For many people, the path toward a meaningful career doesn’t begin with certainty—it begins with a quiet feeling that something is missing. For recent graduate Ashley Clements, that feeling eventually led her to a life-changing journey through the programs at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).
Today, Ashley is stepping into a new chapter as a holistic practitioner, entrepreneur, and advocate for women seeking healing and transformation. Her journey to this work was not conventional.
Before enrolling at SWIHA, Ashley spent two decades working in banking while raising her child as a single mother.
“I felt like something was missing,” she shares. “I was a single mom, in banking for 20 years, and just trying to get by.”
Like many people who eventually find their way to healing work, Ashley experienced a series of unexpected life events that began to shift her perspective. Those experiences ultimately became catalysts for growth.
“There have been several unexpected events and experiences I know I had to go through to make me a better practitioner, woman, and mother.”
When Ashley discovered SWIHA’s Spiritual Coach & Healing Botanicals and Earth Ceremonies programs, something clicked. These studies offered a path that aligned with her intuition and her long-standing interest in the healing power of plants.
Ashley’s journey began with a moment she now describes as deeply transformative.
On her very first day scheduled to start classes at SWIHA—May 6, 2024—she arrived at work excited to begin a new chapter after her shift.
Instead, she discovered she had been let go from her job.
“I was so excited to get off work to begin my journey,” Ashley recalls. “Then I found out, on my own, that I had been let go. As I sat there waiting in tears, I couldn't understand why this was happening.”
Yet as the shock settled, a different perspective emerged.
“Then I realized the universe was just clearing the path. I never wanted to be in banking for 20 years, and it was time to make a change and follow what my intuition was telling me.”
What felt like a loss in that moment ultimately became the beginning of a new purpose-driven life.
While studying at SWIHA, Ashley immersed herself in a variety of healing modalities that expanded both her personal awareness and her professional vision.
Rather than experiencing dramatic external change, Ashley says the most powerful transformation happened internally.
“My life hasn't changed so much as my perception has,” she explains. “I look back at the way I used to think and communicate, and that is where I see the most growth.”
One of the most meaningful lessons she gained was learning how to approach challenges differently.
“I learned my strengths and weaknesses. These are things that came up from resistance. I didn't look at challenges in that way before—I looked at them as struggles.”
Through practices like somatic healing and herbal studies, Ashley developed tools that helped her regulate her emotions and navigate life with greater awareness.
“That has been the biggest impact.”
Interestingly, Ashley’s journey toward holistic healing began with something simple: tea.
“Tea is what inspired me, believe it or not,” she says. “I had been thinking for years about how plants and herbs are healing and wanted to create my own products.”
That curiosity opened the door to a much deeper exploration of herbal medicine, spiritual coaching, and holistic wellness.
Today, Ashley is building her own wellness business, Sacred Bliss, offering healing and wellness coaching sessions alongside herbal products designed to support clients’ wellbeing.
“Everything I have learned at SWIHA has guided me to be able to make an impact on my clients,” she says. “It gave me the confidence and foundation to start my own business.”
Her mission is especially focused on supporting women and mothers who may be navigating difficult chapters of life—just as she once did herself.
“The tools and modalities I learned here guided me through what some people would call the darkest time. However, it was just a doorway to transformation and healing.”
“I want nothing more than to help women and mothers do the same.”
Ashley credits much of her growth to the supportive learning environment at SWIHA.
“Each and every teacher has had an impact,” asserts Ashley. “They all shed a different light on my journey here, and those courses always came exactly when they needed to.”
Among her favorite classes were those focused on herbalism and somatic healing, which helped deepen her understanding of the mind-body connection and plant-based healing.
“My teachers all had words that I needed to hear at the right moment,” Ashley reflects. “I have grown so much and appreciate how supportive they all have been.”
As someone who has experienced firsthand how transformative the SWIHA journey can be, Ashley encourages new students to make the most of every opportunity.
“My advice to future students would be to take advantage of all your resources while you have them,” she says. “Network and communicate with others—that is where a lot of the learning comes from.”
Today, Ashley is navigating the transition into a new career while continuing to grow her wellness business. Though the financial change from leaving banking has required adjustment, she remains deeply committed to building a life aligned with her purpose.
“I am working part-time admin jobs while growing my business and focusing on becoming the healthiest version of myself,” she shares.
For Ashley, this moment is not the end of a journey—it’s the beginning.
“This is just the beginning of my journey, and I am more than grateful to have created a foundation here at SWIHA,” she says. “I have found a purpose in life, and it has healed me in so many ways.”