AJ Brown

A.J. Brown is an independent educational consultant and college admissions advisor who founded Amazing Journey Advising in January 2021. As a business owner based in Pleasant Hill, California, she finds joy in successfully guiding students through their college application journey with particular expertise in writing, editing and essay coaching. She is a Poynter-certified editor who brings creative writing and storytelling skills to help students craft compelling personal narratives for their college applications. Her approach combines her love of writing with her deep understanding of higher education, allowing her to support students in presenting their authentic voices while meeting the demands of competitive admissions processes.?

Before launching her college counseling practice, A.J. built an extensive background in media sales, business operations and communications. From March 2010 to March 2020, she served as Business Director and General Manager of California Academy of Performing Arts in Moraga, where she increased gross revenue by 49 percent in this million-dollar business. She ran daily operations of all aspects of the business, created their website, transformed manual registration and enrollment systems to online platforms, produced and managed multiple events with over 400 attendees per year, and managed corporate communications across all mediums. Her background in sales and marketing, combined with superior customer relationship management, kept the business growing in an increasingly competitive marketplace. From June to December 2020, she worked as Business and Marketing Communications Manager at Comprehensive Wellness in Walnut Creek. Earlier in her career, she held advertising sales and business development positions as Northwest Director at SPIN Magazine, Northwest Director at Alpha Media Group for MAXIM Magazine, Northwest Account Director at AOL Time Warner, and account management roles at AmericanGreetings.com and phase2media.?

A.J. holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley and studied Communication and Media Studies at UCLA, where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi. She brings extremely strong relationship-building and communication skills to her work, with a reputation for being well-liked, professional, efficient, loyal and responsive. Her unique combination of editorial expertise, business acumen and passion for storytelling positions her to guide students through the college application process with both creative insight and strategic understanding.?