Amanda Herring always knew she was meant to help people — it wasn’t until she blended her medical expertise with holistic healing that she truly discovered her purpose. As an ER nurse, she spent over a decade on the front lines of emergency medicine, tending to crises and comforting those in their most vulnerable moments. Yet amidst the chaos and heartbreak of the ER, Amanda began to notice a recurring pattern — many of the emergencies she treated could have been prevented with better self-care, healthier habits, and more education on wellness.
That realization sparked a fire in her: there had to be a better way.
Amanda found herself longing for something more — something deeper and more aligned with the organic, whole-person healing she knew was possible. Her search led her to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) and the Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching program. What began as a professional pivot soon became a profound personal transformation.
“I just felt like something organic was missing from my life,” she shares. “When I found SWIHA, it felt like coming home.”
For Amanda, the fall of 2023 marked a turning point. After years of ignoring persistent gastrointestinal symptoms, she found herself in an emergency situation — this time as the patient. Emergency gallbladder surgery forced her to reckon with a hard truth: even those in the healing professions aren’t immune to the consequences of imbalance and disconnection from the body.
“I realized I was one of the people who could have avoided a medical emergency if I knew how to nourish my body,” Amanda says. That moment solidified her commitment to the holistic path, for herself and others.
While Amanda continues her work as a bedside nurse, her vision has expanded. She is now advocating for something revolutionary within her hospital system: a comprehensive wellness program for staff.
With the skills and confidence gained through her coaching education, Amanda is proposing group and individual coaching sessions tailored to the specific challenges of healthcare professionals. Her goal? To support her fellow healers in setting boundaries, cultivating self-awareness, and building resilience — skills she has learned to master through her own SWIHA journey.
“The most profound change I’ve experienced is in my boundaries,” she says. “They’ve given me my life back. I’m a better nurse, a better mother, and a more connected human being.”
Amanda is a true bridge-builder, with one foot in emergency medicine and the other in holistic health. She teaches life-saving hospital courses like Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support (ACLS) while dreaming of a future that includes becoming a Naturopathic Doctor. Her passion for science shines through, especially in SWIHA’s online Nutrition classes like Micro/Macro Nutritional Biochemistry, where she fell in love with the intricate dance of the human body’s systems.
Amanda’s message to future SWIHA students is simple and bold: just jump.
“Embrace the uncertainty,” she urges. “The free fall is exhilarating. SWIHA provides a net of support — from instructors to classmates — that makes it safe to explore, fail, grow, and rise.”
Now rebranding her coaching business while focusing on the internal wellness revolution at her hospital, Amanda is still deeply rooted in her purpose: to guide others toward the “purest form of self.” She’s not just changing lives — she’s changing the system from the inside out.
And perhaps most importantly, Amanda is carrying this legacy of healing into her home, giving her children the tools to live in alignment with their truest selves.
Amanda Herring’s journey reminds us that healing starts within — and when we heal ourselves, we heal the world around us.
From ER nurse to Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, her story is proof that transformation is not only possible — it’s powerful.