Because massage therapy is so personal, I want to get real with you. So please, allow me to put it all out there, the real me - quirks and all.
Hi, I’m Melissa (she/her). An eternal optimist who doesn’t just hope that “everything will be okay”, but instead, works towards it. I have a dry sense of humor which balances out my optimism quite well, if I do say so myself. I’m a lover of chocolate chip cookies, dogs, and all things perinatal. I’ve been registered as an RMT for 15 years, and within that time, I’ve had the experience of living in six different cities. Today (after a lot of trial-and-error), my family and I have finally “settled down” and are happy to call Hamilton home.
I started my massage therapy journey at D'Arcy Lane, and am now a professor at Humber College in their Massage Therapy program. Like many Moms out there, I decided to take what I love and make more of it, leading me to the birth of my second child, Well Moms and Co.
Melissa Mitchell, RMT
about the founder
I can’t wait to meet you, and to grow a community of loving, compassionate and badass Moms who are ready to care for themselves just like they care for their family. From fertility to prenatal, and all the way from birth to the years that follow, I am confident that together, we can get through this journey called motherhood, and better yet, feel REALLY good doing so.
Hugs,
Melissa Mitchell, RMT
Registered Massage Therapist and Founder of Well Moms & Co.
P.S. Ahh, my quirks. Well, I have a big fear of ducks and geese, and subsequently am very ducking bothered when my phone autocorrects my ducks to ducks.
Melissa is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Lydia (she/her) is a licensed naturopathic doctor who works with people in creating an individual and unique approach to health and wellness. She believes that you are unique, your goals are unique, and so should your journey to health. Her aim is to create a safe space, free of judgement for you to share your story and concerns. Lydia aims to teach and empower her patients in order to optimize their health.
Working with Lydia means that you will work together in creating a plan utilizing evidence-based natural therapies. Lydia believes in utilizing nutrition and lifestyle as foundations to health. She loves using acupuncture in her practice as a way to promote healing and relaxation, and as an effective tool for pain relief. She also incorporates botanical medicine, counselling, cupping, and hydrotherapy as indicated.
Dr Lydia Kovacs, ND
Lydia treats a wide variety of acute and chronic health concerns as a Naturopath in Hamilton, ON. She has a special interest in reproductive and fertility concerns, digestion, and mental health (although you will come to realize as you investigate further into your health, addressing one concern means addressing all). Lydia also works in treating endocrine disorders, pre- and post-natal care, cardiovascular health, skin conditions, autoimmunity, fatigue, insomnia, and pain.
Lydia completed her undergraduate in Applied Food and Nutrition, loves to cook and eat, run and swim, and is out in nature as often as possible!
Nora (she/her) I believe we can do hard things. I also believe hard things become easier when we have a
trusted team to help us. When it comes to your health, I hope you’ll put me on your team.
First, a few facts about me.
I’m a licensed and board certified naturopathic doctor in Hamilton, Ontario, with a clinical focus
in fertility, hormonal health, pregnancy and postpartum care. I have helped individuals and
couples trying to conceive naturally, as well as those trying to conceive using reproductive technologies such as IVF and IUI. . Conditions that affect my patients’ fertility and quality of life,
including PCOS, endometriosis, PMS/PMDD, menstrual irregularities and autoimmune
conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, are a special interest of mine.
Dr Nora Fenton, ND
So, what’s it like to work with me?
My priority is to create a comfortable, non-judgmental space where you can share your story,
learn about your condition and find support for making long-lasting changes to improve your
health. You can ask me anything. Big emotions are always welcome. Together, we can do hard
things.
I start by understanding your goals, then use a thorough assessment of your health history,
comprehensive lab tests and an evidence-based treatment plan to achieve them. I love a good
mystery and won’t hesitate to stay up late uncovering the why behind your symptoms. We’ll
also focus on the fundamentals of good health: healthy food (and an even healthier relationship
with it), movement, sleep, stress reduction and mindfulness. I take a team approach, working
collaboratively with your other practitioners, including your reproductive endocrinologist.
You can count on me to be there to celebrate your positive pregnancy test, as well as provide
support for a healthy pregnancy, help with the physical and emotional transition after the baby
arrives, and encourage you to maintain your positive lifestyle changes well into the future.
And when I’m not solving my patients’ health whodunits?
Outside the clinic, you’ll find me making a mess in the kitchen, spending time with family and
friends, curled up with a good book or getting lost in the woods with my miniature Australian
shepherd, Theo.
If you want to see if we’d be a good fit, you can book a complementary 15-minute consultation
with me.
A last bit of fine print: I’m a member in good standing with the College of Naturopaths of
Ontario (CONO), the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) and the Canadian
Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND).
Dr. Amanda Byrne grew up in Ottawa where she was very active in the sporting community - with a particular focus on ringette, soccer, and rowing. It was through her experiences with concussions from sports that she developed a passion for chiropractic. She graduated from Queen's University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and then continued on to Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College where she graduated top of her class.
Dr. Amanda is passionate about helping patients of all ages and abilities get back to doing what they love through an individualized approach to each treatment plan. Dr. Amanda uses hands-on care, exercises, and acupuncture to help her patients with skeletal, muscular, or nervous system concerns.
Dr. Amanda Byrne, DC
Dr. Amanda developed an interest in working with children through her work with children with disabilities throughout her education. Naturally, this also led to an interest in working with women and pregnant people at all stages of parenthood.
In her spare time, Dr. Amanda likes to be active outdoors, garden, and spend time with family and friends!
