Wonderful Women Interview with Fertility Expert Zita West

Zita West is the founder of the Zita West fertility clinic which offers a unique holistic approach to natural fertility and IVF. Her new book The IVF Diet is packed full of recipes to prepare for conception and IVF. Zita has two grown up children and lives in London with her husband Rob. It’s a pleasure to share this wonderful women interview with you. Zita West is such an inspiration.

Over to Zita West…
1. Describe a typical day for you. Most days are spent in my clinic in Marylebone. I walk everywhere in London so I walk from my flat in Oxford Circus which takes 20 minutes.

When I arrive, I say hello to everyone and have breakfast. I really enjoy my clinical days helping women to get pregnant naturally or through IVF – what I see time and time again is that so many have lost their way and have no plan and women need a plan! I also do acupuncture so seeing clients for 2 days is really rewarding. I also have a product range which takes a lot of time.

2. What’s in your handbag?

Is like a pit I can never find anything in it. The essentials are my glasses, sunglasses, mobile and keys. I recently have put together my technology pouch which is inside my bag and that contains my phone charger plus extension lead, my new small light for my phone (I’m trying to do more videos) and pen.

I had to put it all together in a pound as I got so fed up with myself for never having a charger and my phone going flat. Now I feel more organised.

3. What would you say are your biggest achievements?

My marriage lasting 37 years! My 2 children and a brand new grandchild. And also building the business and the success of the Zita West clinic – although that is a lot to do with the great team I have around me.

Being in business isn’t easy there are so many ups and downs the bigger you grow the harder it is. I now have a staff of 30 and I always say to other younger entrepreneurs that running a business is not easy.

4. What advice do you which you’d known before you had kids?

I had my children very young and at a time when we had little money – and a lot of worry and stress. I worked as a community midwife so I was really busy just being on call and I always used to think to myself if I had have had a third baby, I would have done it ‘properly’ – although what I mean by that I don’t really know and in reality if I’d had a third baby I’d have been just as busy! We women put ourselves under so much pressure.

I now have a 2 week old grandchild and it’s given me huge fulfilment to be with my daughter in labour and help her breastfeed. She’s ambitious just like me and so many women today – we all just try to juggle it all.

5. What are your ambitions?
I’ve achieved a lot but am actually less ambitious than I used to be. What I’m enjoying the most right now is bringing on the digital side of the clinic.

We have huge success with the women we see in London in person and I’ve been asking how can we reach more and help more women. We have just started running a webinar called “Secrets of IVF Success” and it’s totally oversubscribed every time we run it with people from all over the world.

6. What do you wish you’d known at the start of your career that you know now?

Be careful what you ask for! I love what I do and wanted a successful clinic and have a great team around me at Zita West but life was certainly easier when I was a sole practitioner. There was much less paperwork!

7. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I hope I’m still doing the same seeing clients and also doing more work to help women who can’t afford fertility treatments. I’d like to do this through online courses and online events.

I have never been driven by money, and the hardest thing about the fertility industry is seeing women who are very emotional and in distress. Obviously we’d like to help everyone. There are many times I haven’t charged for appointments but please don’t tell my business partner that! I’m hoping as time goes on to be able to help more women.
8. What does happiness mean to you?
Keeping it simple, enjoying the moment with family friends. And the moment women come back into the clinic when they’ve had a baby. They look like different people. It’s as though as weight has been lifted.

The Zita West clinic blends holistic therapies such as acupuncture, nutrition and hypnotherapy with the latest in IVF technology and works with both women trying to conceive naturally and those going through IVF. Zita has her own range of pregnancy and post pregnancy supplements at Zita West.
Zita’s next webinar ‘Secrets of IVF Success’ takes place on March 6th. Sign up HERE.

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