Meet Courtney Lewallen | Travel Empowerment Coach, Community Builder, and Wilderness Medical Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Lewallen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success, and the success of Traverse Beyond’s is how many women we are able to empower to live their best lives through travel.

That is anything from travel in the mountains, to domestic travel, to travel abroad.

And furthermore we want these women to feel empowered to teach others about the amazing things they have learned, so we have a community of empowered women living lives they have always dreamed about.

Every little move I make with my business is a step in the right direction. Because I have a background in global expedition travel as well as teaching wilderness medicine, I get to empower women in every stage of their travels.
What should our readers know about your business?
Traverse Beyond empowers women to live their best life through travel. The important piece here is empower. We give women the valuable tools they need to feel confident and safe in their travels whether in the mountains, locally, or abroad. I believe that in order to be able to feel confident you have to learn the toolkit and the basics so you can take on unexpected situations. There are a ton of companies that provide beautiful curated trips, but I fully believe in building a foundation for women so they can choose their own itinerary.

I also feel that it is incredibly important to build a community of women that can reach out to each other, travel together, bounce ideas back and forth and feel like they have a resource they can go to for help if needed.

I am incredibly proud of the work that Traverse Beyond is doing. I get incredible feedback about changing women’s lives. I have the amazing opportunity to host a women’s weekend at the end of this June in Park City, UT teaching women how to feel confident and empowered to go on adventures in the mountains. It’s a dream come true!

I got to where I am today with step-by-step movements. It’s not always easy, and pivoting is extremely important. It is easy to get into your own thoughts when things aren’t working the way you think they should. And then it is important to take a step back and realize that it is all a part of the process. It truly is not a race to the finish.

When you can think about the journey, the pressure is not nearly as defeating.

I want the world to know that travel is accessible to everyone and it opens your eyes to to so many opportunities for new experiences. Traverse Beyond focuses on travel, empowerment, and education. In our society, it’s easy to get bogged down with the same day-after-day lifestyle. And yet so many people want to explore and become more independent but don’t know where to start. The fear of the unknown, or media, or simply not knowing where to start stops people from even attempting.

Traverse Beyond specialize in working with women to make their travel dreams a reality whether in the mountains, locally or abroad. We help facilitate the planning, preparation, and the education needed for them to embark on whatever adventure they are ready to take on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would put together an itinerary that has a little bit of everything to give them a feel for the area. Because I am passionate about being outdoors and my closest friends are as well, it would be a mixture of food, culture, local events, a mini road trip, and outdoor activities. It would be a pretty packed week. Currently I am spending the summer months in Park City, Utah, so I would have my friends meet me there.

I would start by picking them up from SLC airport.

Given that they are just flying in and possibly dealing with a time change and travel fatigue, I would spend the the first day having them get a acquainted with the area and relaxing. We’d grab a bite a local café, stroll around downtown SLC and get a bit of movement in after the flight. Because I am always excited to try new places, I would be flexible based on the mood we are in.

The next day we would check out a local Park City hike with the view of the Wasatch Range and grab lunch at one of the local restaurants in town. That afternoon, we would get ready and pack the car to head south for a few fays of camping and exploring national parks.

We would start our journey early and head south. Over the next 3 days we would travel to St. George, Zion NP and Grand Staircase Escalante NP. All three of those areas are beautiful, different, and very accessible. There is hiking and biking and camping.

After our 3 days on the road, we would head back to Park City. We would check out local events happening around town either in Park City or Salt Lake. Depending on the dates, we may see some live music, or head down to the local farmers market.

Of course I would take them to my favorite coffee spots in town, Ritual Chocolate Cafe, and juice bar, the Guest Hause.

If there was anything on the list that we didn’t do, I would add that to the agenda for the last day, and then look forward to the next visit!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh gosh, so many people deserve shout outs in my world. I would not be here hadn’t I had the support of many individuals along the way.

Of course my parents are on top of list. They have always been my biggest cheerleaders. And even though I have not always followed the direction that they expected me to take, they have been huge supports as I have moved through my life.

My wonderful boss in undergrad, really helped me step into my own. He gave me so much opportunity to lead, make mistakes, thrive, and come into my own leadership role.

Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities and World Challenge Expeditions pushed me to learn new things to become a great leader and empower individuals to learn wilderness medicine and facilitate expeditions oversees. These companies truly have allowed me to have the knowledge to start Traverse Beyond.

Website: https://www.traverse-beyond.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traverse_beyond/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-lewallen-22ab6819/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traversebeyond

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ruSYVlpdakvQVJyARjCdA