SWIHA Blog

In the world of holistic health and wellness, few stories resonate as deeply as that of Keisha Peele, the inspiring founder of Healing InnerG - Holistic Health and Wellness Center. With a background that weaves together years of experience and a passion for helping others, Keisha has crafted a unique coaching style that empowers individuals to achieve holistic balance in their lives.

Life often presents challenges that can feel isolating or insurmountable—especially for those navigating the complexities of hearing loss. Maureen Covinsky, founder of Hear 2 Hear U, is a SWIHA Life Coaching Graduate who has turned her personal journey with hearing loss into a mission of empowerment, guidance, and connection for others.

Meet Kayla O’Connell, founder of Mazy’s Garden, a business rooted in spiritual counseling, coaching, and metaphysical products. Kayla’s passion lies in guiding individuals through transformative journeys, helping them heal their minds, bodies, and souls as one. Her path to becoming an Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner and coach is as inspiring as the work she does every day.

Coaching is a transformative profession, rooted in helping individuals unlock their full potential. Few embody this mission more authentically than Gwendolyn Bailey, the founder of Resilience Wellness Coaching and Consulting, LLC. As a graduate of the Holistic Health and Wellness Coach program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Gwendolyn combines personal growth with professional expertise to create lasting change in her clients’ lives.

Amber Gomez, the founder of Cerebral Awakening, is a proud graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program. Her journey into the world of coaching is as inspiring as her approach to helping clients rediscover their inner light.

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

Before SWIHA, my life was marked by a journey of self-discovery and healing, particularly following an extensive series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. I was on a quest to find out who I truly was and what I was meant to do in life. Despite working in retail, which I found to be unstimulating and unchallenging, I knew I was capable of so much more. My desire to challenge myself and to avoid being stuck in a position that didn’t fulfill my potential led me to seek out a career where I could genuinely help others. A close friend introduced me to SWIHA, and together, we embarked on this journey to acquire hypnotherapy skills to offer as a service in our envisioned New Age store and community garden. My friend, a passionate herbalist and tarot reader, inspired me to explore a path where I could channel my natural leadership abilities and pursue my calling to help others. After leaving a toxic relationship, I knew it was time to follow my passion and become my own boss. So, I enrolled in the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Diploma program, specializing in Hypnotherapy.

Life is full of transitions, and how we navigate them can shape our future. For Jennifer Labuz, this understanding became both a personal and professional passion that led her to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) and a new career in life coaching. In October 2023, she graduated from the Life Coaching Certificate program, and her journey is an inspiring testament to the power of personal growth and transformation.

If you have been on your spiritual journey for your whole life or you just started wanting to live a more spiritual life and you want to incorporate the benefits of crystals; you are in the right place! 

You can use the crystals in your spiritual practice in just about every aspect. I know I do and so did our ancestors.  Crystals (rocks, gems, tektites, fossils, minerals) have been a resource in ancient times for many benefits and uses in all cultures. From body and beauty care to community harmony and ritual, to energy work, to meditations, to tools and modalities. Just as our ancestors in ancient times used crystals for their healing benefits, so can you in your spiritual practice.

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?

Life before SWIHA was somewhat challenging to find direction. I was led to SWIHA by a need to stay in the healing profession and was able to secure my spot via the Vocational Rehab program offered by Veteran Affairs. I chose this program to try and bridge the gap between health and wellness and whole foods for my clients. I firmly believe food can be medicine and hope to spread that belief to others through transformations in their behavior around food and their food choices.

In the depths of our minds, there are beliefs that shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us. These limiting beliefs can hold us back from reaching the life of our dreams because we can’t seem to let go and break free. Hypnotherapy is a way to unlock these chains, allowing us to rewrite our stories in a way that provides empowerment and positive transformation. Through this amazing healing modality, I was able to discover the strength inside of me and could finally move forward.