Lillian Bischel’s Client-Centered Hypnosis & Coaching  Is Here To Help!

Lillian Bischel’s Client-Centered Hypnosis & Coaching can help you overcome fears or help you improve your life. (Photos by Charmaine George)

A lifelong “Florida Cracker” and New Tampa resident for the past three decades, Lillian Bischel has spent years studying the human condition.

With Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, and a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Speech Language Therapy — all from University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa — Lillian has been a speech language pathologist for the past 14 years. Prior to that, she was a legal assistant.

She says her varied educational pursuits and work experiences have led her to find her passion – as a certified hypnotist whose practice, known as Client-Centered Hypnosis & Coaching, helps people to meet their goals, whether they want to improve an area of their lives or overcome a particular fear.

She also has earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Transpersonal Psychology from Atlantic University (a distance learning university based in Virginia Beach, VA), is certified as a hypnotherapist (CHt), a master hypnotherapist (MHt), and is a member of the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists.

Here in Florida, however, the title of “therapist” is reserved for those who hold a medical degree, so although her certification is as a hypnotherapist, she is considered a “hypnotist” in our state.

Lillian explains that transpersonal psychology takes the connection of mind and body that is central to traditional psychology one important step further. Transpersonal means that the therapy incorporates an unconscious element, as well. 

“When you go to a ‘regular’ psychologist, they say they can fix you if you do what they say,” Lillian explains. “Transpersonal psychology is more that you have a challenge and I can help you find your own answers.”

The first session with Lillian is always an interview to allow her to get to know you and establish background information. She coaches people to come up with their own solutions and suggestions, then uses their own words to write a completely customized hypnosis script, which is done in a separate session.

The client-centered approach means she focuses on active listening and understanding the issues, needs, and wants of her clients, and to guide them to find answers within themselves from a mind, body and soul (meaning the unconscious) perspective.

However, she says, sometimes her clients find the coaching so helpful, they don’t even need the hypnosis.

But, for those who do, the hypnosis starts with a relaxation process and deepening technique, which helps tap into the client’s subconscious. Then, Lillian can do a suggestive hypnosis, where she shares ideas from the interview that will help the client reach their goals. 

Her “Master” certification allows her to do age regression and past life regression, as well.

She says that many clients don’t understand the spiritual connection to their personal problems. In fact, these problems can be hard to discuss because they’re usually deeply personal topics, and often bring up ideas that might sound crazy if the clients didn’t experience them. Lillian says that, based on her experience, she believes people are eternal beings. 

“When our bodies die,” she says, “our spirit, our soul, our energy, continues.”

That philosophy allows her to help people who are interested in regression to a past life — which may help them overcome fears they are presently experiencing — or simply regression to a younger age.

All coaching and hypnosis sessions are completely virtual, via teleconference, so you can participate in these sessions from the comfort of your own home.

Lillian offers a free consultation to explain the process and “see if we’re a good fit for each other.”

She says most people who find her service valuable have something going on in their lives that’s not working for them. They might not know why it’s happening or how to change, but it’s interrupting their lives in some way. It might be stress that is affecting their health, relationships, or even their ability to work. 

Lillian also can help people who have set a goal for themselves, such as to be more confident, to be able to speak in front of people, to develop healthier habits, or even quit smoking.

She says she has helped any number of people with debilitating phobias to be able to face their fears.

During the training and certification process, Lillian had to do many hours of hypnosis under the supervision of her college professors. She also is required to have continuing education credits to maintain her membership in the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists.

Not For Entertainment Purposes!

One thing Lillian stresses is that therapy with hypnosis is not entertainment.

“I don’t do this for fun,” she says. And she further clarifies that she will never make people do anything while they are under hypnosis. 

“You can’t make a person do something that goes against their morals,” she explains. “Even though we’ve reached an unconscious level, at all times your everyday mind is still there, so you’re very much aware of everything that goes on and can stop at anytime, if you want.”

Brenda Murray says she has known Lillian a long time and that her experience with hypnosis therapy was even better than she had hoped.

“I was extremely impressed with her professional nature and calmness,” explains Brenda. “She was very detailed, guiding me through with ease. I was surprised at how easy and comfortable Lillian made it.”

Brenda says she was curious about hypnosis — as she thinks many other people also may be — and she wanted to work with Lillian to gain some ambition in a certain area in her life. “It did help,” Brenda says. “I was impressed with that.”

