Courtney Bierschbach: non-profit consultant, outdoor junkie, ambulance-dweller

Courtney Bierschbach is a 36-year-old nonprofit consultant and writer who calls a converted fire rig named Rigby her winter home. (thewanderingcourt.substack.com)

Courtney tells the story of her unconventional path—from graphic design and incentive travel jobs that left her drained, to a joyful stint teaching Leave No Trace in national parks, to eventually launching her own consulting business that supports mission-driven nonprofits. She and her husband Nick, both self-employed with control over their time, spend Michigan winters chasing sunshine out west in their 4×4 ambulance, loaded with mountain bikes, paddleboards, and their dog.

She describes how a cancer diagnosis tested her self-employment setup—and how her clients stepped up with care, flexibility, and even soup. We get into how she built a stable consulting income (~$60K/year on ~25 hours/week), her passion for outdoor education, and why she’ll never work under fluorescent lights again.

Courtney also reflects on marrying young, skipping kids, and throwing a pancake-flipping, s’mores-filled wedding that included a Guinness World Record holder. Her version of a rich life? Flexible work, meaningful projects, solo bookstore trips in Scotland, and the freedom to hit the road whenever the snow starts piling up.

Full transcript: dirtbagrich.com/courtney