Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin gave me a lot to think about—quite literally. I picked up the book because I was interested in learning more about the different ways people process, understand, and interact with the world. I didn't necessarily expect to finish it wondering whether I might be a visual thinker myself. That became one of my biggest takeaways from the book, and it ended up leading me somewhere much bigger than a single reading style. Not One Way to Be Smart Gra

Lately, I've been doing a lot. Actually, that's probably an understatement. I'm going to school. I'm working. I'm raising my children and trying to be present as a mother and wife. I'm marketing not one, but two books. I'm writing. I'm trying to grow Courtney Graham Online. I'm creating content for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, my website, and Substack. I'm learning. I'm dreaming. I'm building. I'm asking myself what comes next before I've even finished what I'm doi

The conversation about AI asks us to look at the tool. I think we also need to look at the whole person using it. Recently, I’ve been trying to get my book into more people’s hands. I decided I would give away copies in exchange for honest reviews because, ultimately, I want people to read it. I want to know what resonates, what doesn’t, what people connect with, and what I can learn as a writer. I knew putting my work into the world meant opening myself up to criticism, and

There is something strange about holding a book with your name on the cover. You know you wrote it. You remember the blank pages, the half-formed thoughts, the lines written because you didn't know what else to do with the feelings inside of you. You remember deleting things, rewriting them, questioning whether any of it was good enough, and wondering whether anyone else would ever understand what you were trying to say. And then suddenly, it isn't just yours anymore. It's a

Maybe taking a leap doesn’t always mean acting without thinking. Maybe, for some of us, the leap comes after years of thinking. I’ve always been someone who researches. I research before I make decisions. I gather information. I read. I ask questions. I imagine possibilities. I mentally experiment with different outcomes before anything ever happens in the real world. In many ways, I think I’ve spent a lot of my life preparing. Preparing to know enough. Preparing to say the r

I didn’t get here by following a straight path. I got here by asking question after question - and slowly realizing that every detour was teaching me something about what it means to be human. If I’m going to write a publication called The Whole Story, I think it’s only fair that I start by telling you some of mine. Not the polished biography. Not the list of degrees, certifications, jobs, or accomplishments. But the story behind them. Because if there is one thing I’ve learn

This weekend, the Savannah Bananas are coming to Denver to take on the Indianapolis Clowns. At first glance, that sentence probably doesn't sound like the beginning of an article about health and wellness. Baseball, banana costumes, dancing players, a stadium full of people doing things that would look completely ridiculous almost anywhere else — what does any of that have to do with taking care of the whole person? For me, quite a lot. This weekend, I hope to bring something

"The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind." — Maria Montessori One of the first things I learned while studying child development is that children cannot be understood by looking at just one part of who they are. A child is far more than their academic abilities, far more than their behavior, far more than a developmental milestone, diagnosis, or test score. Step into any quality preschool classroom and you'll notice something interesting: teachers aren't simply ask

Why I Finally Brought Everything Together There have been countless moments when I've wondered if I was doing too many things. I write books. I study psychology. I work with children. I'm building curriculum. I'm pursuing behavior analysis. I'm passionate about wellness. I love research. I dream about creating an inclusive early learning center. I coach. I ask a lot of questions. For a long time, those interests felt like separate pieces of my life — almost like I needed a di