Gratitude Challenge by Bill Gisclair-Sullivan, SWIHA Mind-Body Transformational Psychology Graduate
When we talk about gratitude, we are talking about the act of truly being thankful. Thankful for the blessings we have in life — the simple pleasures, the gifts of nature, health, happiness, family, friends, etc. Gratitude shifts our focus from what we want to what we have. It allows us to look at the ready abundance of all that is great in our lives. When we are truly grateful there is a profound change in our attitude towards life. Truly giving thanks makes us happier, healthier, and more resilient. It makes our relationships stronger and improves our overall health by reducing stress in our lives. We all sometimes take for granted, the little things in our lives. The things someone else would and have given their lives for: freedom, food, a place to live, an education, a bed to sleep in, clothes on our backs, etc. What about simple … Read More
Mark Flory ~ From mid-life crisis to finding a “full-filling” mission
Mark Flory thought he had it all — family, job, house, and lots of friends. Then at age 44, things started to change. “I guess you can say I had a mid-life crisis of identity. At the time of my decision to go to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), I had just sold a business that I thought was going to be my retirement plan.” Mark was feeling like a failure and that he let his family down. To top it off, Mark applied and interviewed with a company for a position that seemed like it was written specifically for him. After several interviews and feeling really good about getting the new job, he met with the owner and president. Remembering the shock and disbelief, Mark shared that he bombed the interview and didn’t get the job. Mark now realizes that he was having a spiritual awakening. “My intuitive … Read More
Lindsey Gemme: Helping Women Feel Whole Again
It took Lindsey Gemme a few years of mulling over what she wanted to do with her life before officially starting in the Holistic Nutrition Specialist program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). She discovered SWIHA while on her original search for a school to study herbalism. Once she explored all of the degrees and certificate offered at the college she was in love. “SWIHA had programs for all of the healing disciplines I was interested in: Herbalism, Yoga, Reiki, and even Nutrition.” After choosing to specialize in nutrition, she chose to take the Transformational Life Coach program as well, realizing how hand-in-hand coaching and holistic nutrition go. Like so many people before her, Lindsey declares that SWIHA felt like home. “Whenever you walk into SWIHA, you feel like you’ve come home because you know you are among your ‘tribe’ of like-minded people. There is such a feeling … Read More
Susan White – Great Energy Creates a Great Life!
Growing up in a small town located just outside of North Little Rock, Arkansas, Susan White joined the Air Force at age of 17 and spent the next 12 ½ years traveling the world, connecting with different cultures, exploring new places, and becoming aware that there is more to life that meets the eye – and that, in the end, it’s all about ‘energy’. After the birth of her daughter, Susan began to experience a deep calling for something different—almost as if there was an ‘energy’ leading her to search for more. She followed that ‘energy’ or ‘calling’ and decided to start a new journey outside of military life. Almost as if to counter balance the male-dominated-structured life she had lived for over a decade, Susan’s new path led her to do intuitive readings and eventually, using tarot cards. Along her path, as Susan felt a deep desire to expand … Read More
Parul Agrawal: Creating Health and Wellness Worldwide
Parul Agrawal is an internationally-known and highly-regarded author, coach and speaker who has truly taken her passion and created a successful platform that nourishes both her clients and herself! Parul latest achievement is so exciting! What started as juicing and workshops has grown into her having an international presence as a well-known and highly-rated published author. You’ll love her story: “After taking the Raw/Vegan cooking class at SWIHA I started juicing for myself. With motivation from my SWIHA friends, I decided to go on a juice detox in summer of 2014. To stay motivated and accountable, I started blogging about my detox journey. The Recreation Coordinator from City of Tempe happened to read my blog and contacted me asking if I would like to offer a Juicing workshop to the patrons of Tempe. I already had the qualifications and my company, Parul’s Wellness Coaching, LLC was already incorporated, so I … Read More
Jessica Ireland: Creating “Fertile” Grounds Through Healing
