Arthritis Life Hack Extravaganza 2023: Detailed Agenda & Speaker Bios!

Cheryl’s bio: Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.

Most days you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Corinne’s bio: Corinne is an occupational therapist-turned-hand coach who helps those with chronic hand conditions get back to doing their favorite activities.

Maybe you’ve seen all sorts of hand braces and feel completely overwhelmed with all your options. Perhaps you want to know all the best gadgets to immediately do your favorite activities better. Or maybe you’re curious about hand exercises to improve your mobility and strength, but you aren’t sure where to start.

If so, Corinne’s definitely your gal. Shoot her an email or DM on instagram, she’d love to say hello!

Judith’s bio: Judith Cook is the founder of Elba London, a lingerie brand that offers contemporary bras designed specifically to make dressing easier thanks to the innovative Elba EZ magnetic fastener.

Elba was born out of a girlfriend’s arthritis diagnosis, and her frustrations in shopping for a functional bra that also looked good.

Judith is passionate about sharing her business and entrepreneurial experience, and how to make mainstream fashion more inclusive and democratic for people of all abilities.

Ashley’s Bio:

My name is Ashley Nicole and I am a RA Warrior! I’ve lived with RA for 17 years and counting.

It is now my mission to empower women living with rheumatoid arthritis to improve their quality of life through faith, food and fitness. 

Learn more at my RA Warrior Fitness website!

Eileen Davidson, also known as Chronic Eileen, is a rheumatoid arthritis patient advocate from Vancouver Canada.

She volunteers with the Arthritis Research Canada patient advisory board and the Canadian Institute of Health Research – Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis patient engagement research ambassador, among others.

When not advocating she is writing about her experience with arthritis through Creaky Joints,  Healthline, Chronic Eileen or can be found being a mom to her son Jacob.  Follow up with Eileen at: Www.chroniceileen.com @chroniceileen 

At MyMee Dr. Lytle manages the coaching program, including all care delivery.

Dr. Lytle merges her education, clinical practice and research experience in the fields of naturopathic medicine, functional nutrition and chronic disease epidemiology to supervise client consultations, develop coaching protocols, collect and review real world evidence, participate in research and collaborate internally to build and execute program strategy.

Laura’s bio:

Laura Jean is a Rheumatoid Arthritis warrior , chronic tea drinker, and Arctic islander. She is passionate about helping others and sharing simple solutions to help manage life with arthritis.

Laura Jean is the writer behind the RA Life Hacks blog and the designer behind the spoonie stickers and printables available on Etsy at RA Life Hacks. 

Cristina Montoya is a mama of a whimsical 4-year-old boy, surviving and thriving with Sjogren’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia for over 20 years.  She is a Registered Dietitian, Holistic Cannabis Practitioner and Certified Cannabis Educator. 

Cristina is passionate about empowering women living with Sjogren’s and other rheumatic arthritis to adopt an anti-inflammatory lifestyle to reduce inflammation, pain and fatigue without unnecessary restrictions. She has been developing anti-inflammatory recipes for the Arthritis Society’s Living Well program since 2020. She is relaunching her website www.arthritisdietitian.com with new blog posts, recipes and programs.

Cheryl’s bio: Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.

Most days you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

4:20pm-4:50pm EST / 1:20-1:50pm PST: Tips for Pregnancy and Parenting with Arthritis, with Mariah Leach

Mariah’s bio: Mariah Leach is a writer, patient advocate, and mom of three living with rheumatoid arthritis. After learning firsthand the challenges of facing pregnancy and motherhood with a chronic illness, Mariah has become passionate about supporting women with chronic illnesses who are or want to become mothers. She launched Mamas Facing Forward in 2015.

Her experiences with the healthcare system fueled her passion for assisting women with autoimmune diseases to reach their best quality of life through mindset, self-advocacy and implementing natural and holistic methods consistently.

She uses her platform to educate and inspire others with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic illnesses to thrive not just survive as they learn to overcome the challenges of their health condition.

Cheryl’s bio: Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.

Most days you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Cheryl’s bio: Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis. She created the Rheum to THRIVE support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.

