The Nutritional Supplement

What Course(s) did you graduate from at CNELM and when did you graduate?

I didn’t – I am a graduate of the University of Westminster Health Sciences: Nutritional Therapy, 2001. This was the first degree cohort in nutritional therapy in the UK.

What did you do before doing this course?

I started my career in the catering trade (at a young age!) and then went on to train as a chef, at the Cordon Bleu School in London. The year I was there it was bought out by the Paris Cordon Bleu school and became a professional catering school. I went on to chef in Central London working with Conran Restaurants - working with chefs such as Chris Galvin, John Torode and Jamie Oliver (before fame hit them)!

I wanted to learn about nutrition a few years after that and approached Kings college who told me that I was not suitable - ignoring them I then joined Westminster a few years later.

What made you decide to embark on this course of study and what attracted you to CNELM?

Food is my passion; it always has been. I began cooking for my family aged 7 - with my cooking skills being set up by my Mum. When I came to work at CNELM in 2014, I did the Coaching course as an adjunct to my learning, which is the missing part in any therapeutic scenario.

Where has your career taken you?

All sort of places! I have been in higher education within nutritional therapy, both at Westminster and CNELM, for 18 years. I have also worked at Raworth College and CNM in the past. 

Alongside my HE work I run my own clinic, I work with charities (The Pituitary Foundation, The disability Initiative, MIND, KeepFit for the over 80s amongst some), I work with food companies in new product development, recipe testing and cooking instructions when needed.

I was chair of BANT for 5 years and took the professional body through the grandparenting scheme and was integral in setting up the early CPD scheme.

I recently trained as a BANT accredited supervisor and run both face to face and online supervision groups for NTs, to support their practitioner development beyond the science of nutrition.

I have also worked to gain a PGCHE and am now studying an MSc at the University of East London. Finally, I have taken on one of the External Examiner roles at ION for the coming 2 years.

Which part do you think has been the most rewarding or successful?

For me it is working with what I love – food and people. My career has moved towards education and working with mature students is engaging, fulfilling, frustrating and rewarding!

I am moving towards the coaching side now and that is where my MSc is focusing on. When working with the student body I find that us Humans put up all sorts of barriers and are blinded to what is right in front of us. I like re-framing a student’s life and showing them what they already know - but cannot see. I have had some nice feedback about that too, so I am following that – finding the superpowers in people - building what they can do, not telling them what they can’t.

Tell us what you do at CNELM.

I am Co-Programme leader of the NTPD. This involves student support, administration, module leader support, redevelopment of the course, accreditation work, maintaining standards and responding to LOTS of emails. I also organise the academic calendar and am known as the devil’s avocado in the centre – if it needs questioning, I will be the one to question!

If you were graduating now, would you do anything differently?

Ohhhh…. things are very different now, with social media and access to information - but I would be ok with taking the time to unwind after putting in so much study time. I didn’t realise how much it took out of me, the final 6-10 months of study.

I would also be ok with telling the world what I had done – what I had achieved. When studying we surround ourselves with our peers - we forget what we don’t know. It is easy to get into a groove of thinking that the public know about nutrition because of the media – but, they still don’t – they truly don’t !!!

Is there anything you wish you’d known before finishing your studies that you might have prepared for differently?

I didn’t know about the profession I was heading into when I started to study it – I am really glad I did it - but I dived in, headfirst. This is how I work!!

I wish I knew my learning styles before studying and learned more about the amount of study time expected.

What or who has most inspired you in your work?

No-one in particular springs to mind (although I am the biggest fan of Clarissa Dickson Wright for her love of food). I find authentic people who are honest and follow their core values the most inspiring.

Do you have any tips, hints, things you’d have done differently...?

Schedule study time more effectively. And use snapshots of time to study – not to think that studying is all about sitting down and doing it for hours. I am trying to implement that now - but it is not easy.

Use different learning tools, audio, video, notes, bullet points, etc. That it is not just about reading, but active reading.

Learn how to learn! This is SO important!