Sonia Willis

Sonia Willis is an Independent Nurse Specialist in Diabetes Management and Education with over four decades of nursing, clinical practice, and teaching experience. Her career spans the NHS, private sector, and pharmaceutical industry, underpinned by a lifelong commitment to continuous professional development. In 2015, following senior national roles as a DESMOND* National Quality Development Trainer and Assessor and as a Diabetes Specialist Nurse, Sonia established her own limited company to focus full-time on independent diabetes education and specialist clinical practice. 

A recognised clinical expert, Sonia has spoken at national conferences and has lectured for universities across the UK, teaching diabetes care to both pre- and post-registration nurses and allied health professionals. She is particularly proud of her role delivering and marking on the Self-Management module for the University of Warwick’s MSc in Diabetes —a module that aligns closely with her commitment to empowering patients and supporting behaviour change through effective, person-centred communication. 

Alongside her educational work, Sonia continues to practise weekly as a locum Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Specialist Practitioner in General Practice in South Yorkshire. She believes that maintaining active clinical involvement ensures her teaching remains credible, up to date, and firmly grounded in the realities of primary care. Her education programmes—delivered through bespoke workshops, narrated modules, webinars, and accredited courses—are continually refreshed in line with national and international guidelines and contemporary evidence. 

Sonia is known for her common-sense, practical approach to simplifying complex clinical information and for her ability to use anonymised case studies and real-world examples to enhance learning. She sees herself primarily as a “facilitator of learning,” aiming to build confidence, skills, and clinical competence among the many healthcare professionals she teaches across the UK. Central to her philosophy is the use of respectful, empathic, and accessible language to support truly individualised care for people living with diabetes and cardio-renal-metabolic conditions. 

Her passion for making diabetes education clear and relatable also led her to create the Facebook page DiabEasyAs123, where she shares ongoing professional learning. The page now attracts over 1,650 followers who regularly engage with her approachable and informative content.  

In her spare time, Sonia loves to travel, attend concerts and theatrical productions with her husband. She also loves to keep herself fit at the gym and by taking long walks in the Peak District with her labradoodle and any of her eight (so far) grandchildren.