It is with mixed feelings of grief and joy that we at Advanced Clinical Education launch this very special scholarship program:
The Glen Gardner Scholarship
About Glen
Originally from Sydney NSW, Glen relocated to Melbourne, Victoria with his husband Daniel in 2010.
After spending some 20 plus years working within the financial services industry, Glen found himself stressed, burnt out and struggling with his own back pain due to his corporate role. After seeing the benefits and lasting effects that manual therapy and movement had on his own pain management journey, as well as a strong passion and willingness to help others, Glen made the leap to begin studying his Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy at MIMT in 2017.
Glen graduated on 7th May 2018 and true to his “all in” attitude he established his own business, Bodoc, the same month.
Glen displayed a thirst for knowledge, a dedication to bettering his education and strived for a deeper understanding of the human body from the get go – which led him to ACE.
Glen’s Introduction to ACE
Towards the end of 2019 we received an email from Glen out of the blue to say he had been following ACE (and much of Shaun’s previous work) on social media for some time, loved what it was all about, and explained that he would like to sign up to EVERY course on offer, including the upcoming retreat to Thailand the following year.
We were absolutely blown away that someone who had never attended an ACE course could put so much faith and commit to such a big investment without even meeting us first.
Unfortunately, the pandemic hit the following year – however – as the lockdowns continued, Glen never wavered from his commitment or requested refunds on any courses he had purchased that were postponed month after month. Glen stuck with ACE from the beginning, showing his perseverance and unyielding loyalty.
As of June 2022, he had successfully attended every single course he originally registered for back in 2019 (including the Manual Therapy Retreat in Thailand) – with his last being our Melbourne Joint Therapeutics course on 30th July, 2022.
Sadly, Glen passed away unexpectedly and tragically on Sunday 9th October 2022.
He possessed a radiant energy, a wicked sense of humour, a zest for life, consistent commitment to learning, and a passion for helping as many people around him as possible.
It is our honour to present The Glen Gardner Scholarship program in his memory, in the hope that his legacy continues to help others.
What does The Glen Gardner Scholarship include?
The Glen Gardner Scholarship will provide the successful applicant free lifetime access to the following:
What doesn’t The Glen Gardner Scholarship include?
The Glen Gardner Scholarship program does not include enrolment/attendance to:
- Manual Therapy Retreats
- Conferences
- Symposiums
- Events hosting international presenters
- Travel/accommodation costs incurred to attend our face-to-face courses.
- ACE Mentor program
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application Questions
- What made you choose this profession? (300 words max)
- Who or what inspires you to do this “work”? (300 words max)
- What sort of health practitioner do you want to be? (300 words max)
- Give us 5 words that your friends / family would use to best describe you.
- What would receiving this scholarship mean to you? (300 words max)
Applicants must also provide a 3-5 minute video telling us their story. Things to include are current place of study / work, how they came to be in the industry, activities they enjoy doing in their spare time, family members / friends, etc.
We want to get to know WHO you are.
The successful applicant will:
Have graduated from their qualification in the last 3 years and/or had a career change into this profession from another industry.
OR
Be a student practitioner within 3 months of graduating (min qualification Diploma).
Applications for 2026 will close on the 18th September 2026.
Our 2026 successful applicant will be awarded on Friday 9th October, 2026.
Scholarship Conditions
The successful recipient agrees to abide by the T&C’s related to our cancellation policy.
i.e. The recipient will not cancel their attendance at a 1 or 2 day course any sooner than 1 week prior to the course, or in the case of a Dry Needling course, sooner than 2 weeks, without providing a medical certificate and a valid reason. Not abiding by the cancellation policy will result in the recipient forfeiting their eligibility to attend that course for free.
Enrolment / attendance cannot be forfeited in exchange for monetary value.
“Lifetime” is defined by the lifetime of the Advanced Clinical Education Pty Ltd while the company ownership belongs to Shaun and Gabrielle Brewster. Succession of The Glen Gardner Scholarship is at the discretion of future owners / stakeholders of the business if / when a change of business ownership has taken place.
