SWIHA Blog

Before stepping into her healing journey, Scherrie Blake found herself navigating a season of loss—romantic breakups, family fractures, and friendship fallouts. “I was desperate for answers,” she recalls. “I needed to understand why I had to experience so much pain, even though I was a good person.” That search for meaning led her to shadow work—and eventually to the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).

Tiffany Grant always felt a deep calling to help others; early on in her spiritual journey, she wasn’t sure how to turn that inner knowing into a tangible path. “I knew I had a calling to help others,” Tiffany shares, “yet I wasn't sure how to move forward.” That all changed when a friend—who happened to be a SWIHA graduate—told her about the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) Online Program.

For Sheila Checots, life before SWIHA was a season of transformation. Amidst the unknowns and personal transitions, she found herself drawn to a deeper understanding of how our beliefs shape the way we engage with the world. It was in this pivotal moment—right as she was awakening to the power of perspective—that she stumbled upon an ad for Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Following a strong intuitive nudge, she enrolled in the Hypnotherapy program, recognizing it as a powerful tool to help others move beyond their inner limitations and create lives filled with intention and joy.

When Grace Warren enrolled in SWIHA’s Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching program, she was stepping onto a path shaped by purpose, healing, and an unwavering commitment to support women in their most vulnerable moments. As a recent graduate, Grace is already preparing to launch a coaching business grounded in holistic living and dedicated to women’s health—specifically fertility, pregnancy, postpartum care, and hormone balance.

Grace’s passion for this path didn’t arise from textbooks or trends—it was born from her own story.

Before Maha enrolled at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), her life felt like a dark cloud. She was navigating the depths of adrenal burnout and personal heartbreak, trying to find her footing after a difficult breakup. Though she had applied to SWIHA twice before, it was during this emotional low point that she finally said yes to herself—and to a journey that would change everything.

Before I became a licensed aesthetician, my life looked a lot like most people’s: clocking in at 9, clocking out at 5, living for weekends, and quietly dreaming of “someday.” I knew I wanted more—more purpose, more flexibility, and more time doing something I actually loved. Yet I also knew I was about to step into the biggest role of my life: motherhood.

Before she ever imagined herself leading wellness workshops or helping women reclaim their self-worth, Markayla Clinton worked as a bank teller—efficient, dependable, and quietly dreaming of something more. Her lifelong curiosity about the human mind and passion for helping others had once led her to study psychology in college. Although life’s twists and turns meant she didn’t complete her degree, that inner calling never faded.

Eventually, Markayla’s desire to serve others in a more personal, transformational way reignited. That’s when she discovered Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). “I found the perfect program,” she says. “My experience at SWIHA taught me a great deal about myself—my capabilities and potential.” Enrolling in the Holistic Health and Wellness Coaching program, she embarked on a life-changing journey that would help her impact others while deeply healing herself.

When Desarie Lee first found SWIHA, she wasn’t seeking a certificate—she was seeking spiritual alignment. Already practicing Reiki and deeply connected to the metaphysical world, Desarie had read Journey of Souls and felt called to guide others toward the magic and depth of the spirit realm. After a transformative “life between lives” session with a hypnotherapist who happened to be a SWIHA graduate, Desarie’s path was clear. Spirit said “YES,” and so did she.

I came to spiritual coaching not through a textbook or a plan—rather, through an experience that awakened something deep within me. While working as a massage therapist at a yoga retreat, I found myself surrounded by healing energy. I received Reiki sessions, participated in guided meditations, and experienced powerful hypnotherapy sessions. I didn’t know it at the time, however, something inside me was shifting. I felt myself opening, softening, and connecting more deeply with parts of myself I hadn’t accessed in years.

Before Beth Stratton discovered Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), she was on a quest for purpose. With a business degree and entrepreneurial experience behind her, life took an unexpected turn when she had to close her business. Feeling lost and uncertain, she enrolled in an accelerated nursing program—driven by her deep desire to help others—yet her plans shifted again when she became pregnant. Life, as it often does, paused one dream to make space for another. Beth devoted the next several years to raising her children and embracing the journey of full-time motherhood.