Lauren Harber’s life took a drastic turn when she was just 23, three years into her fast-paced marketing career. Despite being an ambitious go-getter, she found herself increasingly fatigued, to the point where even commuting to work became a struggle.

She began experiencing mysterious symptoms such as skin flare-ups, bouts of brain fog and worsening fatigue.

“I couldn’t get to work without having to stop. At one point, I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow, and I’d be yawning in a meeting at 11am. I felt so unprofessional at a really pivotal time in my career,” she recalled.

Her social life was non-existent and when she started noticing swelling around her eyes, painful lumps on her face and severe weight loss, she decided to consult a doctor. Her GP suggested eliminating common dietary irritants like sugar and alcohol, but this didn’t bring much improvement.

Lauren then cut out gluten on the advice of a colleague: “I suddenly felt amazing, but I didn’t have any support or information. I was so self-conscious because of my skin and my body which didn’t feel like my own, I’d hide my face and wear baggy jumpers.”

Lauren’s life took a drastic turn when, after immersing herself in educating about gluten-free living and adjusting her diet through what she described as a “steep learning curve”, she discovered the root of her frightening illness six months later.

Despite twice testing negative for Coeliac Disease, she was eventually diagnosed with the condition.

This revelation allowed her to begin rebuilding her life, though it couldn’t restore her trust in common foods. She confessed, “If I hadn’t made it myself, I didn’t trust what was in it. I learnt gluten could be hidden in things like sauces or meals contaminated by using the same cooking apparatus. The spontaneity of eating out was just gone.”

During her journey with Coeliac disease, Lauren connected with the Instagram community at Genius Foods, finding solace and purpose in sharing her story and advocating on the platform.

Fate played its hand, and she landed a role in the marketing team at Genius Foods, able to intertwine her career aspirations with managing the disease that had nearly destroyed them.

Lauren emphasised the significance of this match, “To me, it’s powerful that this isn’t just a company run by people with no connection to the condition. We understand the tension people feel, and it’s ingrained in everything we do.”