SWIHA Blog

Author and Life Coach Loree Bischoff was always intrigued by what makes people tick, why they think the way that they do, and what motivates them. In 2007, she and her sister noticed that many of the mothers they knew were struggling on some level to find balance in their lives. Recognizing a need for moms to have access to new tools and strategies for achieving a more balanced and fulfilling life, they developed a special event called “Motherhood Redefined”— a weekend seminar for mothers consisting of speakers, interactive workshops, and fun for everyone in attendance. What she didn’t expect was that her event to help others find balance on their path would lead her to the beginning of finding a new path for herself.

“Motherhood Redefined” was extremely well-received, and Loree knew then and there that what she really wanted was to begin her own private coaching practice. “I was not familiar with life coaching as a profession at that time. One of the speakers we hired happened to be a life coach and suggested I check out SWIHA,” she says. “I had begun studying spirituality in the early eighties (thanks to my mother)… being an important aspect of my life, it was a priority for me to find a life coach training program where spirituality wouldn’t be excluded.” To her delight, that was exactly what she found when, in the spring of 2008, she enrolled in SWIHA's life coaching training program. Loree feels that, “There couldn’t have been a more perfect fit.”

Ester Mina Silinsky believes that G-d has granted her 120 years to complete her life’s work. At 61 years old, she is happily married, has raised nine children, and intends to use the rest of her remaining years to help others manage their own health using holistic methods and ancient wisdom obtained through SWIHA Holistic Wellness Practitioner program— now known as the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner program. Since only two of her children still live at home, Ester is at a stage of her life where she can focus on enjoying her family and on her career as the owner of Holyland Holistics.

Did you know that July is National Watermelon Month? According to Mary Ritter, SWIHA’s Chief Executive Director, this is perfect timing because watermelon picking is at its absolute peak the week of July 4^th!! Watermelon has long been a favorite treat for Americans looking to consume something light and refreshing during the sweltering summer months. Interesting enough, over 300 watermelon varieties are grown in the US and Mexico.

High in the mountains of Northern Arizona, in a little town called Pinedale (population: 588), you’ll find SWIHA graduate Lisa Kaiser carving out her dream of a self-sustaining community.

In 2015, Lisa graduated from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts with a degree in Mind-Body Transformational Psychology and a diploma in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner program. The focus on body energy work, Ayurveda, aromatherapy, urban farming, raw food preparation—as well as the tools and support she got from entrepreneurial classes—provided the foundation of success that led to the beginning of Lisa building her dream.

Whether you are a long-time vegan or a newbie, being prepared in the kitchen can make eating vegan a breeze, rather than a hassle. A vegan eats only plant-derived foods, and they do not consume any animal products or bi-products, including honey, eggs, or milk. If you are interested in trying out a vegan diet, consider stocking your pantry with these things!

Nuts – Nuts are a great source of protein and healthy fat in a vegan diet. Keep them on hand to soak and make foods such as almond milk, cashew cheese, or creamy sauces or soups. They also make a great addition to any salad or a bowl of oatmeal.

Parul Agrawal is an internationally-known and highly-regarded author, coach and speaker who has truly taken her passion and created a successful platform that nourishes both her clients and herself! Parul latest achievement is so exciting! What started as juicing and workshops has grown into her having an international presence as a well-known and highly-rated published author. You’ll love her story:

“After taking the Raw/Vegan cooking class at SWIHA I started juicing for myself. With motivation from my SWIHA friends, I decided to go on a juice detox in summer of 2014. To stay motivated and accountable, I started blogging about my detox journey. The Recreation Coordinator from City of Tempe happened to read my blog and contacted me asking if I would like to offer a Juicing workshop to the patrons of Tempe. I already had the qualifications and my company, Parul’s Wellness Coaching, LLC was already incorporated, so I jumped at this exciting offer and started offering Green Juicing and Smoothies workshop first at Tempe and then at City of Chandler. Slowly and steadily the workshops became popular and my workshop patrons started asking for more recipes, more juicing tips and more techniques to make juicing affordable and manageable. It was too much to cover in a 2-hour workshop and so I decided to write a small book as an extension to my workshop. In February 2015, I started the work on my manuscript. To my surprise, instead of just a small book it became my dream project. I finished writing my book with 52 recipes by the end of March, 2015, and sent my manuscript to few people for their review, forewords, blurbs, etc. The next few months were spent in editing, formatting and marketing the book. I finally released the book “Juicing for Healthier Families” on October 14th, 2015 and made it to #1 in eight categories on Amazon and Kindle.”

Prior to registering at SWIHA, Jessica Ireland was, in her own words, “barely existing.”

“I lacked a post-secondary education, and the 15 years I worked in the finance industry meant nothing while I was applying for employment during the recession. I was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over my head, while spiraling further and further into a state of depression.”

After receiving a steady stream of rejection letters from potential minimum wage employers, Jessica realized that unless she obtained some form of post-secondary education in an area that was growing throughout North America, she would eventually end up homeless and hungry. Enter SWIHA.

“As soon as I discovered SWIHA, I knew that my search for the school and the education I desired was over. I relocated my 3 dogs and myself from Calgary, Alberta Canada to Phoenix, Arizona and haven’t looked back since.” Jessica shared how SWIHA allowed her to shed the weight of her past, while discovering her dreams and tapping into her infinite potential.

By Dee McCaffrey

If you’ve been chewing on the thought of improving your food choices and starting your journey toward a healthy lifestyle, there is no better time to begin than now. March is National Nutrition Month, an annual campaign organized by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics aimed at educating and empowering Americans into healthier lifestyles. The theme for this year’s nutrition month is “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” which encourages everyone to make informed food choices, keep portion sizes in check and engage in fitness routines that are meaningful and enjoyable.

The word “bite” means to take a small piece of a bigger portion, chew it well, savor the flavor and then swallow before taking the next bite. This year’s theme can be interpreted to mean that healthy living is not about making grand changes all at once. Rather, it is a steady continual process that allows for gradual improvement in many areas of your life. The focus is on taking one “bite” at a time into new territory—savoring a small change and allowing it to become a new habit before taking the next “bite.” The small changes you make each day or week will add up to big changes over time.

By Melanie Albert, Guest Blogger

March is National Nutrition Month, a month dedicated to nutrition and education. National Nutrition Month was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, focusing on the importance of making informed food choices and healthy eating habits. So the perfect way to kick off this month is with some fun, healthy snacks!

This is a great time to add three delicious healthy snacks, primarily inspired by a vegan and raw food way of eating, to your life. Have fun this week trying superfoods including raw cocoa and goji berries, and make your own almond butter.

After 18 years of working in the mortgage industry, Casey Grant was stressed, and sick of feeling stressed. She disliked her job because that’s what it felt like – a job. She didn’t enjoy what she was doing, and wanted to find a way to create a good income doing work she loved. Casey’s lifelong passion for health and nutrition sounded like a way out of the mortgage industry...the question was, how?

Casey began to research schools for nutrition education, and Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) immediately resonated with her. Although she lives in Chandler, Arizona, a town close where the main campus of SWIHA is located, Casey decided to enroll in the SWIHA’s online Holistic Wellness Practitioner program because it was convenient for her busy lifestyle, and allowed her to still be available for her family.

The entrepreneurial attitude and atmosphere of SWIHA is what appealed most to Casey. “SWIHA’s mission is to inspire and support people in opening their own businesses, if that is truly their dream. The college is committed to the success of their graduates,” Casey explains. “All my instructors encouraged me to go after my dreams and goals, and they guided and inspired me from an entrepreneurial point of view.”