The story behind MyTeal

Sandi MacDonald, BACS, CPS, is a lived experience suicidologist, certified peer specialist, and nonprofit leader, as well as the Co-Founder of the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAPMD). A dedicated advocate and educator with lived experience of PMDD, Sandi brings over 25 years of professional experience across the mental health sector, specializing in crisis response, trauma support, and peer-centered care. In addition to her formal education, she has earned multiple graduate-level certificates in several mental health disciplines, including suicide, grief, trauma, and addiction modalities grounding her work in both deep personal and professional insight.

At IAPMD, Sandi has led the development of one of the world's most comprehensive peer support ecosystems for individuals with PMDD and PME. She has trained a global network of peer supporters rooted in compassion, trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and evidence-based practice. Her leadership and collaborative approach have been recognized internationally for elevating lived experience and improving access to emotionally safe, inclusive support.

For the My Teal app, Sandi contributed her unique expertise in peer support and patient experience, helping shape features designed to meet people where they are especially during the most difficult moments of the cycle. She played a key role in developing emotional safety elements across the platform and helped create on demand coaching videos in EZ Mode based on the Thriving with PMDs program. Through this work, Sandi ensures that My Teal empowers users with supportive, compassionate guidance whenever they need it most.

Dr. Sneha Chenji brings both personal experience with PMDD and a decade of research expertise focused on vulnerable populations. She leads IAPMD's research and education initiatives, including authoring the organization's "Guide to Conducting Rigorous, Patient-Centered PMDD Research" and editing its treatment options ebook.

Sneha is passionate about creating mental health tools that reflect lived experience while remaining grounded in evidence. She has coordinated multi-stakeholder teams and developed educational content that supports people through complex health journeys.

As a co-creator of the "Thriving with PMDs" program, Dr. Chenji played a central role in tailoring it for the MyTeal app. She provided patient-centered insights and coordinated the collaboration needed to turn the program into a digital resource for the community.