Key People
Executive
Soula Mantalvanos
(Vic Aus)
MHS Founder, Creative Director
Theo Mantalvanos
(Vic Aus)
MHS Director and Manager
Theo’s previous role as communication director at ooi.com.au provides the backbone for My Health Story’s business affairs. His compassion and understanding of the quality of life (when living with chronic illness) have been vital to My Health Story’s development.
Christopher Balmford
(Vic Aus)
MHS Director & Advisor
A former lawyer, Christopher founded Words and Beyond Pty Ltd and online business, Cleardocs Pty Ltd. Christopher has been an advocate for plain-language and is a past president of the international organisation Clarity.
Advisory
Nick Christelis MBBCH, FRCA, FFPMRCA, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA Australian Pain Specialists
(Vic Aus)
MHS Founding Advisor
Dr Christelis is trained and practices 100% in all aspects of pain medicine. He is a compassionate, professional and highly experienced. He aspires to helping people live healthy and inspired lives, working daily to relieve pain and get his patients back to doing the things they love to do.
Angie Clerc-Hawke
(NSW)
MHS Advisor
Angie has a background in medical science, population health and health education. She is passionate about integrating health care and social care systems to support people throughout their health journeys. Angie has a lived experience with persistent pain.
Angie is the founder of Our Recovery
Amy Eicher
Author, educator and pain coach
(Illinois, US & online)
MHS Affiliate & Advisor
‘And I’ve been there, just like you – in a swirling mess of pain and tears and frustration not knowing how to keep going, but knowing I couldn’t stop looking for a solution to my pain.
Amy helps people in persisting pain learn to restore their life through movement, self-discovery, and education so they can live life on their terms.
Read more about Amy at restoringvenus.com
Dr Susie Gronski
DPT, PRPC
(Asheville, NY & online)
MHS Affiliate & Advisor
Dr Susie is a licensed doctor of physical therapy and certified pelvic rehabilitation practitioner. Dr Susie trains men and women on how to be their own expert in treating whatever’s going on ‘down there.’
Read more about Dr Susie at drsusieg.com
Dr Mandy Mercuri
(Vic, Aus)
MHS Subscriber & Strategic Advisor
Mandy Mercuri has a PhD in science and professional experience spanning academia, grant writing, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement in the community health and not-for-profit sector. Mandy lives with chronic back pain resulting from corrective scoliosis surgeries in her teens approaching every day with mindful compassion and an understanding of the things that are within her control.
Last year, Mandy pursued a lifelong dream and wrote a draft of her first novel. Mandy also intermittently blogs about self-managing chronic pain (Take Hold of Pain blog) and being mindful (Just Be – the mindfulness in daily life blog).
John Quintner
Retired independent medical specialist and pain researcher
(WA, Aus)
MHS Advisor
John is a retired independent medical specialist and pain researcher tirelessly exploring the definitions of pain. He has been a great support to Soula in her advocacy for chronic pain and Australian injured workers.
Deb Thompson
(NZ)
MHS Subscriber & Advisor
Deb is a mother, a daughter, a grand-mother, a teacher and a partner, living with persistent pain. She’s always striving to balance those roles with managing her condition, and to live to her values. Advocating for pain patients is a new role, one she knows is an important and valuable ‘string to the bow’.