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Meet Your Facilitators
Welcome to the team! Meet the incredible individuals that are working together to shape the world for menstruators with PMDD. Combining a passion for support, the tenacity to lead, and each of our unique gifts, we are able to offer high quality peer support. We are confident we offer the community, connection, and healing that you need.
Madison Ashworth
she/they
Madison is an advocate, writer, lyricist, and energy healer residing in Phoenix, Arizona. She has lived in Florida and Utah and is lucky enough to be able to call all three states home. At home, she takes care of two dogs and a cat and spends most of their time drinking coffee, posting content to @pmddsucks, snowboarding, crafting, modeling, and lifting weights.
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Madison's favorite things to talk about are women's health, philosophy, tarot, and good anime.
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Diagnosed with PMDD, PCOS, and ADHD, Madison sought to build a community that educates, advocates, and empowers individuals in unique and lasting ways.
Tangerine Catacleesi
they/them
Tangerine is 27 years old, a PMDD warrior, and is queer/non-binary. They are originally from the Coachella Valley but now reside in Los Angeles.
Tangerine earned their bachelor’s in psychology from California State University, San Bernardino. Their main interests are trauma-informed care and community work.
"I am very motivated to help others in ways I wish I had been helped, and I believe that everyone should have access to the resources necessary to live meaningful, fulfilling lives."
For fun, Tangerine loves watching anime and spending time with friends.
Alissa Kotranza
she/her
Alissa is a full-time content developer, vocalist, dancer and performer. She has the vision of a journalist and the soul of a healer - always curious to learn more and help others live their best lives. Having been diagnosed with PCOS and PMDD (among other fun acronyms) in 2014, Alissa has entrenched herself in holistic health and wellness since. In addition to a vested personal interest, work in the therapeutic technology and fitness industries alike pushed Alissa to seek a more comprehensive understanding of these diagnoses and women's health overall.
Alissa is a Florida native and moved to Denver in 2016. She has a B.S. in Journalism and Comms from the University of Florida, a minor in Psychology, and is low-key obsessed with new ways to access and heal the nervous system. Her last full-time job included designing and hosting live educational webinars for families who sought auditory therapy for themselves and/or loved ones.
Alissa absolutely lives for music and is currently getting certified in a major music production software.
She geeks out on baking, FX makeup, visual arts, fashion, and astrology - (and cranes... yes, like the birds).
Dulce Ruiz
she/her
Dulce is bilingual in English and Spanish and has been officially diagnosed with PMDD for over a year. She also has PCOS and fibromyalgia. Dulce is getting her bachelor's in Business Analytics within a little over a year from now. She currently works from home for United Healthcare reviewing provider contracts and is intimately familiar with how insurance plans work.
Annalicia Aguilar
she/her
Annalicia Aguilar is a mixed-race Indigenous, Mexican American screenwriter, poet, actress, producer, and storyteller in Los Angeles, California.
She grew up in a small town in Texas, where she began authoring stories as soon as she learned to spell.
She graduated from AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts with her BFA in Acting. She has spent five-plus years working in film production, helping movies come to life.
She has also worked numerous jobs in publishing as she loves the process of books being born into the world.
She is currently a graduate student in the MFA in Writing for Theatre and Media program at her alma mater.
She is also a member of the Community Literature Initiate, CLI, Season 9 class, and has her first book of poetry, Broken But Holding, that will be published this year.
You can catch her painting, memory planning in her Passion Planner, or playing video games when she is not writing.
She is a PMDD Warrior determined to heal and advocate for the PMDD community with research, advocacy, art therapy, writing exercises, shadow work, and storytelling.
Nat Cooney
they/them
Im Nat (they/them), and I’m so excited to be a facilitator for Pushing Past PMDD. I am from Massachusetts and attended school at Framingham State University. There I completed a bachelors in Wildife and Environmental Biology, and a minor in Neuroscience. For me PMDD kicked in hardest in my senior year, and learning to cope and live with it has been the mission of my year since graduating. I am now a utility forester and love time outside. I also belong to The Jane Fund organization, which provides funding for contraceptives and abortions for people in my area, as well as related healthcare and education. I am a botany fanatic, big fan of fungi, and generally enamored with all living things. I can’t wait to get to know and grow with you all!