She also says she looks forward to working with Lillian again to focus on another part of her life.

“I highly recommend her,” says Brenda. “She’s a natural. I saw a different side of Lillian than I knew and I was quite impressed by her.”

Lillian Bischel’s Client-Centered Hypnosis & Coaching offers hypnosis and coaching via virtual sessions. For more information or to set up a free consultation, call Lillian at (813) 390-2910 or email her at clientcenteredhypnosis@gmail.com. 

Budget Blinds Owners Celebrate Five Years Of Having You Covered!

On May 5, the Wonderlin family celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of their “Inspiration Center” at the KRATEs with their Budget Blinds family and members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. (Photo by Charmaine George)

When Tara Leblanc bought her home in Lexington Oaks, the blinds were old and outdated. She knew she wanted an upgrade, so she called “a bunch of different companies” to come to her home and give her an estimate.

After four consultations, she says it was an easy decision.

“We went with Budget Blinds,” says Tara. “They were absolutely amazing.”

She says she’s “not good with decorating” and notes that her Budget Blinds design consultant made many helpful suggestions. There was great communication throughout the process, and when the installers came out, they were friendly, didn’t make a mess and cleaned up after themselves. Tara was thrilled.

The local franchise of Budget Blinds is owned by Wesley Chapel residents Adriane and Mike Wonderlin, who are marking five years of owning the business, since they purchased it in June 2018. Their territory stretches all the way north to San Antonio and south to Palmetto and includes showrooms on W. Fletcher Ave. (near I-275, two exits south of Wesley Chapel’s S.R. 56 exit) and in Riverview, covering nearly 90 zip codes.

Whether you’re looking for beautiful new drapes (above) or motorized shutters with drapes you can control with your smartphone (next page), the local Budget Blinds franchise has you covered. (Photos provided by Adriane & Mike Wonderlin)

Budget Blinds also has an “inspiration center” at the KRATE container park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel. As people wander through the rows of converted containers to sample food and check out tiny shops, they also can pop into Budget Blinds to see how they might transform their homes with a huge variety of available blinds, shades, shutters and drapes.

A quick visit to Budget Blinds at the KRATEs will allow you to see the many possibilities, with videos of the products in motion on the TVs, consultants available to answer questions about how something functions or how it would look, and education about the different types of window treatments.

The KRATE location has been open since May of 2022, and the Wonderlins had the opportunity to celebrate their innovative shop with a one-year anniversary North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting event on May 5 (photo above).

As the local franchise continues to grow, the Wonderlins also are building a 7,500-square-foot warehouse and design center in Ruskin. When that opens later this year, the existing Riverview showroom will move to that new location.

But, for most people, a trip to one of the showrooms isn’t even necessary.

The Wonderlins employ a team of nearly 40 people, including design associates who come to your home with what Adriane describes as “a ton of samples” to help determine the best look and functionality for window coverings in your home.

There is a variety of styles from which to choose. Blinds come in vinyl, wood, fabric, faux wood and aluminum. Shutters are made from real wood or composite material that will not fade or warp.

If you prefer shades, you can choose from roller, pleated, Roman, cellular, woven wood, bamboo, sheer, solar or graphic, plus a variety of panels, valances and drapes.

The trends they continue to see, Adriane says, include motorization and lots of customers adding draperies.

“The functionality of the shutter is great and the look is classic,” she says. “But now, we’re adding a soft piece of fabric, too. In the 1980s and ‘90s, draperies were everywhere, but in the 2000s, no one did drapes because it looked like ‘your mother’s house.’ But now, it’s back.”

The Appeal Of Motorization

She says that window covering motorization continues to improve, with motors that are nearly completely silent and a trend that continues to make these “smart home” features more affordable. 

Adriane says that for high places you can’t reach, motorization is ideal. It’s also great for businesses to set their timers to automatically open as the business opens, or at home to automate window shades to help kids or teenagers wake up for school in the morning.

With these options, you can use a smartphone, remote, wall switch or even voice command to open or close your window coverings.

What you won’t find at Budget Blinds are outdated blinds that are raised and lowered with cords. A new law was passed to eliminate dangling cords that are known to be harmful to children, because they can get tangled in them.

“In Canada, you can’t sell your house with cords in the window,” explains Mike. “We don’t know if that’s going to follow here in the U.S. But, our sales team continues to educate customers about the laws in the U.S. and why it’s important to replace those window treatments.”

