Sophie Pelham Burn

The last year has been fantastic working with Sophie. Sophie is based in France and works with some high level winter sport athletes. Sports that I have never worked in and so have had to learn about the sports from Sophie too! Each week the project moves from strength to strength which is credit to Sophies determination to succeed! Sophie provides a few words below regarding the mentorship programme...

I gained a Masters of Medical Science in nutrition a few years ago, and until fairly recently I mostly worked with age-group athletes in endurance sports. About a year ago, I was lucky enough to start working with elite athletes preparing for the winter Olympics, and it was that change which led me to look for a mentor. After speaking to several potential mentors, I decided to join James’ programme and I’m so glad I did.

James’ expertise at an elite level, across many different sports, has been absolutely invaluable. As well as helping with the nutrition strategy itself, every idea and suggestion is underpinned by his understanding of how that can realistically be applied in the field and on competition days, as well as the mentality of the coaches and athletes. It is that ability to not just translate the latest research into applied practise, but fully integrate the two, that makes
his advice so valuable.

Since working with James, I have much more confidence in my own ability. I also have the reassurance that if I don’t know something, or am struggling to find an answer to a problem, James is only a phone call away. Having that support has demonstrably increased my confidence when talking to athletes, coaches and other stakeholders at all levels, which has undoubtedly made me a more effective practitioner.

In the few months that I have been working with James, I (we) have achieved amazing results with athletes that I previously would not have had the confidence to work with, and as a direct result of James’ input, I gained an offer to work even more closely with national level teams on an ongoing basis. We have also set long-term goals and having those to work towards, as well as knowing that
we always have another call scheduled, has really helped me maintain focus, motivation and productivity - no mean feat when self-employed and working from home in the middle of a pandemic!

To put it simply, joining James’ mentorship programme is the best business investment I have made since graduating as a nutritionist.