Nicola Shubrook
Founder & Clinic Lead | BANT Registered Nutritional Therapist | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Eating Disorder Nutritionist
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I’m Nicola, founder and Clinic Lead at Urban Wellness.
I’ve been working in nutrition for more than 16 years, but my interest in the connection between our physical and mental health started long before I became a practitioner.
I grew up around mental ill health and saw first-hand the impact it could have on someone and the people around them. Then, in my twenties, I began experiencing panic attacks myself and was diagnosed with mild PTSD.
When my GP offered me antidepressants, I knew they weren't the right choice for me at that time. I wanted to understand why I felt the way I did and what else might be contributing to it.
That question ultimately changed the direction of my life.
Choosing who to work with can feel like a big decision, particularly when you've been struggling with your health for a while or aren't quite sure what kind of support you need.
In this short video, I share a little more about me, how I work and what you can expect from working together.
If you'd prefer to have a conversation before deciding, you can also a 30-minute Clarity Call. It's an opportunity to tell me a little about what's been going on, ask any questions you have and find out whether my approach feels right for you.
A little more about me
Clarity Calls are 30-minute introductory conversations designed to help you decide whether working with us feels right for you. A fee is payable at the time of booking. We’re unable to provide personalised recommendations, review test results or recommend supplements during these calls.
My areas of expertise
My clinical work has a particular focus on mood and mental health in midlife women, including anxiety, low mood, changing hormones, sleep and the wider health issues that can influence how you feel.
I also have specialist experience in:
Antidepressant Support
Supporting people who want to better understand their health while taking antidepressants, as well as those considering reducing or coming off medication alongside their prescriber.
Chronic & Complex Health
Supporting people where several health concerns overlap, including complex digestive or nutritional issues, low body weight for medical reasons, and chronic health problems alongside a current or previous eating disorder.
ARFID & restrictive eating
Working with teenagers and adults with ARFID and restrictive eating, particularly where food fears, digestive symptoms, low appetite or other health concerns are making adequate nutrition difficult.
Functional testing
Using functional and genetic testing where it can genuinely add useful information to someone's wider health picture, and translating the results into something that actually makes sense.
For me, there wasn't one simple explanation for my anxiety. My emotional history mattered, but so did stress, nutrition, hormones and my individual biology.
Understanding how those different pieces fitted together helped me understand my own health in a completely different way. It also sparked a fascination with the relationship between nutrition, the body and the brain that eventually led me to retrain in nutrition and functional medicine.
It's an approach that still shapes the way I work today.
When someone comes to see me, I'm interested in the whole person sitting in front of me, not simply the symptom or diagnosis that brought them through the door.
I want to know what's changed, what else is happening with their health, what they've already tried and what might have been overlooked.
And then I want to help you understand how the different parts of your health may be connected, making something that can feel complicated much easier to understand.
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Looking at the whole picture
Beyond the clinic
Alongside my clinical work, I'm a health journalist and speaker, sharing my experience and the science behind nutrition, mood and mental health with a wider audience.
I've spent many years translating health and nutrition research into information people can actually understand, something that has inevitably shaped the way I work with clients too.
I also speak to organisations and audiences about nutrition, mental health and women's health.
Work with me
If something you've read here feels familiar, there are two ways to get started.
If you'd like to talk things through first, you can book a 30-minute paid Clarity Call. It's an opportunity to tell me a little about what's been going on, ask questions and find out whether working together feels right for you.
If you already know you'd like to work with me, you can skip the Clarity Call and book your first session directly.