Leila Drouby is a chemist and nutritionist with 2 master’s degrees in chemistry and nutrition, and a writer in the health and wellness space
Curator’s Note: Leila Drouby, a chemist and nutritionist with dual master’s degrees, is also a prominent writer in the health and wellness field. In a recent interview, she shared her journey from industrial chemistry to a personal exploration of human nutrition, spurred by her own health challenges. Her writing blends scientific insights with engaging storytelling, aiming to make complex topics accessible. Drouby emphasizes the importance of balance in health and well-being, including our connection with nature. Additionally, she advocates for consistency among new writers in finding their niche and building an audience on platforms like Medium and Illumination. This interview was conducted by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, owner and chief editor of ILLUMINATION publications on Medium, Substack, Patreon, and Digitalmehmet.
Meet Leila Drouby
Dear Subscribers and Visitors,
Welcome to the new episode of my conversations with professionals and leaders in their field. In today’s episode, I invited Leila Drouby, Nutritionist to introduce herself. I wanted to spotlight her profile today, as our readers, especially those interested in health, wellness, and nutrition topics, enjoy her stories, and I admire her as a professional researcher and creative writer, as well as a reader who engages meaningfully. I invite you to check out Leila’s profile and stories on Medium.com.
Hi Leila, let’s start with a bit about your background.
Hello Dr. Yildiz, thank you for the kind invitation. I will be happy to share a few points about my professional and personal background.
I’m a chemist by training, with a background in Industrial Chemistry. I completed my Master’s degree in 2012 and worked in the field for a while. However, my journey into Human Nutrition became much more personal. Therefore, I write about it passionately.
During my time in chemistry, I became aware of the presence and potential impact of chemicals and toxins on our health and environment. At the same time, I was experiencing health issues of my own, which pushed me to look deeper and try to understand what was happening rather than simply treating the symptoms.
Over the past decade, I’ve been combining my understanding of chemistry with nutrition through extensive self-experimentation, research, and continuous learning. Besides, my passion for nature has also played a major role in this journey.
Interestingly, my curiosity led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition. What started as a personal quest to understand and improve my own health gradually became a deeper passion: understanding the relationship between chemistry, nutrition, nature, and human health, and exploring how we can use that knowledge to live healthier, more joyful, and more balanced lives.
What do health and well-being mean to you?
To me, health and well-being mean being in balance — physically, mentally, emotionally, and in our relationship with the environment around us.
My own journey has taught me that health is not simply the absence of disease or symptoms. It’s about understanding what our bodies need, listening to their signals, and creating the right conditions for them to function at their best. This includes what we eat, the quality of what we are exposed to, how we live, and our connection with nature.
Because of my background in chemistry and my personal experience with health challenges, I’ve become very aware of how the substances and environments we are exposed to can influence our well-being. That has made me more curious about prevention and understanding the underlying factors that affect health, rather than simply focusing on symptoms.
I see well-being as feeling connected to your body, being conscious of the choices you make every day, and creating a lifestyle that supports your health rather than working against it. For me, true well-being is about finding harmony between science and nature and using that understanding to build a healthier, more meaningful life.
What are your hobbies, or what excites or entertains you?
One of the most meaningful things that came out of the COVID period for me was discovering a love for gardening. When we stopped working in 2020 because of the pandemic, I suddenly had more time to slow down and explore things I had never done before. I started with organic gardening, and it was actually the first time in my life that I planted a seed. I was around 30 years old when I planted my first plant!
That experience made me realize how disconnected many of us, especially younger generations, have become from something as simple and fundamental as growing our own food. I found something very peaceful and rewarding in watching a tiny seed grow into a living plant. Planting also connected beautifully with my passion for nature and my interest in health and nutrition.
During the same period, I also discovered a love for decoration, colors, and design. I enjoy playing with colors, creating beautiful spaces, and finding ways to make an environment feel warm and inspiring. I opened an Instagram page for decor and spent about six months designing in software, like an obsessed designer. I think gardening and decorating are similar — both let me be creative and bring something to life.
I also love reading and writing because they let me keep learning, reflect on ideas, and express myself. Whenever I want to be active and clear my mind, I enjoy riding my bicycle.
Why do you write on Medium?
Writing on Medium feels incredibly calm and grounding to me. From the first day I opened my Medium account, I felt a warmth I can’t really explain. It felt like home.
What I love about Medium is that it taught me things about writing I never learned in the writing diploma that cost me $2,000. The platform taught me through the experience itself: by writing, reading, experimenting, sharing my thoughts, and connecting with editors and people. The journey has been much more meaningful to me than I ever expected.
I’m genuinely grateful for everything this journey has given me so far. I honestly don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. Medium has become a part of my life and, in a way, it feels like having a very good friend who is always there whenever I have something to say.
