July 24th, 2023 10:33 am

It’s National Pain Week And I’m Celebrating by Writing the End of this Story

By |2023-07-24T10:35:43+10:00July 24th, 2023|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Online|Tags: , , |

Every year I think something amazing will happen during National Pain Week. But every year, nothing amazing ever does. We all wait for answers, but either the answers don't come, or they prove more tiresome. Worst of all, the answers are a direction to a lonely zone – the figure-it-out-yourself zone! So, figure it out myself; I will this year! I'm making National Pain Week AMAZING by writing the end of this story. 

April 8th, 2023 1:45 pm

My recent chat with PainAustralia’s new CEO, Giulia Jones – Giulia has quite the agenda!

By |2023-04-09T11:14:47+10:00April 8th, 2023|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Online|Tags: , |

Making the invisible visible You'll hear this wonderful reference in my chat with Giulia – to make what is invisible visible is one of her four goals while in the position of CEO at PainAustralia.  I found Giulia incredibly down-to-earth and easy to connect with. Of course, with six children, you instantly know she understands pain (and is highly able!!), but her admission that she had never thought of the pain she experienced as chronic really struck me. 

March 7th, 2023 6:07 am

Soula Mantalvanos in Times News Group’s Women in Business International Women’s Day 2023 Edition

By |2023-03-06T20:09:22+11:00March 7th, 2023|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Help, My Health Story, News, Online|Tags: , , , , |

(Image: Soula Mantalvanos, founder My Health Story features in Women in Business, Bellarine Times International Women’s Day special edition 2023) Feature, Women in Business, Bellarine Times International [...]

April 12th, 2022 8:53 pm

Soula Mantalvanos, Published Author of the Journal of Medical Internet Research

By |2023-01-24T16:12:25+11:00April 12th, 2022|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Learn, Living, Online, Professional Resources, Workcover|Tags: , , , , , , |

I'm an author of What Injured Workers With Complex Claims Look For in Online Communities: Netnographic Analysis, now published in one of the world's best medical journals.  

February 26th, 2022 2:09 pm

Mentorship Supported by the Australian Government Boosting Female Founders Initiative

By |2022-11-26T20:58:47+11:00February 26th, 2022|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Online|Tags: , , , |

Congratulate me! I have been awarded expert mentoring with Buzz Web Media and Women With Wit’s – Lee Ussher under the Australian Government’s Boosting Female Founders Initiative (BFFI) for PainTrain [...]

February 15th, 2022 12:32 pm

The Business of Advocacy

By |2022-02-15T12:32:14+11:00February 15th, 2022|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, Online|Tags: |

Over some years and after a third time being banned in some way or form from an official pain organisation's social media, I now feel encouraged to make a point - advocacy is not a business. I began this website to advocate for people living with chronic pain and share helpful resources to avoid the impact of misdiagnosis on their lives. I aimed and achieved gratitude on a global scale, which has fed me. I also started this website to connect people living with chronic pain to professionals who understood them very well and could possibly treat them. I've asked none of these amazing professionals to pay me to be included on this website – we're all working for the same cause, right?  This was never intended to be a business. What I'm seeking is more respect and understanding for the voluntary position of the advocate. So let's pull the bandaid off and frankly define it: Advocacy is costly and time-consuming. It earns us no income; it causes pain and uses a significant portion of the little and precious uptime we get and, advocates are also much greater than their cause. I repeat; advocacy is no business. 

June 1st, 2021 9:23 am

A (fantabulous) Chat with (the fantabulous) Joletta Belton

By |2023-11-07T11:05:18+11:00June 1st, 2021|Categories: Advocacy, Learn, Online, Personal resources|Tags: , , , |

How I love mycuppajo – the wonderfully beaming human officially known as Joletta Belton. I was introduced to Joletta's blog by a mutual friend, Dr John Quintner (pain educator for Arthritis & Osteoporosis WA and retired pain physician). Jo's experience (science and creativity) makes her documentation about the complex lived experience real, interesting and easy to understand. It's so easy to relate to Jo. Jo and I also share the added frustrating experience of being an 'injured worker' and having to 'defend' our injuries to unjust workers' compensation systems. Her advocacy and achievements are extraordinary – she is a force driving change throughout the world of chronic pain. I'm so happy to be able to chat with Jo and deliver this video to you all. I know it will be inspiring, energising and informing. I also know that much of the way through you will have beaming smiles on your faces. It's just impossible to speak with Jo and not smile! In this video, Joletta and chat about: 1:04 Checkpoint – the meaning of (Jo's) life 3:53 Being the new 'you' 5:13 Purpose: the lived experience 7:55 The power of words 11:00 When there are no words 13:25 Patients & Practitioners 17:05 Science speak 21:13 Pain in realistic terms 26:15 Angry with yourself 28:50 Forced to defend 33:43 Livelihood loss 35:41 mycuppajo.com and beyond 43:33 COVID impact 48:02 Changing system-centered care 51:55 Gratitude

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