SWIHA Blog

In 2014, Michele Root was first introduced to life coaching during a Self- Expression & Leadership Program at Landmark (a personal and professional growth, training, and development company) “I knew I found my calling. My life prior to that was not fulfilling, and I dreaded getting out of bed.” That October, she attended a Gifts and Graces at SWIHA and was instantly hooked. “I knew I wanted to take life coaching classes and found myself signed up for the AOS program with nutrition, hypnotherapy, & aromatherapy as an unexpected bonus." She had hopes that the coaching classes would ease her military transition back into civilian life, and then her passion for nutritional wellness took over. “My tip for future life coaches is simple - remain open to the unexpected!”

When asked what led Caroline Zeller to SWIHA’s Life Coaching program, she responded, “I started at SWIHA wth Reiki to help myself recover from a stroke.  As attended, I heard about life coaching.  I knew I was meant to be there.   I always wanted to professionally help others, but didn't subscribe to the mainstream counselling model.  The rest was history.  Now, after coaching for a year, it has inspired me to obtain my Wellness Practitioner diploma, then my AOS in Transformational Psychology.”

Every coach has a favorite tool, and like many others she mentioned the Wheel of Balance. She feels that it gives her a clear and concise map into where her client is and where they want/need to go. However, she also loves the practice of “story busting”, which she learned from the “genius”Richard Seaman: “While all clients don't live in their stories, many do tend to get caught up in the past and carry it with them.  This tool is beautiful when it pulls the client out of the middle of their situation, allowing them to look at it in a different, unemotional way.” She has found that she often works with clients suffering from PTSD, ADHD, divorce, and grief recovery, stress management, and those trying to move past a trauma.

Lori Beard has always considered herself to be a veteran in the field of life coaching, although she’s “officially” been a Life Coach for just a year. As a loving wife for more than twenty years and a mother of eight children, it’s no surprise that she possesses these natural gifts! “I’ve always been intrigued by the human mind and how others respond to circumstances. I love to learn from others and inspire them to step forward into their destined path of greatness.”

In her own words, “SWIHA helped me to release, resolve, reframe, and remove the baggage that was dragging me down for so long.” The teachers she had were all so positive and great mentors. “They knew how to challenge me to give me the best in a loving and caring way.”

For over 15 years, Joy Carter was a master’s level social worker and wanted to be able to have a business of her own. “At the time, I wasn't sure what I wanted my next career move to be, so I started to work with a life coach. During the sessions, it became clear that life coaching would be a great fit for me, as I would be able to be a holistic entrepreneur and continue to help others. “

About five years ago, Jonathan Siesel was struggling as a new resident of Arizona. He moved out here to be closer to his mom and to create a new life. His mom was actually working at SWIHA at the time, so naturally, he found himself roaming the campus quite a bit. Jonathan recounts his magical story of how he began his transformational SWIHA journey with us below:

One day, K.C. Miller saw me hanging out and approached me and said, "I See You." On the spot, she offered me an opportunity to take the Life Coaching program, and help me become the person we both knew I could become. Gratefully and humbly, I accepted her offer, and chose to take the Life Coaching program as my first class at SWIHA.

Kimberlie Faybik experienced a lot of difficulties in a short period of time: she battled cancer, lost her mother and grandmother within months of each other, and separated from her children's father. “I reached out for help because I felt lost. I was blessed to have many people care for me, however, one friend in particular happened to be a SWIHA graduate. She told me about the Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, and I'm forever grateful for her guidance.” It was there where she learned how to love herself, how to forgive herself, and (in her own words), “how to be more understanding of my journey and honor the journey of others', as well.”

Krystel Renee began coaching people as a fifteen year old teen, before she  even knew what life coaching was. “As a young teen my dad made me enter beauty pageants, and I despised him for it,” recalled Krystel. She wanted to do martial arts, but her father wanted her to participate in more feminine activities. “So to 'stick it to the man' - my father - I would coach my competition and help them build confidence with their talents, all while doing their hair and makeup. My goal was to help these girls win, so he would quit making me compete.” It wasn't until her divorce occurred in 2013 that she discovered the life coaching program at SWIHA, and realized “I could get paid for this natural gift that I have and actually help more people!”

Krystel’s niche clientele are those that are struggling with PTSD and depression, or “those who have just lost the joy or sense of purpose in their life.” She also coaches a lot of military personnel and their families, as well as women in their 30's -50's. Krystel’s favorite life coaching tool is the Wheel of Balance. She shared how she enjoys “helping people gauge where they are at in all areas of their life and to help them finely focus on areas they want to be better.” In addition to coaching, she utilizes chakra balancing, neuro-kinesis, and laughter techniques to help her clients restore joy in their lives.

Gabriela Milan was always fascinated with psychology and the human mind, yet she knew that her passion didn’t lie in simply studying conventional psychology. She suffered through twelve years of depression and was suicidal. She knew that she had to make a shift in her life. “I hired a life coach and discovered the amazing benefits of holistic healing through coaching. I looked for a school with this type of program, yet none of them felt right until I found SWIHA - I just knew I was home!”

In 2013, Faith Yanez made a life changing decision to completely resign from the corporate world. Her four children were out of the house and on their own, and she felt that this was her time to follow her dreams and deepest desires. “I've always done what I needed to do in my life,” shared Faith, “but now it was time to do what I wanted to do!” A friend of hers suggested that she check out SWIHA and like the thousands before her, ended up in the Life Coaching program.

Cherise Williams feels like her whole life was leading her to the point of enrolling in the Life Coaching program at SWIHA. She says she went through a lot of hard times in life, experiencing sexual abuse, emotionally and physically abusive relationships, drug and alcohol abuse, and self-loathing. However, she always felt she had a purpose, that she was supposed to do something life changing and helpful to other people. Like many other life coaches experience, Cherise feels like she’s been a coach all her life! She says this about SWIHA:  “I've been officially coaching now for about six months and I'm loving every single moment! The program at SWIHA gave me the confidence and tools needed to not only continue to help myself but to be able to serve others in a professional and profound way.”