Name: Athena Leone
Location: Clinic Manager at ListenUP! Canada, Toronto, Ontario
“Reading about how people were affected by tinnitus, including my father, got me interested and inspired to pursue a career in audiology.”
In 2011, Athena Leone followed through with her life motto to “try something new every single day” and took up horseback riding. Close to six years later, this activity is still an important part of her life.
“I love spending time with my family and ‘fur babies,’” says Athena, who often heads to a barn in the small community of Campbellville, Ontario located in the Town of Minto to get some exercise with her dog, King and her horse, Opie. “Opie is an off track thoroughbred horse, (he used to race,) and he is a real character!”
But before Athena met Opie, she was working part-time as a Client Service Administrator at ListenUP! Canada while she attended school to become a Hearing Instrument Specialist at Conestoga College. Athena also completed her thesis on tinnitus at McMaster University where she specialized in Behavioural Neuroscience.
“Then in 2010,” Athena added, “I began working full-time for ListenUP! Canada as a hearing healthcare practitioner and became a clinic manager shortly after.”
Though her study of tinnitus drove her to the field of Audiology, witnessing one of her family members endure this condition played an important role in her career decision as well.
“Reading about how people were affected by tinnitus, including my father, got me interested and inspired to pursue a career in audiology,” says Athena. “I love that every day, I feel like I have helped someone either learn something or hear something that they have not heard in many, many years.”
Through the Campaign for Better Hearing, a campaign that encourages every Canadian to test their ears if they are 60 years of age or older, Athena is able to help Canadians in an important way. For every hearing test taken, the Campaign for Better Hearing sponsors donate $4.00 towards the purchase of aids for people who need them. Hearing Professionals such as Athena then get to nominate their clients to receive these aids at no cost to the client.
“The campaign plays a huge role in my job because not only should everyone have their ears tested regularly,” says Athena, “Everyone should have access to hearing healthcare, and that’s what the Campaign for Better Hearing is all about!”
Are you ready to start your journey to better hearing? If you are a Canadian over the age of 18 who may have hearing loss, book a free hearing test with us today!
