Alumni Highlight: Travel, Teaching, and Holistic Health | achs.edu

Jan 15, 2021 11:59:04 AM | alumni highlight Alumni Highlight: Travel, Teaching, and Holistic Health | achs.edu

ACHS CAM alumni Courtney Brady talks about her experience teaching, traveling the world, and starting a new business.

Courtney Brady Blog Header

Courtney Brady graduated from ACHS in 2017 with an MS in Complementary Alternative Medicine. She is a teacher, world traveler, and more recently, provides digital management services to help small businesses grow.

Business to Holistic Health

Before getting a Master's degree in holistic health, Courtney completed an undergraduate degree in business. "I was working at a bank at the time and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so I just kind of picked business. Which I think is a good background to have," she says.

Courtney's interest in holistic health developed over time. She first became interested when starting her undergraduate degree in a town that was more focused on organic food and holistic health than her hometown. "I kind of started learning more at that time which piqued my interest," she says.

After about nine years working at a bank, Courtney was looking for a change. "I always thought I wanted a Master's but I wasn’t sure what in. And then I started doing some research and found ACHS and I really liked the programs that you guys have. And I wanted to do something different and wanted to get out of banking, I just wasn’t happy there," she says. Courtney started her Master's degree at ACHS while still working at the bank, but ended up making another life change soon after.

Alumni Courtney Brady Yangshuo China

Pictured: Courtney in Yangshuo, China

Traveling the world

While in the middle of her program at ACHS, Courtney accepted a teaching job in China. She had been researching how she could travel more and ended up quitting her job at the bank, selling everything she owned, and moving. "I finished my degree while I was over there," she says. "That even piqued my interest a little more because I started to learn about Chinese medicine while I was there. I was there for about 2 years and it was amazing."

Courtney had a positive experience with online education and it allowed her to finish her degree after moving to China. "I’m pretty disciplined and it went well. I felt like the teachers really did a good job and you knew what to expect every week and they made it pretty simple to stay on top of everything," she says.

After living and teaching in China, Courtney moved back to the U.S. to work as a substitute teacher and also to travel more. After traveling for a while, she got a teaching opportunity at an international school in Singapore. "I was there for a year and a half and just moved back here about 2 weeks ago," she says.

Chaing Mai Thailand Alumni Courtney Brady

Pictured: Courtney with an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nourish the Free Life

Courtney started writing a travel blog while living in China and continues it to this day on her website. "I started writing about sharing my experience while I was there and kind of just found that I really enjoyed it," she says. Not too long after, Courtney also made a section on her blog about holistic health. "I really like to share about that," she says. Courtney also enjoys sharing information through her Instagram account.

The idea for the blog started when Courtney was travelling and trying to learn how she could work for herself. "When you travel you meet all these different people that have this freedom to do whatever they want and take their business with them. I thought that was so cool," she says.

Courtney Brady blog screenshot

Digital Management Services

More recently, Courtney is offering digital management services to help small businesses flourish online. "I have several clients where I do their social media for them and other digital services. That’s what I’m transitioning into full time," she says. "As I’m building my business, I’m trying to market to more of the wellness industry."

Although Courtney tried health coaching and found it wasn't the right path for her, she says that she is very interested in helping other health coaches and product-based wellness businesses with digital management. She offers social media management, social media audits, virtual assistant services, website creation, logo design, and pinterest management.

Alumni Courtney Brady Solo travel Myanmar

Pictured: Courtney on a solo trip in Myanmar

Social Media Advice

Courtney's advice to holistic health students and alumni to succeed on social media has to do with being vulnerable:

" I was nervous too and even sometimes still am when I share my personal struggles or things that I’ve gone through, but I think it’s good to be vulnerable and be authentic and people can really resonate with that. Just sharing things that you learn, I think it could really benefit a lot of people. Even if it's scary, do it anyways. That’s kind of my life the last five years. A lot of things that I’ve done really scared me a lot actually, and I've just done it and it paid off. "

Are you a holistic health business owner who is interested in Courtney's digital management services? You can learn more on her website here.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the social media & PR specialist for the American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own. This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine. 

About American College of Healthcare Sciences

ACHS Founding President Dorene Petersen with three studentsAmerican College, founded in 1978, is a fully online accredited institute of higher education specializing in holistic health. Based in Portland, OR; our goal is to make research-driven and science-based holistic health education taught by industry-leading experts accessible to anyone anywhere while still giving students a hands-on experiential learning experience like a traditional college and a strong sense of community, school pride and student bond.

This commitment to our students and graduates reflects in our current survey results that reflect 98% of our students would recommend ACHS to a friend or family member.

We believe education is the most powerful tool for changing an individual and the world around us. 

When a person enrolls as ACHS, it is vitally important that they graduate with tools they need to forge their own holistic and sustainable missions, build up their communities confidently and changing the face of healthcare with knowledge.

Gillian Turner

Written By: Gillian Turner

Gillian joined ACHS after graduating from Linfield College with a BA in Mass Communication and a minor in visual studies. She grew up off the grid in rural southern Oregon and spent time exploring the forest surrounding her house and teaching gardening classes to other children in her garden. While at Linfield, Gillian gained valuable experience in public relations, social media management, and digital art. She was awarded a strategic communication scholarship and inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, a national college honor society “that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.” When not at work, Gillian can most often be found making art, enjoying nature or drinking coffee with her husband, Preston. Her interests include sustainability, mental wellness, and trying to stay connected to nature while living in the city. She studied abroad at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and has traveled to over ten different countries. Her favorite place that she has visited is the Scottish Highlands, and she hopes to visit many more countries in the future.