Women at FITISM: Fuel, Strength, and Confidence

March is not only home to International Women’s Day but also National Nutrition Month—a perfect time to celebrate the power of food, fitness, and confidence in women’s lives. To mark the occasion, we sat down for a Q&A with Hannah, our Nutritionist and Coach, to talk all things nutrition, strength, and self-worth—especially for women navigating the often conflicting messages around health. 

From finding her own path in the industry to helping others build a balanced, sustainable approach to nutrition, Hannah shares her journey, insights, and advice on fuelling your body, embracing fitness, and feeling empowered every step of the way.
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Have you always known you’d have a career in health/fitness?‍

"Absolutely not, fitness as a career wasn’t even sightly on my radar. I was the overweight kid who was picked on for going red! I skipped PE and would never have been brave enough to try team sports. I started getting into the gym a bit in sixth form when it was all a bit more chilled and I could go on my own or with a group of friends, I got into running when I was 17 and have kept that (mostly) since.

Two things I have always loved though is science & food—so nutrition was a logical choice when it came to choosing degrees." 

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How do you help women feel confident with their diet and health? 

"I’m a big believer in promoting non-restrictive approaches to nutrition. Yes, the strict rules and hard core inflexible approaches might get you a “result” quicker but its unlikely you’ll stay there for long. The big losses generally come from confidence, sanity and energy rather than weight too. 

Food should be enjoyed and your relationship with your body and your food can’t be neglected either, if your nutrition is making you feel pants about yourself then you’re following the wrong plan. Women deserve to feel strong, empowered, and in control of their health—without the guilt."

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What’s the hardest part of being a women in the context of fitness & nutrition?

"For women, it's the constant feeling that our self-worth is and should be defined by our body shape and size. Women are bombarded with the constant exhausting narrative that we should be smaller but also have to be strong—but don’t be too strong because you might get bulky—and you have to be slim enough to have abs but have enough body fat to have a bum and boobs! 

Anyway, rant over and I will caveat that this is not just a female problem, but, mainstream media have always made it slightly more common for women to feel this way. Unpacking this and picking a way to make more positive changes can be tricky—but it’s always doable." 

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What made you want to expand into fitness alongside nutrition?

"Starting my PT course felt like a natural progression when working in this industry. I’ve always had a bit of imposter syndrome which put me off getting involved in the fitness side, but that’s a bit daft! What’s great about the job is seeing people’s confidence and fitness grow as they get into the groove of their training."

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