SWIHA Blog

“Life coaching is a powerful way to develop new ways of thinking and discover the mental and emotional roadblocks that prevent us from achieving our life's goals,” explains Michael Cavalier, a Mind Body Transformational Psychology graduate, “With this newfound awareness, tools to empower us, and an system of accountability there is no limit to the world opening up to us and to the personal and professional growth we're seeking.”

“Life coaching is a one-on-one conversation between a practitioner and a client, in which the practitioner asks very direct questions to withdraw the client's soul desires and answers to help enable the client to reach their goals through positive life changing tasks,” explains Cherie Lee, a Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner graduate, author, non-denominational minister and business owner.

“Life Coaching is empowering people to find and live their dreams,” says Jeannie Epstein, a Life Coach and Hypnotherapist, “It is helping people to find their truth and taking that truth and creating a plan so that they can fully embrace all that they are capable of being.”

She chose Southwest Institute of Healing Arts for her education on a recommendation from a friend who had previously graduated from the Life Coaching program: “After doing research of Life Coaching programs online, I found SWIHA to be what I wanted,” she tells us, “I was so impressed with the programs and the instructors.

Stefanie Booker Atchison came to SWIHA during a difficult chapter of her life: “The economic downturn of the housing/mortgage crisis hurt me like it did a lot of others. It robbed me of my job, my comfortable salary and my home. It took my savings and my self-esteem, too. By the time I made my way to Arizona, I was halfway through my unemployment benefits and working an entry-level position at a local law firm. While I was grateful for the work, I was in an office job that didn't speak to who I was.”

Before becoming a Life Coach, Samantha McManaway-Hanks was struggling to find who she was. “I ended up in the hospital with an infection and my whole life turned upside down,” she shares, “I was once super healthy and then one day, I was extremely sick. I then started to have to find ways to deal with stress, health, and everything else. That’s what lead me to SWIHA.”

When she’s not in SWIHA’s teaching kitchen supervising and inspiring future Nutrition coaches, Janet Lee has her own thriving business, A Healthy Journey, which combines her passion for health with Life Coaching principles to assist her clients in leading fulfilling, wellness-centered lives.

“I welcome curious individuals willing to explore what is not working in their lives. Encouragement, education and excitement are shared to open up to new possibilities, creativity and opportunity for health, happiness and wholeness!” Janet explains.

“Being a Life Coach is just part of who I am,” says Linda Bennett, “I love asking questions and helping others dive deep and find the treasures within.”

Linda Bennett is a Hypnotherapist and Life Coach who owns Heart Centered Healing as well as serves as the Director of the Hypnotherapy program here at SWIHA! She has been a practitioner and instructor of Hypnotherapy for twenty-five years and became involved with Life Coaching in 1996. Along with KC Miller and Carolyn Frasier, Linda helped to create the original SWIHA Life Coaching curriculum in 2002.

Pamela Borowoski once had a long struggle with both her self-worth and spirituality. She tells us: “In my younger days when I followed a different religious path, I attended Bible College and went on to become a local and overseas missionary and I thought that, since I was no longer in that faith, that I'd never find a spiritual calling like I had before.“

As she began the slow process of healing from her traumas and heartaches, she focused her energy on her family. Yet, she still found herself barely getting by.

“I was disabled,” Pamela shares, “I was so anxious and depressed I could not drive. I barely left the house. I was in pain physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

Sabrina Willie describes her life before Southwest Institute of Healing Arts as a rollercoaster: “I was tired of the ups and downs,” she says, “I knew I had to do something.”

That gut instinct led her to leave her job of ten years and begin to define her own path. Two weeks after her new journey began, Sabrina found out she was expecting a child! It cemented her calling to create a life she loved: “I knew it wasn't coincidental. I decided this was a great chance to change and be a better role model,” she tells us.

There are many people who hear the words “alternative medicine” or “holistic wellness” and meet it with immediate skepticism. However, as recently as one hundred years ago, what we now classify at “alternative medicines” were the only medicines available.

The scientific advances during the European enlightenment brought us antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, serotonin inhibitors and other drugs, which caused decreased popularity in so-called “natural” treatments. While the advances in medicine are truly revolutionary and the solution to many previously hopeless health problems, it also brought about the belief that science would eventually cure all mental and physical disease. As a result, “natural” treatments were deemed ineffective and old fashioned in the minds of many people.