When life asks you to rebuild, it also gives you the chance to rediscover who you truly are. For Sarah Hanlon, a recent graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program, her journey has been one of courage, renewal, and transformation.
Before enrolling at SWIHA, Sarah was a dedicated massage therapist and mother living in Massachusetts. She was also in the process of healing from a painful chapter in her life — a toxic relationship she had left behind. “I wanted to help others in ways that I wanted to be helped as I was getting out of a toxic relationship,” she shares. “I wanted to be that hand that helps guide people through the tunnel to the other side of the hurt that allows them to build their lives for themselves.”
That deep empathy, born from lived experience, became the foundation of her passion for holistic healing. “I am passionate about this modality because I’ve been through it and came out on the other side of it,” Sarah explains. “I am still discovering my true self as I go through this journey.”
Finding Purpose in the Small Moments
While many look for one “aha” moment, Sarah’s transformation came through a series of quiet affirmations. “There hasn’t been that one defining moment; however, there were little moments that gave me the push,” she reflects.
One of those moments came through her writing — a lifelong passion she rekindled through her healing process. “I wrote a book about my healing, and those who read it said I was an inspiration,” Sarah says. “I knew I was on the right path just by the excitement I get as I learn. As things clicked into my brain — those ‘ah, that makes sense’ moments — I knew I was going in the right direction.”
A Journey of Growth and Healing
In the past few years, Sarah’s life has transformed in every way — emotionally, professionally, and spiritually. “I have grown with a growth mindset,” she says. “I look at life as the half-full instead of the half-empty metaphor. I have found more of myself through this journey than I realized I would. I am healing, and I am growing to be my inner self.”
That shift in perspective has touched every area of her life — from her family to her career. She shares, “I have restored my relationships with my children as we move forward with healing from all the years that were toxic. I have also gotten back into writing, which I hadn’t done in over four years.”
Expanding Her Healing Work
Professionally, Sarah continues to run her massage therapy business in Massachusetts, which she began in 2019 within a chiropractic office. However, she’s not stopping there — she’s expanding her work into a holistic healing center that focuses on caring for the whole person.
“I offer massage therapy with different modalities such as prenatal, cupping, hot stones, and more,” she explains. “I also offer Meditation Stretching sessions that allow clients to stretch with assistance, along with breathwork.”
Her clients describe her as a lifesaver — though Sarah humbly says she’s just doing what she’s meant to do. “I’m helping someone live a better life as they are living with little to no pain,” she says. Soon, she plans to add coaching and other healing services, inspired by what she learned at SWIHA.
Lessons from SWIHA
Sarah’s experience at SWIHA went far beyond academics — it reshaped her way of seeing the world. “My greatest lessons are that my inspiration comes at me like the FBI knocking down my door to tell me that I need to do this — even when my plate is full in life,” Sarah asserts.
She adds, “I learned how to allow my mind to grow, to give back to nature when taking something, and how to show gratitude for the little things. You are not alone in this world — there are people who share stories just like yours. Being open-minded is something we all need to do to learn from each other.”
Her favorite classes — Earth Ceremonies and Yoga Nidra — taught by Ms. Jodi and Lori Dye, deepened her connection to nature and her inner world. “Ms. Jodi was inspiring. She allowed me to connect with nature and create rituals that align with my life. Lori’s Yoga Nidra courses have been mind-opening and truly deepened my learning.”
Words of Wisdom
Sarah’s advice for future SWIHA students comes from her own experience of resilience:
“You get to choose who you are each morning and choose how to react to things in life. Don’t allow anyone to tell you that you can’t do something, because you can. You are in control of what you can and can’t do.”
And perhaps most importantly, Sarah believes in the power of transformation — for everyone. “I believe that everyone can change as long as the person is ready and willing to put in the work for that transformation.”
Through her journey from pain to purpose, Sarah Hanlon embodies what it means to be a healer — through her hands, her heart, her story, and her courage to keep growing.
🌿 Are you ready to begin your own journey of transformation?
Explore the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) and discover how your story can become someone else’s source of healing.
