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!
Stephanie is a Registered Acupuncturist licensed with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. She completed a four-year Acupuncture diploma at Eight Branches Academy of Eastern Medicine.
Stephanie treats a wide range of conditions and has a special interest in hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum care. She is passionate about helping individuals and couples achieve their reproductive goals, whether naturally or with the support of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Understanding that everyone has different reasons for seeking acupuncture care, Stephanie takes the time to learn about each patient’s individual needs and works collaboratively with them to create a personalized treatment plan.
Stephanie Raines, R.Ac
Stephanie has also completed additional training in cosmetic acupuncture, offering treatments focused on supporting skin health, healthy aging, and overall facial rejuvenation from a holistic Chinese medicine perspective.
Whether you are seeking support on your fertility journey, struggling with concerns such as PMS, digestion, stress, anxiety, sleep, fatigue, or pain, or are curious about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can support your overall well-being, Stephanie is happy to provide a consultation to learn more.
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.
Sharlene is a Certified Orthopedics Physiotherapist with over 10+ years of hands-on experience in providing care and treatment to various Musculoskeletal,
Geriatric, and Sports conditions across the world including India, USA and Canada.
After the birth of her daughter and dealing with post-partum stress urinary ncontinence, Sharlene realized the importance of pelvic floor health and feeling a gap in her knowledge, she decided to pursue Pelvic Health training to help the multitude of Women who go through similar issues but never seek any
professional help for it.
Sharlene Carneiro. B.Sc. PT, M.SC.PT
Registered Physiotherapist (Pelvic Health and Orthopedic)
Sharlene is now a Certified Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist with over 2 years of experience under her belt and has also completed numerous related courses including Visceral mobilization of the G.I. system, Labor & Delivery and Csection Rehabilitation with a goal of completing many more advanced courses to further her knowledge and experience in Pelvic Health care. Sharlene believes in a holistic approach for movement and therapy and her mission is to help people understand how brilliant and unique the human body is and to empower every individual with knowledge to develop a better functional relationship with their
bodies.
Sharlene completed her Bachelors in Physiotherapy from Rajiv Gandhi University in India and her Masters in Manual and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation from Katholieke Universiet Leuven in Belgium. She uses various hands-on manual therapy techniques, dry needling, individualized functional exercise programs and patient education to help her clients achieve their goals. When she is not working at the clinic, Sharlene enjoys spending time with her two energetic kiddos, creative writing, being outdoors and catching up on all her favourite TV shows.
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.
Hey there! Thanks for joining me on this chapter of my life, I’m in my RMT and new mama era. A little about me? I’m the kinda gal who is always up for an adventure; run a 30k race 5 years in a row? Climb 900m in 3km on the tallest freestanding pyramid in the world? Move abroad and live as a nomad? I’ve done all of the above. But don’t get me wrong, I also love being a complete beach bum, some would say you’d pull a muscle trying to get me off the sand. Speaking of muscles, my job is to massage them. With my Gemini twin energy, I am capable of chatting it up through our treatment together, or being completely silent, whichever makes you more comfortable. I look forward to meeting you and helping you relax, unwind, and attain your wellness needs through massage therapy. Ciao for now
Fabrizia Leuzzi-Gills, RMT
Registered Massage Therapist
