How Learning Spanish Helped a Health Insurance Professional Connect with Clients and Culture

 

Updated November 2025
Written by Carlos A. Rubí, Senior Digital Communications Strategist & Language
Education Writer at Spanish55


This is Courteney’s story of how Spanish became a tool for connection - at work, on the road, and in everyday life.

 

In This Story

  • A health insurance professional strengthened client relationships by becoming more confident in Spanish.
  • Years of school grammar finally turned into real conversation through one-on-one online Spanish lessons.
  • Two private Spanish coaches helped her understand accents, speed, and natural phrasing from different countries.
  • Travel to Mexico and Spain became richer and more local as she practiced Spanish in real situations.
  • She now uses Spanish at work and in daily life - with growing confidence and a renewed motivation to keep learning.


A Journey Sparked by Work, Travel, and Real Connection

 

Health insurance calls in Texas, a famous paella table in Valencia, and a stack of Netflix shows set to español: Courteney Stewart kept speaking even when nerves said stop, and the conversations started to open doors.

 

She introduces herself without fuss: "I'm Courteney Stewart, and I'm from Nashville." She works in health insurance, an area where unclear answers cost people money and peace of mind. Nashville has been home for two years; before that, Chicago, suburbs first, then six years downtown. Spanish drew her in back then; Chicago, after all, is a multicultural city, but classrooms left a gap. She could read and write, yet real talk stalled when no one around her was fluent enough to pull the words out.


 

When Grammar Isn’t Enough - Turning Knowledge Into Real Conversations

 

Work gave her a sharper motive. Her company offers an education stipend, and she was being paired with clients in Texas and other places with many Spanish-speaking members. The idea was simple: use the stipend to strengthen Spanish where it matters!

"I have been able to help with open enrollment meetings and help them to choose insurance plans that are best for them by communicating… in Spanish," she says. Translating documents helps, but breakthroughs come when members share personal health stories, and she can answer in their language.

School laid the groundwork, middle school, high school, college, but it didn't unlock conversation. "The grammar I understood," she says. She knew a lot of words. The missing piece was fluent back-and-forth with someone who could carry the language's sound and rhythm. Duolingo kept her active, yet she wanted something built around speaking with a real person.


 

Building Confidence Through Private Online Spanish Lessons

 

That search led to online Spanish lessons and a trial with Spanish55. Coach Marisela met her first. "She made me feel super comfortable," Courteney says. A year with Marisela rebuilt grammar and confidence. Then came the switch to her new online Spanish tutor, Coach María. She walked into a lesson that ran almost entirely in Spanish and stayed afloat. "We pretty much only talked in Spanish," she says. The focus turned to live conversation, the skill she'd been chasing for years.

 

How Two Spanish Tutors Helped Her Develop Real-World Fluency

 

Two coaches from different countries quietly widened her ear. Words shifted, phrasing changed, and she learned to steady herself after the first sentence, even when the reply arrived faster than expected. "People at least appreciate your effort," she says. Inside the company, she hopes the Spanish bench keeps growing so more meetings can happen in the language members use at home.


 

Putting Spanish Into Practice Through Travel and Cultural Experiences

 

Travel became the stress test and the reward. She visits Mexico often: a wedding in Cabo, plus Mexico City and Oaxaca. A month ago, she spent two weeks in Spain and became the group's translator when English disappeared. In Valencia, at a famous paella restaurant, "nobody spoke English," and no one switched for her. It felt personal. Spanish turned the trip less touristic and more local: recommendations from residents, small chats, and places that don't need a brochure.


 

Bringing Spanish Into Everyday Life Back Home

 

Back in Nashville, exposure is thinner, so she builds it. Coach María suggested Radio Ambulante; Courteney listens and they dissect what she heard in class. She watches Spanish shows on Netflix, Valeria and food programs like José Andrés’ series about Spain, on purpose, hopping across countries to see how greetings and everyday talk change. She's eyeing volunteer work to use Spanish in town. When the heat hits, she resets on the water, wake surfing or floating on the lake, and, when she's in Cabo, points friends to La Lupita for tacos al pastor.

 

Progress Through Repetition, Patience, and Real Conversations

 

Progress didn't arrive on a switch. It came through awkward replies and repetition. In past trips, she defaulted to English when panic rose. In Spain she didn't. "I just kept pushing myself to utilize it," she says. By the end, she tracked questions more cleanly and built answers on the fly. That choice, to stay in Spanish even when it shook, moved the needle.

Asked what she'd tell her younger self, she's clear: start speaking and listening much sooner. Pen pals, fluent friends, any real voice in her ear would have sped things up. The advice now extends to anyone staring down the same hill: step out of the comfort zone of your first language and let practice be messy. The language forgives effort.

 

How Spanish Opened a New World of Confidence and Possibility

 

What does conquering Spanish mean? "It opens up a new world where I can travel to places and meet new people," she says. Confidence on the road is the target! The bucket list is ready, from more cities in Mexico to whatever comes next.


She adds a nod to the person on the other side of the screen each week: "Coach María is amazing, she makes me feel so comfortable… I highly recommend taking lessons with her." The table is set, paella or pastor, and the next conversation is hers to start.

 

Start Your Own Journey With a Private Online Spanish Tutor

 

Like Courteney, you can turn Spanish into a real-world skill that connects you with people, at work, while traveling, or in everyday life. Start with a free trial lesson at Spanish55 and experience what personalized, one-on-one learning can do for your confidence.

Schedule your free trial lesson

 

Meet the Spanish Tutor Who Helped Courtney Begin Her Journey


Courtney’s first Spanish tutor at Spanish55 was Marisela, whose passion for culture, language, and education shaped the foundation of Courtney’s confidence. If you want to see where her journey began, read the full story of Spanish Tutor Marisela and discover the impact she brings to every student she teaches. Click here to read Marisela's story.

 

Questions This Article Answers

  • How can online Spanish lessons help professionals who work with Spanish-speaking clients?

  • What makes private Spanish tutors effective for adult learners?

  • Can beginners benefit from one-on-one Spanish lessons?