Warm, experienced and kind, Mia has been working as a physiotherapist for over a decade. Her practice focus and expertise is pelvic floor physiotherapy. She has dedicated her professional life to improving the experiences of people during the prenatal and postpartum period, as well as improving vitality across the lifespan.
Mia is passionate about helping pregnant people prepare for labour, and supporting them in their postpartum recovery. She has the training and expertise to provide sensitive support for urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic girdle pain, and pain with penetrative sex. Mia brings a calm and gentle approach to this work.
MIA DANG, B.ASC., M.SC.(PT)
In addition to her work as a physiotherapist, Mia is trained in Compassionate Inquiry. Research shows that pain can result from physical and non-physical mechanisms. The pelvic floor, in particular, is both a physical and emotional muscle, and Compassionate Inquiry links the body and mind together for a fuller recovery.
Mia is a proud mom of two girls and enjoys hiking and cycling in her spare time. She welcomes clients from all walks of life. To learn more about Mia and how she works, please visit her website at: www.miapelvicphysio.com.
Mia is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Hello friends and new pals! My name is Emilija, I enjoy raccoons and centipedes, and my favourite muscle is the latissimus dorsi. I’m a Registered Massage Therapist working out of Hamilton and Toronto, but I grew up right off Locke street. If I was an invertebrate, I would be a bee. Thankfully I have vertebrae, or I would be bad at my job. My main focus is on pre/peri/post menopausal relaxation massage, and minimizing bad office worker posture, alongside fascial work to keep it spicy. Exercise and movement make me happy, but so does sitting and reading fanfiction in a ball on my favourite armchair. I can be a massage talker (only if you want!), my favourite playlists involve Khruangbin and Bjork, and I love questions. So if you’re a nervous first-timer, or if you’re curious about the body, I am your gal!
Anyway, I hope to see you soon. It would be a privilege to work with you!
EMILIJA PRUDEN, RMT
Eleni (she/her) completed her MSW at the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2007, with a specialty in Child and Family Counselling. Upon her graduation she began working as a home-visiting therapist in the city of Detroit, supporting vulnerable families with infants and young children.
After moving to Hamilton in 2008, she began working with families in Halton Region and spent 9 years as a therapist in the Early Years program at a local children's mental health agency, where she continued to work with parents of infants and young children, and began to expand her practice to the support of women in the postpartum period.
Eleni Opperwall, MSW
During this time, she provided mental health screening and support to women through the Breastfeeding Clinic at the Burlington EarlyON, the first breastfeeding clinic in Ontario to offer onsite therapy sessions in addition to lactation consultation.
Eleni has extensive experience with womens’ adjustment to motherhood, caring for their own mental health, and understanding their own needs as well as their children's needs. She has particular expertise in the parent-child attachment relationship and ways that this bond can be enhanced, developed or repaired. She has co-facilitated groups on attachment and perinatal mental health for the past five years. Eleni is a registered member in good standing of OCSWSSW and CASW. She is in the process of completing her certification in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), a research-based form of therapy which assists with the healing of traumatic experiences.
Eleni has a deep passion for encouraging mothers and all caregivers to reflect on their own needs from a place of curiosity, non-judgment and radical self-compassion, and to explore their relationships with their children without blame or shame.
When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her three children, having a run while listening to a good podcast, and drinking a warm cup of tea.
Practice Focus: Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment-focused therapy, Perinatal Depression and Anxiety, Birth Trauma, Adjustment to Parenting, Self-Care.
Karen is a trained IFS (Internal Family Systems) Level 1 Practitioner and is a Canadian Certificate Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner (CC-PMH), Canadian Certified Birth Reproductive Trauma Practitioner (CC-BRT), and Canadian Certified Perinatal Grief & Loss Practitioner (CC-PGL). She has been in private practice for close to 20 years as a certified Birth & Postpartum Doula and specializes in supporting birthing families who have experienced trauma in their previous birth journeys and/or VBAC/HBACs.
Her experience as a doula has allowed her to understand birth trauma as it unfolds in real time, as well as to witness the reconfiguring of “Mom Parts” in the early postpartum period. The benefits of having intimately supported so many families over the years has allowed her to witness the struggles (and celebrations!) firsthand.
Karen McWilliam,IFS Pracitioner (Level 1)/Perinatal Mental Health Counsellor
Karen facilitates an Emerging Mothers group that provides unbiased, non-judgmental, and open-ended support for new and emerging parents alongside parents with more than one child. In a group setting, hot button topics such as sleep, feeding, identity, the complexities of relationship changes with partners, one’s own parents, and close friends take centre stage. Karen provides tools, dialogue, discussion, and space for honest conversations about perinatal mental health struggles and celebrations.
She is also the creator and facilitator of The McWilliam Method childbirth preparation and Life With Baby parenting preparation classes, is a certified prenatal & postpartum yoga instructor, lactation educator, and sleep educator.
Karen is passionate about helping families navigate the often surprising and turbulent waters of new parenthood. As a complex trauma survivor, Karen suffered from postpartum depression herself with both her children and strives to help parents understand and integrate the complexities of the early parenting journey.
When not supporting families or attending births, Karen can be found with her two teenage children, her husband, two dogs, and two cats. She enjoys reading books in a hammock, paddling on her paddle board, learning about video games with her son and criminology with her daughter.
Karen is working towards her Level 2 IFS, IFIO (Intimacy From The Inside Out) a couple counselling paradigm utilizing IFS and parts theory.
Practice focus: IFS, Individual and Couple Counselling, Birth Trauma, Grief & Loss, Perinatal Mental Health, Postpartum Anxiety, Postpartum Depression, Adjustment to Parenting.
