“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Holistic Wellness industry 12 years ago when I started a new job working at Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center in Tempe, Arizona. This was my first introduction to what holistic medicine was and what it meant to view the body as a "whole" rather than just the symptom. I quickly grew passionate and learned that whole food nutrition is a necessary part to bring the body into balance. In 2009, I became a massage therapist and practiced for 5 years. I was passionate about massage therapy and eager to learn more. Little did I know, I was led to dive deep into my passion for helping my clients.”
Great Graduate, Jenny McGee, married her husband in 2015, who funny enough had graduated from SWIHA’s Massage Therapy program; and together they started a family. During the year she took off from work after having their daughter, there was a feeling that Jenny could not shake. Like there was something more she was supposed to do. Jenny elaborates, “After praying and meditating I soon realized it was time for me to enroll in school again. This time for nutrition. My husband greatly influenced me to attend SWIHA because it wasn't just a place for education, it was a special place where many people find inner growth.”
Before she enrolled back into school, Jenny and her husband actually started a small farm business on their own property where they grew vegetables and sold them at farmer’s markets. After some time, they began to wonder if they were on the right path. Jenny and her husband prayed together as they sought the next step in their lives. Jenny states, “I believe everyone has that ah-ha moment when you know you found your passion. For me, it was right before choosing to enroll in school” she continues, “As the days went on, I began thinking more and more about how much we both were passionate about helping others naturally. One night, my husband came home late from work very excited. He said he had a vision and wanted to show it to me outside. He pointed to an old barn we had used for goats at one time and said this was going to be our new business! I was thrilled and told him how I wanted to become a nutritional coach. From that point on, everything began to flow as we planned out our business.”
Over the span of a year, Jenny and her husband were busy planning their business and had planned to launch their business in April 2020. “We suddenly felt lost when we realized we could not open our business at that time. My husband had already put in his notice to quit his day job so there were many questions about what we would do financially. We brainstormed and even reached out to friends and family for advice. From there we got creative and decided to build backyard farms for families!” recalls Jenny. This business venture took off and became a big part of their family business. Although there were some obstacles in their way, Jenny and her husband took these obstacles and used them to expand their business in ways they may have not originally imagined. Jenny and her husband proudly co-own their business called Farmhouse Holistics - a place where people can come for holistic services such as nutritional coaching, massage, yoga, and organic vegetables!
“Today, our business is growing and we will soon be moving out of the barn we renovated for the business. Later this year we plan to build a new larger building! Our days are busy with clients who see us for massage, nutritional coaching, or our yoga instructor. We still build backyard farms too! This year we also achieved a big personal goal of ours which was to build our own home.”
Farmhouse Holistic’s mission is to help their clients bring balance to their mind, body, and soul. Jenny asserts, “Attending SWIHA greatly equipped me with the tools I needed to help our clients look at different angles of their life to find that balance in health they are seeking.”
“I was for sure led to attend SWIHA and it impacted me in such a positive way. During the time I was there, I began thriving and bringing balance into my own life. This came from mindset changes, dietary changes, life coaching modalities, and constantly being inspired by my teachers and fellow students. I changed into the person I needed to be in order to help others.”
While reflecting back on her time at SWIHA, Jenny recalls being thrilled to see that Dr. Jacquie Leone was her first teacher at SWIHA! They had worked together in previous years and Jenny was so excited to learn from her. Jenny states, “I was happy to have her as a teacher for many of my classes at SWIHA. Dr. Leone always went above and beyond to ensure we were prepared to see clients once we graduated! Because of Dr. Leone, I felt prepared when working with my first client.” Jenny also really enjoyed her Holistic Nutrition classes at SWIHA.
Jenny’s advice for anyone considering an education at SWIHA is, “There is a reason you stumbled upon SWIHA and it will be a life-changing experience. You will take away more than just an education. All the instructors at SWIHA really encourage you to present some homework assignments as real client material you will use in your business. I highly recommend doing so and finding a way to organize them on your computer. I still use a lot of those as client handouts” she continues, “While I was attending SWIHA I finally overcame something I thought was impossible. I learned how to heal and let go of the anxiety that I had for many years. I felt I went through a transformation at this school. I went in with a negative mindset and left with a positive mindset! I myself practiced the modalities I was learning at SWIHA such as guided imagery, eating for my health, learning about my own eating habits, journaling, and learning from my classmates and teachers.”
