THE BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL TITLE?
Founder, Registered Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
Every day is different! I see clients at least 3 days per week in my clinics in Chiswick and Marylebone. The other days, I could be seeing clients at their offices, going to networking events, doing research for client health and wellbeing plans or attending CPD webinars and conferences. I love the flexibility of what I do, because it means that I can be there to pick up my son and hangout with him when he’s not super tired.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD AND WHAT CHANGED?
I wanted to be a journalist when I was growing up and even applied to journalism school! I changed my mind and decided to go and teach English for a year in Japan and then moved to the UK and fell into marketing.
WHAT ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS DO YOU HAVE?
I have a BA in Political Science & US History from McGill University in Montreal, an MA in Marketing from London Metropolitan University and a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
No one cares more about your career than you, so you need to get comfortable advocating for yourself.
WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY?
I love Oprah. I love that she came up from nothing and has worked incredibly hard to get to where she is now. She admits that she’s made mistakes and talks openly about what she’s learned from them and what she did differently because of those mistakes.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKING ENVIRONMENT?
That I can choose where I want to work. Some days, I’ll be working from home, other days I’ll be working from my clinic and other days I might work from the AllBright in Fitzrovia.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT YOUR DAILY WORK ROUTINE IF YOU COULD?
Nothing! I’ve learned a huge amount over the past year and being flexible in my work routine has allowed me to take on new opportunities. I’ve accepted that some days I’ll be able to stop working when I pick my son up from school and other days, I’ll need to open up my laptop once he’s in bed.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF PROFESSIONALLY IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME?
I’ll have a well established practice and be widely known for helping women who want to get to grips with sugar cravings, mood swings and hormonal acne & bloating, as well as hormonal issues such as PMS, PCOS, fibroids, heavy & painful periods, missing & irregular periods and peri-menopause.
DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN BE THE SAME PERSON AT WORK AND IN PRIVATE?
Yes! In my field, one of the reasons women choose to work with me is because they’ve connected to something I’ve said and written about. What you see with me, is really what you get. Authenticity is so important to me because it helps my clients and potential clients relate and be honest with me.
WHERE AND IN WHAT ROLES ARE WOMEN IN THE LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AT YOUR COMPANY?
It’s just me right now!
DOES DIVERSITY MATTER TO YOU?
Absolutely. I’m a mixed race, Canadian Brit! Diversity in backgrounds, genders and ethnicities means the opportunity to hear a variety of perspectives. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the danger of a single story and how without diverse perspectives, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE?
All things considering, it’s pretty good! I accept that some evenings I will have to work, but I try to balance that out by having at least 2 nights where I don’t open my laptop and I spend time with my husband. I’m training to be a yoga teacher, so I have a daily yoga practice that helps keep me grounded and calm. And of course, eating lots of vegetables and fruits helps too!
WHAT QUALITIES DOES BEING IN YOUR ROLE NECESSITATE?
Staying calm and focused, being empathetic, being able to actively listen without interrupting and being resilient. I’ve failed at some things, but I’ve been able to bounce back and learn from them, rather than letting them destroy me.