Alex Howard Group

Our Team

Sarah Blondell

BSc (Hons) Biology & Psychology, MSc Clinical Pharmacology Dip.Clin.Hyp.NLP.Coach

Sarah is a Therapeutic Coach with a background in pharmaceutical development. She is passionate about helping clients understand the deeper emotional drivers behind their physical symptoms, and supporting them to achieve lasting and meaningful improvements in health.

Her journey into this work began in August 2018, on a beach in the Outer Hebrides. Just two weeks after completing a swim across the Arctic Circle, Sarah was suddenly struck by severe back pain, muscle spasms, and an inability to walk. Hospitalised and reliant on powerful medications—with no clear answers—she found herself asking: How did this happen?

With conventional medical approaches offering limited symptom relief, Sarah revisited her long-standing interest in the mind–body connection. It was this interest that had first motivated her earlier studies in Biology and Psychology. What followed was a profound personal exploration that led her to Therapeutic Coaching.

Through this work, she uncovered the significant role that stress, trauma, and emotional patterns had played in her health. She recognised how years of pushing through chronic pain had led to a disconnection from her body’s signals. Drawing on both her lived experience and her professional background in pharmaceuticals, she came to see that a purely medical approach can sometimes overlook the deeper drivers of illness.

By developing a more compassionate and connected relationship with herself, Sarah was able to transform her health and wellbeing.

Today, she supports clients in reconnecting with their bodies, understanding the emotional roots of their symptoms, and moving beyond patterns that no longer serve them. Her approach is grounded, integrative, and deeply empathetic—empowering clients to access their inner wisdom and create lasting change in their lives.

Our Team

Bebe Kohlap
Systems Manager

Bebe entered into nutrition quite unexpectedly when she went to an open day at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, just to...

Charlotte Thomson

Charlotte initially trained as a musician and worked as a performer and teacher for several years before embarking on...

Claire Sehinson
Head of Research and Protocol Development

Claire is an educator, researcher and functional medicine trained nutritional therapist. Claire has over a decade of...

Coriander Stone
New Client Co-ordinator

Coriander is a nutritionist specialising in complex health conditions with over 12 years of experience...

Denise Stillie

Originally from Scotland, Denise worked as a music journalist before becoming a web developer for The Guardian newspaper...

Dr Alex Howard
Founder and Executive Chairman

Dr Alex Howard is Founder & Executive Chairman of The Optimum Health Clinic after his own struggle with ME/CFS...

Next Up:

Our Psychology Department

Continue Reading