I actually used to work in the music industry – just for a couple of years – but I realised it wasn’t for me and I had always been more interested in nutrition. When I became pregnant with my son I decided to do an access course, before starting my degree in Health Sciences with Nutritional Therapy. I now specialise in women’s health and I’m particularly interested in the hormone and reproductive space within that.

My initial consultations are dedicated to gathering the patient’s story. So many health issues are triggered by things like stressful life events, change of environment, side effects of medication and even chronic antibiotic use in childhood, so it’s good to understand what may have preceded the issue they came to me for. We might use functional testing to investigate what may be going on biochemically or genetically, which will help to inform the plan that I put together for them. I am a functional nutritionist so my recommendations cover food, lifestyle, stress reduction, supplementation and incorporating daily activity.

Absolutely. I also offer a nutritional guidance session, which is more like an informal chat. Clients can ask about supplements and any burning questions that they’d like evidence-based answers for.

My mum is my original inspiration. She is from Ghana and cooking food with simple, fresh ingredients was the norm in our house. I don’t think I had a takeaway or frozen food when I was growing up. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was a teenager and her focus on healing in part with wholefoods and macrobiotics during that time really inspired me. Being a woman, I also understand the power our hormones that can have on our wellbeing and moods, so it’s an area that has always interested me.

Yes, and it’s a shame because it can be really distressing and women have suffered in silence for a long time. However, thanks to the rise of femtech and the brilliant new platforms leading conversations around women’s health, we are now able to access information and support that wasn’t available before.

Moody Month is an app that helps you track your moods and hormone cycles. It is personalised tech focused around the ovarian cycle and all the symptoms that can typically or atypically occur. Tracking symptoms is an important first step in helping to identify imbalances and Moody offers a daily feed, informing you what could be going on during your cycle. It also allows you to custom log your moods and symptoms, whilst guiding you with solutions to help manage your health and well-being.

We wanted to take the stereotype of the moodiness associated with PMS and own it. However, we also understand that moods are powerful signals that we should listen to. We believe that our months are full of moods that typically shift and change – and they shouldn’t all be viewed as negative. Even when you’re feeling insular or a little more emotional, you can use that period of time to be more creative and do things for yourself without feeling guilty about it. That’s so important.

It has and it’s been incredible. Initially it was just a few of us managing so much of the app, which was challenging but it has been a lot of fun seeing our ideas coming to life. With our investors coming on board last year we have started to expand as a team – now there’s about 12 of us in London and we have a team growing in the US.

It’s a hard one! In my fantasies, a musician or a dancer. I don’t know if I had the talent though. I’ve always been drawn to the caring space and caring for people though. So I think a doctor or a midwife would have been more likely – or a women’s health campaigner.

Dr Chattergee has been doing amazing things to spread awareness in the UK of some of the functional medicine principles via Lifestyle Medicine. More conventional doctors are now taking note and incorporating a more 360 approach to health, rather than prescribing drugs as the cornerstone.
 
Maisie Hill is doing great things in the hormone space, whilst Kathie Bishop from Into the Wylde is shining a light on vaginal health and Dr Anita Mitra is making gynaecological discussions more fun and accessible with her Gyanegeek platform. I also admire Erica Chedi Cohen who is a reproductive health expert, as well as Dr Chandrima Biswas for her commitment to women’s health in the NHS.

There’s an organisation called The Institute for Functional Medicine where you can find out who are the key players and educators in nutrition. It’s important to start with evidence-based research and information grounded in science. Check if what you read is cited and if you’re unsure, booking to see a nutritional therapist could set you on the right track.

I like to spend time with my family as much as I can. It is really important to me to teach my two children about eating healthily too by cooking nutritious food. I enjoy running to de-stress and nurturing hot yoga classes, with a few drops of CBD oil. My husband works in the music industry so I’m lucky to get invited to some amazing gigs and music festivals. I love to laugh with my friends and sisters – that’s my soul food!

On the whole, I’m a jeans and T-shirt person but I do love dresses too. I like the simplicity of being able to put one item on and be comfortable all day.

My practice is really busy at the moment, so that’s the main focus. Moody Month is also growing really fast too and we are expanding into different territories in the coming months – Canada, New Zealand and Australia. As we grow the app in different countries too I’ll be working with even more incredible women, so it’s an exciting time.