About Me
I grew up on a small farm in Lancashire, where I developed an appreciation for nature, good home-cooked meals and the rhythm of the seasons. I later trained as a chef before continuing my food journey and becoming a nutritionist.
Over the past 35 years, my work has evolved to bring together nutrition, movement, therapeutic practice and holistic wellbeing. Alongside my professional training, I have undertaken a range of holistic therapies and wellbeing practices to support my own health through challenges including ovarian cancer and autoimmune disease — experiences that have deeply shaped the way I work with others.
Today, I combine these skills and experiences to support both individuals and groups through a warm, realistic and holistic approach to health and wellbeing — helping people feel calmer, stronger, more energised and more like themselves again.
My Journey Through Food, Health & Wellbeing
My journey has been a layering of disciplines ever since training as a chef 45 years ago. A curiosity about the relationship between food, health and led me to continue my studies and complete an MSc in Human Nutrition.
Since then, my work has evolved across nutrition practice, community health, education and national food policy — bringing together science, lived experience and a more holistic understanding of wellbeing.
- Worked 1:1 with clients with eating disorders, cancer and people struggling with chronic digestive issues, fatigue, and inflammation.
- Advised councils on food resilience and developed nutrition programmed from the ground up.
- Navigated the complexities of food policy.
When I look back, it feels as though every part of my journey has been preparing me for the work I do now — helping people reconnect with their health, wellbeing and sense of self in a more holistic way.
Helping Midlife Women Feel More Like Themselves Again
Helping Midlife Women Feel More Like Themselves Again
After an incredibly stressful period working as a key worker during COVID — leading an emergency community meal initiative from my café while also delivering online cooking courses to families — I reached a point of complete burnout. I was exhausted, running on empty and, at the same time, navigating menopause, with joint pain, brain fog and chronic lack of sleep.
When my dog Elsie had to be put to sleep at the age of 20, I realised something had to change. I decided to take a break and travelled to Egypt.
There, I began practising yoga again and slowly started to feel like myself. For the first time in a long time, I was properly resting, sleeping and caring for myself. I chose to stay longer, found a way to continue my work online, and gradually began rebuilding my health and wellbeing.
That experience transformed the direction of my work. I went on to train further in Yoga Nidra, breathwork and Myofascial Release, integrating these approaches into my classes and wellbeing programmes alongside my background in nutrition and therapeutic practice.
Today, my work brings together food, movement, nervous system support and holistic wellbeing to help others move from exhaustion and overwhelm towards calmer energy, balance and a greater sense of wellbeing.
Advocacy & Sustainable Food Systems
I have long believed that healthy people, sustainable food systems and a healthier planet go hand in hand. Much of my wider work has focused on improving access to good food, supporting community wellbeing and helping create more sustainable approaches to food, health and the environment.
Alongside my wellbeing work, I continue to contribute through education, public speaking, community initiatives, food strategy development and collaborative partnerships focused on creating healthier, more connected and sustainable communities.
- Soil Association Ambassador: Advocating for the vital link between soil health and human health.
- Global Smart Food Systems Journal: Serving on the Editorial Board to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical food strategy.
- Food Champions: Delivering training to empower people through evidence-based knowledge.
- Food Strategy development: Working with partners to develop practical and sustainable food strategy with meaningful buy-in from the people it is designed to support
Lived Experience: Rebuilding from the Inside Out
My work is deeply personal because I understand what it feels like to become disconnected from your own health and wellbeing.
Following a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2022, alongside the challenges of menopause, I found myself having to rebuild my health from the ground up. That experience changed the way I think about wellbeing.
I moved away from ideas of perfection and “fixing”, and towards a gentler, more sustainable approach rooted in nourishment, nervous system support, movement, rest and self-compassion.
Today, my work helps others move towards calmer energy, resilience and a greater sense of wellbeing.
I believe healing begins not with restriction, but with nourishment — of the body, the nervous system and the connections around us.
Beyond the Titles While I hold an MSc in Nutrition & Public Health and was honoured to receive an MBE for my services to food and community, I am at my happiest growing food, practicing yoga, or sitting around a kitchen table in deep conversation.
My Professional Foundation
My approach is the culmination of 45 years of professional training, hands-on experience and an enduring curiosity about what truly nourishes health and wellbeing.
From my early days in professional kitchens to completing an MSc in Human Nutrition at King’s College London, and more recent work in nervous system regulation and holistic wellbeing, I have spent decades gathering the knowledge, skills and experience needed to support people in a more integrated and compassionate way.
Academic qualifications
- MSc in Applied Nutrition, King’s College London (1991)
- BSc in Food Science, Queen Margaret University (1988)
- PG Dip in Behavioural Management of Adult Obesity, UCLan (2002)
- PGCE Teaching Qualification, UCLan (2013)
- Diploma in Food Science and Marketing, Nottinghamshire College (1984)
Behavioural & Therapeutic
- NLP Master Practitioner Training, Future Seeing Ltd (2018)
- Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis, Scottish School of Hypnotherapy (2010)
- Level 3 EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) (2007)
- Person-Centred Counselling, Preston College (1993)
- IBS Practitioner Training, Academy of the Inner Mind (2024)
Yoga, Movement & Wellbeing
- Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing, Active IQ (2026)
- Myofascial Release Facilitator Training, Nour Yoga School, Egypt (2026)
- Yoga Nidra Teacher Training, Nour Yoga School, Egypt (2025)
- Aerial Yoga Teacher Training, Nour Yoga School, Egypt (2023)
- Yoga Teacher Training, Feel Now Yoga (2018)
- Diploma in Sports Massage, Edinburgh College (2001)
Practical Credentials
- Permaculture Design Course (2003)
- City & Guilds Level 2 Catering, Preston College (1981)
You don’t need another diet.
You need a nervous system and microbiome that work together.