SWIHA Blog

“Life Coaching, to me, begins with helping someone clarify what they really want to be doing with their lives and helping them map out a plan to get there via a series of specific,attainable goals,” says Dr. Alisa Cooper, “It requires holding them accountable for taking action steps to get there. It also involves recognizing and overcoming the limiting beliefs that can lead to self sabotage and stagnation.”

“Health and Nutrition Coaching is a type of life coaching focused on moving the client forward on the path of health. One foundational pillar of this coaching is that of ‘bio-individuality’; the idea that each person is unique in their biology and will therefore will need to discover what works for their own, unique experience,” Alex Kurth, a SWIHA graduate, tells us, ”The client must do the work, however the coach is their biggest fan and is always cheering them on and rooting for a win.”

Before becoming a Wellness Coach through her business, A Kurth Life, Alex Kurth was facilitating the Memory Care Program at an assisted living facility for seniors who had Alzheimer's and Dementia.

“Life coaching, to me, is helping people move toward the life they long for in their potential futures,” explains Rachel Horton White, founder of Soulful Work Intuitive Consulting, “It is listening with an open heart to the client's needs and desires, and gently nudging them along to take risks and move out of their comfort zone to becoming the highest and best version of who they really are. It is also about giving the powerful tools to help them get ‘unstuck’ in their lives.”

“Life Coaching is uncovering client's raw talents, passions, and deepest desires and using motivation and other tools to make all their dreams come true, while tapping into that pure potential we all have inside of us!” says Autumn Blackwood, founder of The Untamed Priestess.

Autumn was a grocery store cashier when she began to seek out an education in the Wellness industry. She discovered SWIHA after much research, and ultimately graduated from the Holistic Wellness Practitioner program. Through The Untamed Priestess, Autumn now offers Reiki, spiritual coaching and tarot reading, as well as facilitates women’s circles.

“Life coaching is the art of creating a space where people can clearly define where they currently are in life, where they want to go, and the steps it will take to get there,” John Eli, Virtual Mindset Coach, tells us.

John works in higher education and made the decision to pursue SWIHA’s Life Coaching program when he discovered his desire to meet and network with like-minded individuals. His education ultimately became a business that also fulfills this need for him!

“After having a hypnotherapy session from a student in the clinic, I knew that SWIHA was the place for me,” Kaye Bahr tells us, “After my session, I felt such a great relief from the stress and anxiety I was experiencing and I wanted to provide a similar experience for others. My very first session put me on a path to a new career.” 

Kaye made a brave leap from her fifteen-year role as an elementary school teacher to enroll in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner program and pursue a path as a  Clinical Hypnotherapist. She began her business Aspect Wellness, where she is a Performance Coach who works mainly with female business owners looking to grow their businesses, and yet finding that there is something holding them back.

“Life coaching allows people to answer their own questions when we provide them with the proper tools and guidance to discover what they are seeking clarity around,” says Sheila Marcella Taylor, a Southwest Institute of Healing Arts graduate with a diverse toolbox which includes Yoga Body Psychology, Holistic Nutrition, and - of course - Life Coaching!

Carolann Soltz, a Spiritual Life Coach, has spent the last fifteen years fundraising, consulting and supporting non-profit organizations. She tells us: “While this is great work and has provided well for me financially, it never felt like soul-filling work; the work that I am called to do.“

In August 2018, Carol took steps towards her yoga certification and, in January 2019, enrolled in the Life Coaching program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. While she didn't necessarily know what she wanted to do with all of this new training, she did know she wanted to take steps in the direction of her soul's longing.

“Life Coaching is empowering people to find and live their dreams,” says Jeannie Epstein, a Life Coach and Hypnotherapist, “It is helping people to find their truth and taking that truth and creating a plan so that they can fully embrace all that they are capable of being.”

She chose Southwest Institute of Healing Arts for her education on a recommendation from a friend who had previously graduated from the Life Coaching program: “After doing research of Life Coaching programs online, I found SWIHA to be what I wanted,” she tells us, “I was so impressed with the programs and the instructors.

“Life Coaching is a profession that offers adults the opportunity to make a difference in their life,” says Barbara Hribar, a Life Coach and Unity Minister, “It is a way I can guide others to a healthier, happier, more prosperous life. Life Coaching applies to all areas of their life and also to grow and expand in the area of their choice.”

Barbara had explored several options for coaching certification and determined that SWIHA was exactly what she wanted: “It was sold, proven, versatile, affordable and allows me the opportunity to learn how to be a holistic coach integrating body, mind and spirit.”