The Nutritional Supplement

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

I graduated with an MSc in Personalised Nutrition in 2017.

What did you do before doing this course?

I was already practising as a Nutritional Therapist, having completed a Level 6 Diploma with BCNH, but I wanted to extend my knowledge with the MSc. I am also a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist so I combine both professions in my private practice in East Yorkshire.

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

Having worked in the NHS for most of my career, I was aware that many of those working in ‘mainstream medicine’ did not recognise the value of Nutritional Therapy or understand the level of training that is required. I chose to study the MSc at CNELM partly to demonstrate that we are well qualified to offer professional advice in nutrition but also because CNELM offered a course that was really interesting and challenging and I was keen to learn more.

What was your first role after graduating?

I have worked as a Speech & Language Therapist for over 30 years and first took up Nutritional Therapy in 2010, graduating in 2014. I then combined both professions in my private practice at the Hull & East Riding Spire Hospital. I later completed a Diploma with the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine which I found was an invaluable addition to the skills I had learned at CNELM. I continue to see a wide range of clients at my private clinic.

How did you kickstart your practice / career?

I had the advantage of already establishing practising privileges at my local private hospital and therefore was in a position to continue to practice there, in both professions. I was able to use my network of health professionals to spread the word about my work but primarily I use my websites as the main route to prospective clients.

Where has your career taken you so far? 

I have had opportunities to work alongside other nutrition professionals which has been a privilege. More recently I have used my understanding of nutrition to develop a digital healthcare platform called Healthlinx, which is designed to measure the benefits of nutrition and lifestyle against mainstream medical interventions in order to improve patient choice, and also to enable marginalised health professionals to demonstrate their expertise. I won a government grant to develop the platform and am receiving on-going support in growing this business from Innovate UK Edge and the Female Founders Incubator at Bruntwood Sci Tech in Leeds.

Do you specialise in a particular area of health? 

No. I work in a rural area where there is limited access to Nutritional Therapy so I didn’t want to prohibit people from coming for help by limiting myself to one or two areas. I genuinely enjoy working with all client populations. You never know who is going to walk through the door and I love the process of discovery as I get to know them and work alongside them.

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

For me it is the chance to work independently and build my practice according to my own value system. I am open about my ethos and I expect that some people will choose to work with me for that reason, and others will prefer a different approach and go elsewhere. For me this is rewarding because it allows me to be authentic in my working style and I know that those clients who choose to work with me have chosen a therapeutic partnership that also aligns with their own value system. This is empowering for both of us and I think contributes to a more successful outcome in the long run.

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

I think that having worked in healthcare for many years, I was well-prepared for the day-to-day challenges of running a clinic. However, I wasn’t prepared for how I would be treated differently depending on whether I was wearing my Speech & Language Therapy hat or my Nutritional Therapy hat. It made me very aware of the prejudice that exists for practitioners working outside the NHS who often do an excellent job but are rarely listened to by those on the ‘inside’. The reason I developed Healthlinx was to close the gap between public and private healthcare, allow the patients greater choice over how their healthcare is managed and to showcase the fantastic work that is done by complementary and natural healthcare specialists who are so often side-lined.

What or who has most inspired you in your work? 

My clients! There are academic experts who I enjoy learning from, but it is my clients who have taught me the most over the years. They make themselves vulnerable, share their difficult journey, and put their trust in you to help them turn their health around. It is a truly humbling experience and I learn from them every day.

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

Not in my work, but for the MSc? I would have thought to ask whether references were included in the word count before staying up all night to reduce the size of my dissertation before the deadline ……!