The Nutritional Supplement

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

I graduated from CNELM in 2016/2017 with a BSc (Hons) Nutritional Science plus Practice Diploma in Nutritional Therapy (NTPD). The BSc (Hons) was completed in 2016, while the Practice Diploma was completed in 2017.

What did you do before doing this course?

I have worked in quite a variety of positions in different industries prior to my degree, however, I have always been interested in natural health.

I had studied flower essences prior to studying nutrition, and I started up my own small natural skin care range incorporating flower remedies and essential oils, which I ran for several years.

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

I started studying a degree in Nutritional Medicine in Australia in 2009 after realising that healthy food and cooking was my lifelong passion. I was only able to study part-time as I had a very young child. Halfway through the course, I relocated to the U.K. in 2013, due to family reasons.

I researched all the colleges and universities that were offering this type of course in the UK and was able to transfer some of my earlier studies over towards the first year of the degree course at CNELM.

Kate Neil was very accommodating and the course was quite flexible in terms of distance learning. I also liked that the course included the certificate in NLP. I continued to study part-time, hence why it took me several years to complete it.

What was your first role after graduating?

I worked in the kitchen on a functional medicine retreat in France for a week which I really enjoyed, and then I also worked as a nutritionist on a detox retreat back in Australia for a few months.

Once back in the U.K., I started up my own business, The Well Life Lab, a nutrition consultancy, also offering cooking workshops and day retreats.

How did you kickstart your practice / career?

Initially my business was quite slow starting. It wasn’t until I did some extra training on business marketing for nutritionists that the business really started to work.

I learned that having an area of specialism, or a niche, was an easier way to market what I was doing, making it easier for people to understand what my business stood for. I niched in gut health, and more specifically IBS.

This was because I had been going through my own gut health journey and had made some really good progress. I was keen to help others who were suffering with the same issues as I had been.

Where has your career taken you so far? Tell us more about your recent book, The Gut Reset Cookbook.

I mostly work with my clients for a minimum of 3 months helping to get their gut health back in balance, often using microbiome stool testing, to help us get results more effectively. I also support them with stress, sleep, hormone imbalances, balancing their blood sugars, and many other issues.

I’ve been working on the cookbook for several years, and then when I saw a short course to get your health book published on Amazon, I really went for it, and got it finished in quite a short space of time.

It’s a really useful addition to complement my gut health programmes, but it’s also beneficial as a standalone resource for people who are struggling with food intolerances or IBS, and have found the low FODMAP diet overwhelming, or difficult to follow.

My book focuses more on a ‘modified’ low FODMAP diet, which can easily be adapted depending on individual needs and requirements.

Do you specialise in a particular area of health? 

Yes, I specialise in gut health, the gut microbiome, and more specifically IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I also work with clients with a range of digestive disorders including coeliac disease, diverticulitis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, ulcerative colitis, acid reflux, and food intolerances.

I offer a range of other functional tests including DUTCH hormones and comprehensive blood panels.

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

I like that I can be creative with my business, with my cooking workshops and day retreats, and I found that publishing the cookbook was very rewarding.

I love getting positive feedback and hearing about my clients success stories. This is probably the most rewarding aspect of this work.

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

I wish I had known more about business marketing when I first started out. It’s not an easy marketplace to establish yourself in, and marketing does seem to be a huge part of what I do. It would be good if more of this was somehow incorporated into the training to be a nutritional therapist.

What or who has most inspired you in your work? 

I’ve been inspired by lots of people along the way, probably too many to mention. I really like the work of Jason Hawrelak, and have also been inspired by training with Dr. Nina Fuller-Shavel.

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

Definitely start with some business marketing training once qualified. There’s a few people offering this including Nicki Williams, Gwen Warren, Debbie Grayson, and Gabi Forrester.

My ‘Simple Gut Reset Cookbook’ is available via Amazon, or in selected stores in Dorset.

Helen’s website can be found at: https://www.thewelllifelab.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewelllifelab

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_well_life_lab/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenrossthewelllifelab/

Email: info@thewelllifelab.co.uk