Meet The Team
Anna Wallace
Founder of The Weight Loss Academy
Founder of The Weight Loss Academy and The Centre for Integrative Health, Anna Wallace is a Registered Associate Nutritionist, NLP Practitioner, and Clinical Hypnotherapist with extensive training in eating disorders. Anna’s personal journey began much like many of the women she now supports—caught in the exhausting cycle of dieting, emotional eating, and weight fluctuations. After vowing to never diet again, she transformed her relationship with food and went on to earn her degree in Food and Nutrition from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. Through education, training, and personal mastery, Anna not only lost weight and kept it off (even after pregnancy), but she also found her calling: helping other women achieve sustainable health and food freedom.
Over the past 9 years, Anna’s innovative programmes have helped over 7,000 women break free from restrictive diets, resist sugar cravings, and regain confidence—all without low-calorie or fad diets. Her mission is to empower women to develop flexible, positive relationships with food and connect with their bodies in a way that leads to long-lasting, sustainable results.
Beyond The Weight Loss Academy, Anna is also the founder of The Centre for Integrative Health, where she created a comprehensive Health Coaching Diploma. A diploma that equips future coaches with all the tools they need to make an impact and build a profitable business. Many WLA members, inspired by their own transformations, go on to train with The Centre for Integrative Health to pursue careers in health coaching themselves.
Anna is passionate about disrupting the dieting industry and proving that real, sustainable results come from balance, not restriction. When she’s not working, Anna loves travelling the world with her husband John and their son Leo.
Dr. Audrey Rankin
Nutrition Consultant
Dr Audrey Rankin is the Nutrition Consultant at The Weight Loss Academy, where she leads the nutrition aspect of the Health Coaching Diploma, develops healthy recipes, and creates nutrition-related content for blogs and social media.
With a BSc (Hons) in Food and Nutrition and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Ulster University, Dr Rankin has extensive experience in research, focusing on B vitamins, personalised nutrition, and behaviour change interventions. Her work spans roles at both Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast, including research in psychology, mental health, and dietary health promotion.
Dr Rankin is passionate about helping people transform their relationship with food, ensuring that nutrition is both enjoyable and accessible. She believes that food should be a source of joy, and she loves seeing people rediscover the excitement of cooking and eating.
Rutchel Garcia
Online Business Manager
As the Online Business Manager at The Weight Loss Academy, Rutchel ensures that our operations run smoothly and efficiently behind the scenes, providing the best possible experience for our clients. She supports our coaches and staff, ensuring they have everything they need to help them achieve their goals. From coordinating tasks to resolving issues, Rutchel is the key to keeping things running seamlessly.
“Working in the academy made me realise my potential and purpose. It is such a beautiful feeling as well knowing you are supporting the whole team and the clients to overcome their struggles at the end of the day. I will be forever grateful for being a part of this team”.
Kirsty Swash
Programme Supervisor
Kirsty joined The Weight Loss Academy in 2020, starting as a resetter before progressing through the Academy and becoming certified in 2021. Since then, she has coached 38 WLA clients, drawing on her personal experience of transforming her own health to inspire and support others on their weight loss journeys.
Now a Programme Supervisor and core member of the Coaching Certification team, Kirsty also works as a freelance health and weight loss coach. Her passion for personal development led her to become an Associate NLP Practitioner, further enhancing her ability to support clients through mindset and behaviour change.
Kirsty believes in the power of the mind, stating, “It’s a tool we can use to work with us or against us.” She finds immense joy in helping women regain self-confidence and go from strength to strength, tailoring each coaching experience to what the client truly needs. Sharing in her clients' successes is one of the most rewarding parts of her work.
Ana Alimane
Admin Assistant
As an administrative assistant, Ana brings over 13 years of invaluable experience in the Customer Service industry to our team.
Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction, consistently going above and beyond to meet client needs.
Her extensive background has equipped her with the skills to handle a wide range of customer concerns, always with a calm and positive approach.
Ana’s dedication to resolving issues promptly and efficiently, combined with her passion for providing exceptional service, makes her an integral part of our team.
She is always ready to tackle challenges and support clients with her expertise.
