The Nutritional Supplement

Which course did you graduate from at CNELM and when did you graduate?

I graduated from CNELM’s MSc in Personalised Nutrition in October 2015 and further completed the Nutritional Therapy Practice Diploma (NTPD) in March 2018.

What did you do before doing this course?

After completing my undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering, I pursued a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and then a PhD in Finance. I was Associate Professor in Finance at the University of Utrecht for two years and then returned to Greece where I worked for about a year as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance.

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

Although I am now very much into living a healthy lifestyle and nurturing my wellbeing, this has not always been the case. Despite growing up in a typical Mediterranean family, my food and lifestyle choices did not reflect that. Instead, since my early adulthood I adopted a rather Western-type lifestyle and diet; poor dietary habits, lack of movement, not enough sleep and too much stress.

It was not until my late twenties, when I got into early menopause – correctly referred to as premature ovarian insufficiency – that I started realising that my body was reacting to these “insults”. This is how my journey to better health began. I made changes to my diet, started exercising, sleeping well and being more in touch with my inner self, in an effort to manage stress, nurture myself and improve my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Despite the negative odds given by my doctors, in 2011 I got spontaneously pregnant with my daughter. This is when I decided to embark on CNELM’s course in Nutritional Therapy, wishing to obtain a better understanding of how our eating and lifestyle habits affect our health.

What mostly attracted me to this course was the emphasis placed on the interconnectedness of the human body and the premise that true health goes beyond simply addressing symptoms, eating “right” and exercising. Rather than a “one size fits all approach”, CNELM’s Personalised Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy courses consider each individual to be unique and train future practitioners to make informed, science-based nutrition and lifestyle recommendations that take into account the individual’s health journey, health goals and dietary and lifestyle preferences.

What was your first role after graduating?

Right after graduating in 2018, I set up my private practice as Nutritional Therapy Practitioner in the northern suburbs of Athens.

How did you kickstart your practice / career?

The first thing I did was to communicate to my friends and social connections that I had set up my practice and was welcoming clients. At the same time, I started working on my website and creating my printed material.

Where has your career taken you so far? 

Admittedly, I have not actively pursued building and growing my Nutritional Therapy practice. I am currently in the process of exploring other career paths that I can pursue outside my one-to-one clinical practice.

Do you specialise in a particular area of health? 

There are areas I feel more confident in, like digestive health, and others I am less attracted to, like weight management, but I have not actually specialised in a particular area of health.

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

For me the most rewarding part has been that of personal development. I consider myself being driven by personal growth and intellectual curiosity. Finding my way into Nutritional Therapy has made me feel I am on the right path, that I am going to the right direction. It is equally rewarding when I hear my clients saying that they feel they are going in the right direction with their health and wellness.   

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

I feel that during my studies I gained both the knowledge and clinical skills to practice as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner in a clinical setting, working with clients on a one-to-one basis, providing personalised nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. However, I would like to have better explored other professional paths, gaining insight on how I could benefit from my studies to work in a non-clinic role. If I were graduating now, I think I would focus more on working within a team of other health professionals, to benefit from complementary skills and shared synergies.

What or who has most inspired you in your work? 

My daughter, as it was when I got pregnant that I decided to pursue training in nutrition and lifestyle medicine science and take this path in my life.

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

I assume that most of us who choose to pursue education and training in nutrition and lifestyle medicine science do so out of genuine interest to optimise and support our own and others’ health and wellbeing. However, working with clients on a one-to-one setting is not the only way to do so; there are other career options outside one-to-one clinic that are equally worth exploring, including organising health retreats, teaching nutritional science, educating the public or other health professionals about nutrition-related topics, or even pursuing a career in corporate wellness, potentially combining previously gained experience in a corporate environment with nutrition and lifestyle education. No matter what, it is important that we identify what inspires us the most, harness our previously gained skills and build on our personal strengths and choose the career path that is right for us.