If I Knew Then: Jenny Kerridge

A registered nutritional therapist and health coach, Jenny works with people to help improve their health and mental wellbeing.

With a background in health psychology and a personal history of chronic fatigue, she was aware of the ability of food to alter mood as well as health and now uses a combination of nutritional therapy and coaching to help clients put theory into practice.

How did you start out in business?
I have always worked in the third sector and took on roles that involved supporting others in some way. I gained an MSc in health psychology and went into research from there. Some years later after graduating as a nutritional therapist, I decided to set up my own practice.

If you knew then what you know now, what mistakes might you have avoided?
When I first set up Jenny Kerridge Nutrition, I felt that I needed advice and guidance to help get me on track, so I signed up to a paid service that provided coaching as well as tools and resources to market my business. You could argue that I could have invested the money elsewhere.

However, what I learnt from that experience was a) the importance of having a support network, which has the expertise you can draw upon when needed and b) that there is not one way of doing business and it helped me discover my unique approach.

What advice would you have given yourself when starting out?
To listen to my gut and follow my natural instinct.

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If you knew then what you know now, would you still be sitting there?
Absolutely, as I’ve always wanted to help others flourish and fulfill their potential.

What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
That discovering your niche and developing your business takes time. You can’t expect to have all the answers from day one and that shouldn’t stop you from striving forward.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
To become a health coach – this has been invaluable because you can advise people on their diet and lifestyle, but unless you can motivate, support and empower someone to adopt healthier habits and work with them to overcome challenges and barriers then they are less likely to achieve their goals.

What is your business highlight?
I actually think the best is yet to come! But it is a highlight when I see my clients have breakthrough moments.

What is your business low point?
Not being able to get to my goal of reaching more people as quickly as I would like.

What keeps you awake?
Not much actually. I have a good morning and nighttime routine that helps me sleep well. Sometimes I can feel I have got lots to do, so I will keep a notebook by my bedside to write down any thoughts.

What’s changed from when you started out?
The field of nutritional therapy I feel is beginning to be more recognised by mainstream medicine, especially with people like Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Dr Rupy Aujla raising awareness of the importance of food in health. Equally, awareness in integrated approaches to supporting mental health have increased with a growing body of evidence indicating that nutrition may play an important role.

What’s still on your to-do list?
There are two key things. 1) to make nutritional therapy more accessible through group work in the community, allowing people to feel more empowered in regard to their own health. 2) to continue to raise awareness about how nutrition and lifestyle interventions can benefit mental health.

What’s next for you in business and personally?
I am a forever learner and the world of nutritional science is always evolving, so for me personally I will continue to build upon my knowledge in this field.

In business, I plan to launch my four-week wellbeing course for people who want to start making their health a priority and take away a toolkit for their health.

Main photo: Georgia Sharman

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