Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your current role
I’ve been working as a nutritional therapist (NT) since 1996 having studied at ION (The Institute for Optimum Nutrition) in London for three years whilst modelling.
Prior to that, I worked in fashion PR and before that studied for a psychology degree at Exeter University.
I moved from London to the South West during Covid and now live in a little village in Somerset so a lot of my work is online.
Currently, as a NT I give nutrition talks to corporates, work as a nutritionist on fitness retreats and give private nutrition consultations. I am also an ambassador for the menopause supplement Eostre. I am passionate about healthy eating and have written two cookery books, – all part of my mission to show people how simple it is to cook and eat delicious, healthy food.
I am particularly passionate about the menopause because it is still a bit of a mystery to so many women and I honestly believe that symptoms can be improved by changing diet and lifestyle. I am going through the menopause myself and I understand how difficult it can be. I spend a lot of time talking to friends and clients about the menopause, explaining to them how important it is to look after the gut and how to keep blood sugar levels in balance – both really important factors for managing the symptoms of the menopause.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
My career in nutrition has evolved over the years, I have never really had a proper plan – I probably should have!
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
The biggest challenge I have faced along the way is having three children, my first baby (now almost 25yrs old) was born just as I was starting to work as a ‘nutrition expert’ on TV’s This Morning, I couldn’t manage both and so gave up the TV work. My youngest child (now almost 16yrs old) was born when the first two were already 7yrs and 9 yrs old so I have been a full-on Mum for 25yrs now. I have always worked around the children’s school days/holidays which has been amazing but sometimes frustrating.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
I feel that my biggest achievement to date is bringing up these three amazing human beings. In terms of work achievements, there is one particular client of mine whom I worked with for many years to help her with her eating disorder. Having been in and out of hospital for 10 years she is now a healthy and successful yoga teacher and happily married.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
I think I have had success as a NT because I truly believe in the power of healthy eating, I am not fanatical but I do eat healthily and am always cooking and developing new recipes. I also love meeting and chatting to new people and enjoy getting them excited about making positive changes to their diet and health.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
I haven’t mentored anyone officially but one of my clients, who used to come to all my Cookery Workshops and saw me for a number of consultations, is now a fully qualified and successful NT herself.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Parity, what would it be?
I think one way in which we could have better gender parity would be if we gave men paternity leave – I would have found it so helpful career-wise if my husband had been able to take time off work to help me when my children were babies.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
My advice to my younger self would be to stop worrying, I love the confidence that being in my 50s has given me, I no longer worry nearly so much about what other people think – it makes life so much more enjoyable.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
My next challenge is that I am about to start giving nutrition talks on Women’s Health to the nursing staff at hospitals local to me. I am excited about where this may lead, a couple of the hospitals are setting up Menopause Clinics and I hope to work as a nutritionist with them in the future.
