meet alana willis
Clinical Nutritionist
Tell us about you – who is your family, where do you live?
I am a mother of 2 girls, 2 year old Georgie and 10 month old Matilda and married to my Northern Irish husband Richie. We live in Brisbane along with our gorgeous dog, Stevie.
What got you into your current profession of being a Clinical Nutritionist?
Basically, my love of food and eating, health and exercise got me into studying nutrition. But I quickly learnt that nutrition is so much more than just food. Studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Nutrition) at Endeavour College quickly opened my eyes to the impact that food has on our whole wellbeing including physical and emotional aspects.
Why are you passionate about working with mothers and children?
I want to be part of a support network for mothers trying to navigate the complex journey of motherhood. As a mother myself to two young girls, I have experienced some of the highs and lows of matrescence first-hand. For me, I felt a massive paradigm shift when Georgie was born – I felt the heavy weight of responsibility on my shoulders and the shift of priorities which was life-changing, and to be honest it was a hard road for me to navigate. I had a great support network around me but moving through the motions of motherhood, I often felt isolated, exhausted and confused about which approach is best for my baby.
Having two pregnancies in quick succession (16 months between my two girls) was hard on me mentally and physically, and gave me first-hand experience in how important the postpartum period is for nurturing and nourishing the mother. I found myself often undervaluing the toll that pregnancy and motherhood had on me, and only looking back in hindsight realising the depression and anxiety I was experiencing during this time.
Educating people on what to eat for health and vitality is the core of what I love to do. Food is absolutely foundational for growth and development, which is what the fertility-pregnancy-postpartum and childhood phase of life is all about. Helping women set themselves up for enjoyable pregnancies and to feel empowered in choosing what to eat and feed their families is my ultimate goal.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love sunshine and the beach, hot yoga, walking and listening to a good podcast. When I’m not working, you’ll find me with my family in the backyard on the swings probably listening to the Frozen soundtrack!
What is your one piece of advice for first time mothers?
Find your tribe of people who understand and respect your perspectives, and be open with them! If you find yourself feeling isolated, reach out to people around you in similar life stages. I found this to be an absolute necessity during my early motherhood stage, and cannot thank those special people in my life enough who have been, and continue to be there for me.
And if you’re feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, make yourself a decent meal to eat and get yourself and the kids outside on the grass for 5 minutes – I promise it will always help.
