SWIHA Blog

Gluten-free veterans and newbies alike: welcome! Chances are that you have already seen dozens of articles from all across the web telling you what’s what in gluten-free living...

For the uninitiated, gluten is a plant protein commonly found in wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats. Medical science has thankfully progressed to the point that we are now able to use some simple tests to identify those lucky few who are unable to properly digest gluten; those individuals are generally diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Others might find that they have a sensitivity or allergy to this protein and opt for a gluten-free diet in order to lead a more comfortable life. Still others may choose a gluten-less lifestyle as a way of improving their overall health, clearing up skin troubles, and releasing extra weight.

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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.

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From a young age, Stephanie M. Bjarnson already admired life coaches. A counselor taught her self-hypnosis techniques, which she then used to bring herself out of a severe depression during her youth. Her hometown wasn’t the most accepting of her approach to holistic healing, as she shared with me.

Stephanie feels that this fear is due to the mainstream medical establishment that pushes pills, therapy, and rehab on to people, rather than promoting self-love, meditation, and holistic methods of healing. Stephanie sums up healing and wellness succinctly, saying, “It all starts with the self - that is where we truly evolve.”

Though the fields of life coaching and hypnosis may differ in their approach to healing, these were the two areas that Stephanie desired to learn about the most, dating back to her highly beneficial childhood experiences with them. It comes as no surprise that Stephanie eventually enrolled in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner ONLINE program, where she specialized in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching.

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Georgia Nelson spent over thirty years in the medical industry and remembers, as a little girl, that she wanted to be a nurse when she grew up. While in this field, she noticed she always got pulled back in to dermatology. When her sister was seventeen years old, she was in a horrible head-on collision that split her face open, leaving her face severely scarred. Georgia shared how this trauma affected both of them. “When you’re a teenager, damaging your face can seem like the end of the world.” Though her sister continued to have surgeries and as a team of doctors worked to diminish the scarring, Georgia noticed a transformation in her sibling that inspired her to help others with their skin problems. She has wondered if this was one of the reasons she found herself working in the dermatology departments throughout her career. Georgia became intimate with her own physical struggles, as she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and then later, basil cell carcinoma. This struggle also made her passion for oncology and hematology grow, as she came out a cancer-survivor!

At the age of 50, the pull toward dermatology and skin took over. Georgia decided to take a leap of faith and follow her dream into aesthetics. Her journey began with searching for a beauty school in Arizona. She had four schools lined up to tour, and Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics (SWINA) was the first one on her list. Commuting forty-five minutes from Cave Creek, she showed up at SWINA and remembers this, “I walked into the school and immediately knew my search was over. The staff offered me a facial and that experience was the solidifying factor that showed me I was where I belonged. That was September, and by December, I was enrolled, going to classes, and graduated in June 2016 with a Natural Aesthetics Practitioner diploma!”

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Lorrie VanPelt Smith confides that she struggled with acne when she was in high school and was always searching for things that worked.  She found that many products and treatments were costly, and didn't always do what they claimed they would do. After working in the legal field for years, Lorrie admits that she felt burned out, so when a co-worker said she was looking into aesthetics, Lorrie felt like this could be a career path that would be challenging, as well rewarding by helping others achieve their skincare goals.  And she was right!

“I am passionate about what I do, as I want each person who walks into my studio to see and feel the beautiful person that I see in them.  There is so much negativity in our world these days, and everyone trying to keep up with the Joneses, that my passion is for my client to see their own beauty, embraces it, and love the skin they are in!”, explained Lorrie enthusiastically.

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