Prior to registering at SWIHA, Jessica Ireland was, in her own words, “barely existing.” “I lacked a post-secondary education, and the 15 years I worked in the finance industry meant nothing while I was applying for employment during the recession. I was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over my head, while spiraling further and further into a state of depression.” After receiving a steady stream of rejection letters from potential minimum wage employers, Jessica realized that unless she obtained some form of post-secondary education in an area that was growing throughout North America, she would eventually end up homeless and hungry. Enter SWIHA. “As soon as I discovered SWIHA, I knew that my search for the school and the education I desired was over. I relocated my 3 dogs and myself from Calgary, Alberta Canada to Phoenix, Arizona and haven’t looked back since.” Jessica … Read More
What is Whole Food Cooking? Easy Recipe Included
Plus an easy recipe: Bamboo Steamer Carrots with Cumin & Walnut Oil We often hear the term whole foods or whole food cooking, yet do we really know what the terms mean? The ‘Whole Food’ way of eating is enjoying as many “whole foods” as possible – that is, eating foods as close to their natural form as possible, with very minimal processing. This is the way people were eating a hundred years ago prior to the age of fast food restaurants, manufactured processed foods, convenience foods. It was when people actually spent time in their kitchen cooking, and less time eating out or eating on the run. Simply, Whole Foods Cooking uses S.O.U.L. Foods: Seasonal. Organic. Unprocessed. Local. Many health experts believe eating more whole foods improves health and helps prevent disease. Whole foods – like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and legumes – retain their fiber and beneficial … Read More
Sandy Flores – SWIHA Online Holistic Nutrition and Hypnotherapy Graduate: Shares Healing and Hope to Her World
As her 50th birthday approached, Sandy Flores knew she wanted to do something special to honor the next stage of her life, now that she and her husband, Bill, had an empty nest. She always dreamed of completing her college degree and thought this would be the perfect time to focus on her and her passions. As she looked at schools and curriculums, nothing seemed to fit her personality, interests, and goals. That is, until late one night, while looking at schools on the internet, she stumbled upon the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Just reading the College’s name alone seemed to bring a stir of excitement. Each and every class she scrolled through sounded interesting and life-affirming, which was something she desperately longed for during her mid-life crossroads. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she read that the school offered online classes for distance students. She began … Read More
5 Easy Tips to Make a Tasty Green Smoothie
By Ivie McCoy -Guest Blogger People are drinking smoothies now more than ever before. What should be in a smoothie to make it a complete, healthy alternative? Many people run into issues with things like texture, taste, and variety. Part of the misconception with taste is that we are so used to things being sweet that it is difficult to eat a green smoothie that tastes like “dirt” or is “earthy”. What if a green smoothie didn’t have to taste bad? What if a healthy smoothie that is also delicious could be made every day? By following these five easy steps, compiled mostly from the teachings of SWIHA holistic nutrition instructor Janet Lee, it is easy to create amazing green smoothies! 1) Liquid. Every smoothie needs a liquid component. The liquid provides nutrients as well as hydration for the body. Some ideas of what can be used are water, coconut … Read More
Giving You the Good Stuff: SWIHA Great Graduate Thrives with Natural Skincare Business
The recent awareness around ingredients in foods and products has practically caused a worldwide phenomenon. Conscious consumers everywhere are beginning to pay attention to what they are putting in and on their bodies. However, Lisa Kaiser has been reading product labels and looking at food ingredients long before it was making headlines. This attention to labels and ingredients was what inspired Lisa to create her skincare business, The Good Stuff, over 15 years ago with her daughter. Lisa came to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) years after launching her business with the intent to expand on her expertise. She enrolled in the online Associates of Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, and was intrigued by the Urban Farming courses, due to her interest in reading labels and using ingredients that nature provided. “The fact that Urban Farming was incorporated, along with the holistic nutrition classes, brought what I believe full circle,” … Read More