Today we’d like to introduce you to Holly Stokes.
Hi Holly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After High School, I got a full ride, four year scholarship to Utah State University. I went for a couple of quarters, but felt uninspired with sitting in classrooms all day, so I quit. Yep I let the full ride scholarship go and chose instead to follow a wilderness survival program running courses out of New Jersey of all places with Tom Brown, Jr. I always loved the outdoors, and these courses were a deep dive into not only learning what wild plants to eat, how to make fire using only sticks, and build shelters and also a deeper dive into hearing the underlying heartbeat of wild nature.
Each course, we would camp out for a week, creating debris shelters, creating cordage, studying plants, I ate it up I loved it so much. Then one night I remember sitting by the fire, watching the flames under the night sky and I thought, “If only I could get paid to teach these skills and live outdoors, that would be amazing.”
The next week, my mom’s friend was passing through town and he also loved the outdoor life as his father was Native American and he wanted to hear about the courses I was taking. So we met and compared notes on the different skills, such as which sticks make the best fire by friction set. At the end of the visit, he said, “There’s a wilderness camp less than 60 miles away from your house and they are always looking for good female staff.”
So I applied and got the job with my first at-risk-youth wilderness therapy program. And the dream by the campfire came to fruition, this was in 1994 before the internet, when you could just search and find whatever you want, but life just showed up.
I worked with wilderness programs over the next 10 years, backpacking with teens in Utah’s backcountry, helping the students build self-esteem, learn emotional intelligence skills and communication. Each week psychologists would drive out to visit the students, then they’d give us counselors their “psychology homework.”
As a counselor, I watched the teens struggle, even though they knew their patterns, they struggled to change them. I felt inspired to go back to school to finish my degree in psychology because I wanted to make a difference.
The at risk teen programs took me to Bend, Oregon, so from there, I went back to school at Bend’s community college and finally finished up my degree at Portland State University in Oregon. While doing my coursework, one of the videos they showed in psychology classes was on the Placebo Effect, the power of the mind to overcome illness and even pain.
I watched fascinated as a man was undergoing brain surgery with no anaesthesia, he was awake and talking to the surgeons, using only hypnosis. Psychology professors said they didn’t know much about hypnosis, but I was fascinated, so I found a local school and I was hooked.
I certified with the school in Portland Oregon while finishing my degree in Psychology. The Hypnosis course I found had a joint training of NLP and Hypnosis. NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming is a series of processes and exercises to rewire the brain out of old brain habits, bad behaviors and into focus, productivity and motivation.
Once I finished my psychology degree, I knew I wanted to open up an NLP Coaching & Hypnotherapy practice, which I did in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR. It was amazing to see the fast results as we applied the skills and principles. Many issues that people think are hard to overcome can be done quickly through the power of NLP and Hypnosis. Hypnosis is well known to help people change habits like smoking and over-eating. But it can also quickly change the internal habits that cause anxiety, depression and sabotage.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe every path has bumps. When I first started business, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I hadn’t run a business before, only hobby businesses like a jewelry sales.
But I had watched my mother run a clothing store when I grew up in Logan, so I was undaunted, I knew this was what I wanted to do, so I found a place in Vancouver, WA and rented a room at a local massage clinic. I started attending local networking groups and I struggled to represent what I did with a skeptic public. Luckily, I found a marketing coach who really showed me the ropes, helped me stay focused and my business took root and grew by small degrees. Then when Groupon came along, I ran an ad with them and it really started to take off.
But then my personal life took a turn. I had been diagnosed with an “incurable” autoimmune condition in 2006 about the same time I decided to open up shop for Hypnosis, NLP & Coaching services.
I struggled with my health, I had to manage my energy and I had to learn to pay attention to my body. I found foods that made the symptoms worse, so I started to avoid them and my health improved. But a few times I landed in the hospital with flare-ups, which really discouraged me and shook my confidence.
Then in 2011 my life turned upside down when my 10-year partner told me he “wasn’t in love with me anymore.” With the stress of the breakup, moving out of the house, and all the anxieties, my health took another turn for the worse.
I moved from the Northwest back to Salt Lake City, Utah where I had family support. A few weeks after I moved back, my body landed me back in the hospital with congestive heart failure and kidney failure. I then started dialysis and almost had to enroll on the kidney transplant list.
As I continued to apply the processes of Self-Hypnosis, NLP to change anxieties and traumas, and the natural healing practices, my body was able to reverse the kidney disease and rebalance itself.
As my health slowly started to return, I began to rebuild my practice in Salt Lake City, where I found a welcoming community and supportive friendships. Over the years, I’ve steadily continued to grow, and then about 2016 I partnered with my massage therapy friend to create The Life Harmony Wellness Center.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Over almost 20 years in practice, I’ve created several online courses and now offer trainings for Hypnosis-Hypnotherapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming training and Coaching for Hypnotherapists as they build and grow their businesses.
I created A Lighter You Hypnosis Weight Loss System, helping women get their brain onboard with healthy life and body by intuitive eating, releasing self-criticism and self-doubt and embrace fully living with health, happiness and vitality. This course includes 2 books and 6 Hypnosis mp3s, as well as online Masterclasses to empower women to harness their minds to balance their bodies and their lives. It’s more than just weight loss, it’s about embracing healthy habits, while still enjoying foods and loving your body throughout the journey.
In 2024, I released my book, The Miracle Code in which I share my story of overcoming an “incurable” autoimmune condition through applying various tools of NLP, Hypnosis and clearing out old patterns.
I teach and train new Hypnosis Professionals in The Mind-Body Miracle System: A Hypnosis Certification course. By harnessing the cutting-edge frontier of the power of the mind, we can support people in their journey of chronic and autoimmune conditions, addressing root cause issues and supporting the Mind-Body-Spirit system through multiple levels of healing.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I experiment a lot with personal development practices such as meditation, NLP processes and Self-Hypnosis. I use my own Hypnosis audios to update and refresh my mind and stay focused on what I am creating.
I find that work-life balance is essential to me being in a great space of mind to continue focusing and developing my work. So I make time to get out into nature, in the summers I like going out to lakes and rivers and enjoying the natural world, which inspires me and replenishes my soul.
I also feel inspired by my students, watching them learn and grow in the skills as they apply the skills to their own businesses and work with others in the community. I also find its important to connect with colleagues and community, so for the last 6 years I’ve been speaking regularly at Hypnosis conferences and I love sharing the skills and tools.
Pricing:
- Hypnosis MP3s to Boost Motivation, Change Cravings & Sabotage, $14-$20
- Boook: The Miracle Code: Elevate Your Mind to Heal Your Body, $24.95
- A Lighter You Hypnosis Weight Loss System: $399 includes 2 books, 6 Hypnosis mp3s, online Masterclasses, community support and more.
- Mental Blocks Assessment $90
- NLP-Hypnosis Trainings: $1,000-$3,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.TheBrainTrainerLLC.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollystokesnlp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrainTrainerLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/HollyStokesTheBrainTrainer
- Other: https://ALighterYouSystem.com/free
