Mays Al-Ali – Nutritional Therapist

Tell us about yourself, at the personal level?

My name is Mays and I live between London, Mallorca & Ibiza. I love the sunshine, oceans and nature and tend to spend more of my time during winter chasing the sun in Spain. I come from a very successful corporate career in advertising producing high end TV commercials for nearly 20 years. 

I first trained as a yoga, meditation & breathwork teacher alongside a reiki master and immediately became hooked on holistic healing, which has become my passion for the last 10 years. 

In my spare time I love dancing, hiking, swimming in the sea as well as training using body weight calisthenics techniques, strength training and of course yoga. I believe movement and working on the mind are key elements to life, health and nutrition to focus on.

I always dreamt of living in Ibiza where I have been hosting retreats for the last 4 years. During the pandemic I came to Ibiza to host one of my retreats and 2 years later I was still there! In the last few months I started to spend more time in Mallorca where I now have a base and spend my time between London and the Balearics enjoying the sunshine, ocean and nature. It is wonderful to be able to follow and realise your dreams, I highly recommend it!

What led you to the naturopathic health industry?

During my yoga training, the food we ate was raw vegan – after spending a month eating this way, I realised how amazing I felt, I had had years of gut and skin issues which cleared up and my energy soared. After the training I transitioned to becoming vegan and raw vegan and started to take a keen interest in nutrition myself, attending small courses and doing lots of self-study – however as we all know it’s very easy to get lost down the Google rabbit hole. It’s not until you study and get recognised qualifications that you really understand nutrition. As soon as I enrolled in college I realised this was the career path that would allow me to leave the advertising world behind and be in service doing what I love, following my passions and helping people heal.

Today, what does your practice entail?

Working one to one with clients, setting health goals and supporting them throughout the process. I offer 3-month packages as I feel the accountability and support of working together long term helps clients achieve and maintain their goals alongside lasting healthy lifestyle changes. 

The initial consultation is approx. 75-90 minutes, during this time I gather a full health and life case history including digestion, sleep routine, stress levels, mental wellbeing and assessment of any signs or symptoms of dysfunction. I work with many different health conditions with a speciality in gut health, hormonal & histamine imbalances, weight loss & disordered eating, liver cleansing & stress, anxiety, insomnia mental health issues.

What inspires you?

So many things! My amazing clients who transform their lives through my coaching, inspires me every day and makes my job so worthwhile. I love healthy eating and cooking and recipe development. I also host transformational wellness nutrition and yoga retreats in Ibiza and those are a joy to witness; seeing guests blossom during the week as they learn new skills, relax and heal their mind, bodies and souls. I also love using fasting as a deeply healing tool for the mind and body and have been sharing my knowledge with online group cleanses for the last year with incredible. 

Movement is another huge inspiration for me, I love practicing handstands and being upside down. I find this so healing for the lymphatic & circulatory system and feel amazing afterwards, I combine this with an Ashtanga yoga practice and strength training since looking after the body is just as important as looking after your nutrition. 

I have also attended several Joe Dispenza retreats and really believe in the power of energy, vibrations, and manifesting your dream life – I meditate for at least an hour a day to create my dream life and utilize Dr Joe’s work with my clients too.

Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 or 10 years?

I am working towards having my own clinic with a team of nutritionists supporting me. I also have an idea for a book that I am keen to manifest. I would love to have a TV show promoting the Healthy Mays way of life and would love to complete my PHD next! So many plans and dreams, its super exciting!

How did you find your “niche?”

Well, it all stemmed from issues I had when I was burnt-out in corporate advertising with chronic stress, insomnia, anxiety, adrenal fatigue, hormone imbalances and some serious gut and skin issues. After healing these issues in myself I am now an expert in helping clients with the same issues. 

My ideal client is me about a decade and a half ago! Lots of stress and health concerns without the knowledge or support on how to address these concerns.

Are you speaking and presenting?  If so, on what topics?

I have done a lot of public speaking, workshops, podcasts, radio interviews. I have hosted talks on gut health, corporate stress, energy balance, liver cleansing, fermentation and can pretty much talk about any topic. One of my most well received podcasts was for CNM on reducing cravings and I’m about to record another one on liver cleansing. I’ve also worked for Tower Hamlets hosting 12-week anti-obesity targeted weight support webinar campaigns funded by the Change for Good charity – which were so wonderful to run and help individuals without the budget to spend on 1-1 nutrition – I love giving back and helping individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Have you written any books or material that you want to share? 

I have written a lot of blog posts and press articles and have been interviewed by the Guardian and NY Times about my story of following my dreams and leaving the ratrace https://www.healthymays.com/press

List credentials and the accompanying school:

CNM Naturopathic Nutrition Diploma

UCL Masters in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition

NCFED – Eating Disorder Diploma

Cancer Training Diploma with Nina Fuller Shaver– to be completed June 2023

What is one piece of advice you would have for someone who is new to the natural health industry? 

Always have your goal and vision in sight – tune into your soul and what it is that you want to manifest. Start saving as soon as you start studying – before leaving your full-time job make sure you have savings in the bank. Whilst studying, start working on your website and social media profile so you can hit the ground running on graduation. Invest in business coaching to help get you started. Don’t give up and know you have an amazing offer and can make a difference.

Can you tell us about how your ANP membership has benefited you?

I love the support of the ANP, great articles, webinars and events. I love CPD and continuously learning and expanding my knowledge and the ANP is a wonderful support for that.

Business Name: HEALTHY MAYS

Website/Blog: www.healthymays.com