What an incredible inspiration Nicole Goode is. Nicole is a Functional Medicine Consultant, Nutritional Therapist, the founder of The Goode Health Clinic, The Goode Health Podcast and author of the brilliant best selling book ‘Optimal You’. I loved chatting to Nicole about the single best thing we can do for our health, her favourite ancient healing remedy, 3 simple things we can do right now to prioritise our health and more about the inspiring story behind her brand. Thank you Nicole for shairng your wisdom - keep shining you light in the world.
What are the most common mistakes you see your clients make with their health?
The biggest mistakes I see people make is taking health advice from people who are not qualified. There are so many influencers, celebrities or people in business who are promoting supplements and giving advice on health issues. It’s worrying and in a lot of cases dangerous. I have people start working with me and the first thing we do is get them off things they shouldn’t be taking because of their family history, own health history, medications, or other supplements. I think we assume supplements are safe because they are ‘natural’ unlike medications, but this simply isn’t true, with health conditions there are things we shouldn’t take and supplements interact with each other and with medications. It isn’t just supplements either, our nutrition, exercise, everything should be tailored to our health as an individual.
Secondly and this one always surprises people, but it is actually doing too much. People come to me with bags of supplements and having cut out so many different food groups, a lot of what I do is getting more foods back in the diet not cutting more out. We want as much diversity in the diet as we can to support a diverse microbiome. Sometimes steps also need to be done in a particular order for them to work, for example there is no point just focusing on repopulating the gut if we haven’t removed overgrowths and infections, so actually people can be doing too much in the wrong order and then working on your health feels like a real chore and doesn’t get you the results you want.
What is the single best thing we can all do for our health?
I would say increase diversity in the diet. We should be hitting 50 different plant foods a week which many of us aren’t. Each time you do a food shop pick up two foods you haven’t had before or haven’t eaten for a long time. Every time you shop pick up different varieties of your favourite foods, for example don’t buy the same apples every week, get pink lady, then gala and bramley etc. Also to increase diversity choose heritage varieties of foods such as heritage tomatoes, pick a pack that has yellow, green, orange and red foods in it instead of just red. Increasing diversity is key to optimising health.
What is your favourite snack for a quick energy boost?
A handful of nuts, roasted butterbeans or chickpeas, or some slices of apple dipped in almond butter.
What is something about modern medicine that excites you currently?
I’m excited about the fact that more and more doctors in conventional medicine are seeing the benefits of an integrative approach and using functional medicine alongside conventional medicine. I work with many amazing doctors who are open to providing patients with a holistic approach. I don’t believe it should be either or and it now feels like there is a shift coming. I think with the NHS under so much pressure the preventative approach of functional medicine is also coming to the forefront of medicine in people’s minds, health is becoming more of a priority for people.
What are 3 simple things we can do right now to prioritise our health?
1. Prioritise sleep. Sleep is so important; it is when our body and immune system repairs cells and our body heals from the day’s stressors and damage.
2. Plan self-care into your diary. I like to plan out my week on a Sunday, it helps me to stay on track and put your health and wellness goals into your diary, they should be just as important and non-negotiable as a business meeting.
3. Move every day. This doesn’t mean you have to do big workouts just take simple steps, for example take the stairs instead of the lift, park the car a little further away from the door, when you are on the phone get up from your desk and walk around while you talk. All these small steps add extra movement throughout our day.
What is your favourite ancient healing remedy?
Adaptogens, I love them for our busy lifestyles and helping us to find balance. Although the caveat to this is some people shouldn’t take them, or shouldn’t take them long term, for example some immune disorders mean they are contraindicated so always check with a practitioner. I do a 15 minute supplement review if people want to safety check their supplements.
Do you prefer a morning workout or evening workout?
I prefer a morning workout, or usually lunchtime, not one too late into the evening. Lots of people these days do exercise after work, which I understand as it’s due to our busy lifestyles, but then they come home and try to sleep not long after. Exercise excites our body and isn’t always conducive to getting a good sleep. Try bringing your workout forward if you can and having downtime before you go to bed instead.