What are your values as a writer?
My values as a writer come from who I am: I’m a chemist, a nutritionist, a nature lover, and, above all, someone who genuinely loves science, but I don’t believe science has to be boring, complicated, or repetitive.
This year, many of my articles that were published in your publications and others have ranked among the top 10 most-read articles in lifestyle, wellness, nutrition, health, and fitness, reaching thousands of readers. That experience has reinforced how powerful, accessible, and engaging science writing can be. People are curious about their health and the world around them, but they want information they can understand, enjoy, and connect with.
One of the things I care about most is making science fun. I like writing about nutrition and the chemicals we encounter in our everyday environment in a way that people can actually understand and relate to. I want my readers to learn something without feeling like they’re sitting in a classroom reading a textbook. If I can make someone understand a scientific concept while making them smile or laugh, I feel like I’ve done my job.
I also believe that a good story makes information much more powerful. I like bringing pieces of my own experiences, experiments, discoveries, and even my mistakes into my writing. My personal journey has taught me that science becomes much more interesting when you can connect it to real life. I don’t just want to give people information. I want to give them a story they can remember.
Another important value for me is authenticity. I like writing about things that genuinely interest me, and I try to write the kind of articles I’d want to read. If I wouldn’t enjoy reading the story myself, I probably wouldn’t enjoy writing it either.
Who are some writers you follow on Medium or other platforms?
Several writers and creators have influenced me, not only because of what they write about, but also because of how they write. I will mention a few who impressed and inspired me most.
One of them is yourself. I started writing on Illumination, your publication, which has supported me on Medium from day one. I find your passion for neuroscience inspiring, especially how you take complex scientific facts and explain them in simple, accessible language. Neuroscience has always been difficult for me, but your articles made the concepts feel much less intimidating.
I’m very much impressed by stories of Malky McEwan. He has a completely different style. He’s funny, entertaining, and knows how to tell a story. I love reading his work because you start an article and suddenly find yourself wanting to get to the end.
And then there’s Zulie Rane, who actually introduced me to Medium through her YouTube channel, where she shares very informative content. She spoke about Medium with such warmth and enthusiasm, almost as if she were talking about a place she truly felt at home in. That really caught my attention. I started researching Medium because of her, and a lot of what I learned about the platform came from her videos and posts.
Sam Vaseghi has influenced me with his detailed notes that make you go back and look at your work more carefully. He has taught me to be extremely accurate with my science and to never compromise on the facts. I find his own accuracy, attention to detail, and genuine love for science very inspiring.
Together, they’ve influenced not only how I write, but also how I think about being a science writer. I want to be accurate without being boring, funny without losing credibility, and informative while still telling a story that people genuinely want to read.
Why did you join Illumination, and how has it been so far for you?
I joined Illumination after reading your stories because I wanted to reach a broader audience like yourself, connect with other writers, and have a place to share my stories with readers interested in different topics. My experience with Illumination has been very positive.
I still remember publishing two of my early stories there in the early days and seeing them reach around 500 views, something that felt like a big achievement then. One was about the ketogenic diet I had followed for six months, and the other was about how I lost 8 kg through a detox program. Before that, many of my stories got only 50 to 200 views, so seeing that kind of response encouraged me.
I also contribute to the Health and Science publication part of ILLUMINATION. I am grateful for the wonderful support of its lead editor Dr Michael Broadly, DHSc and his editorial team, especially Timothy Agnew who supports writers and provide helpful feedback.
What do you recommend to new writers?
The most important thing I recommend to new writers, even though it may sound cliché, is to be consistent and never give up. I will explain it a bit based on my experience on this platform.
It took me a year on Medium trying to build an audience with around a thousand followers. In the beginning, my stories would get around 50 views, sometimes 100 to 200. Then it jumped to 500 or more.
After that, I realized I wasn’t making enough progress because I wasn’t focused on a specific niche. I was writing about many different topics, and I think that was one of my mistakes.
So, if I could give new writers one piece of heartfelt advice, it would be to figure out what you want to focus on, stay consistent, and give yourself at least a year before judging whether you’ve succeeded.
I’ve seen many successful writers follow this approach, and I experienced it myself. Writing and building an audience takes time, so I think the key is to stay focused, keep publishing, and not give up too early, as some do.
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to your audience, Dr. Yildiz. I like contributing to your publications and enjoy being part of your excellent community.
Many thanks to Leila Drouby for giving us a glimpse of her interesting life. In addition to Medium, you can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Here is an inspiring story Leila published on Health and Science lately:
I Fell in Love With The Highest Water Food That Beats Garlic for Blood Pressure
A 10-minute recipe – and how it inhibited collagen breakdown.medium.com
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