Hello, please tell us your name and where you reside?
I’m Lola and a north London native, happily living in Kentish Town
Describe yourself in five words?
Mother, child, wife, sibling, friend
Tell us more about what you do and how you got where you are today?
I am a nutritionist specialising in female health and an advocate for inclusive wellness. I read Health Sciences/ Nutritional Therapy at Westminster University and did further study with the Institute of Functional Medicine but I’ve always been drawn to naturopathic medicine.
After I graduated, I eased my way into private practice quite slowly as I wanted to discover which area I was really passionate about, where I could do a good job and what was needed in my space. Alongside my discovery time, I did other nutrition-related jobs, also within the NHS while I researched my specialisation of female health, set up in clinical practice and developed my brand. We started the Moody Month journey 4 years ago, first building the web platform, gathering our team, and securing investment, then we built the app.
Which three words best define your philosophy? (the way in which you like to live life)?
Love, compassion, purpose
What inspires your work?
As a kid, I dreamt about being a midwife or medic, so I guess healthcare and healing was always something that interested me. But my mum’s healing journey from breast cancer happened when I was a teenager, and it was a pretty defining time for me. My mum is from Ghana and has a pretty natural approach to food which became more important when she was ill, so her approaches influenced the way I thought about health and the importance of nutrition in wellness.
What does the word ‘Community’ mean to you?
No (wo)-man is an island as they say – you just can’t thrive alone. Community is essential to our well-being and studies done in the health hot spots in the world, where people live healthily into very old age, all share this important framework of community. Being needed by others, being cared for by others is a contributing factor to mental and spiritual well being – it’s how mother-nature designed things.
Inspire our community, please share an affirmation, quote, poem, song, or playlist?
My daughter Coco reminded me about this gem from Mohammed Ali.
‘I thought I was the greatest, even before I knew it’ – Mohammed Ali
Our worth is not based upon our achievements and with so many of us experiencing self-doubt and self-criticism at one time or other, it is important to remind yourself of how fabulous you are already.
How does your community best support you?
My community is my husband, sisters, family, friends, and my amazing work colleagues. But my community also extends to my neighbours; lovely friendly faces in the coffee shops on my high street, my book club, and the support that I got from my brilliant member’s club, The Conduit (unfortunately the club closed its doors last year). And I can’t forget my women in the wellness work circle which is made up of special purposeful women.
What truly lights you up?
Good music always! Being in love in all sorts of ways, social justice being served, swimming in a clear sea, under a warming sun
“…Our worth is not based upon our achievements and with so many of us experiencing self-doubt and self-criticism at one time or other, it is important to remind yourself of how fabulous you are already.”
What will you never take for granted?
Impermanence
How do you recharge/relax/unwind?
Sleep, cuddles, yoga, meditation, reading, music with tequila, ice +fresh lime
Please offer us one tip, tool or technique that may support our wellbeing?
Always keep stress reduction as a focus. There is no body system that is not affected by stress, and planning to do less in a day can have an impact on health and longevity.
What’s next for you?
The lockdown year has been a busy time for my digital clinic and it has been great being so accessible to people all over the world, and I’m really passionate about working with my patients. At Moody, we are continuing to build out our subscription wellness content tailored to your cycle and have some exciting new products in the mix and I am also working on several other wellness-related projects.
Lola runs an online clinic specialising in female health and you can get personalised wellness tailored to your cycle by downloading the free Moody Month app. Moody app.
www.lolaross.com
@_lolaross
@moodymonth
Cacao image: Lola Ross
We ask our interview guests to share a charity of their choice for us to learn about, support and donate. Please take time to look them up, share their information and make a donation if you feel called to. Lola has chosen, Charity Water