In fact, that’s one reason Tara was impressed with the Budget Blinds consultant who visited her home.

“I’m an ER nurse and I have small children,” she says. “So safety is really important to me.”

She says the consultant was knowledgeable and helpful, and that her understanding of the new law and how to keep her kids safe made Tara feel confident in choosing Budget Blinds.

For her family room, Tara chose a motorized roller shade and smart drapes, safe options that also are incredibly convenient for her. To open and close her window coverings, she just pushes a button on her phone.

Mike says that’s in line with what he and Adriane are seeing across their business. “About 70 percent of our orders have motorization now,” he says.

Tara says Budget Blinds offered the best value of all the companies she evaluated, and her choice was easy once she heard about the company’s warranty, which includes a one-time replacement, no questions asked.

It’s been six months and she hasn’t had any problems, but she says that knowing the warranty is there if she needs it gives her peace of mind.

“I have two boys and two dogs, including a Great Dane,” Tara says, “so somebody’s about to destroy something, I’m sure.”

Budget Blinds was founded in 1992 in Orange County, CA, and today has more than 1,000 franchises in the U.S. and Canada. The Wonderlins’ North Tampa franchise, which they purchased in 2018, was awarded Budget Blinds’ national Franchise of the Year for 2020, which was the franchise’s third such honor since 2016.

To schedule a complimentary in-home consultation, call (813) 968-5050. Visit the KRATE location on Mondays from 2 p.m.-8 p.m.; noon-8 p.m. on Tuesdays-Saturdays; and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, follow @BudgetBlindsofGreaterTampa on Facebook or Instagram or visit BudgetBlinds.com/NorthTampa.

Congratulations To New Tampa’s Award-Winning Seniors!

High school graduation is always an exciting time, and the 840 graduating seniors (combined) at New Tampa’s two high schools were celebrated as the year came to a close.

Freedom High held its annual “Red, White, and Blue” awards ceremony on April 17, where many of the school’s seniors were recognized for their academic achievements.

National Merit Scholarship Award finalists Britney Pun and Jessica Afiat were recognized, and the “Principal’s Patriot” award went to Vivian Ernst.

The Freedom PTSA also presented scholarships to Britney Pun, Lindsay Scherer, Olivia Pliska, and Kaitlyn Graulich. These scholarships are awarded to PTSA-member students who are headed to college, university, or vocational/technical school, and who are in good standing with the school’s office of Student Affairs, and have been recommended by their teacher, counselor or employer. They are chosen, in part, based on an essay they wrote as part of the application.

The PTSA also partnered with the Daisy Turner-Browne Scholarship Fund to award a scholarship to Alejandro Espinosa. This scholarship is awarded to a civic-minded graduating student who demonstrates academic excellence and a strong desire to pursue higher education despite personal and financial challenges.

The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg honors one student as the Anne Frank Humanitarian award winner, recognizing a student for efforts to better the lives of people around them, whether in school or out. At Freedom, this year’s Anne Frank Humanitarian Award winner was Ishitha Panguluri. 

Outstanding scholar-athlete awards went to Alyssa De La Sala and John Purcell. 

The Picerne Family Foundation awarded scholarships to Wen Hui Chen, Elaine Feaster, Alexandria Dominique, and Lindsey Scherer. These scholarships are awarded to graduating students who are planning to attend college full time, have demonstrated civic leadership, community service, and are true “overachievers.” They are intended for deserving students who are pursuing a dream but need this support to realize their goals.

Local orthodontist Dr. Sam Jureyda of Radiance Orthodontics (see ad on page 5) also partnered with the PTSA to provide a scholarship to a senior who demonstrated commitment to serving the community. It was the first time this scholarship was offered at Freedom.

The Radiance Orthodontics Community Service Award went to Elaine Feaster (far left in photo above), who has been featured in these pages previously, for organizing book drives that collected thousands of books for underprivileged children. Elaine logged an impressive 449 service hours during her high school career.

Meanwhile, At Wharton…

Radiance Orthodontics also presented a Community Service Award to Wharton High’s Ariana Sawyer, who is pursuing a career in nursing and spent her high school years volunteering with Metropolitan Ministries, as well as for an organization that cares for foster children, at AdventHealth Tampa hospital, and at her school. This is the fifth year the Radiance Award has been presented to a Wharton senior.

