Knowledge is power

A coeliac diagnosis at 18 knocked her sideways but gave ION graduate Rosalie Collins the clarity to change careers, educate others, and find her voice, she tells Natalie Li. 

Five years ago, Rosalie Collins was quietly moving from one admin job to the next, unclear what her career would be. “While everyone was heading off to university, I was around not really knowing what I wanted to do.” The idea of public speaking? “Terrifying,” she laughs. The idea of standing in front of teenagers and telling them to rethink their diets, challenge TikTok advice, and eat the rainbow? Not even on her radar. 

But life, her autoimmune disease diagnosis, had other plans. 

Rosalie, now 29, a registered nutritional therapist based in Glasgow, has a suitcase perpetually half-packed. She’s been touring schools across England and Scotland delivering workshops to six-year-olds and CEOs on gut health, sports nutrition, and ultra-processed foods. Further workshops are planned in Hungary and Lithuania. 

None of it would have happened if not for a diagnosis that hit her at 18: coeliac disease. “I spent most of my early 20s feeling pretty awful,” she says. Fatigue, constant gut issues, that gnawing sense something wasn’t quite right. “I just wasn’t feeling like myself. And the gluten-free diet helped… but it wasn’t the whole answer.” 

Searching for answers

Where others might have stopped at “doctor’s orders,” Rosalie kept digging. “I realised nutrition went way beyond cutting out gluten. It was transformational.” Then came the question: what if this could be a career? 

That’s when her mum stepped in. A devoted follower of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), her mother nudged her toward courses in the field. Rosalie did her research. “It ticked all the boxes,” she says. A science-based degree, real clinic hours and a deep-dive into evidence-backed nutrition. “It’s not woo-woo stuff as people might think,” she adds firmly. “This was the real deal.” 

The clinic sessions were amazing. We were rooting for each other, cheering each other on.

She started the course while working four days a week at a pyjama company. Then came the pandemic, and with it, a rare silver lining. “COVID actually gave me a bit of breathing space,” she admits. Less workload, more time to study. Not that the course was easy. “It was definitely harder than I expected.” Evenings, weekends, one full day a week devoted to lectures and deadlines and imposter syndrome lurking just out of frame. 

What got her through? The people. “The clinic sessions were amazing. We were rooting for each other, cheering each other on. We still talk, still have Whatsapp groups going.”  

And yes, her own health radically improved. “I stopped relying on gluten-free processed food and started focusing on whole foods, gut repair, that kind of thing.”

These days, a stray breadcrumb doesn’t knock her sideways the way it used to; she has found recovery is a lot quicker.

Finding her voice

Now, she works for a Thomas Franks, a family-owned catering company, leading workshops at independent schools and workplaces, designing school menus, and giving talks on everything from hormones and menopause to nutrition on a budget. “I never in a million years thought I’d be doing public speaking,” she says. “But here I am, in classrooms full of six-year-olds talking about broccoli.” 

Teenagers are tougher. “A bit harder to read,” she admits. “But they’ll surprise you as they ask questions and start discussions. Sometimes it’s about what they’ve seen on social media, like some high-protein trend or the carnivore diet.” That’s when Rosalie leans in. “I’m not there to tell them they’re wrong. I’m there to help them think. To give them tools to question what they’re seeing.” 

As for why she chose nutritional therapy over other routes? “Dietitians, nutritionists are amazing, especially at diagnosis,” she says. But for Rosalie, nutritional therapy offered the individualised care she needed beyond the gluten-free basics. “We’re all different and we recover in different ways. I needed that tailored approach, and now I can give it to others.” 

Her own ambitions? Big, but grounded. “I’d love to start my own clinic, specialising in gut health, coeliac disease, IBS… the stuff I know first-hand.” She’s slowly building toward it, while staying sharp through webinars, conferences, and the kind of social media feeds that cite their sources. 

No regrets

Her advice to future nutritional therapists is simple: get organised. Laughing, she adds, “I wasn’t. But I had to learn quickly.” More seriously: “If it’s something you’re passionate about, something you can see yourself still loving after ten years, just go for it. Take the leap.” 

It’s a leap that’s changed everything. Not just her job, but her confidence, her voice, her belief in herself. “Five years ago, I was shy, closed off and unsure. Now? I’ve moved cities. I stand up and speak to rooms full of people. I’ve grown so much, personally and professionally.” She beams. “This course really did change my life.” 

Check out Rosalie’s website and follow her on Instagram.

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