing that the word ‘entrepreneur’ “almost gleamed like it possessed a super power of some sort.” To her, that word means "self-made, self-starter, or someone who is changing lives.” She also cited her drive to simply make a meaningful difference in peoples lives as a driving force. “My business was built around the idea of achieving a dream, and assisting others to discover and conquer their own.”
Her business offers many different healing programs, most of which revolve around guiding expectant mothers throughout the many steps of their pregnancy. Stephanie shared them all as follows:
Born A Mother Program: A 4-week coaching/hypnotherapy program that helps pregnant women acknowledge and uncover the mother within them.
Childbirth Hypnosis: For expecting women who focus on having a calm natural labor. This empowers women to believe in the strength of their bodies to give birth effectively with courage and confidence. (I have a strong connection to this hypnosis, as I have had two babies naturally using these techniques.)
More Than A Mother Program: A 4-week coaching/hypnotherapy program that focuses on mothers who are drained or worn down by the duty of motherhood.
Self-Evolution Program: A program dedicated to enlighten and evolve the individual. Catapult yourself to new heights of self-awareness and manifest confidence to succeed.
To compliment her focus, Stephanie also has an Etsy shop where she sells essential oil blends that are designed to support her client’s hypnosis goals. Some of these blends include:
Anxious Away, anti-anxiety blend
Sad to Glad Uplifter, anti-post-partum/depression
Kid’s Tantrum Tamer, to calm or promote better sleep
Fearless, confidence booster
Solitude, deeper meditation
Scar & Stretch Eraser, skin corrector
Ash Act, acne eliminator
CARE Nails & Cuticles, stronger growth
When asked how her SWIHA education and training prepared her to serve in a ‘loving and profitable’ way, Stephanie gleamed about how all-encompassing her education was, ranging from her core Hypnotherapy classes to the business aspect. “My training forced me to grow, and to constantly continue growing, throughout the entire program. I have to give a lot of credit to my wonderful instructors, as they believed in my dreams and goals before I even had any!”
Stephanie left this inspiring message to future SWIHA graduates, along with a favorite quote of hers:
Be patient. The clients will come, the business will flow. Don't give up. When you have a dream and a desire, the flame will always burn bright if you keep feeding it.
"When I am in the service of myself, I will definitely fail. When I am in the service of others, I can only prevail."
Connect with Stephanie and her business at the following links:
FB: www.facebook.com/holisticalleviation
IG: @holisticalleviation
Twitter: @smbjarnson
