Great Graduates from SWIHA, SWINA & SOY

The moment you step foot inside Sugar Sugar salon in Scottsdale, AZ, you are in for a sweet treat. One can expect to be greeted by a jovial and genuine staff member – oftentimes the owner herself, Aimee, or one of two graduates from the Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics (SWINA), Tarah Hunter or Lacey Storm. Lacey and Tarah find themselves happily employed as licensed aestheticians for a growing franchise due to their enrollment at SWINA.

Lacey recalls her initial decision to attend the award-winning college, stating “I’ve always had a deep desire to help other people – even stemming as far back as when my sister struggled with skin concerns and the bullying that came with it. Nurturing her and others has always made me feel purposeful. I placed quite a bit of pressure on myself to find my ideal path and when a close friend highly recommended becoming an aesthetician at SWINA, it instantly seemed like a fit. The moment I walked into SWINA’s doors, I knew my purpose was there and to this present day I am so proud of myself because I found my true purpose and life path.”

Laura Moore, owner of LaTouch Wellness

, is a highly-seasoned and equally high-spirited practitioner who began her massage therapist practice in Michigan over 15 years ago, where she worked in spa settings and the local YMCA. One of her most memorable experiences was working at Ora Oxygen Spa, located inside the Detroit Metropolitan International Airport, was where she offered massage therapy, manicure and pedicure services to travelers. Laura expresses her gratitude for this specific experience, as she really enjoyed meeting people from all around the world, and having the opportunity to witness the similarities in all of us. Honored to have her as one of SWIHA’s #GreatGraduates, Laura shares that her continued education with SWIHA has “offered a different approach to my healing practice”.

Upon relocating to Arizona, she discovered SWIHA and occasionally attended the monthly “Gifts & Graces” event, where SWIHA opens their doors to the public and features guest speakers with powerful messages, in addition to complimentary sessions to those attending, including Toe Reading, Life Coaching, Energywork and more. Laura always appreciated the motivational aspect of the first Friday night events, however, she didn’t quite anticipate becoming a student. Laura shares:

Jill Roig, founder of Southwest Life Coaching, displays an ideal balance between corporate knowledge and spiritual wisdom as a coach. She combines her skills from each respective experience to better serve her clients that are interested in aligning their professional goals with their spiritual intentions.

Jill deeply believes in the power of human potential and the expression of our core selves. Her professional skills play a vital role in supporting her client’s goals and dreams. She connects with this message and offers it as the foundation of her sessions:

As a businesswoman who has always taken an intuitive and active approach to her own personal development, Jill attended Spirit of Yoga (a sister school of SWIHA) beginning in 2008.

As she implemented yoga philosophy into her everyday life, Jill became aware of her natural gifts and graces – listening to others and empowering them to share their truth.

Jill then enrolled in the 100-hour Life Coaching program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.

Aandra Bohlen is a tough, yet tender, six-figure entrepreneur, business consultant and certified empowerment coach whose straightforward approach to personal and professional growth has launched her into her passion and purpose.  Dedicated to helping business owners cultivate grit, clarify their ideas and bust limiting beliefs, Aandra is now serving hundreds of entrepreneurs in a loving and profitable way, while acknowledging SWIHA as one of the many experiences that helped her get where she is today.

Always having had a no-nonsense approach to her own endeavors, Aandra found herself easily coaching others through questions they had about their paths – be it personal or professional.  Knowing that this was her calling, Aandra launched her coaching business in June 2008.  She found herself effortlessly researching and sharing relevant and timeless strategies with others to help them grow their own businesses. Aandra’s coaching business encompasses marketing, self-promotion, creative selling and strategic positioning – whatever she feels is most beneficial to helping the entrepreneurs she was working with take their businesses to a new level.

Written by StevieAnne Petitt

In 2012, Christa Rimmer was desperately searching for something, but she couldn’t quite grasp what she was missing or searching for. In a state of curiosity and courage, she ventured out on a series of first-time experiences, including a trip to Sedona, diving into the practice of meditation, and sessions with both a psychic and a hypnotherapist for a past-life regression. She felt restless in wanting to know everything and to truly find what resonated with her. She claims that she felt awakened, but lost, for nearly two months following these new events. As she was finishing up her bachelor's degree in Psychology at ASU, she quickly became disenchanted with the idea of continuing on. Christa jokingly shared that in hindsight, she knew she was onto a new path when she excitedly mistook her curriculum’s Astronomy class for Astrology.

Disenchanted with the path she was on and seeking something more, Christa allowed spirit to guide her to SWIHA

One day during this transitional time frame, Christa’s co-worker approached her desk after regular talks about essential oils and her other newly acquired “toys” Christa received from Sedona. This included a pendulum she named, “Pendy” that everyone else in the office was well aware of. As Christa mentioned college and her recent inner conflict with staying, her colleague stated those magic words, “Hey, you should check out SWIHA. That's where I went for my yoga training.” Christa didn’t hesitate one bit, and immediately researched the school online. She joked, “All these months there was an X-men school for me and you didn't even tell me?!” Three days later, she was meeting with SWIHA Staff member Janelle Erikson to continue with enrollment.

Written by StevieAnn Petitt

Mary Abeyta is a living, walking example of the SWIHA’s motto – To serve as an instrument, not an ego, in the peace and healing of others.

Mary Abeyta’s life story has been nothing shy of miracles, each step building upon the next. As we sat together for this interview, her demeanor was both joyous and peaceful. We began with the simplest of questions, each providing proof that her entire life, even up to this very moment, has been Spirit-driven. In fact, Mary’s overall message to others is to acknowledge that although we each possess unique gifts that we all eagerly wish to share, our main point of focus ought to be our relationship with the Source that gifted us.

This statement opened up nearly an hour of dialogue; Mary’s phenomenal journey started with a calling to study Theology. After seeing an ad for a Theology program, within one week’s time she received confirmation from three other people who had seen the same ad – each totally unaware of the other, and even living in different time zones. All of the messengers suggested Mary should apply to the Theology program. With just a tad bit of initial resistance, Mary intuitively knew she’d be selected for this life-changing program.