Our Team — Our Recovery

The Huddle

A group of people with lived experience of persistent pain who guide Our Recovery. They bring with them insights from living with pain, as well as diverse skills and learned experience.

**Angie Clerc-Hawke, Founder**
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.

**Bronwyn Lennox Thompson**
Bronwyn is a researcher, occupational therapist and educator. Her research interests are in daily coping processes used by people living with persistent pain and clinical reasoning in persistent pain. Bronwyn has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Colleen Johnston-Devin**
Colleen is a researcher and nurse. Her research interests and goals are enabling people with chronic pain to self-manage and informing health professionals’ knowledge around chronic pain. Colleen has a lived experience with persistent pain.

Leah Dwyer

Leah is a remedial massage therapist and acknowledges the importance of deep listening and validating people’s experiences. She elevates lived experience voices through media engagement. Leah has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Soula Mantalvanos**
Soula is an artist, pain advocate and health innovation founder. She combines her years of living with chronic pain and her professional creative communication experience to advocate for better quality of care. Soula has extensive experience providing resources and support others on their health journey.

**Shelley Barlow**
Shelley is a physiotherapist with a psychotherapy background. She takes a physical, psychological and existential approach to her work and values the importance of relationships and community in health. Shelley has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Stephen Chambers**
Steve has experience as a pain peer support worker and is passionate about the role of creative arts in health. Steve has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Heather Bonnefond**
Heather is an experienced pain peer support worker and comes from an event management background. She has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Lauren Cannell**
Lauren has a background as a police officer, prior to moving into policy development within emergency services, particularly as it relates to diversity and inclusion. Lauren is a passionate advocate for people with disability and has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Joletta Belton**
Joletta is an experience and world leading pain advocate. She has a background as a paramedic and in human movement. She is passionate about integrating lived experience insight into research and healthcare. Joletta has a lived experience with persistent pain.

**Tess Marotta**
Tess has a background in community development and mental health advocacy, and is passionate about the power of compassionate communication in the healing journey. She currently sits on multiple disability advisory committees in health and local council areas, and has lived experience with persistent pain.

**Kim Allgood**
Kim has a background in the not-for-profit, community development, and suicide prevention sector. She is passionate about integrating the mental health and health care systems to better support people living with persistent pain. Kim has a lived experience of persistent pain.

Our Allies

A group of people with learned experience who guide Our Recovery and help to elevate the lived experience insights of others.

**Hemakumar Devan**
Hem is a researcher, pain educator, and physiotherapist. His primary research interest is to foster self-management support to empower people with chronic pain and their whānau (family and significant others). He is a passionate science communicator.

Toby Newton-John

Toby is a clinical psychologist and pain researcher. His research focus area is how couples cope when one of them suffers chronic pain. He is passionate about how our psychology interacts with our physical selves.

Steve Kamper

Steve is an internationally renowned pain researcher, with a physiotherapist background. His focus area is evidence-based practice; how to apply evidence to create meaningful and impactful healthcare services.

Seanna Davidson

Seanna is a leading system thinking teacher and practitioner. Her approach translates concepts into practice, to build capacity for systems thinking and systemic change.