Hotshot Herbal Advisors

Sophia Forrester

Job Title: Herbal Advisor (Qualified Medical Herbalist)

Tell us about your role at Twinings and what you do.
My role at Twinings is largely focused on herbal education, supporting our teams across the world with innovation. Here I offer my expertise in herbalism and health & wellbeing to educate and inspire others - and as a result help create products that are functional & meet the health needs of the people who love to drink our products.

Tell us a typical day in the life of your role.
There is no typical day for me but regular duties involve herbal education within our different teams, herbal tea tastings and exploring health and wellness trends.

What do you love about your job?
I love that no day is the same. I feel that my role is very dynamic and love that it is influenced and inspired by ever-changing trends.

What made you choose your career?
Being able to take a subject that I am extremely passionate about and share it with people who are also interested is one of the reasons why I choose to work at Twinings.

Tell us about your Medicinal Herbalism background.
My journey into herbalism begun whilst I was studying medicine at Liverpool University. I had always been interested in the human body and had a natural passion to help people get better. During this time, I started to learn about the wonderful benefits of plant medicine, something I had never really come across before. After long and hard consideration, I decided to leave medical school and embark on the journey of herbal and holistic medicine. I studied Western Herbal Medicine at Middlesex University for 3 years and graduated in the summer of 2015. I started working shortly after with my first ever practice being at Neal’s Yard Remedies. Since graduating I have taken a keen interest in a particular form of holistic medicine called Endobiogenic medicine. I find it fascinating as it helps me to better understand my client’s health needs and treat them more effectively. I continue to learn more about this in ongoing study. Whilst working in several health stores, I started to realise that my other passion was teaching – teaching people how to use the plants that grow around us in really easy and simple ways. This inspired me to start holding practical workshops, both in person and virtual with members of the community. In my spare time, when I’m not seeing clients, I like to blog, make YouTube videos and speak about herbs at various events.

What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
Sharing my knowledge with others.

Name three words that best describe you.
Friendly, enthusiastic, passionate.

How do you think your colleagues would describe you?
Friendly, smiley, of little words.

What’s your favourite country you’ve visited?
Netherlands.

What’s your favourite tea?
At the moment, I'm loving the Superblend Digest. The fresh smell of spearmint is amazing!

What’s your favourite herb?
That's a difficult question, but if I had to choose a herb that I currently cannot go without, it would have to be Lemon balm. It helps to keep me calm, especially when I’m feeling really stressed out.