The Nutritional Supplement

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

The PG Diploma in Personalised Nutrition – I graduated in April 2016.

What did you do before doing this course?

My first degree was in Marketing and I worked in various roles in Marketing for British Airways and Centrica over a 15 year period.

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

I developed a growing interest in nutrition and was intrigued by the positive impacts small changes had on my own (and my families) health. My book collection was also increasing by the week and I found I was constantly reading and researching into this field. Alongside this I was struggling with burnout in a corporate environment and trying to manage a busy family. Re-training to do something I loved and move to a career I could better manage felt the natural thing to do.

What was your first role after graduating?

I ran a small private practice offering one to one Nutritional Therapy consultations and also some corporate talks to support wellbeing.

How did you kickstart your practice / career?

For the first few years I worked for myself offering Nutritional Therapy from my small private practice based at a physiotherapy clinic in Ascot. My friend ran the clinic and was keen to offer a wider range of health services, so it was a good opportunity to reach new clients.

Where has your career taken you so far? 

In the second year I began to do supervision at CNELM which increased my experience and hours of work which was good timing in line with my youngest starting school, so I had more time available.

In July 2019 I had the wonderful opportunity to join The Optimum Health Clinic in London, which is an award-winning integrative medicine clinic that specialises in ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia. Being part of a team of 14 Nutritional Therapists, there is the opportunity to learn and share our clinical experiences and deepen our knowledge and expertise. 90% of my work is now at the clinic, with some small private work locally.

Do you specialise in a particular area of health? 

Given the nature of The Optimum Health Clinic, most of my clients have ME, CFS or Fibromyalgia.

Which part of your career so far do you think has been the most rewarding or successful? 

Every part of my career as a Nutritional Therapist has provided me with fresh challenges and new experiences that have all been very rewarding. At the start, the excitement of working for myself and managing my own destiny was very motivating. Being a supervisor, I enjoyed being able to give something back and guide students by using my experience. Today, being part of an award-winning team and working with complex client cases is very rewarding.

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

There is a lot of paperwork in our job and it’s there for a reason for the safety and wellbeing of our clients and to ensure we protect ourselves. It has taken some time to become more efficient at managing this and taking time earlier on to develop easier approaches may have been more helpful.

What or who has most inspired you in your work? 

Helen Lynam was a supervisor, lecturer and NLP coach when I trained at CNELM. It’s probably no coincidence that I followed her to The Optimum Health Clinic!

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

Clients can be challenging and time consuming and because we care it’s easy to sometimes give too much. My advice is to manage your boundaries and ensure to balance what you give to clients whilst managing yourself.