I started work in cafés and pubs the day I left school. Then came university, a business degree, marketing (CIM) and leadership (ILM) diplomas, and years in the corporate world. For years I was two people. One had the big city job, the flash clothes and the diary full of flights, always chasing the next thing and never slowing down. The other just wanted to be barefoot in a field with the people she loved.
Then I chose to stay at home with my children. It was the harder choice, and the world didn’t always see its worth. I was often lonely, there were dark, difficult years, and somewhere along the way I lost me. I tried to find my way back through the gym and qualified as a personal trainer, but it never felt like my path. Food was always my heart. At 46 my marriage ended, and with it my home, my friends and every bit of security I had. I started again from nothing, with two children and no career.
I didn’t find my way back on a retreat or with a regime, a powder or a programme. I found it slowly, and mostly at the kitchen table. Real food. Walks. People. Sleep. Noticing what was right in front of me, which I’d been too busy to see for years.
For two years I cooked in a care home’s clubhouse and worked as a host across the whole centre. It taught me more than any course. I learned about dementia, about holding on to independence, and about how much it means to be listened to. People told me wonderful stories: their families, the memories they treasured, how they met, the connections and the big occasions they’d never forget. Not one of them ever said “look at my score on Candy Crush”. At the end of a life, what matters is people, food, connection and being looked after. I qualified as a nutrition and wellness coach, and some of my first clients had ADHD, so I went on to train in Nutrition for ADHD with NatureDoc. I’ve also trained in counselling skills. Between cafés, pubs, corporate life and care, I know how real life and real pressure feel.
HYGIEIA is everything I wish someone had handed me. I write every note myself. I’m not a robot and I’m not a guru, and I’m certainly not perfect. I’m a real person who found the way back, and I want to help us all stay human.