Also at Wharton, AdventHealth partnered with the school’s PTSA to present a scholarship to Aubrey Glover to support his pursuit of a career as a Physician Assistant. Aubrey’s impressive resume includes taking dual enrollment classes, serving as a volunteer and a leader in extracurricular activities, plus working as a medical assistant to prepare for a career in the healthcare field. He plans to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Wharton senior Jackson Raitt was honored for being a National Merit Scholarship Award finalist and the school’s Anne Frank Humanitarian award winner was Riley Hall.

The Wharton Athletic Boosters awarded scholarships to two students who maintained a 3.0 grade-point average while playing multiple sports. Award winners were Brett Brown, who was a varsity athlete in soccer, track and cross country, and Haleigh Self, who played basketball, softball and flag football.

The Wharton PTSA (photo of all four winners above right) awarded its top scholarship to Sunni Horton, who served on the school’s peer jury, Student Library Association, and National English Honor Society. She will attend Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, this fall to pursue a degree in public policy.  

The PTSA also awarded a scholarship to Chloe Kim, a leader in the school’s National Honor Society and student organizer with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. She will attend USF this fall.

Another PTSA scholarship went to William Hineline. William served as president of the senior class, is an Eagle Scout, and excelled in several sports at Wharton. He will attend the University of Florida in Gainesville.

The final PTSA scholarship was awarded to Andrea Boknevitz, who served as both a drum major for the Wharton Marching Band and as commanding officer of the Wharton National Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC). She is attending Jacksonville University to study psychology and prepare for a career as a U.S. Navy officer.

Many other students were recognized at both schools for outstanding achievements throughout their high school careers.

Freedom High’s graduation is being held on May 30, at 8:30 a.m., for its 390 graduating seniors. Wharton High’s graduation ceremonies for its 450 graduating seniors will be held Thursday, June 1, at 3:30 p.m.

Wiregrass Ranch Students Grab Awards At Statewide HOSA Event!

Congratulations to the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) students who won awards at the Health Occupations Students of America (aka HOSA-Future Health Professionals) State Leadership Conference held in Orlando Apr. 13-16.

These students have the opportunity to represent Florida at the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Dallas in late June.

WRH dominated the CPR & First Aid skills competitions, with Mahek Mody and Aizah Rahman taking first place, and Ava Sullivan and Angelika Domenech finishing second.

“They did a lot of practicing,” says HOSA sponsor Allison Wiley. “They were working every day to perfect their craft.”

In addition, Khushi Chitalia took second place in Veterinary Services and Jasmine Ahmed finished in second for Clinical Nursing. In Epidemiology, Tanmay Patil grabbed fourth place.

In the Public Service Announcement category, Calina Levy, Nuha Naveen and Chris O’Donell finished in second place.

Wiley says all of the students showed a lot of initiative when they chose to participate in this competition.

“They are very dedicated,” she says. “Most of them are taking AP classes and have a mindset of achieving their goals, and this is something that builds their self-esteem and looks good in their portfolios.”

In at least one case, a team that didn’t finish in the State top five is using the competition as a platform for something more. Junior Aleah Diaz says she and her teammates — Anda Tram-Lan, Tristan Pasquale, Maria Dsouza (photo, above) — took on a project they became passionate about.

It focused on public awareness surrounding endometriosis, a serious gynecologic disorder they learned affects one in 10 women and is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The group’s goal is to raise awareness of the problem so that more women get a proper diagnosis earlier. 

The four of them already have attended a medical conference, shown a documentary at their school and are sharing information via their Instagram account @endoawareness. 

Diaz says that although the four of them are done with the competition for this year, she will continue the effort to share what they’ve learned.

“I want to keep advocating on this topic,” she says. “I was interested in the medical field but not sure what I wanted to do specifically. But now, I think I’ll do medical research or maybe go the OB/GYN route.”

A team from John Long Middle School took home second place in the Middle School “HOSA Bowl” category, but the students’ names were not released.

Touch Nail Spas Invite You To Come Pamper Yourself

As the husband-and-wife team of Timmy Pham and Tiffany Ha celebrate the sixth anniversary of the original Wesley Chapel location of their Touch Nail Spa, they have continued to grow by opening new salons, expanding their services, and remaining committed to providing the best possible customer service to keep their clients raving.

Touch Nail Spa’s Wesley Chapel location is 5,000 sq. ft. — the largest nail salon in the area — and conveniently located on S.R. 56, about a mile east of I-75, in the same plaza as Capital Tacos. That location alone employs 44 people.