Tell us your story and what inspired you to set up your company
My own health journey led me to set up my company Goode Health. I had Epstein Barr Virus when I was 16, it’s the virus behind glandular fever which most of us come into contact with at some point, at the time I was doing exams and had the normal stress that comes with this, unfortunately for me the virus caused a post viral fatigue. I then had years of symptoms that made me unwell, no one could get to the bottom of what was going on. I know now that the EBV had triggered autoimmunity which developed into an autoimmune disease. My diagnosis took 15 years, I was passed around doctors and no one had answers.
I found functional medicine and nutrition and worked on my own health, I was at medical school studying neuroscience at the time, so I always wanted to work in health, but it was my own health journey that led me to functional medicine, I hadn’t heard of it until I was ill myself. The root cause approach to it fascinated me. We say that conventional medicine asks WHAT? and functional medicine asks WHY? As an example conventional medicine would ask what do you have, a headache, so give a painkiller so you don’t feel the pain. Functional medicine asks why do you have the headache, is it a hormone imbalance, is there a nutrient deficiency, we then deal with that so you don't get the headache in the first place. I loved this approach and it helped me to find multiple root causes in my body so that I could balance and heal.
I knew I wanted to help others do the same so I retrained. I went straight into post-grad specialism in energy and immunity. I now work with people who have autoimmune diseases or fatigue conditions. I also wanted to help people jump in earlier and work on a preventative approach so I also work with people who live fast paced lives to optimise their bodies, to deal with stress the biggest root cause in society today and to optimise their health so that they can achieve all their goals without sacrificing their health.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
It has to be publishing my book. In January last year I got my publishing deal and in November my book Optimal You: Supercharge your Energy, Strengthen your Immunity, came out. I’m hugely proud of it, it’s a number 1 bestseller and the feedback has been wonderful. To be able to help more people in this way is hugely rewarding and books have always been a huge part of my life, I love to read it’s my form of relaxation, so being part of the publishing world and a published author is incredible. I have a feeling there will be more books to come!
What do you love most about running your own business?
The freedom it brings, I like that all my days are different and with my own health running my own business means I can go at my pace.
What sets you and your business apart from competitors?
Functional medicine is still relatively new in the UK, all my post grad training has been done in the USA where they are ahead of us, any functional medicine business in the UK right now is pioneering and I’m proud to be part of that movement. I believe we will be a key part of the healthcare system in the years to come.
What is your vision for the future of your company?
2025 will be a year of expanding clinic, as we get busier than ever and people are seeing the benefits to working on their health more and more, I want to bring in more practitioners who work in the same way that I do so that we can help more people and expand into other areas.
I want to continue to grow my podcast, The Goode Health Podcast, it’s been an amazing tool for reaching people and being able to support people in a different way, but I also love the conversations I get to have with people that I otherwise maybe wouldn’t get to connect with. I also want to write more books, it was an experience I thoroughly enjoyed and the response has been overwhelming.
What are the most rewarding aspects of what you do?
The patients without a doubt. One patient couldn’t walk down the stairs when we started working together without going sideways and slow, then after we worked together she sent me a message to say she was on a hiking holiday, she was actually a doctor. This is why I do what I do. I get messages to say they went for the promotion and got it, because they have the energy and the tools to feel well and live the life they want. There is no feeling like knowing you helped and were a part of that.
What do you think it takes to build a successful business and brand?
Commitment. There are a lot of benefits to building your own company which we talk about, but we don’t talk so much about the fact that you end up, especially in the beginning, being everything for the company, you take on all the roles. It takes commitment to get over that stage and get up and running, things get easier as you build and outsource some of the tasks, but you have to have passion and love what you do if you want to make your own business work. That being said I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Who would you love to collaborate with?
Organic farms and those promoting seasonal and farm to table eating, as well as cosmetic brands that are avoiding the use of toxic chemicals.
What is the best piece of career advice you have been given?
Done is better than perfect.
