SWIHA Blog

Sharon Rose originally came to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) for Yoga Teacher Training (YTT), thinking she would only train 200 hours. She quickly realized that it was not enough and joined the 800-hour YTT program, chose Yoga Nidra & Holistic Nutrition as her specialties. While working at a yoga studio during her schooling, she became good friends with one of the instructors. Once, when Sharon was helping her friend work on her resume and Instagram account, her friend turned and looked at her and said, ""You know, you should be a life coach", to which I quickly responded with, ‘What on earth is a life coach?’"

From there, the Universe didn’t hold back. All of the sudden Sharon was in two Mastermind groups on Facebook and being contacted by coaches. It didn’t take long for her to look into SWIHA a bit more and find out that life coaching was an option for her. “I paused my Yoga Nidra training and picked up my coaching certification. I haven’t looked back since. I have been coaching since June 2016 but am excited to say that I have officially just launched my signature programs and brand in November.” 

At a young age, Sue Shapiro recognized that her words could either cause harm or help someone feel better, and she believes this knowing came from the near death experience she had at the age of four. This inner knowing was a frightening space for her to be in because most people could not accept that a little one could be so perceptive, so she eventually shut down and was so painfully quiet and shy, that her grandmother thought there was something wrong with her.  

Tom Leegstra was stuck in life, and he had no idea where to go next. Then he read a book and took a course where a friend of his recommended the Transformational Life Coaching program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). After debating for a few months, he decided to take the plunge and do it, with the aim of helping others to change the direction of their lives, and never did her stop and think that may he was the one who needed coaching the most! He has now been coaching for a little over a year now, and this includes coaching himself every day!

The tools that changed Tom’s life for the better were the ones that used guided imagery around dreams, which require us going within to finding our goals and aspirations. “This has created a completely new path in life for me to go next. Along with the ‘Values Prioritizer’, this also has changed my life for the best, and it was the catalyst in my understanding what I needed to work on most.” He loves to use the ‘More or Less’ tool with his clients, as it’s one of his favorites and it's quick and easy to use. When people get to see, side by side, what they need to do less of, impacts what they want more of. He also loves working on forgiveness with clients since it does so many positive things and opens many doors.

Tami Sharp excels at seeing past people’s stories and emotions, right to the crux of what is going on beneath the surface. For most of her life, she was very good at hitting people’s nerves in order to get them into the healing work. She had a very impactful and ‘no- nonsense’ way of getting into the core of the matter. However, she lacked the skill set to be able to get to these same results through a more gentle, less abrasive way.  “My old way of helping people move forward in their story usually involved some sort of angry falling out where we would go a certain amount of time without speaking.  I had grown used to this process and knew I had done my part when I got a strong backlash response and they needed the time to process. All of the people I encountered in these instances did come back around into my life with a new found awareness and understanding of themselves and confirmed that what I had said was correct. They just weren’t in a place to understand or receive it at that time. If my delivery had been less cut throat, then I am sure their response would have been much more accepting.” 

The sudden death of Janet Ellis’ only sister in 1998 brought her to her knees and was the catalyst that ultimately brought her to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). “When I am emerging from a crisis, my usual response is to embark on some learning journey. In December 2006, I was completing what I thought would be my last semester at ASU.  I had earned a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development and a minor in Psychology and Gender Studies. I then decided that I wanted to apply to their Marriage & Family Therapy program,” said Janet.

Loree Bischoff had always been intrigued with what causes people to think a certain way, what makes them tick and what motivates them to do the things they do. “I’ve also always loved helping others so in 2007 I, along with my sister, developed a special event called ‘Motherhood Redefined’, a weekend seminar for mothers that ended up being very successful. My sister and I noticed that most of the mothers we knew were really struggling on some level with the balance – or lack of it – in their lives. We saw this great need for moms to have access to new tools and strategies for having a more balanced and fulfilling life.” The weekend event consisted of speakers, interactive workshops, and fun. At the time, Loree wasn’t familiar with life coaching as a profession, yet one of the speakers she had hired for the Motherhood Redefined event happened to be a life coach who specialized in working with mothers. It was then she knew that she really wanted to begin her own private coaching practice. So she picked the brain of the life coach she’d hired, looking for recommendations for training. One of the places she suggested Loree check out was the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).

Lori Beard has always considered herself to be a veteran in the field of life coaching, although she’s “officially” been a Life Coach for just a year. As a loving wife for more than twenty years and a mother of eight children, it’s no surprise that she possesses these natural gifts! “I’ve always been intrigued by the human mind and how others respond to circumstances. I love to learn from others and inspire them to step forward into their destined path of greatness.”

In her own words, “SWIHA helped me to release, resolve, reframe, and remove the baggage that was dragging me down for so long.” The teachers she had were all so positive and great mentors. “They knew how to challenge me to give me the best in a loving and caring way.”

For over 15 years, Joy Carter was a master’s level social worker and wanted to be able to have a business of her own. “At the time, I wasn't sure what I wanted my next career move to be, so I started to work with a life coach. During the sessions, it became clear that life coaching would be a great fit for me, as I would be able to be a holistic entrepreneur and continue to help others. “

Kimberlie Faybik experienced a lot of difficulties in a short period of time: she battled cancer, lost her mother and grandmother within months of each other, and separated from her children's father. “I reached out for help because I felt lost. I was blessed to have many people care for me, however, one friend in particular happened to be a SWIHA graduate. She told me about the Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, and I'm forever grateful for her guidance.” It was there where she learned how to love herself, how to forgive herself, and (in her own words), “how to be more understanding of my journey and honor the journey of others', as well.”

Krystel Renee began coaching people as a fifteen year old teen, before she  even knew what life coaching was. “As a young teen my dad made me enter beauty pageants, and I despised him for it,” recalled Krystel. She wanted to do martial arts, but her father wanted her to participate in more feminine activities. “So to 'stick it to the man' - my father - I would coach my competition and help them build confidence with their talents, all while doing their hair and makeup. My goal was to help these girls win, so he would quit making me compete.” It wasn't until her divorce occurred in 2013 that she discovered the life coaching program at SWIHA, and realized “I could get paid for this natural gift that I have and actually help more people!”

Krystel’s niche clientele are those that are struggling with PTSD and depression, or “those who have just lost the joy or sense of purpose in their life.” She also coaches a lot of military personnel and their families, as well as women in their 30's -50's. Krystel’s favorite life coaching tool is the Wheel of Balance. She shared how she enjoys “helping people gauge where they are at in all areas of their life and to help them finely focus on areas they want to be better.” In addition to coaching, she utilizes chakra balancing, neuro-kinesis, and laughter techniques to help her clients restore joy in their lives.