Kristen Gardiner
she/her
Kristen lives in Guelph, Ontario, Canada with her partner Marc, two children and rescue dogs Dexter and Juno. She has a B.A. from the University of Guelph in Public Policy and is currently working on completing her certification in Project Management. She has her certification in Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health First Aid: Supporting Youth.
She is an Ontario Public Service Pride Champion and spends her free time volunteering, with her family or in the garden (her happy place).
Kristen was diagnosed with PMDD in early 2018 and is passionate about increasing awareness, support, education, advocacy and resources for PMDD warriors and their partners.
Cassidy Winn
she/her
Hi, my name is Cassidy! If you’re here because you or a loved one has been diagnosed with PMDD, I commend you for getting this far. I myself was diagnosed with PMDD in 2019 and, maybe like you, I was confused, lonely, and scared of what that meant. I found over the next few years that when I reached out for connection and understanding, dealing with the trials of PMDD become more doable. My goal as your group therapy facilitator is to support you on your journey with PMDD, I hope this group will serve you well.
A little about me: I am from Northern Utah and am a senior at Utah State University studying communication disorders. In my free time, I like to go to as many concerts as possible, watch movies, read, and work on puzzles. I can’t wait to work together!
Kayla Van Cleve
she/her
Hi, I’m Kayla (she/her), mom to 2 humans and 1 doggo, and partner to Nate. We live in the high desert of Arizona. I have struggled with PMDD symptoms since having my first child in 2009 (and probably before just not with as much understanding). It became increasingly worse with the birth of my second child and the onset of PDD/A. It is now a mission of mine to help uterus owners better understand their emotions and fight the good fight.
A little bit more about me; I have a MS in Psychology and was in the mental and behavioral health arena for 15 years. I held positions in case management, program management, as well as a clinician and lastly a school counselor. I now coach woman on how to improve their communication, emotional processing, and how to get good habits to stick.
I can’t wait to work with you!
Lauren Ashman
she/they
Lauren is 31 and has been living with PMDD for most of her adult life. They are from Melbourne, Australia and grateful to live, play and create on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country.
A certified jack of all trades, her curious mind has allowed her to grow into a multidisciplinary artist. She studied Fine Arts and Jewelry Design in her early twenties at Monash University and is now expanding her creative practice by exploring the art of divination and the Tarot. In fact, the Tarot has become one of her most supportive tools to call on throughout the luteal phase.
With a particular passion for somatic, restorative and embodiment practices, Lauren continues to study and explore self-regulation tools such as Breathwork and trauma informed yin yoga and movement.
For fun and pleasure, Lauren adores cooking - especially baking sweet treats! Dancing, painting and creating digi-collages. Spending time with friends in nature and reading up on astrology and Lunar cycles.
Stephanie Maxwell
she/her
Stephanie is a music therapist and music teacher residing in Guelph, Ontario (Canada).
Stephanie completed her Bachelor of Music Therapy at Acadia University followed by the completion of her music therapy internship. She earned her Masters of Arts in the Creative Arts Therapies from Concordia University and completed a research thesis. Currently she provides music therapy services and adapted music lessons for folks of all ages.
Stephanie is a PMDD warrior passionate about promoting wellbeing, facilitating connection and community-with or without music!
In her spare time, you can find Stephanie’s nose stuck in a book, dancing or playing tennis.
Monica Grohne
she/her
Hey there, I’m Monica! I live in Jackson, WY with my husband and golden retriever, Lox. After 17 years of struggling, believing I was depressed and bi-polar I received my diagnosis of PMDD in 2016 at the age 26. The struggle with my own PMDD lead me to dive deep on hormone and menstrual health receiving a certificate in women’s hormone health coaching and launching my own menstrual wellness nutrition brand, Marea, in 2020. I’m on a personal mission to help support as many menstruators as possible feel free from their period symptoms.
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