---
title: "From Personal Healing to Helping Others: Ava Emanuelson’s Holistic Health and Wellness Journey at SWIHA"
description: Meet SWIHA graduate Ava Emanuelson and discover how her personal healing journey inspired her to study Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching and pursue a future helping others.
---

[Mindfulness News | Healing Arts Stories | SWIHA Blog](https://www.blog.swiha.edu)

# [From Personal Healing to Helping Others: Ava Emanuelson’s Holistic Health and Wellness Journey at SWIHA](https://www.blog.swiha.edu/from-personal-healing-to-helping-others-ava-emanuelsons-holistic-health-and-wellness-journey-at-swiha)

 Written by [Jade Marvin](https://www.blog.swiha.edu/author/jade-marvin) | 9/28/26, 3:00 PM

For Ava Emanuelson, a passion for holistic health began long before she enrolled at [Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA)](https://swiha.edu/all-healing-arts-holistic-health-education-programs/). After navigating her own health challenges and discovering the profound impact that holistic approaches could have on her life, Ava knew she wanted to learn more — and eventually help others discover their own paths toward wellness.

A recent graduate of SWIHA’s [**Holistic Health and Wellness Coach program**](https://swiha.edu/holistic-health-and-wellness-coaching/), Ava is now continuing to grow personally and professionally while exploring how she can use what she has learned to support others.

 

## **Discovering a Different Approach to Healing**

Before coming to SWIHA, Ava already had a strong interest in health and wellness. She enjoyed learning about holistic approaches to healing, naturopathic practices, and different ways people could support their well-being naturally.

Her own health experiences ultimately became the catalyst for pursuing this passion more deeply.

“*Before SWIHA, I knew I had a passion for health and wellness*,” Ava shares. “*What led me to SWIHA was my struggles with health issues in the past, and overcoming and healing those gave me a love to help teach others how to do the same*.”

Ava had previously explored more mainstream approaches to addressing her health concerns. Over time, however, she felt drawn toward a different path.

“*Holistic healing has always been something planted in the back of my mind, even when I was trying the ‘mainstream’ ways to heal myself*,” she says. “*Deep down I always knew that the holistic way would be the best.*”

Choosing to embrace a more naturopathic lifestyle became an important turning point for Ava — one that ultimately inspired her to pursue formal education in holistic health and wellness coaching.

 

## **Knowing She Was on the Right Path**

For Ava, her defining moment came through experiencing the results of the work she was doing for herself.

“*I knew I was on the right path when I started seeing results from the work I put in to heal myself*,” she explains.

Her personal experiences helped reinforce her belief that wellness can be a gradual, deeply personal process.

“*Even though healing holistically is a slower process, the results are everlasting and life-changing*,” Ava says.

Those experiences gave her more than an interest in holistic wellness. They gave her a desire to share what she was learning with others.

 

## **A New Perspective on Health and Life**

Ava says that embracing holistic wellness has significantly changed her life and given her new perspectives on what it means to care for herself.

“*Holism has significantly changed my life and given me so much knowledge and so many beautiful perspectives on things*,” she shares.

Today, she says she has developed a greater appreciation for life and a stronger sense of confidence in her body.

“*I can appreciate things so much more and feel so confident in my body, and it’s a feeling like no other*.”

Her time at SWIHA expanded that personal journey by giving her additional tools, knowledge, and perspectives that she can carry forward into the next chapter of her life.

 

## **Learning to Empower Herself as a Future Practitioner**

One of Ava’s greatest takeaways from her education was learning about the possibilities of creating and owning her own practice.

“*The greatest lesson I learned was learning to empower myself through owning my own practice*,” she says. “*This course has been very educational, and it gave me a new perspective on businesses.*”

While Ava has not yet begun seeing clients through her own business, she is actively working toward discovering what that future may look like.

Currently, she works in a role managing contractors’ schedules and setting up project consultations with prospective clients. At the same time, she is working on growing her own business and exploring the direction she wants to take professionally.

“*I’m truly learning what I am meant to do*,” she says.

For Ava, graduation is not an ending. It is the beginning of an ongoing process of learning, growing, and discovering how she wants to use her education.

 

## **Finding Inspiration in the SWIHA Classroom**

During her time at SWIHA, Ava found something meaningful in each of her instructors and classmates.

“*I would say everyone has had an impact on me while studying here*,” she says.

One of her favorite parts of the program was the opportunity to explore holistic approaches through hands-on learning — particularly the cooking classes.

“*I really enjoyed the cooking classes, especially the raw foods one*,” Ava shares.

These experiences allowed Ava to continue exploring the practical side of holistic wellness while building knowledge she can carry into her personal life and future professional endeavors.

 

## **Taking the Tools With You**

When asked what advice she would give to [future SWIHA students](https://swiha.edu/prospective-students/admissions-requirements/), Ava encourages them to fully engage with the tools and practices they encounter throughout their education.

“*I would say just take everything in, and use the tools they teach you,*” she says, pointing to practices such as EFT tapping and meditation as examples.

For Ava, her SWIHA experience has been about more than gaining information. It has been about discovering practices that can become part of an ongoing approach to personal growth and wellness.

 

## **What Comes Next for Ava?**

Now that she has graduated from the Holistic Health and Wellness Coach program, Ava is continuing to explore how she wants to bring her education into her future.

Professionally, she is building toward her own business while gaining experience in her current career. Personally, she continues to focus on her own growth and has recently developed a new interest in going to the gym. Her journey reflects an important part of holistic wellness: growth doesn't necessarily happen all at once. Sometimes, it begins with taking one step toward understanding yourself, learning new tools, and discovering what feels aligned with your path.

Ava came to SWIHA after experiencing her own challenges with health and wellness. She leaves with new knowledge, new perspectives, and a growing vision for how she can use what she has learned in the future.

For those considering a similar path, her experience offers a reminder that your own wellness journey can become the foundation for discovering how you may one day support others.

 

## **Explore Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching at SWIHA**

Interested in turning your passion for holistic wellness into an educational and professional path? SWIHA’s **Holistic Health and Wellness Coach program** provides students with opportunities to explore holistic approaches to health, wellness, and personal transformation while developing tools they can carry into their own lives and future careers.

Your journey toward helping others may begin with your own desire to learn, grow, and live well.

[View full post](https://www.blog.swiha.edu/from-personal-healing-to-helping-others-ava-emanuelsons-holistic-health-and-wellness-journey-at-swiha)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Jade Marvin"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-09-28T15:00:00.313Z",
  "datePublished" : "2026-09-28T15:00:00Z",
  "headline" : "From Personal Healing to Helping Others: Ava Emanuelson’s Holistic Health and Wellness Journey at SWIHA",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 628,
    "url" : "https://430047.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/430047/9.28%20Ava%20Emanuelson_HHWC%20graduate%20blog.jpg",
    "width" : 1200
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.blog.swiha.edu/from-personal-healing-to-helping-others-ava-emanuelsons-holistic-health-and-wellness-journey-at-swiha",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "SWIHA Blog"
  }
}
```