SWIHA Blog

Joy is an Approach to Life

Posted by Jaelene Smith on 6/29/23 4:00 PM

According to research professor and author Brene Brown, "Joy comes to us in moments—ordinary moments. We risk missing out on joy when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary." This statement highlights an important distinction between happiness and joy. Happiness is often associated with external factors, such as material possessions or life events. It's the feeling we get when we achieve a goal or experience something positive. Joy, on the other hand, is an internal state of being that is not dependent on external circumstances. Recently I’ve settled on a joy/happiness distinction mantra of “Happiness is a response to life, joy is an approach to life.

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Topics: Great Graduate, Mindfulness, joy, Brene Brown, Happiness, SWIHA Students, Health and Wellness, Holistic Healh and Wellness Coach, Mindful Meditation, Serving Others

Belle Hernandez's Experience in SWIHA’s Yoga Therapy Program: A Path to Inner Peace

Posted by Belle Hernandez on 6/22/23 4:00 PM

In 2014, I experienced a year of heartache that was followed by the devastating loss of my brother in 2015. I was in desperate need of support and turned to yoga as a source of healing. I had been attending yoga classes and began working with a mentor who introduced me to yoga therapy. During my darkest moments, I was searching for a connection to something greater than myself and embarked on my own Hero's Journey. My mentor was teaching Transformational Yoga Coaching at SWIHA and an instructor at her studio recommended that I sign up. Learning that I had signed up for Transformational Yoga Coaching (TYC), my mentor suggested that I take my 200hr Yoga Teacher Training to support me during this difficult time. In January 2016, I took the leap and enrolled, which marked the beginning of my healing journey.

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Topics: yoga therapy, holistic entrepreneur, Great Graduate, Amrit Desai, yoga therapist, Holistic Healing, mind body spirit, Yoga Teacher Training, Amrit Institute, I AM Yoga, Amrit Yoga, International Association of Yoga Therapy

Meditation! Mission Impossible or Mission Totally Possible?

Posted by Brandi Watts on 6/13/23 4:00 PM

What is meditation exactly? Simply put, it is a technique that uses breathing exercises, mindfulness, and focusing on the mental status. Meditation can help to calm the mind and body, center us to better handle tasks at hand, and can help alleviate anxiety, depression, and possibly even pain. The common misconception is how difficult meditation is. Anyone can reap the benefits of meditation with a little consistency.

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Topics: Great Graduate, Mindfulness, Meditation, SWIHA Students, Health and Wellness Coach, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, Mindful Meditation, Student Blog, Meditation Practice

Exploring Katina Kondos' Motivation to Become a Health & Wellness Coach

Posted by Jade Marvin on 6/8/23 4:00 PM

I was inspired to become a Holistic Health and Wellness coach because I’m passionate about helping people gain the knowledge, skills, tools, and confidence to become active participants in their health care so that they can live their most fulfilling life with a chronic illness.

SWIHA (soon to be) Great Graduate, Katina Kondos, spent the last twenty years of her life in the health and wellness industry, operating several Massage Envy franchises in Illinois, until she sold them in 2018 and moved to Arizona for a fresh start. Katina shares, “Much of my career has been dedicated to helping people navigate through pain management and improving their quality of life.” With a new journey beginning in Arizona for Katina, it just made sense that she found herself attracted to SWIHA. Katina enrolled in the Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching program to further her education in this field she is so passionate about, meanwhile, expanding her tool belt of offerings to help serve others live their best, and healthiest life. 

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Topics: Holistic Nutrition, Great Graduate, GRIT, Health and Wellness Coach, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach

Journey to My Health Discovery

Posted by Christine Sipes on 6/6/23 4:00 PM

At the age of 40, is when I noticed I was feeling tired, not just lack of sleep tired, it felt like fatigue, just plain exhaustion. As the year went on, I noticed I was missing sleep during the night, waking up between 2-3 am constantly, and this led to just not feeling me. I was moody. My stomach hurt with everything I ate and was nauseous when I woke up. My body ached, my skin was red and I was getting adult acne. My body was calling for my attention. I felt like each month - year added a new symptom. It was robbing me of life. My mind keep spinning why was this happening to me, and can I feel better again?

