Experts– Moxie

MBBS/BMedSc (Hons) MRMed (Hons).

Dr Pav Nanayakkara is a Fellow in Minimally Invasive Gynaecological Surgery at The Epworth Hospital - and our resident Gyno on The Moxie Periodic Table!

Her medical degree was acquired at Monash University, Melbourne, after which she completed an honours year in research as a scholar of the RANZCOG Research Foundation. She undertook her internship and residency at The Alfred Hospital and also trained in Intensive Care there prior to her Obstetrics and Gynaecology training at The Royal Women’s Hospital. Pav attained her DRANZCOG qualification in 2011 and completed specialist examinations in 2015 and 2016. She achieved a Masters of Reproductive Medicine with Excellence in 2019.

Pav is passionate about Women’s Health and is founder and director of “The Birth Bundle Project”, an initiative providing birthing kits to hospitals in developing countries. She's also an award-winning educator and mentor.

In her spare time, Pav loves cooking, travelling, hiking and going on adventures with her young family.

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DR. NICOLE STAMATOPOULOS, OBGYN.

B.Pharm MBBS FRANZC OG PhD.

Dr Nicole Stamatopoulos is a General Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a great passion for women’s health. She's a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRANZCOG). She initially attended the University of Sydney and completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) and then went on to pursue her dream of delivering babies!

Dr Nicole completed the post graduate Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree at the University of Sydney. She did her core training at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick, Sydney, NSW, and then completed her training with a fellowship as the Acute Gynaecology, Early Pregnancy and Advanced Endosurgical Unit at Nepean Hospital, Penrith, Sydney, NSW.

Nicole has developed a love for all aspects of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Her special interest is not just Obstetrics but in Early Pregnancy and Gynaecological ultrasound, including deep endometriosis ultrasound. She’s currently in enrolled at the University of Sydney doing her PhD in the possible causes of miscarriage.

She’s also a Clinical Associate Lecturer at the University of Sydney, teaching medical students that are attached to the Nepean Clinical School in Women and Children’s Health. She was awarded an excellence award in 2018 for her dedication and enthusiasm in teaching the students about gynaecology services.

We're so grateful to have Dr Nicole as an expert consultant and contributor to our blog, The Regular, providing insights and expertise on all things intimate health.

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DR. SARAH HANNAM, DERMATOLOGIST.

After graduating from The University of Adelaide in South Australia, Dr Hannam moved to Melbourne where she completed her dermatology training with a fellowship year at University College Hospital in London. She has been affiliated with The Royal Children's Hospital, The Skin Health Institute (formally known as the Skin and Cancer Foundation in Carlton), The Peter McCallum Cancer Institute, The Austin Hospital, The Alfred Hospital, St Vincents Hospital and has spent time in Fiji contributing to clinics, research and education.

Dr Hannam has extensive experience treating all skin conditions and has a special interest in both medical and surgical dermatology including diagnosis of skin cancer & melanoma and the treatment of such. Her other areas of special interest are acne, psoriasis and scar and pigmentation management.

Dr Hannam currently resides and practices in Sydney at Kingsway Dermatology and Aesthetics, and Complete Dermatology Bondi.

We talk all things hormonal breakouts with Dr. Hannam on The Regular.

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DANNI BICHLER, CLINICAL NATUROPATH.

BHSc.

Danni a Clinical Naturopath with a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy, is passionate about personalised healthcare that provides real, long-lasting results. She specialises in all things women's health, including hormonal imbalances, vaginal and urinary health as well as pelvic pain. Her naturopathic practice blends that traditional herbal knowledge with modern science and functional testing to treat the whole person rather than just band-aiding symptoms.

We're so fortunate to have Danni as an expert contributor, providing insights on all things female health and hormones.

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CHANTELLE OTTEN, psycho-sexologist.

Chantelle Otten is a Melbourne based Psycho-Sexologist who is passionate about empowering people to feel great about their sexual health, self-esteem, communication and education. She's also our resident Sexologist on The Moxie Periodic Table!

A Melbourne local, Chantelle comes from a Dutch background. Having spent time living, studying and working in Holland, Chantelle has grown up with the European mindset that talking about sex, pleasure and relationships does not have to be shameful or taboo. A natural born communicator, she enjoys creating a setting where her clients can feel relaxed and free to talk about their sexual health in a safe, judgment-free environment.

With numerous awards, accolades and published medical journal articles, Chantelle is not only an internationally acclaimed psycho-sexologist, but also a caring and empowering sex educator. With a background in scientific research, sexual medicine, and counselling, she believes that sexuality and self-esteem are an integral part of life, which everyone is entitled to. Good sexual health should always be enjoyable, pain free and without prejudice.

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JACQUI KINGSWELL, PILATES INSTRUCTOR.

For most of her life, Jacqui worked as a professional dancer, touring with international artists such as Beyoncé, featuring in her film clip “Mine”, Kylie Minogue and Ricky Martin as a dancer in their performances on The Voice, One Direction on tour as a dancer in their supporting act and many more.

