For many students at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), the path to holistic healing begins with a deeply personal journey. For recent graduate Alissa Germond, that journey was shaped by grief, transformation, and a powerful desire to support others during life’s most vulnerable moments.
Today, Alissa is stepping into her calling as an End-of-Life Doula and Spiritual Coach, using the skills she developed through SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts program to offer compassionate care to individuals and families navigating difficult transitions.
Before enrolling at SWIHA, Alissa describes her life as emotionally overwhelming. Like many people who come to healing work, she was navigating a complex mix of grief and personal challenges.
“Before SWIHA, my life felt heavy and pretty overwhelming to say the least,” she shares. “I was holding in a lot of grief from loved ones who had passed, grief from betrayal and loss of friendships, family, and other relationships.”
At the same time, Alissa was also navigating what she describes as a spiritual awakening—an experience that pushed her to seek deeper meaning and alignment in her life.
“I knew I needed to fight this even if it was alone,” she says. “I needed to find something joyful, meaningful, and that aligned with my purpose.”
That search eventually led her to SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts program, where she began exploring a wide range of modalities including Aromatherapy, Yoga Nidra, and holistic healing practices. These studies opened the door to personal healing, as well as, a path where she could help others.
“These classes allowed me to begin healing myself and are preparing me to be able to share with others,” she explains. “I want to be the support I needed.”
For Alissa, one of the clearest signs she had found the right path was the deep sense of resonance she felt with what she was learning.
“I knew I was on the right path when I noticed the content of what I was learning resonated so deeply with me,” she says. “I enjoyed and began to love what I was learning.”
Even when life continued to bring challenges during her time in the program, that sense of alignment kept her moving forward.
“Throughout the hard times I've endured since enrolling, I had faith in what I was doing because it felt so aligned.”
While the practical skills Alissa gained at SWIHA have been invaluable for her work, she says the most significant changes have taken place within herself.
Through her studies and personal reflection, she learned how to create healthier emotional boundaries, cultivate self-respect, and approach life more mindfully.
“I’ve learned the importance of boundaries, self-love and respect, and to be mindful of others,” she explains. “I’ve learned to respond rather than react, protect my energy, and shift the parts of my life I’m unsatisfied with.”
These lessons have helped her build a stronger foundation— as a practitioner and as a person navigating life’s many responsibilities.
Inspired by her passion for compassionate care, Alissa founded her own practice: Soulful Holdingspace.
Through this work, she offers gentle and supportive services designed to help individuals and families navigate end-of-life experiences with dignity and presence.
Her current offerings include:
“My goal is to offer compassionate support to individuals and their families,” Alissa explains.
As she continues to deepen her education and experience, she plans to expand her services to meet the evolving needs of the people she serves.
The skills she developed through SWIHA’s holistic programs—combined with her personal life experience—allow her to hold space for others with empathy and understanding.
One of the most powerful lessons Alissa took away from her studies is the realization that perseverance and self-belief can create meaningful change.
“The greatest lesson I've learned was that I can do anything I put my mind to,” she says. “It will be hard, yet it will be worth it.”
Through the process of learning, healing, and stepping into entrepreneurship, she gained something she never expected: confidence.
“The self-love, confidence, and healing I've gained on this journey was needed for me to become aligned with my purpose.”
Alissa says each of her instructors played a meaningful role in her growth during the program.
“All teachers were impactful in their own ways,” she reflects.
One instructor in particular helped shape her approach to personal and professional development.
“Professor Michael Dye really made me realize the importance of discipline and planning,” she says. “That’s something I still lack in, however, have gotten much better at, and it has stuck with me throughout this journey.”
When asked what advice she would give to students considering a similar path, Alissa’s message is simple and direct:
“JUST DO IT.”
Behind those three words lies the understanding that stepping into healing work often requires courage, vulnerability, and trust in the process.
Today, Alissa continues balancing many roles—entrepreneur, employee, mother, and student of life. She is actively growing her business while continuing to focus on her personal healing and development.
“I am learning the life of a business owner while continuing my job and my motherly responsibilities,” she shares. “I am learning to balance it all, market my business, and love life.”
Looking back on her journey at SWIHA, Alissa feels deeply grateful for the transformation it sparked.
“This journey has helped me grow and has given me the confidence I never thought I would have,” she says. “I am thankful for SWIHA and blessed to have had this experience.”
Through her work as an End-of-Life Doula and spiritual support practitioner, Alissa now carries that confidence forward—holding space for others as they navigate their own moments of healing, transition, and meaning.
Want to Connect with Alissa?
Website: https://www.soulfulholdingspace.com/
Instagram: @soulful_holdingspace
Facebook: Soulful Holdingspace