SWIHA Blog

In 2010, Gisele Marasca was at major turning point in her life. “I had to close my graphic design and publishing company (mostly due to the 2008 economic crisis) and file for bankruptcy. I lost my home in the process and had to practically start from scratch.” She got a temporary job at the U.S. Census Bureau, and went through a phase where she was feeling lost and confused about her next steps. “At a certain point, I realized that I needed to reinvent myself.” During her years as a graphic designer and publisher, she worked on the side as an energy healer. “I felt that the challenges I had gone through were a sign from the Universe that it was time to change my course, and find my true path. I decided that my 'on the side' work was going to become my main career and life path.”

It was at this point that she began researching schools all over the country for a degree in energy healing and other holistic practices. “I was attracted by the AOS degree in Holistic Health Care that SWIHA offered. I was also intrigued by the fact that its very rich curriculum included hypnotherapy and life coaching.” The fact that SWIHA offered online programs and is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education sealed the deal for her!

Cherie Lee believes she was receiving divine messages about attending SWIHA. One day she was researching online when she noticed an ad for SWIHA flashing across each page she landed on. Later, when watching television, she saw another ad; she decided to take it as a sign and called admissions.

When she got to the school, she and her admissions coach went over different programs, and she was immediately drawn to the Life Coaching class, so she signed. “I was so happy to be in this class, as it helped me so much. I loved it, and I became ‘addicted’ to the school. I completed the entire course, and I graduated as a Master Life Coach in October 2015. I have been life coaching, friends, family members, students and the public for a little over one year now.”

Durga believes that she was a born healer and has been helping people since childhood, yet she wanted the training and proper tools, so she enrolled in the Life Coaching program at SWIHA. One of the most valuable things she learned during her program was to accept herself as she was. Perhaps the better relationship she formed with herself is why she attracts clients who are working on the present relationships in their lives such as parents, siblings, spouses, and the self.

To other potential students or ones in the program already, she urges you to “listen to your heart and believe in yourself. Everyone is unique with your own style, and there are people out there waiting for you and your style of coaching.” What keeps Durga passionate about coaching is the need for more life coaches. “There is nothing like seeing a smile of relief on your client’s face because they have let go of something that they have been bound to for so long.”

On June 8^th, 2011, Helen Hurry was diagnosed with Stage-3 breast cancer. It was advanced and aggressive. “I experienced a bi-lateral mastectomy, chemo, radiation, a full hysterectomy, and numerous reconstructive surgeries. All of this spanned over a three-year time period.” After this grueling process, she began to look into holistic modalities and energy work, both of which eventually helped her to heal. “Once my personal battle was coming to an end,” shared Helen, “…I decided that the world needed these modalities. I enrolled at SWIHA and it completely changed my life.”

It was “complete serendipity,” says Alexis Holland, that led her into the Life Coaching program at SWIHA. She feels that she is just beginning to kick off her coaching career through her business called Harmonious Holistics. She has been working with a small amount of clients for the past year and a half.

She loves asking her clients ‘high mileage’ questions, or deep questions that get them to find the answers they had no idea they were searching for. “It’s all about the questions you ask… and in order to ask the right question, you must listen to your client first.”

Alexis shared with me that her niche market are women in corporate America who are just beginning to seek a more fulfilling way of living. For example, they don’t quite understand the difference between organic and GMO; they don’t really know how to cook, but they want to learn. They eat out most of the time because they are so busy. Most of them are sick of the party lifestyle that lacks depth and meaningful connection, and they most importantly want to prevent the health problems they witnessed their parents go through or other loved ones in their families. Many are ready to embrace a healthier lifestyle and are excited to lose some weight and engage in a better way of living surrounded by good people. “I have found that the more you define who “he or she” is, the larger your audience becomes.”

Bella Neumann showed up at SWIHA because that was just part of her life journey. From being a big sister/mom to her younger sister at such a young age, all the way to being the person who helped her father into his next plane of consciousness (eternal rest), the techniques she’s learned through SWIHA’s program have assisted her through it all.

She is now 52 years old, and she has grown and developed every age of her life. This is a profound insight she has had, looking back on it all: “I am a daughter, a big sister, a mother, and grandmother (they call me Yaya) and am a friend and confidant to many. I only point that out, because I feel if we do not find ourselves on each side of a situation, there is no room for growth.” She says she has been on all sides of any given situation, and even though she may have found herself completely stuck in one point of view when first approached, through growth and opening her heart to how others may handle the same situation, she has found herself able to not only understand, but welcome, her own change of mind, heart, and soul.

Amanda Goe’s journey to SWIHA all began as the main health education teacher at Desert Vista High School. “I was asked to brainstorm a course I would be comfortable teaching in addition to Health, and I was immediately drawn to the idea of a yoga class.” The first year it got put into the course catalog, she had three sections of about 45 students each. “I wanted the best education possible to be the best teacher I could be--that's when I found SWIHA and SOY.”

From a young age, Stephanie M. Bjarnson already admired life coaches. A counselor taught her self-hypnosis techniques, which she then used to bring herself out of a severe depression during her youth. Her hometown wasn’t the most accepting of her approach to holistic healing, as she shared with me.

Stephanie feels that this fear is due to the mainstream medical establishment that pushes pills, therapy, and rehab on to people, rather than promoting self-love, meditation, and holistic methods of healing. Stephanie sums up healing and wellness succinctly, saying, “It all starts with the self - that is where we truly evolve.”

Though the fields of life coaching and hypnosis may differ in their approach to healing, these were the two areas that Stephanie desired to learn about the most, dating back to her highly beneficial childhood experiences with them. It comes as no surprise that Stephanie eventually enrolled in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner ONLINE program, where she specialized in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching.

Cherie Lee grew up in Galveston Island, Texas with four siblings, three brothers and a sister. She was raised a Catholic and attended church every Sunday. She always believed in angels, God, Jesus, and Mother Mary, and loved to learn about Catholic traditions, prayers, and songs of worship. However, she was not sure if she really believed in the devil or a hell with fire. As I grew up, I tried to please my parents and do the right thing, although I had my moments of rebellion. “I was a good kid, growing up in a very dysfunctional family with an alcoholic step-dad who abused my eldest brother and me on a regular basis. My entire family was negative in nature, and I became the peacekeeper of the family. I became a person who always tried to help others, yet was full of my own negativity; I suffered from anxiety and depression at times. However I always had faith in God, and this is what pulled me through every terrible incident growing up.”

Worrying about money can be a tremendous stressor in one’s life. Scientific studies have shown that extreme stress can adversely affect our mental health and can decrease the function of our immune system. Because mind and body function together, worrying about money may cause physical and emotional symptoms. You might feel helpless or depressed. Possibly you experience headaches, digestive problems, or frequent infections. You may feel anxious, irritable, and have difficulty sleeping.