In December 2020, the second Touch Nail Spa opened in The Village at Hunter’s Lake, in the same plaza with Sprouts Farmers Market off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa. It’s a convenient location with abundant parking and now has more than 30 employees.

“When we opened our first location, we had 10 people working,” Timmy says. “We’ve grown so much.”

And now, Touch Nail Spa has expanded again — as a third location has opened in Odessa at 16222 S.R. 54.

But, Timmy and Tiffany say it’s not important that they are the biggest salon in the area. What they really strive for is to be the best.

“We try to give the best customer service we can,” says Timmy. “There are so many nail salons, and they learn from us and copycat what we’re doing.”

Touch Nail Spa offers beautiful, upscale, serene surroundings with high ceilings for better ventilation, rows of comfortable leather pedicure chairs and plenty of manicure stations to minimize the wait time.

A complimentary beverage is offered with any service, including manicures, pedicures, eyelash extensions, waxing, facials and massages. Complimentary beverages include bottled water, soda, or a glass of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, moscato or sangria, served in a chilled glass (wine is for adults ages 21 and older with proper identification, of course).

Want To Try Something New?

As for new services, the Wesley Chapel location now offers microblading, a semi-permanent treatment to fill in eyebrows, and Timmy is hoping to expand that service to the New Tampa location, as well.

In addition, all three Touch locations now offer eyelash extensions with many options to fit a variety of budgets. 

Whether you’re looking for a simple mani/pedi to keep your fingers and toes neat and polished, a relaxing spa experience with luxurious touches, or a skilled technician to provide the latest trends in nail shapes and designs, Touch Nail Spa can accommodate every desire. 

Touch offers dipping powder, acrylic nails and all kinds of nail designs,  French manicures, gel polish (which lasts longer than regular polish) and more.  

Timmy says each location has always had thousands of colors on hand, but has recently added many more, so the salon is now carrying even more colors than it had prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. He estimates Touch now boasts 3,500+ colors.

But, like so many other business owners have experienced, the pandemic left its mark on Touch Nail Spa.

“We’re so glad Covid is gone,” Timmy says. “The pandemic destroyed a lot.”

While some people still wear masks, restrictions have eased. However, the stringent cleaning protocols that were in place prior to the pandemic are still being utilized at Touch, to ensure the health and safety of clients and employees.

“It seems like people are back to normal,” he explains. “They don’t mind sitting closer now.”

Also back are private nail parties. While all three locations will accommodate groups, only Wesley Chapel can provide a private room for the exclusive use of your gathering, whether it’s for bachelorette parties, birthday parties or bridal/wedding parties. Although they didn’t require a private room, Jannah and her daughters Kristen and Lauren, daughter-in-law Caitlin and Kristen’s boyfriend Chaz each enjoyed a different manicure — from Orange Burst to Strawberries & Cream to basic — and everyone raved about their service, relaxing foot massages and nail techs.   

Timmy says long-time customers have noticed that the salon had no choice but to change its prices after the pandemic. Just as costs have risen for consumers, he says they have risen slightly for Touch Nail Spa, too. He says supplies cost twice what they did prior to the pandemic.

“It gives me a headache,” he says. “I want to be fair with all of the customers and with the technicians, but everything has changed.”

Touch Nail Spa does offer a rewards program for its regular clients. Be sure to ask about it when you visit any of the salons. Customers sign in with their phone number on one of the spa’s iPads and receive one point for every dollar spent. Points can be redeemed for a discounted pedicure, according to current terms. 

Discounted prices also are available for children ages 11 and younger.

Timmy says while he works to keep prices affordable, what he wants most is to please his customers. He promises that at Touch Nail Spa, you will always be serviced by an experienced technician whose goal is to make the customer happy.

“What does the community want us to provide for them?,” he asks. “Come in and tell us what you need.”

Touch Nail Spa offers an electronic gift certificate for all occasions — including Mother’s Day — that can be used at any of its locations. E-gifts are available for purchase at TouchNailAndSpa.com.

The Wesley Chapel (27233 S.R. 56) and New Tampa (8630 Hunter’s Village Rd.) Touch Nail Spas are both open Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sun. To make an appointment with a specific nail technician or for more information about the Wesley Chapel location, call (813) 973-4111. For the New Tampa location, call (813) 536-1003.