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Topics: Holistic Nutrition, Great Graduate, self discovery, Holistic wellness, Holistic health, Health and Wellness Coach, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach

How Adrienne Rue-Brock Overcame Stress and Achieved Success with SWIHA’s Health & Wellness Coaching Program

Posted by Jade Marvin on 6/1/23 4:00 PM

Adrienne Rue-Brock was living a life full of stress, unhealthy habits, and anxiety which resulted in her being diagnosed with several illnesses. Her body was crying for help, and she knew she needed change. Adrienne desired to seek a holistic way of healing herself and became inspired to want to help others do the same. Adrienne knew that by enrolling in the Holistic Health and Wellness Coach Diploma program with a concentration in Holistic Nutrition, that she would be able to achieve these goals. Adrienne shares, “I became physically ill and was diagnosed with anxiety, high blood pressure, and was pre-diabetic. The physical illness my doctor stated was due to my being under a lot of stress, which brought about all the other conditions. I am a believer in natural cures and started to seek out alternative medicines and therapy and that's when I found SWIHA.”

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Topics: Holistic Nutrition, Great Graduate, mind body spirit, Holistic wellness, Holistic health, Health and Wellness Coach, Mindset, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, Healthcare Industry, Ministry, Healthcare

Holistic Entrepreneur Elliot McMonagle’s Online Community of Healing & Transformation: A Path to Inner Peace

Posted by Jade Marvin on 5/30/23 4:00 PM

There is beauty in being different. Embracing our individuality is a magical way for us to accept our truest selves. Moving away from a past life, Elliot is now embracing a life full of hope and healing. Elliot McMonagle is a SWIHA Graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner with a specialty in Advanced Hypnotherapy. Utilizing these tools and modalities learned at SWIHA, Elliot is crafting a beautiful online community of healing and transformation. Follow along as Elliot shares his story and his passion for serving others. 

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Topics: Toe Reading, holistic entrepreneur, Great Graduate, Reiki, Hypnotherapy, integrative healing arts practitioner, IHAP, Linda Bennett

The Inspiring Journey of Aurelia Leano: How She Empowers Others

Posted by Jade Marvin on 5/25/23 4:00 PM

Before SWIHA, I was struggling to conform to societal standards. The corporate employee, ideal mother, independent woman, etc, and all these titles took me further from myself, what makes me, me. I didn’t realize it at the time, however, it became my passion to encourage and empower others to live authentically. The titles listed are important, however, they are not all.”

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Topics: spirituality, holistic entrepreneur, Great Graduate, Intuition, intuitve guide, integrative healing arts practitioner, IHAP, Grief, Religion

Be the You That You Want to Live In: Why the Relationship with Your Body Matters

Posted by Alyssa Hosking on 5/23/23 4:00 PM

Body appreciation. We could all give a little more gratitude to the vessel that carries and houses our spirit. Humans are the children of the Earth and the Universe. Our bodies are made up of the elements and space. Recycled out of the past and renewed, electrical and 60% water. We are literally one with life itself. As within so without. Our bodies allow us to connect and experience the world we live in. They function without our consciousness telling it what to do. They express our feelings and thoughts. We experience luscious pleasures, debilitating pain, and everything in between.

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Topics: self love, Great Graduate, Whole Foods, Nutrition, integrative healing arts practitioner, Licensed Massage Therapist, IHAP

How SWIHA Helped Save Graduate and Health & Wellness Coach Samantha Harrison’s Life

Posted by Jade Marvin on 5/16/23 4:00 PM

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?

Before SWIHA I knew I wanted to share my wellness journey and help others on theirs. I was not sure how I would do it or what it looked like. Once I decided wellness was my purpose the doors just started opening for me. I am so passionate about health and wellness because I have been surrounded by sickness for so long. Not only do I want the benefits of living a healthy life, I want holistic wellness to be more accessible to my community.

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Topics: Great Graduate, Health and Wellness Coach, Whole Foods Culinary Specialist, Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, Mindful Meditation, Growth Mindset

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