I’m a total perfectionist which can be a great thing as it makes me a hard worker, but it can also hold us back, with the book for example I’m hugely proud of it, could I have spent another year working on it, absolutely, but I probably never would have finished it and it wouldn’t be out there in the world helping people.
What advice would you offer budding entrepreneurs?
Get yourself in a room with people one, two, or ten steps ahead of you. These are the people you want to learn from. The people who put you down, or say you can’t do something, won’t be the people in these rooms, those who are successful will be happy to help lift you up.
What is your life motto?
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.
What book should we all read?
I’d have to say mine! Optimal You: Supercharge your Energy, Strengthen your Immunity is out now and it’s designed to help everyone optimise their health so they can live their best lives. It covers my unique whole body method with the eight pillars of health, my 4 lifestyle S’s and a 14-step anti-inflammatory nutrition blueprint to supercharge your mitochondria and fortify your immune system which you can personalise to suit your needs.
What is your favourite possession and why?
I have little things from all my Grandparents - a photo album of my Grandad’s time in the war, my other Grandad’s domino set, my Nana’s jewellery, a photo my Gran kept of my Grandad by her bed - these are my favourite things, they are irreplaceable. Plus all the old family photos we have, I love going through them.
How do you unwind?
Reading is my form of relaxation, I love a good book and can get lost for hours in a bookshop. Also spending time with my dogs, they make me laugh every day no matter what.
Tell us about your personal style
I’d say it’s classic, I don’t buy in to trends too much, maybe a few pieces, but my wardrobe is blacks, whites, navy, greys and camels. I love a classic white shirt with jeans and a blazer.
Where is your favourite place to travel to?
I grew up part of the time in Mallorca and it’s my second home, I like the quieter Spanish villages and I love Spanish food. I’m part French and I adore France, I’d love to do a longer driving holiday around the country and I love Rome, Florence and Tuscany.
What are your favourite Instagram accounts?
I’m currently obsessed with following an interior designer called Sue Bond (@suebondinteriors) who is renovating her home, I love her style and what she is doing to the property, she has such a flare. Of course I follow lots of health accounts, but I love following homes and gardens, David (@Coln_Valley_Gardener) is a favourite for gardens. I also love food accounts Diane Bibby (@bibbyskitchen) is one of my favourites, I love her cookbooks.
What are the beauty and wellness essentials you can’t live without?
I love my sensate, it’s a neuromodulation tool, it uses vibrations and sound to calm the nervous system and importantly help build resilience. Just ten minutes a day helps to build this resilience. I love mine so much I’ve partnered with them.
I also love Bamford skincare, I use lots of their products especially for my face but if you are starting out with them the cleansing balm is a non-negotiable. New in my skincare regime is the Olverum Body Polish and Dry Body Oil, it leaves your skin so smooth and hydrated. I’ve also recently started working with an Italian skincare brand called AWvi, I love them as their focus is to work on your skin from the inside as well as the outside.
I’m also an advocate for good quality supplements, there is a lot of rubbish out there that uses forms that are not absorbed by the body, or has lots of fillers in, or are dosages that quite frankly aren’t going to do much at all. I’ve partnered with W-Wellness to create my supplement edits.
What does living well mean to you?
I talk about this in my book, I’d have to say finding your purpose. I don’t believe there is one right way to live your life, I think it’s about finding something that lights you up and building your life in a way that aligns with you. All to often we spend too much time doing what we think we should do instead of what we want to do. It’s never too late to find your path, or to include little things in your life that give you a sense of belonging and purpose.
What does wellness mean to you?
One thing I want people to realise is that health is more than just the absence of disease. We tend to assume if we don’t have an illness, we are healthy, but this isn’t true. True health is being in an optimal state and investing in ourselves and our health will benefit all areas of our life. If we have optimal energy, we can do everything we want to do and achieve all we want to achieve. Without our health, the work, the career, the holidays, the time with family and friends, it all suffers. Investing in your health is investing in your business and your life, I think a lot of entrepreneurs forget this.
Photographic copyright Goode Health
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