SWIHA Blog

“My life before SWIHA was very chaotic; I didn't have a lot of direction after leaving a high-demand religion. I struggled with mental health issues and found no sustainable solutions until I started to change my relationship with food, my body, spirituality, and myself. I started making some lifestyle changes on my own yet was hungry for more information on how to take care of myself, my mind, body, and spirit. When I found SWIHA, I felt really drawn to the holistic approach and how the balance of nutrition and mindfulness has a powerful effect on all three. I am passionate about holistic healing through food because the mind, body, and spirit are so interconnected and this is a great way to start discovering yourself and taking good, loving care of yourself.”

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“I grew up in steak and potato country. My close friends can confirm that I never ate a vegetable,” says Amanda Webster, a graduate of the Mind Body Wellness Practitioner program  “Not surprisingly, I was plagued with symptoms of depression and anxiety and had trouble coping with life.”

During her first month at SWIHA, Amanda recalls sitting in Dr. Mahdi's classes wondering "What the heck is the picture on the screen?"

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As Juan Te Dailey was working as a staff coordinator, she became introduced to the concept of Life Coaching: “I saw it on a show several years ago and it stayed on my mental ‘shelf’ waiting to be birthed,” she explains.

Once she became immersed in her education during the Life Coaching program at SWIHA, her vision of service became clear: “Most people are like me: they take jobs for security and spend years doing something they hate because it isn’t what they are born to do. Seeing the lightbulb go on is priceless!”

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Melissa Colton is a licensed mental health counselor, psychotherapist, and life coach whose favorite quote is that of Carl Jung’s: "You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become!" It seems that Melissa herself embodies this quote. Though a lot may have happened to her, she has chosen to re-invent herself each step of the way.

Reminiscing, Melissa recalls dreaming of becoming be a go-go dancer, flight attendant, and a member of the Peace Corps all before the age of 15. Interestingly enough, none of these things happened. Instead, she went to college, fell in love, married, moved to Florida, had two children, and lived a pretty normal, low key life… yet, always with an itch to do more!

At age 40, Melissa reinvented herself by going back to graduate school. She eventually became a licensed mental health professional, specializing in treating high-risk individuals, which included being on-call holidays, weekend, and in the middle of the night for crisis calls from actively suicidal and/or self-harming clients. As challenging and demanding as the working conditions had been, the rewards were those you measured in intangible ways– self-satisfaction, living a mission-driven life, and finding deep personal purpose in serving others.

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