SWIHA Blog

The past few years for Adeum Rivera have been filled with hardship, loss, and physical pain. However, they have also been filled with transformation as well. Let’s rewind to a time before Adeum attended SWIHA for Reflexology. Beginning in 2019, Adeum started experiencing a lot of health issues with his knees that eventually got to the point where he could not walk it was so painful. On top of that, Adeum dealt with the hardship of losing brother and father within 2 months of each other. Dealing with such physical and emotional pain, Adeum knew he wanted a change in his life. Adeum sought out more naturopathic doctors and solutions and eventually wound up getting a massage from a SWIHA Graduate, who told him of how special a place SWIHA really was.

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and to your particular program of study?

Before SWIHA I was a very lost soul wandering towards different types of career paths. I struggled a lot trying to find my identity and felt like I was on autopilot. I always knew I wanted to help people so I took an online personality test that guided me towards holistic healing. I chose Hypnotherapy after seeing the impactful results from reviews on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. I became very passionate about this trade because it is something I can take with me over the decades and continue helping people who are also lost and desperate for help on the right path.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, rather, to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” ~ Hunter S. Thompson

The above is one of my favorite quotes of all time.  If you know me, I mean really know me, you know that I am all about making memories and enjoying experiences. I do plan to slide in yelling “What a helluva ride!”  However, if you know me, you also know that I am all about taking care of this temple of a body that God gracefully blessed me with.  So, for me, it is all about balance, and that means staying healthy and creating joy all at the same time. It can happen, I promise.

“My life before SWIHA I would say was lived very on edge, being a highly sensitive and empathetic person in the traditional 9-5 did not mesh well for me. I felt punished or pushed away from how much I cared, as I did not have an appropriate outlet for those feelings I had. I now have education in how to protect myself when helping others, and my sole purpose as a massage therapist/energy worker is to CARE!”

My journey with Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) started as a licensed nurse who was on the verge of burnout. At the time in 2009, I was working full-time and did not have the ability to go part-time. I was looking for a more holistic way to assist people on their healing journey. To assist people in a deeper way towards real healing, to be a part of something I could feel good about within my heart and soul.

“My life before SWIHA included working at a hospital in downtown Seattle as a Medical Assistant, 4 years of service in the military, volunteering, and hiking my way around the mountains of Washington. The Holistic Nutrition course specifically caught my eye because of the passion I have for nutrition and how it impacts deep within our cellular health. SWIHA offered the 755-hour Health & Wellness Coaching path with the added concentration in Holistic Nutrition and since finishing all of the courses, I can firmly say the instructors and material you dive into are well worth it! It has been one of the biggest highlights of my time here so far.”

I am grateful for what I have learned through the SWIHA Health and Wellness Coaching program. Seven years ago, a talented tattoo artist created an image for me, “Be true to your being” intertwined with a butterfly. The butterfly is symbolic of transformation and the overall image illustrates living my life authentically. What I have learned throughout my coursework has helped to bring this visual imagery of living my life authentically to reality.

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and to your particular program of study? Why are you passionate about this modality?

Prior to choosing to attend SWIHA, I had actually been working at a massage studio at the front desk while I was in school working toward becoming a therapist or a counselor. After getting my degree, I worked as a psychiatric technician for about a year, until I realized I wanted more freedom in my everyday life. I wanted to spend more time with my daughter, and ultimately I wanted to find a more creative career path to support my desire to help other people heal! After a brief, deep internal battle of 'what others would think' or 'what I should be doing' (none of that matters anyway), I sat on my couch and laughed to myself at the realization that I COULD be a massage therapist and make great money doing so, all while creating my own schedule. At that moment, I decided I was going to sign up for the massage program and just go for it.. and I did.

Changing your mind changes your life in many ways. Going to SWIHA, I have re-evaluated many things in my life for the better. During my journey, I realized how I handled tough conversations, happiness, and even sadness was not the right way to process emotions. Shortly after realizing that, I also realized these were taught behaviors and I was seeing no growth in the person that I wanted to be in life. After dissecting myself, I noticed I had to change my mindset and the way I saw things.

After serving for thirteen years as an Air Force Pilot, Lisa McCranie began a six-year educational journey toward her true passion for fitness, nutrition, and health. Lisa did not know exactly what to expect, or what would be coming her way. However, Lisa did know that she was meant for great things and that she would work hard to continue to push herself in all areas of her life. This life path change is what brought Lisa to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts to study Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching.