From London Kitchens to Wellness Retreats: My Journey to a Healthier Life and Career

From London Kitchens to Wellness Retreats: My Journey to a Healthier Life and Career
I’ve been living in London for years, though I had a stint of traveling and living abroad that really shaped my perspective. For the past five years, I’ve been back in the City, and for almost three of those, working as a Sous Chef for a catering company based at one of the historic livery halls near St. Paul’s Cathedral. It’s a Monday-to-Friday kind of operation, offering what I’d call entry-level fine dining.
Most of our dishes are rich and indulgent—heavy on cream and butter, very French in style. Despite cooking with dairy and meat at work, I don’t include them in my personal diet. I have a dairy intolerance and have followed a pescetarian diet for over 12 years. That said, I always taste everything I make because I believe you shouldn’t serve a dish you haven’t personally tested.
About eight years ago, I completed the Looking After Your Health course at the International Macrobiotic School. At the time, it planted a small seed of curiosity, but life carried on, and I tucked that experience away.
Then one day in Spring 2024, I was chatting with a retired chef who occasionally picks up shifts with us. He asked me, “If you could do anything in catering, anything at all, what would you do?” Without hesitation, I said, “I’d like to work in a more health-oriented area.”
That moment stuck with me. Then out of the blue, an email landed in my inbox about another course, Holistic Nutrition & Cooking Year at the International Macrobiotic School. It reignited something in me.
It started to feel like there had to be a better way to use my skills. Something that truly aligned with my personal values, health needs, and lifestyle choices.
One of the most significant influences during this period was my mum’s declining health. It felt like a flashing warning light. I began to think—that could be me one day.
Shortly after turning 50, I committed to learning everything I could about food and ingredients—how to combine them in ways that supported my physical and mental well-being. That turning point was intensified by the end of an 11-and-a-half-year relationship. It was a deeply emotional and painful time, but ultimately a necessary step. I was being hurt, and I knew I had to step away, to protect myself and begin healing.
The course came into my life at just the right moment. I didn't realise at the time that the course would help me work through the areas I was stuck on regarding my career and then onto a potential career shift, but also how, with some of the course content I would be able to visit and explore deep personal development in a safe, supportive environment. There’s a strong emotional component to the training, and it’s helped me examine myself more honestly. Best of all? If I go on to do Year Two, I could become a certified Holistic Nutritional Therapist.
That path excites me.
Caring for people has always been a big part of who I am. But I’ve come to realise that pouring all of that into personal relationships wasn’t healthy or sustainable. I’ve since discovered that supporting others through a professional lens, especially in health and wellness, is a far more balanced and fulfilling way to express that side of myself.
So, I took the leap. I’ve stepped back from my role in the City, and already, an amazing opportunity has come my way—through my roommate I met whilst on the residential part of the Holistic Cooking & Nutrition Year course. She works at a retreat near Valencia, Spain, and we’d talked about the possibility of me joining her there to work. Well… It’s actually happening. I’ve booked my flight!
I’ll be helping set up the kitchen, creating systems to cost the food element of each retreat, and working as a Chef. It’s a completely new chapter—and honestly, who knows what could come from it?
Long-term, I’d love to keep working abroad. London came into my life more by chance than by choice.
Recently, a friend suggested I consider starting a business that connects yoga teachers with retreat venues—something that blends my experience and passions: years of organisational know-how, a deep love of food, and a growing commitment to wellness.
Reflecting back, I know I would have eventually found a new direction. But the Looking After Your Health and the Holistic Cooking & Nutrition Year course were the pivotal springboards.
Without the foundation year course I wouldn’t have met my roommate and the other hugely supportive and amazing women on the course, wouldn’t be going to Spain, wouldn’t be making these healthier choices for myself. I’ve made lifelong friends and I know I’ll still be in touch with some from the course for decades to come. We even call between modules to check in and support each other. That kind of community is rare and incredibly valuable.
I couldn’t be more grateful to the International Macrobiotic School. The sense of well-being it’s brought into my life—both personally and professionally—is something I’ll carry with me always.
If you’re even slightly curious about what the school offers, I’d say: don’t wait. Explore the courses. It’s the best thing I’ve done for myself in many years.
- Clare Shaddick
Interviewer, Writer and Photographer
Amy Fox on behalf of the International Macrobiotic School
Posted by Claire on May 23rd 2025