Meet Hannah
Hannah Mouncey is the founder and Managing Director of The Kana Initiative, having launched the program in 2024. She has lived across Australia, growing up in both the city (Sydney) and country (Albury/ Wodonga) before becoming a proud Canberran having relocated to the nations capital at the beginning of 2008. This is not to mention stints in Melbourne, Port Augusta and Brisbane.
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Best known as an athlete Hannah has and continues to represent Australia in Handball from 2012 to the present day, as well as having played Australian Rules Football in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for the Darebin Falcons. In 2017 Hannah was a highly touted draft prospect for the AFLW competition, with the AFL only banning her from the draft (but allowing her to continue to play VFL) the day before the draft was to take place. As a handball player, Hannah has represented Australia at a World Cup, Olympic Qualification events and many other tournaments around the world. To date, Hannah is the only athlete in the world- in any sport- to represent her country at senior level both pre and post gender transition.
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In contrast to her successful sporting career, Hannah has also experienced lows to match the highs that come with competing at the highest level. She has experienced an extended period of homelessness, mental health issues and was the centre of global controversy throughout 2017 and 2018 due to her status as a high profile transgender athlete. Unemployment was another issue she faced, and it must be noted that none of these experiences are unique to her. These are problems faced by transgender and LGBTQIA+ people all around the world, and Hannah is just one of many to have had to face the challenges that being part of the rainbow community can bring.
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Despite this, in 2020 Hannah was able to draw on her experience working in disability as well as the mental health sector to establish Ashwood Support Services, an NDIS support provider who specialises in supporting those who have a mental health condition, are neurodiverse or have a neurological condition such as MS. From the very humble beginnings where Hannah was the sole employee of Ashwood Support Services, the company has now grown employ 25 staff and provide supports in Canberra, Melbourne’s East and Outer Eastern suburbs as well as the Yarra Valley and Ballarat. In addition to the above conditions Ashwood specialises in, they also support a number of LGBTQIA+ people with a disability, and in particular those who are transgender.
Prior to working in the mental health sector, Hannah had a diverse range of jobs including working in game development for sporting organisations, a stint in the Royal Australian Navy, delivering pizzas and working at the National Zoo and Aquarium (where she learnt as a 19 year old from a very confused mum that a babycino is not just a little coffee!). This has given Hannah an excellent grounding in the requirements of different industries and to see not just the barriers that may exist for inclusion to be a priority, but where there are endless possibilities for organisations to make a difference and for inclusion to be profitable at the same time.
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