Congratulations to Amanda “Rodasi” Campbell and Shannon Guthrie, the recipients of the ACHS Spring 2024 Scholarship. Read more about the amazing work they’re doing to expand holistic health and wellness in their communities!
Amanda “Rodasi” Campbell’s path to ACHS is paved with wisdom, long-term sobriety, meditation, yoga, breathwork, and a deep connection with plants and her community. She possesses an impressive educational background and experience that she obtained over her ten years of sobriety. Amanda is an International Teacher and Trainer of Human Consciousness Studies and the author of the book Meditation for Badassery. She is also a double-certified registered yoga teacher (ERYT) and Yoga Alliance Certified Education Provider (YACEP), a Reiki Master, Shiatsu Therapist, Trauma-Informed, Double Certified Peer Recovery Coach, a Women’s Spirituality Teacher, and a mom to two daughters.
Amanda has found herbal medicine to be extremely beneficial for her own life. She utilizes it in battling migraines, supporting health, spiritual practices, and foraging. She felt called to pursue a formal education to bring the benefits of herbal medicine to her community.
Amanda is no stranger to entrepreneurship. She owns a coaching business dedicated to recovery, healing, and encouraging her clients to get outside. Her business, Wild Medicine Recovery, offers tools, resources, assessment, and planning to those seeking recovery and beyond. She also manages a free Facebook group that focuses on recovery and community.
Amanda chose to pursue her Diploma in Herbal Studies Master Herbalist at ACHS for a myriad of reasons. She was looking for a flexible program, access to professional organization discounts, and a well-established institution. She has been grateful for the structure and accountability in her classes at ACHS.
The sensory learning and hands-on component of ACHS classes have been the best part of her education thus far. She enjoys working with the herbs and has gained valuable insight through experiential learning. Amanda feels the faculty have their hearts in what they teach and she has appreciated the experience they bring to the subject matter.
Amanda says, “As a single mama, I have taken on a great deal of debt to attempt to earn a credential that makes sense for who I am and my goals in life. This scholarship just means everything to my little family. It's supporting me in having finally found the program of my heart's calling while lightening the burden of debts to achieve this accomplishment!”
Amanda leads with authenticity and promotes that others should do the same. She came to ACHS with a dream, and through her movement, she will inspire others to live their healthiest lives.
Her advice to her peers is to “schedule your studies and your course work! When I do this, things go very smoothly. Enjoy finding meaning in all of the lessons and then go put it to use immediately - share what you are learning, use the information at home, on social media, with loved ones...let it into you!” She encourages her peers to dig deeper, get involved, and make meaningful connections to the information they’re learning.
“Let thy food be thy medicine” - Hippocrates
Shannon has been a Registered Dietician for 20 years, working in long-term care. She decided to pursue integrative medicine because it’s been part of her life for a long time. She has a relationship with plants and herbs that has been supported and inspired by her family's love of gardening. She fully believes in getting to the root cause of illness and disease and wants to get her community back to the basics of health. She felt that the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at ACHS was a great fit for her passions and goals and eagerly started her program in the spring of 2024.
Shannon says “I'm truly honored to be a recipient of this scholarship”. Shannon was recently laid off from a job she had for nearly two decades. She always wanted to obtain a master’s degree and found this was the best time to embark on this new adventure. Shannon is financially responsible for keeping her home in California, and she can now further her education with less of a financial burden.
Shannon has loved nutrition, gardening, cooking, and camping her entire life and is thrilled to be gaining a formal education in the field of Herbal Medicine. She says, “This education is beyond exciting. I just finished my second semester in my MS in Herbal Medicine, and I couldn't be happier with the course material and, more importantly, my professors.” She has found that remote learning has worked well for her lifestyle and enjoys the ease of knowing when her assignments are due.
The advice she would share with her peers is to “plan ahead. No doubt it is a lot of work. It is worth it! I love everything about this endeavor.”
Shannon has a long history working in the healthcare field, and she truly cares about giving back to her community. She is pursuing her education at ACHS with plans to apply her knowledge toward a career in herbal medicine. It’s important to Shannon not only to do what she loves but also to provide care to her community by offering food boxes, herbal and food-growing and cultivation education, and general education. She plans to open a web-based business where she will focus on consulting services and preventative care. She would also like to perform outreach to the houseless population in her area and become more engaged in community services.
This article is for informational purposes only. Please contact ACHS Admissions at admissions@achs.edu or 800-487-8839 for additional information and to apply for admission. Graduation from any ACHS program does not confer a license to practice medicine. ACHS graduates do not claim to treat, diagnose, cure, or prescribe. Please note that professional success is achieved by a number of factors beyond education and experience, including soft skills, work ethic, integrity, and other skills that may not be developed through education and training alone. Not all graduates will achieve the career outcomes provided as examples in this article and other ACHS marketing materials.