Working with some of the greatest teachers and mentors in the world taught her to love, respect and care for her body and learn the importance of a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.

She has been practicing Pilates since she was 12 yrs old and it's the knowledge she gained through spending her life in the studio that inspired her to pass this onto others, which is when she decided to become a Pilates instructor.

Jacqui is the Co-Founder and Director of The Pilates Class Method, and our fitness expert on The Moxie Periodic Table - teaching us moves to help curb all kinds of period-related woes!

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KATHERINE HAY, NUTRITIONIST.

Katherine has a BA of Health Science majoring in Nutritional Medicine and is an Accredited member of the Australian Natural Therapists Association.

From a young age Katherine has always maintained a connection with the ocean and earth and is truly fascinated by the way in which both elements can directly affect our health and wellbeing, and in turn our bodies.

Katherine believes that there is no 'one size fits all' approach to health and everyone is extremely different, therefore treatment plans are personalised to the individual. With her breadth of studies, she specialises in health conditions including female reproductive health - all things periods and more, Preconception care, post-natal care and fertility, gut health, mental health and skin health.

As our The Moxie Periodic Table resident Nutritionist, Katherine shares some easy, quick and super delicious recipes to help fuel our bodies during our periods.

NOURISH

KIRA PURU, ARTIST & MUSICIAN.

Meet our The Periodic Table resident DJ and multi disciplinary artist and musician, Kira Puru. Known for her dynamic live performances and genre-defying writing style, she is widely respected as one of Australia’s biggest voices.

Kira has quickly gathered a cult following with the hypnotic single Tension which has amassed 2.3 million streams. The September 2018 release of her self-titled EP showcased an exhilarating evolution. Second single Molotov landed at #75 on the triple j hottest 100 and has clocked up over 2.6 million streams. The uniquely human star also delivered one of the most rousing triple j Like A Version’s of 2018 with a cover of Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F).

Catch Kira's playlists for Moxie below!

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EMMA HOLLAND, comedian, collage artist & photographer.

Emma Holland is a comedian, collage artist and photographer who takes herself very seriously.

Emma followed up a Runner-Up position in 2018 RAW Comedy National Final with her sell-out debut solo show, Dolly Doctor Strange love in 2019. In the same year she was part of the prestigious hand-picked Comedy Zone at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

2020 saw Emma receive a residency from the Museum of Brisbane, during which she explored comedy through the lens of collage. Her photography work can be seen amongst the seas of posters at comedy festivals but is more easily digestible on her website.

Emma’s writing credits include Have You Been Paying Attention (AU & NZ), The Hundred, NZTV’s Patriot Brains, as well as various brands including Tooheys, Peters and Brancott Estate.

Emma is renowned for her absurd dead-pan cadence, quick-witted writing, and highly visual on-stage performances. She has been asked on multiple occasions to not wear a beret on stage (but did anyway, as is the artist’s way).

If your period woes have you feeling blue, click below to have a lol (or 11) with our Moxie Periodic Table resident Hype Woman.

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GENEVIEVE PHELAN, WRITER.

Genevieve is a writer and publicist living in Melbourne. Her words have been published in Vogue, Elle, Fashion Journal, Broadsheet, Body + Soul and other pockets of the internet. Gen gets to the marrow of female-driven, purposeful brands and grapples with the human condition via intimate anecdotes of her own, usually online. Her pieces cover uncut opinions on things like sex, dating, food, wine, fashion - nothing in the realm of lifestyle is spared. She is a columnist at Fashion Journal magazine, the acting editor for Harrolds' digital journal and writer of our 'This is Moxie' interview series.

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CASEY VASSALLO, WRITER.

Casey Vassallo is a writer, among other things. Not wanting to be pigeonholed, she works across several genres in the media world, covering everything from restaurant openings, to how women spend their money, and the facts about intimate hygiene for Moxie. She also has a BA, double majoring in professional writing and creative writing (THIS is Moxie!).

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XENIA E., WRITER.

Xenia (she/they) is a freelance sex and mental health writer. She focuses on sex work, LGBTQIA+ issues, menstrual equity, and trauma. She holds a BA in writing from The New School. She’s currently based on the West Coast. Xenia enjoys hiking less than 10 miles, cooking vegan food, and hanging out with her girlfriend and rescue pup.

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Anastasia Charisiou, writer.

Anastasia is a writer and producer based in Naarm/Melbourne and is a contributing writer for our Moxie blog, The Regular. The former Copywriter of Frank Body, Anastasia has gone on to write for a range of agencies and brands including Dame Products, The Company Your Keep, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Red Tales Podcast. More recently, Anastasia has completed her masters in Producing at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) where she produced a range of ambitious shorts including The Soft Skinned and Go with Grace. She is looking forward to combining her love of language and image for the screen. In her spare time, she loves to go to the cinema, travel, and fight over RuPaul's Drag Race.

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