Most days you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Krista’s bio: In January 2000, at the age of 29, Krista was diagnosed with a severe onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Having experienced chronic pain, disability, stress, depression, shame and isolation for years, she relates deeply to the fear and impact that deteriorated physical and mental health has on all facets of life.

16 years into her diagnosis, she began addressing drivers of her inflammation, which dramatically improved her quality of life.  Today, not only is Krista able to share her passion for movement and able to dance again, she is a speaker and certified practitioner in nutrition and lifestyle to help others improve their own quality of life.

Dr. Saimun Singla’s bio: Dr. Singla is board-certified in general pediatrics, pediatric rheumatology, and one of the few pediatric subspecialists in the country who is fellowship-trained in integrative medicine. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis herself after becoming an attending rheumatologist.

This unique experience of living on both sides of the exam table made her see the giant gaps in the conventional care model, and ultimately led her to founding Rheum to Grow, a medical practice for kids with rheumatic disease in Houston, TX. 

Dr. Randi’s bio: Dr. Randi is a Doctor of Chiropractic as well as a Certified Exercise Physiogist that has had RA for 9 years. She graduated from The University of Alabama, where she was on the track team, and shortly thereafter, obtained a certification to become an Exercise Physiologist by The American College of Sports Medicine.

Being an exercise physiologist has given her opportunity to prescribe exercise for individuals with various conditions, including many types of arthritis. When she is not working, then she is enjoying time with her husband, Matt and their dog, Bear.

Jenifer’s bio: Jenifer Tharani, Chronic Pain Nutritionist is a registered dietitian and daughter of a chronic illness warrior. Jenifer believes that eating healthy does not have to be boring, time consuming or expensive. She is extremely passionate about helping women with chronic illness adopt an anti-inflammatory, gut healing eating pattern without unwarranted food eliminations.

Jenifer doesn’t believe in diets, instead in making small sustainable lifestyle changes to help you find a balance in your everyday life, including trying to keep your favorite foods in the mix! 

Stefanie’s bio: Stefanie Remson, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Coach, has dedicated her life to helping people with rheumatoid arthritis. Stefanie guides people that have RA to live productive, fulfilling lives while better managing their symptoms.

Stefanie is also a family nurse practitioner in the state of Nevada and a patient with RA. 

After having completed additional fellowship training in medical education, Dr. Wada is passionate about building meaningful connection and therapeutic relationships with her patients and inspiring future physicians to do the same. She seeks to empower her patients and coaching clients with a naturally-minded and scientifically-grounded approach to care. 

She speaks nationally on topics including medical education, allergic and immunologic conditions. Outside of her work, she is an autoimmune patient, a food allergy mom of 3 kids, and wife to another Dr. Wada. 

Sarah’s bio:

Sarah Dillingham is on a mission to make better orthopedic braces and compression products. She started Grace & Able to make effective, comfortable joint support that attracts compliments, not stares.

An arthritis patient herself, she runs the 25,000 member strong Women with Rheumatoid Disease community

Natasha’s bio: Natasha Trehan is a oung adult from Ontario, Canada studying at the University of Ottawa in the Biomedical Science Program. She was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at the age of 13.

She promotes self-advocacy and strives to empower youth and young adults diagnosed with rheumatic diseases through her podcast Take a Pain Check.

Alyssa’s bio: Dr. Alyssa Kuhn is a physical therapist and an osteoarthritis specialist. She is based in Sandy, Utah and loves playing in the mountains.

Dr. Alyssa founded Keep the Adventure Alive  to break through the doom and gloom of osteoarthritis and bring a motivating perspective with the possibility of adventure.

She helps people all across the world find pain relief, regain confidence and lead very active lives through in person and virtual treatments. She has helped hundreds of people find their own arthritis adventures and now, it’s your turn!

Cheryl Crow is a fierce advocate for meeting the full picture of patients’ needs beyond joint pain. After living with rheumatoid arthritis for over a decade and becoming an occupational therapist, Cheryl founded Arthritis Life with the mission of educating, empowering and supporting people with arthritis.

She created the Rheum to THRIVE support program and Arthritis Life Podcast to help people with rheumatic disease live full, vibrant and meaningful lives.

Most days you can find Cheryl creating life hack videos, sharing patient stories on the Arthritis Life Podcast or spreading the word about ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).