Successful applicants
2023
David Clarke
Serving as a Police Officer in a past life, Dave was able to assist others in the worst of circumstances, which although rewarding, came to take its toll on him over time, both physically & mentally. After a 12-year career with the NSW Police Force, Dave decided a change in direction was necessary and in 2018 he finished his service. During his 12 years, Dave saw a Remedial Massage Therapist regularly, with whom he developed a strong rapport, along with an interest and amazement in how his therapist always managed to reduce his pain.
Not wanting to dwell on the past, Dave took action in 2019 by completing his Diploma of Remedial Massage with Evolve College.
In 2020, Dave started his own business @propel.remedial.massage, which he has run successfully ever since.
Dave chose his profession within the health industry as a parallel to why he joined the Police force… to help people. This desire was core to who Glen was as a person, and which is the foundation for ACE creating The Glen Gardner Scholarship in his name.
2024
Lauren Mihaly
Lauren started out her career as a registered nurse, but when her mum passed away unexpectedly in 2018, she found herself questioning her perspectives on how healthcare is provided “I really started to understand how vulnerable pain and ill-health make us and how much it matters if we provide sound, holistic care that promotes health and prevents disease, as much as fights it”. Fast forward to 2024, Lauren is now building her business as an Osteopath in Coolangatta, QLD.
Lauren’s application stood out to us due to her authenticity, a passion for helping others and her commitment to her studies even when faced with adversity.
When asked what sort of health practitioner she wanted to be, Lauren wrote; “I want each consultation to provide a targeted, manual treatment that provides symptomatic relief, a progressive at-home management plan to help manage their symptoms and prevent progression/recurrence, easy-to-grasp education and advice, and resources/referrals to other skilful professionals with the knowledge to fill the gaps.”
2025
Emma van Raay
Emma has always been drawn to learning about the human body and helping people. While navigating school and completing a Health Sciences degree, she experienced setbacks that made her question her academic ability. It was through studying Myotherapy at ACFB and completing courses with ACE that Emma discovered her strengths lay in hands-on learning and a different way of thinking.
Fast forward to 2025, Emma is now a Myotherapist and clinic owner of EVR Therapies in Melbourne’s outer east. Following an ADHD diagnosis the year prior, she felt empowered to learn how to practise in a way that is authentic to who she is. This has shaped a deep understanding of creating a safe space for her clients and tailoring their care to individual needs. Emma’s story stood out for its honesty, self-awareness, and clear commitment to growing as a practitioner while supporting both her clients and her team.
“ACE has been instrumental in fostering my love for myotherapy, so to receive this scholarship is an incredible opportunity to fully invest in my growth as a practitioner for my clients and staff, and something I will be forever grateful for.”
2026
Amanda Warda
Growing up I was always a kid who loved being outdoors as well as playing sports like softball and soccer and during high school, found a fascination with biology and anatomy which eventually lead to studying a Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Science at uni. After graduating from my undergrad, I started my career as a case manager in the Work Comp. A few years into case managing, I eventually realised it was a broken system that kept people in loop of failed injury rehab and poor quality outcomes. After many intense months of covid, I ended up quitting my job for a much needed change and pursued a Diploma of Remedial Massage. Taking a chance like this to change careers when I had already established myself in that career was a scary choice to make at an already uncertain time but there was a fire lit inside me that wanted to get out there and be the change I wanted to see with helping people build a better quality of life for themselves. This was the best decision I have ever made, and I wouldn’t a change a thing about my journey to get here.
In my short time in this industry, I have learnt so much from ACE that has been instrumental in my development as a practitioner. To me, receiving this scholarship means I will continue to learn from the best educators who have genuinely had a game changing impact on myself, my critical thinking and my skill set. Going forward, that support will continue to elevate my skills, which will allow me to bring the best practice possible to all of my clients in their own recovery journeys. I am so grateful to have this opportunity and I hope to honour Glen’s memory and passion for learning.
